Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ok, it's Fall y'all!  And what does Mom CRAVE when it gets cold....(No..not everything!) SOUP! This is one of the BEST if not THE best baked potato soup recipes I've found.  And even more exciting??  I played with it and found a way to make it just a tad bit healthier!  To my credit...the fam loved it more than my other super fattening almost as delicious soup. This is going to be my new go-to from here on out!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 slices cooked bacon*, diced (heck, you know I used the entire package!)
• 5 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 pounds potatoes, diced (you don't even need to peel them!)
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 stick butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) can 2% evaporated milk
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add bacon, 5 cups chicken stock, potatoes and onion to the bowl of a large slow cooker, and stir to combine.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through.
2. Once the soup has slow cooked and is about ready to serve, cook the butter in a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat until it has melted.  Whisk in the flour until it is completely combined, and then cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Gradually add in the evaporated milk while whisking it together with the flour mixture, and continue whisking until the mixture is completely smooth.  Let the mixture continue cooking until it reaches a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then it should get really thick.
3. Immediately pour the milk mixture into the slow cooker with the potatoes, and stir until combined.  Add in the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt and pepper, and stir until combined.  If you would like the soup to be even thicker, you can use a potato masher or a large spoon to mash about half of the potatoes (while the soup is still in the slow cooker) to thicken the soup up.  If you would like the soup to be thinner, add in an extra 1-2 cups of warmed chicken or vegetable stock.  Stir to combine, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings.  Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  (This recipe will not freeze well.)

Baked Potato Soup (Crockpot)

Ingredients:
- 5lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves of garlic (you can use whole, crushed, or minced)
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 16 oz cream cheese (I used 8oz regular and 8oz lowfat)
- 1 TBS seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions

Directions:
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves (if you used whole cloves) along with 1/2 to 1/3rd of the soup.  -Return 1/2 of the pureed soup to the crockpot.  Add the cream cheese to remaining soup in the blend until well incorporated.
- Stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!

Yields about 10-12 servings.

Black Bean Butternut Squash Chili

For my favorite vegetarians!  You KNOW who you are!  :)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 jalapenos seeded and minced
2 14.5 oz cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes
4 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
heat oil in large skillet, cook onions and garlic until tender, add peppers and cook until crisp tender, transfer to slow cooker and add remaining ingredients except for the squash. mix well. arrange squash over the chili, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours season with salt and pepper serve with cornbread…so good

Meatball Chili

Company coming this week?  Get ready to feed the crowds!  A friend made this for Lance's farewell and it was YUM-E!


In crockpot add:
3 cans chili (any flavor)
1 lrg can baked beans
1 can corn (drained)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 onion chopped (cooked in microwave for 4 minutes with 1 T butter and seasonings to taste such as garlic powder, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, chili powder)  Add to crockpot.
Meatballs - as many as you like! (Frozen meatballs you can buy just about anywhere.  Precook in microwave and drain excess fat before you add to crockpot)
3 T brown sugar
1 T yellow mustard
Any other seasonings to taste that you love!  Stir all together and cook all day on low or a few hours on high.
Garnish with cheese, sour cream, green onion, bacon, or whatever else you love!!!

Creamy Tomato Basil Parmesan

Okay...so I was having this REALLY busy day (car registration, Halloween costume making, goodies for teachers, 5th grade class party, pictures for the senior girl's volley ball team....you getting the picture so far???) and I get a text from my little sister on the way home.  Well, I just HAD to call her back...you know!  So we're gabbing on my way home, I walk in the door and discover it's nearly 5:00.  UGH!  Dinner time!  What to do for dinner????!!!  So with little sis on the phone I start frantically (yes, really, FRANTICALLY) throwing things into a pot.  And I'm laughing in between swapping stories and joking that my dinner better turn out really great!!  Well......it did!!!!!!!  Not too bad for throwing it together.  Add a few pizza bites on the side and it was a dinner fit for a family of five (that's how many we had home anyways).....FABULOUS!!!

1 can diced tomatoes - pureed in blender
1/2 c heavy cream (it was leftover in the fridge.  You can also use 1 can evaporated milk)
3 c milk (apprx....till you get the consistency you prefer)
1 T dried basil (or more if you prefer)
1 tsp garlic salt
Parmesan cheese to taste

Just heat and serve!  Easy!!!  And they loved it!!!

Chicken and Dumplings

Does your family really thing chicken soup only comes from a little red and white can?  The colder weather that's forecast this week makes it the perfect time for homemade soup.  Enjoy!

6 cups chicken broth (1 1/2 boxes or 3 cans) OR 6 c. water + 6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 lb. cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (I use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
1 c. sliced carrots
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bay leaf
1 handful of chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1/2 tsp. basil
1 14-oz. can evaporated milk (fat free is fine)
1 recipe of Bisquik dumplings (recipe is on the box)


In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and then add chicken broth, chicken, bay leaf, and basil. Bring to a boil. Add carrots and celery and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until carrots and celery are tender. When carrots and celery are almost done, add chopped parsley. Add evaporated milk. Increase heat to boiling and add noodles or add prepared Bisquik by small spoonfuls (they'll really puff up while they're cooking). Cook until noodles are tender or until dumplings are cooked through (they should appear moist but feel firm; this is after about 4-5 minutes).

FRESH TOMATO BASIL SOUP

8 fresh tomatoes chopped in 1/4 (or 2 large cans of stewed tomatoes)

2 anaheim peppers chopped in 1/4

1/4 C chopped fresh basil (1 T dried)

1 spring of fresh thyme (1/2 t dried)

1 t salt

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion powder

Bring 1/4 C canoal oil to a sizzle in large stock pan. Add all indredients to pan, cook 5-10 mintues.

take mixture from pan, blend in foodprocesser or blender till smooth.

Put back in pan, bring to boil. Turn off heat. Add

1/4 C br. sugar (or to taste)

1/2 C heavy cream.

top with mozzarella, serve with toasted baguettes

Cha Cha Chicken Chili

It's that time of year....soup, soup, SOUP!  I could live off nothing but soup in the winter.  Okay, soup and dessert!  We made the "quick-n-lite" version after church yesterday.  Delicioso!

2 lbs Boneless skinless chicken (diced...you can also shred it after cooking if you're doing it in a crockpot.  I've also used canned chicken in a pinch)
2 med Onions
3 tsp Garlic powder
2 Tbl Oil
4 can Great Northern beans (white beans), drained and rinsed
2 cans Chicken broth
3 cans Diced green chilies
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne
16 oz. Sour cream (Lite version.... 8 oz sour cream and 8 oz plain yogurt)
8 oz Whipping cream or half-n-half  (Lite version.....1 can evaporated milk)

Saute chicken, onion & garlic in oil.  Combine beans, broth, chilies and seasoning in a pot.  Add chicken and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 mins.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream.

*NOTE:  This is great in the crockpot.  Just put all ingredients in a crockpot EXCEPT for the sour cream and whipping cream.  Cook 6 - 8 hours on low.  Shred chicken.  And add sour cream and whipping cream before serving. And the "lite" version tastes pretty dang close to the original!!!

For a quick version I use canned chicken.  And I cook the onions in the microwave for a couple minutes with a little olive oil.  Then just dump it in the pot and simmer for a few.  Just remember NOT to add the creams until the end or it WILL curdle on you!


Serve with tortilla chips and Monterey Jack cheese.

OLIVE GARDEN's

Toscana soup

Cook 1 large onion on med-high till golden.

add 2 large clovces to the onion half way in.

add 1/2 pkg bacon cooked and crumbled.

add and cook 1 pound Italian sausage with onion.

(You can cook sausage before if you would like to drain the fat)

Add 2 cans chicken broth

1 quart water bring to boil

add 2 C cubed red potatoes.

Right before potatoes are soft add

1 C heavy whipping cream

2 C chopped kale

ENJOY!!!! My kids love it, thanks Julie for this recipe