Crockpot Creamy Potato Soup

Hello, and welcome to my horrible iPhone pictures that do absolutely NO JUSTICE to this wonderful soup. I haven't made potato soup in so long because, well, the carbs!! But - I've absolutely never made it in a crockpot and it was so easy that I may never go back to my stove - for this soup, that is.

I stumbled upon this soup on Pinterest (and, by the way - don't you love how you never feel like you have any original "findings" any more because you say you saw something on Pinterest and everyone you talk to tells you they saw it too and was getting ready to try it? Just me? I have pride issues.) So, I did see this on "P" (new code name) and I really wanted to give it a try to take to my life group friend that just had the most beautiful baby girl named Emily just a week ago. I had also seen this cute little site that gave you ideas of foods to take to new moms and I nabbed that idea as well and packaged her up the following grub and delivered it this afternoon.

I made her this lovely Crockpot Potato Soup.
A tub full of fresh blueberries, strawberries and grapes
Some fresh baguette rolls
and the BEST banana, caramel and pecan muffins I've ever had - well, if I do say so myself. I ate one to make sure I was only giving my friend the very best of course. :-) Recipe to follow this week!

I could've eaten my weight in this soup, but limited myself to 2 small bowls. It was windy and cold out today, so the day just seemed perfect for this soup. The crockpot part of this dish was so easy and a huge WIN in my book.

Parent's Review: We loved it. Loved the tangy-ness of the cream cheese in there and I simply added packaged crumbled bacon to the top out of laziness, and I actually liked it.

Kid's Review: My kids don't do potatoes unless they are a fry or a hash brown or a potato wedge. Something is wrong with them. They missed out.

Here's the recipe again if you missed it up top.

Butternut Squash Soup

Don't you love a girl who says that she'll post a recipe, and then totally forgets because her child is knee deep in potty training and running a high fever? Good. Cause that's what happened. I meant to post this soup recipe on Tuesday, but then our world started spinning with craziness and I just plain forgot. It isn't the first time you've heard me say those words and I'm sure it won't be the last. :-)

On to the soup.

I have had this recipe for years and I acquired it from my coveted and most favorite magazine - Real Simple.

I have yet to make something from this source that wasn't awesome in every way. Plus.......it's Real Simple. :-)

I told my friend Julie about this soup and how great it was and she said, "Hmmm.. It doesn't sound very good to me." But - I assure you that it is deceiving in it's name and the flavor is fab-u-loso!!



The parmesan is the real winner in this soup too and gives it lots of flavor. I splurged and purchased parmesan reggianno when I was at Trader Joe's a few weeks back. The fresh sage is also amazing and I was out of it this time around and substituted dried rosemary leaves instead. I like the sage much better, but in a pinch, I would totally do this rosemary thing again. Still very, very good.

Here's the recipe

I didn't make the croutons, but I SO want to. I will do them next time around. I actually just crunched up some parmesan and garlic pita chips in mine and it was pretty good as a substitute.

Parents Review: HUGE HIT!!!
Kids Review: They ate leftovers that night and didn't have any, but it is a hit or miss dish with them since there is green stuff floating around (sage or rosemary). :-)

Please try it! I think you'll love it as much as I do!!!

Have a great week!

Momma's Beef Stew

I have been eating my mom's beef stew since way before I can even remember. When winter time comes, inevitably so does this dish on our kitchen table.

And it MUST be served with home-made biscuits. No question.

I made this for all of us on Christmas Eve and I forgot to get a good picture, so forgive the ones that I am including, they were a last minute remembrance.

It's super thick and a stick to your ribs kind of stew.


Here's the recipe:

2 lbs. lean beef stew meat
Cut into bite size pieces (if they aren't already), dredge with flour and brown well in large pot in a little bit of olive oil.
After meat is browned on all sides - add 4 Cups of Water, a little pepper and 2 tsp. Salt

Bring to a boil - then simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours. Add 1 small chopped onion to pot, along with chopped carrots and cubed potatoes (just enough to make it full of meat and veggies). I think I used 6 yukon gold potatoes and about 1/2 bag of baby carrots - chopped.

Salt again. Cook another 45 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Serve with biscuits. My mom makes them from scratch, but I have to confess and tell you that I love the Bisquick biscuit recipe on the back of the box. They always turn out big and fluffy and they are awesome. We like to throw a biscuit in with our stew to eat, we like to put butter or jelly on a couple on the side and then at the end - NO, I am not kidding - we like to pour syrup over a biscuit or two to polish off this meal. I have no idea how we started eating them like this, but I have done it since I was a kid, and it's so amazing! Can you tell I eat like 15 biscuits with every bowl? Yeah. I was hoping you wouldn't pick up on that.

:-)

You will love this. It takes time, but it is SO SIMPLE and so good.

Parents Review: Yay!
Kids Review: They both love it!

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or spicy depending on your preference) - I actually use the ground sausage in the tube. My favorite is the "Sage" flavor.
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef stock
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
8 oz. can tomato sauce
3 zucchini, chopped
8 ounces cheese tortellini (I use whole wheat)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley
Grated parmesan cheese for topping

Brown the sausage in a large pot. Drain all the grease except for 1 tablespoon, then add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 more minutes.

Add the beef stock, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the zucchini, tortellini, green bell pepper and parsley. Simmer until tortellini is cooked (about 8-10 minutes). Serve in bowls topped with grated parmesan cheese.
Here's the pasta I use -




Parents Review: This soup is just perfect in the comfort food/full of veggies, grains and protein so you can feel good about it, kind of way. We LOVE it.
Kids Review: Sometimes they like it, and sometimes they snub. Tonight, Baby Boy ate a few bites and Little Girl ate the tortellini, the sausage and the carrots. No zuchinni for her.

Check back next week for more fun recipes!

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

MOST of my crock pot recipes that you will see me post about come from this awesome site I discovered this year over at this blog. I have liked every single recipe I have ever tried minus 2 of them.

Unfortunately, this recipe is ONE of those.

Sorry.

I made this with all the expectations in the world because the lady said that her kids had THIRDS of this stuff. David and I ate about 1/4 cup and thought that was plenty.

It was very strange in flavor and I followed everything to a "T". Maybe it's an acquired taste. Who knows. Maybe even YOU would like it. I didn't.

Parents Review: Blek.
Kids Review: I haven't given them any yet. Too scared.

Don't worry - I will be posting something very yummy this weekend. We had Big Breakfast early since Daddy is busy tomorrow morning. Pumpkin Pancakes are on the menu. Check back soon.

Taco Soup

I'm starting the soup obsession in my house.

Who doesn't love a meal that has every food group in one pan and you can make fairly quickly and it practically screams COMFORT FOOD when you eat it? Or drink it as it were? Not sure. :-)

This taco soup recipe was another find from the internet and it is so easy and so, so tasty. We love bread in this house, but we try not to serve in addition to our meals very often, because, HELLO, the belly fat that I am already fighting in my mid-30's.

SO, we tend to serve this alone and I usually add some sour cream, a little cheese and sometimes some soup crackers (yes- I know this is a bread, but whatever)

Here's the recipe:

Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef ( I use 1 lb. lean beef and 1 lb. ground turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn ,drained
1 can stewed tomatoes - mexican style (I just used petite diced)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing (dry)
2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth
Preparation:

Brown ground beef and onions in a large pan, drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour or so. When ready, serve in big soup bowls, and have a skillet of hot cornbread to eat, too.


Parent Reviews: Love it!
Kid Reviews: They love it too as long as there are crackers involved.