Potato Bacon Chowder

I thought I would post this soup recipe because Kristi was asking me if I had any good soup recipes yesterday. This is the one I was talking about. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup water
8 bacon strips
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Directions:
In a covered 3-qt. saucepan, cook potatoes in water until tender. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. In the same skillet, saute onion and celery in drippings until tender; drain. Add to undrained potatoes. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until heated through (do not boil). Crumble bacon; set aside 1/4 cup. Add remaining bacon to soup along with parsley. Sprinkle with reserved bacon.

Note: I usually just put all the bacon into the soup. And I never buy fresh parsley, so I just add some of the dry kind to the soup.

Minestrone Soup

1 pound Smoked Sausage, cubed
2 Cups Water
4 Stalks celery, diced
3 Carrots, diced
1 Medium Onion, diced
1 (14 oz) can Beef Broth
1 (10 oz) can Bean with Bacon Soup
1(28 oz) can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 tsp Sugar
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic salt)
1 Tbs Oregano
1 Tbs Basil
2 tsp Salt (I had to add a little more salt than it calls for)
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 box Bow Tie Pasta

Brown Sausage in frying pan. Add all remaining ingredients (except pasta) into a large crockpot and Stir together. Cook on Low for about 4 hours. High for at least 2 hours. Just before eating cook your pasta and add to soup.

**My Kids LOVED this! :) I served this with Parmesan Breadsticks:)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I really liked this soup. I got it off of Cheryl's blog What's Cookin' Tew. And I had leftover chicken that I used so it was completely prepared in 5 minutes. Then I just let it simmer. That's my kind of recipe! ;)

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups water (may use chicken broth)

2 Tbs sugar

3 tsp chili powder

3/4 - 1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

14 oz can or frozen corn (optional)

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

**I didn't have any chilies soI just sprinkled in some crushed red pepper to give it a little kick. I also had some leftover cooked lentils that I threw in which added nutrition and texture without changing the taste.

Combine in large pot. Bring to boil and then simmer for 3o minutes. (You can also put this in a crock pot and let it simmer all day on low.)

Serve with:Sour Cream, Chopped avocado, Sliced olives, Grated Cheddar Cheese, Tortilla strips (Smith's carries these in their deli section)

Chicken Taco Soup

1 Onion
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
cilantro
jalapeno peppers
tortilla chips

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, chicken broth and diced tomatoes in a crock-pot. Add the taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breats on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Cook on low heat for 5 hours.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Shred. Stir the chicken back into the soup and continue cooking for 2 hours. Add cilantro.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, black olives, cilantro, fresh lime and tortilla chips.

Tuscan Bean Soup

This soup is fast, easy, inexpensive & HEALTHY!

1 small onion, thinly diced
2 carrots, sliced
1 TBS olive oil
2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 can great nothern beans, drained & rinsed
2/3 c spiral or bowtie pasta
2-3 c spinach, washed & torn
s&p

In large pot, saute onion and carrot in olive oil until onion is tender. Add broth & water; bring to a boil. Stir in beans & pasta; return to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover, and simmer for 14-15 minutes until pasta & carrots are tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach, heat through. Season with salt & pepper.

This is really good served with crusty bread or toast for dipping. It's an extremely mild-tasting soup.....great for the kids!!

White Chili

I heard that some of you wanted the White Chili recipe from the Halloween party...Well, here it is! It's one of my favorites. Enjoy!

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 TB vegetable oil
2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chicken broth
2 cans chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 c. whipping cream
1 c. sour cream

In a large saucepan saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until no longer pink. Add chicken broth, beans, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream and sour cream. Serve immediately. Serves seven.

(When I made this the other night, I doubled the recipe and added only half as much garlic as the recipe called for and a little less than half the cayenne pepper. You can do what you like...experiment!)