Cheesy Chicken and Artichoke Soup

2 chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, chopped
enough apple juice to cover the chicken in a sauce pan

Brown the onion until tender in the sauce pan. Add uncooked chicken breasts and cover with liquid. Simmer slowly until chicken is cooked through. Discard liquid. Cool chicken and chop into bite size pieces. Add the chicken to:

1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can artichoke, chopped (not the marinated kind)
1/2 lb. Velveta cheese with jalapenos
1 can evaporated milk or an equal amount of half and half
2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Mix all ingredients together. Stir frequently until heated through. Watch the mixture does not burn on the bottom. Serve with bread. We love this soup in the cold months!

White Chicken Chili

This was sooo yummy and different than your usual chili - we will for sure make this again because it came together so easily!

1 lb chicken breast, cut into ½” cubes
1 med onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 (15 ½ oz) cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ½ oz) can chicken broth
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 C sour cream
1 C whipping cream

Sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is cooked.
Add beans, chicken broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve immediately.

Asparagus & Cheese Potato Soup

1 large onion, chopped
4 teaspoons of canola oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups 1-inch pieces asparagus spears or broccoli florets
2 cups of lowfat Milk
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1½ cups ½-inch cubes red potatoes
1½ cups ½-inch cubes gold potatoes
¼ teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1⁄3 cup sour cream

In a large saucepan cook onion with oil until tender. Sprinkle flour over onion and stir. Add the asparagus, milk, broth, potatoes, salt and cayenne pepper.
Cook and stir until the soup has thickened; reduce heat. Simmer and cover for about 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add cheese and sour cream; stir until cheese melts. Then it is ready to serve.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is such a favorite in our house - I could probably eat it every day!

especially yummy when you have all the fixings for it :)

2 T. olive oil

2-3 cooked chicken breast, shredded

1 onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

32 oz. chicken broth (or French onion soup mix with appropriate amount of water– actually, I like to do half broth and half soup mix…gives it yummy flavor!)

14 oz. Mexican style tomatoes

4 oz. green chilies

1+ tsp. cumin (add more if you like it spicy)

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. sugar

1 TB. Lime juice (or the juice of one lg. lime)

toppings:

Diced avocado

Sour Cream

Freshly cut cilantro

4 oz. shredded monterery jack or cheddar cheese

1 cup tortilla chips crushed a bit (to go inside soup while cooking, but you’ll want more to put on top of soup when serving)

In a 6 quart pot combine onion, garlic, and olive oil. Sautee for 5 minutes. Add chicken and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Add crushed tortilla chips. Stir well, cover and simmer 30 minutes. If liquid cooks down too much add water. When ready to serve, put some cheese, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, and a handful of broken chips in bowl.

{I haven't ever tried it but I'm guessing this could be made in a crockpot!}

Silky Potato Leek Soup

2.5 oz of butter (1/2 cup)

1 lb. Leeks chopped about 3 (you can use broccoli as another option)

6 cups of chicken stock

24 oz Potatoes diced or about 6 small

3/4 cup of cream or half & half

salt pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot over med heat, add the leeks and cook to soften but not brown. add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. turn the heat to med. high and add the potatoes and cook for about 20 min. or until the potatoes are soft. add the cream and take off the heat. Puree the soup with an immersible blender until the desired consistency.

It is yummy! Don't worry if you don't have exactly the amount - it always tastes good.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

• Cream of Pumpkin Soup
• 3 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F(200 degrees C). Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread butter mixture evenly over one side of each bread slice. Place bread, buttered side up, on a baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until bread is crisp and topping is bubbly. Cut each slice of bread into 8 small triangles or squares.
2. Saute onion in butter in a medium saucepan until tender. Add 1 can chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor. Process until smooth.
4. Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining can of broth, pumpkin, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally..
5. Stir in whipping cream and heat through. Do not boil. Ladle into individual soup bowls. Top each serving with Cinnamon Croutons.

*I like to add a pinch of cumin and a dash of ground cloves.  For a quick meal, I don't bother with the croutons.

Hope you like it!

Chicken & Rice Soup

This is my aunt's recipe, but super yummy!

6 T butter
1 T onion
1/2 C flour
2 1/2 C chicken broth (1 can + 1/2 C water works fine)
1 pkg Rice-A-Roni long grain & wild rice, cooked according to pkg
2 C chicken, cubed & cooked
1/2 C grated carrot
12 oz. evaporated milk

Melt butter & saute onion. Add flour & whisk, then gradually add broth. Boil about 1 min. You will see it change quickly. Stir in carrot, cooked rice & cooked chicken. Simmer 5 min or until carrot is tender. Add evaporated milk & heat. Serve with grated Chedder cheese.

Garden Chowder

Okay girls - lets get this blog going again cause I am in need of some new yummy recipes!

I found this recipe for one of my favorite soups, from one of my favorite restaurants in Utah - "ZUPAS cafe". If you haven't tried it - you are missing out. Hope you like this as much as we did. Even better, all the ingredients are all found at your local IGA :)

Garden Chowder Ingredients       3 TBS butter       2 medium zucchini, diced       1 medium onion, diced       2 T fresh parsley, chopped *note: when substituting with dry spices, use 1/2 the amount specified       2 T fresh basil, chopped       1/3 Cup flour       3 Cups chicken broth       1 tsp lemon juice       2-3 tomatoes, diced       1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk       1 can (14.5 oz) corn       1/3 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated       2 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded       1 tsp kosher salt       1 tsp freshly ground pepper Preparation Over medium heat, saute the zucchini, onion, parsley and basil in butter until vegetables are tender. Add flour, stir until vegetables are coated. Slowly add chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, milk and corn. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for five minutes or until corn is tender. Just before serving, stir in cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper. * You can add in whatever other veggies sound yummy too! Zane also added some leftover rice to his bowl which made it nice and hearty :)

Taco Soup

I think this might be Sara J's recipe, but I love it.

1 lb. ground beef
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 c chopped onions
1 8 oz can tomato soup
3 c water
1 env taco season
2 cans stewed tomato
2 cans kidney beans
sour cream
chips
shredded cheese

Brown hamburger and onion. Drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Top with sour cream, cheese, and chips.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash
3-4 cups chicken broth
3 Tbs. finely chopped onion
Milk
Sour Cream
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of cumin

Make chicken stock with bullion ( I use Better Than Bullion brand, but you can use whatever). While chicken broth is coming to a boil, peel the squash with a potato peeler. Cut the ends off, cut it in half, scoop out the guts and seeds. Slice the squash into about 1” x 1” cubes ( about what you would slice if you were making mashed potatoes). Chop up the onion. Place onion and chopped squash into boiling chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of cumin. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until squash is soft. Remove from heat for a few minutes, then puree. I use a stick blender, but you can use a regular blender or food processor. If the soup is too thick you can add milk and/or sour cream. I like to add a little of both to make it the right consistency and the sour cream makes it a little creamier. Makes about 6-8 servings.

*My friend (who is an excellent cook) just posted this recipe. It looks delicious, easy and cheap. Let us know if you try it!*

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup rice
1 tsp cumin
1 can mexican style corn (we used a small can of regular corn)
1 tsp cilantro
1 cup salsa
2 tbsp lime juice
1 lb cooked diced chicken

Put chicken broth, rice and cumin in large pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and warm.
Feeds 4-6
Top with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Very easy, quick and a perfect meal for a rainy Grenadian day.

New Ideas

This blog was an idea - and easy solution - to a problem we all have, what to make for dinner. So my friends and I have decided to make a communal blog of what we make for dinner. And when we get together and someone asks for a recipe they only have to type it out once and then it's forever stored on the blog where we can all use it again and again without the risk of it getting lost. Hope you enjoy!

And the first recipe is ...

Alton Brown's Leek & Potato Soup

3 Tbl butter
1 lbs leeks (about 3-4 leeks)
14 oz potatoes (about 3-4 potatoes)
1 qrt (4c) veggie broth
1c cream
1c buttermilk (substitute 1Tbl vinegar and 1c milk - let it sit for a few minutes)
1 tsp white pepper

- melt the butter in a soup pot on medium
- add leeks and a pinch of salt - hear sizzle then turn it down so you don't really hear anything to 'sweat' the leeks for 20-25 minutes
- add the peeled and chopped potatoes
- add beggie broth
- bring to boil then turn down to a low simmer for about 45 minutes
- puree the soup
- add your dairy
YUM!

Note: Honestly, I wouldn't add that much dairy the next time I make it. I think I'll try it with just a cup of milk. That's a lot of fat and I don't think it makes that much of a difference.

So if you make this and you like it leave a comment so we all know! Or if you make variations to the recipe to make it better - again let us know so we too can enjoy!

Hopefully this will become a fabulous reference for us all - not only those in Grenada - but all of us around!

Ciao