Easy Tomato Basil Soup (I swear by this!)

This soup is a crowd favorite and super quick to make. It's perfect for the life of a college student or when you need to feed a ton of people. I make a huge pot and just eat it the rest of the week with mozzarella cheese on top and some nice bread on the side (I think it yields about 9 servings).

*1 Medium size onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
18 fresh basil leaves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine

In large stovetop pan, sautee onions and garlic. Meanwhile, n a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sauteed onions, garlic, basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted.

*I added the onions and garlic to the original recipe. Also I add tons more spices, just whatever I have in my cupboard: Italian spices, oregano, rosemary, etc.

Easy Minestrone Soup

Turns out the Williams-Sonoma Kids' Cookbook has some of the easiest, most delicious recipes around. Like this one.

1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 lb. sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Reduced Fat pork sausage in the soft tube)
1 T. butter
1 medium zucchini, diced with skin on
4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. dry spaghetti, broken into short pieces
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 can (24 oz.) crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large pot. Add carrot, onion, celery, and sausage and saute over medium heat until sausage is cooked through (no pink left). Add chicken broth, tomatoes, zucchini, spaghetti, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a LOW BOIL and cook until spaghetti and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

Mommy Urban's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I grew up on this soup and there were many a winter evening memories cutting the noddles with my mom and plopping them into the soup. It warms the heart and soul. It is totes the best! I was reminded of it just the other day when my sister Bethany blogged the recipe so I just copied and pasted (even the picture taken by her). The homemade noodles are my absolute favorite. I am going to make this tonight with my sister and try wheat flour in the noodles. I'll tell you how it goes. Enjoy :)



1. Start by boiling the chicken.

3-3.5 lb. chicken cut up
6 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
bay leaf

OR

6 cups chicken broth (or water mixed with "better than bouillon" (so good), or a combination of the two.)
4-ish chicken breasts
salt and pepper
bay leaf

Put all ingredients in pot, and heat to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until meat is fully cooked (less time if using chicken breasts). Remove chicken, and cool in a casserole dish. Skim off the fat. Remove chicken and cut into pieces.

(I usually chop the vegetables and get the noodles going while the chicken is simmering.)

2. Add the vegetables

4 stocks of celery, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, chopped (Again, we omit the onions. Since I miss the onion flavor, I do add onion powder)
chicken boullion cube (or one tablespoon of "better than bouillon")
salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

Add vegetables to the soup and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

3. Homemade Egg Noodles

Make these while the soup, chicken, and/or vegetables are simmering.

2 cups flower
3 eggs
2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup water

Add flour to a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then add the eggs and salt, then mix with a fork. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time while mixing with fork. Stop adding water when dough is stiff and easy to roll. Use a rolling pin to roll into preferred thickness on a floured, cloth covered board (or a clean, floured counter top). (I have learned to roll the dough QUITE thin, otherwise the noodles won't cook all the way through. They also plump up when added to the soup.) Slice them into strips with a pizza cutter, and add to boiling soup. Cook for another 7-10 minutes, test the doneness of the noodles, add the chicken, serve, and enjoy!

Hello, All. Clam Chowder For You.

Hi. I'm here because I've finally got something good to share.
Every day for the past two weeks, Jared cries, "I WANT SOUP FOR DINNER TONIGHT!" and I have said, "OKAY!" But the best result, by far, was this easy, delish clam chowder:

1 can cream of celery soup (10.75 oz)
1 can cream of potato soup (10.75 oz)
1 can minced clams, with juice
half and half
celery
onions
bacon, if desired
salt and pepper, to taste

Empty the cans into a pot, add as much celery and onions as you want. Boil and stir for a good 3-4 minutes. (The recipe originally said everything needed to cook for 6-8 hrs, not really sure why?)
Add half and half until you reach the desired creaminess (we ended up using almost a whole pint)
We added bacon, too, which I could have done without but Jared loved.

And, uh, sorry that my recipes are never going to be very exact... :)

Big Pot O' Soup

Chad and I discovered Bear Creek Country Kitchens dried soup mix this week. Heavens, it is ready in 15 minutes and all you have to do is boil water! The packs come for $4.55 at Macey's and make a whoppin EIGHT cups of soup. We both ate big bowls tonight and had at least six cups of soup left to throw in the freezer. The Chicken Noodle pack acts as a perfect base for whichever vegetables you have in the fridge. Easy, healthy, cheap--my favorite lil combination.

1 pkg. Bear Creek Country Kitchens soup mix
8 cups water (plus 1/2 cup for every added ingredient)

Things to add:
potatoes, carrots, corn, broccoli, etc. (NOTE: potatoes and broccoli do not freeze well)
wild rice
chicken, poached and shredded

Directions:
Boil water in a large pot. Whisk in the soup mix and mix in your chosen additional ingredients. Let simmer for 10 minutes. And you're done.

Serve with hot, buttered biscuits or cornbread or any other delicious sort of bread.