White Chicken Chili

Serve this up with some good cornbread and you have the perfect cold night meal!

1 rotisserie chicken (shredded) or 4 shredded cooked chicken breasts
   *Time Saving Tip- I buy 3-4 rotisserie chickens at Costco (can't beat $5 for HUGE          chickens), shred them when I get home, then freeze in baggies. So easy when you
       need chicken for a recipe.
3 cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 jar green salsa
1 32 oz. chicken broth
2 tsp cumin
8 oz Pepper Jack cheese, cubed

Put all ingredients into crockpot. Cook on High for 3 hours or Low for 5-6 hours. This is a bit spicy, but very good!

Sausage, Kale, and Cauliflower Soup

This may not sound good, but trust me, it is! I wish I had a good name for the soup, but I just don't. It's a spin on the Zuppa soup that Olive Garden has. I served it with a salad just like Olive Garden serves too. If I just had those yummy breadsticks, that would have made it even better!

2 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 onion, cut into small pieces
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. heavy cream
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale, washed and cut into pieces
1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces

Brown sausage and onion in pot. Drain grease out when done. Pour in chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add in cauliflower and kale for and extra 10 minutes. It's that easy! Enjoy!

Beef Veggie Soup

This recipe is for 1 freezer crockpot meal. I like to double it since I'm going through the trouble once.

1 lb. Stew meat
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 can corn
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 c. frozen green beans
1 c. frozen lima beans
1 c. frozen okra
1 T dried parsley
Seasoned salt, garlic powder, salt, pepper
2 T Worshershire sauce
2 bullion cubes

Put all in freezer bag. Freeze until ready to use.

Thaw the day before when you want to use. Put contents in crockpot along with 4 c. Water for 6-8 hours on low.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

3 cartons cherry tomatoes
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2 T butter
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bunch torn basil leaves
1/2 c. heavy cream

On a roasting pan, coat cherry tomatoes with 2 T olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes at 400 degrees, turning every so often. In pot, melt butter and 1 T olive oil. Saute onion for a few minutes until tender, then add garlic for another minute. Add can of tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, broth, thyme, and basil. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes partially covered, stirring every now and then. With an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Stir in heavy cream. Serve with croutons, crackers, or my favorite- a simple grilled cheese sandwich!

Potato Soup

Great soup recipe. I got it from the Neely's on Food Network and adapted it a little for myself. I thought the beer in it was odd at first but went with it anyway and it turned out very good! It has a depth of flavor to it!

1 lb. bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1/3 flour
3 c. chicken broth
1 12 oz. can light beer
1 c. half and half
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
dash of Worshershire sauce
little more salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper

Brown bacon in large pot. Remove bacon pieces and pour out all but a little bacon grease from pot. Add butter, then saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic for a few minutes. Salt and pepper then sprinkle in flour. Combine flour well for about 1 minute. Add liquids: broth, beer, and half and half. Add potato cubes. Bring to a light boil for about 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. (I had to keep stirring mine every few minutes because it was starting to stick to the bottom.) Use an immersion blender to liquify the chunks to your desired consistency. Add in Cheddar cheese and stir until all is melted. Add Worshershire sauce, salt & pepper, and cayenne pepper. Serve into bowls then top with bacon pieces. You can also top using green onions and some more cheese if you want.

Crab and Corn Chowder

2 T oil
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
5 cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 c. flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans crab meat
1 c. heavy cream
crumbled bacon pieces for serving

In big pot, heat oil. Saute onion, celery, and carrot for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, then red bell pepper and corn. Saute for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir into vegetables constantly for a few minutes. Pour in broth, potato cubes, salt, and cayenne pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes. (If you want it thicker at this point, stir 2 T corn starch and 2 T water in separate bowl. Pour mixture into soup.) Add in crab meat and heavy cream. Continue heating for about 5 minutes, then serve with crumbled bacon.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 T butter
1 onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, grated
3 bunches broccoli, trimmed and cut up in small pieces
4 c. chicken stock
1 lb. Velveeta, cut up into cubes
1 c. half and half
1 c. milk
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 c. corn starch
1/4 c. water
Crumbled bacon for topping

Melt butter in large pot. Saute onion for about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and carrot to cook for another minute or two. Add broccoli, then pour in chicken stock. Let simmer for about 15 minutes until broccoli is tender.
*You can use an immersion blender to made it creamier rather than chunkier if you wish. This is the time to blend if you are going to do it.
Add cheese and let melt. Pour in milk and half and half. Be sure to stir frequently so prevent burning on bottom of pot. Sprinkle in garlic powder and salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Mix water and corn starch in separate bowl then pour into soup to thicken it up. Simmer for about 5 more minutes until thick. Serve with bacon on top.

Chili

2 lb ground beef
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can kindey beans, drained and washed
1 can corn, drained
2 packets Chili-O seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Brown ground beef. Dump all ingredients in crockpot or big pot. If it is real thick and needs a little water, add about 1/2 cup or so. Heat in crockpot on high for about 4 hours or heat until hot in pot.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1/2 in. pieces
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
2 T butter

Put squash, carrots, onion, broth, and salt in saucepan. Simmer for about 40 minutes uncovered, or until squash is very tender. Pour everything into a blender, including butter, and puree until smooth. Serve with fresh cracked pepper. Yummy!

Taco Soup

1 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can chopped green chiles
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans chicken broth
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix

Dump all in crockpot and turn on LOW for 6-7 hours. Top with cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and sour cream. YUMMY!