Butternut Squash Bisque

3-4 Tbsp butter
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 medium butternut squashes (about 8 cups)
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
dash of nutmeg
3/4 cup half and half

Bake the squash and removed the seeds, pulp, and skin. Saute onion in butter until soft. Add carrots, broth, squash, and seasonings. Simmer until the carrots are soft then blend smooth with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender). Add half and half and serve.

Of course you can prepare the squash raw and cook until soft with the carrots, but that's way too much work for me. This is slightly adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe and makes a nice, big pot of soup. I would have to use the word "rich" to describe the taste...so good with some french bread! Serves 8.

Butternut Squash and Sage Soup

This soup sort of evolved out of several different recipes so you might need to tweak amounts.

1 med. butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Add just enough chicken broth (or water and bouillon - I used the Helmuth's chicken soup base) to cover the vegetables and simmer until they are soft.

Meanwhile, over med-low heat, saute 4ish Tbsp roughly chopped fresh sage in 3-4 Tbsp butter, just until the butter begins to brown. In another skillet (or the microwave) fry 3-4 strips of bacon. Drain on paper towel and chop into bacon bits. (I prefer to chop them with my kitchen scissors when they are raw and then fry them up.) Set the bacon aside.

Add butter and sage to cooked vegetables, along with 1/4-1/2 tsp pepper and salt to taste. (It might be better to add the salt at the end?)

Puree in your blender, taking the usual precautions with hot soup. :) Return to the pot and add 1/4 - 1/2 cup plain yogurt, and milk to make the soup the consistency you like. Stir in the bacon bits and serve with some fresh bread. Mmmmmm.

Thai Curry Soup

3 c. chicken broth
1 c. bottled clam juice
1 to 2 T. fish sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
2 t. minced fresh ginger
2 1/2 t. red curry paste
1 (8 oz). Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pcs.
1 (3 oz.) pkg trimmed snow peas
1/3 c. fresh lime juice
2 T. sugar
4 T. sliced green onion tops
4 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large Dutch oven, stirring with a whisk. Add mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Add the shrimp, chicken, and snow peas; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice and remaining ingredients. Cook 2 minutes until heated.

**My notes: I had to change a few things, mostly because of Lack of Ingredients. I couldn't find clam juice, so I substituted some oyster sauce and a bit more water. I used about 2 Tbsp of ginger and a whole can of curry paste. I didn't use shrimp or green onion tops. Let me say that this was so, so good. Thanks and blessings to cousin Michelle for sharing it with me.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

2 cups dry lentils, rinsed

8 cups chicken stock

1 onion, diced

1 ¼ cups diced carrots

¼ cup finely diced green pepper

1 Tbsp dried parsley

3 Tbsp tomato paste

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp cumin

½ tsp turmeric

1 cup chopped cauliflower

Mix everything except the cauliflower together in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Add cauliflower and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked. Serve with fresh bread and cheese.

My notes:

I radically changed an allrecipes.com recipe and this is the end result. I used green lentils, but I think you could use any colour. The original recipe called for more tomato paste, so if you like it really tomato-y you might want to add more. I think peas would be good in this, but I didn’t have any. Four out of six people in my family liked this. J

Creamy White Chili

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz cans) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz cans) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large sauce pan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately. Serves 7.

Joelle Hochstedler brought us this amazing chili last fall after Mayah was born. It's sooo good; I'm not sure why I waited this long to share it on here! If I remember correctly, last time I made it, I used milk instead of whipping cream. She also brought some very delicious garlic cheese biscuits that went very well with the soup. Don't think about the calories, just eat it.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Posole

1 can (15 oz) yellow or white hominy, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican-style diced tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) mild green enchilada sauce
2 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, skin removed
Chopped cilantro (optional)
lime wedges (optional)
Tortilla chips (optional)

Combine hominy, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, carrots, onion, garlic and cumin in a slow-cooker. Add chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 3 to 3 1⁄2 hours until chicken is cooked through and vegetables tender. Skim and discard any fat from the surface.

Remove chicken; pull meat off bones into large shreds. Stir back into slow-cooker. Stir in cilantro, if using. Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Karissa discovered this recipe in a Woman's Day magazine, and it was a splendid discovery indeed. So far we haven't bothered with any tortilla chips. Also, for those not around Spanish-speaking people, it's pronounced poh-SOH-lay. :)

Italian Peasant Soup

*the credit for this goes, I believe, to Sabrina's mother-in-law. She made it at their wedding rehearsal and I asked for the recipe.
*another thing - I don't usually use chicken and sausage, since that seems a bit excessive. If you're going to leave one out, I'd leave out the chicken. But for something heartier, it is really good with both!

1 lb. hot Italian sausage, cut into 1" slices (or just scramble fry it)
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic - uh huh, you heard me, baby
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
2 cans navy beans, or whatever white beans you want to use
2 cans -28 oz total - chicken stock
2 cans - 28 oz total - diced tomatoes, don't drain them!
1 tsp (or more) dried basil
1 tsp (or more) dried oregano
6 C fresh spinach leaves, chopped (I use one pack of chopped frozen spinach, thawed)
parmesan cheese for garnish
*Optional: I added small shell pasta, cooked separately last time and we really liked it like that. Just makes it a little more filling.

Cook sausage and chicken until no longer pink. Drain and add onions and garlic; saute until onions are tender. Add beans, chicken stock, tomatoes and spices. When simmering, add spinach and cook just until wilted.
Serve with parmesan cheese and garlic bread!

Italian Vegetable Soup

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2-3 small potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
5 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (15 ounce) can green beans (I used frozen corn and green beans)

Stir together onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, water and bouillon. Season with parsley, oregano and basil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in cabbage, corn, and green beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until vegetables are tender (or til your husband comes home). I also add some cayenne pepper and lots of salt and black pepper. Also, this originally called for a pound of browned ground beef but it's very hearty without the meat and I don't think you'll ever miss it.

The Broccoli Cheese Soup

Boil:
3 c. water
3 chicken bouillion cubes
broccoli, frozen or fresh (about 3 crowns)
Cook just until broccoli is tender

Add:
2 to 3 c. milk
When it's boiling add about 6 oz. thin pasta, broken into small pieces.
Saute some fresh mushrooms and 1 or 2 cloves of garlic in margarine.
When the pasta is cooked, add 8 oz. Velveeta cheese or Cheez Whiz. When the cheese is melted, add the sauteed mushrooms (aka deliciousness) and about 1 tsp. parsley.

This is based on a recipe in the Nisly book.

Vegetable-Beef Soup

This is the most delicious homemade vegetable-beef soup that I’ve ever tasted. I adjusted another recipe a lot for what I had and the fact that I can’t serve chunky tomato things to my family. The broth turned out to be SO good, so I would recommend pureeing the tomatoes and onions, even if you don’t mind the chunks. It makes a huge batch and for me that’s fine cause I could eat this every day. If you leave out the potatoes I think you could freeze this well. Just add the potatoes when you reheat it. The original recipe called for celery and peas, but I couldn’t get either one. Also, keep in mind that my onions are very small, but strong.

Brown one kilo diced beef (roast) with one chopped onion and ½ chopped green pepper. When beef is nearly browned, add 5 cloves minced garlic. Brown completely and add 8 cups beef broth. Puree 3 tomatoes and 3 small onions in blender, adding a bit of water if needed. Add to soup with 2-3 Tbsp tomato paste, 2 Tbsp sugar and pepper and salt to taste. Simmer for 1-2 hours. Add 1 cup chopped fresh green beans, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 ½ - 2 cups finely diced cabbage, 1 ½ cups diced potatoes, 1 small can corn, 1 small can kidney or white beans. Simmer 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are done. Add salt if needed. Serve with biscuits or cornbread.

Tomato Soup for One

Fill a large mug almost to the top with pure tomato juice. Add a bit of milk until it looks creamy enough (or you could add some water too to tone it down).
Add:
seasoning salt
garlic powder
basil
pepper
hot pepper sauce
Microwave on medium power (so the milk doesn't curdle, but even if it does it still tastes good). Drink it up with a slice of whole wheat toast, a slice of cheese, and you have a full meal deal. What a great way to get a big serving of veggies in! This will be my new handy lunch.

White Chicken Chili (family size recipe!)

I got this from allrecipes.com, made some changes (because I can't cook things exactly by the recipe), and made this last night for our homegroup, and it was a hit. It’s not pretty, but it tastes great!

Sauté 1 large chopped onion in 1 ½ tbsp oil. When the onion is soft, add 4-5 cloves minced garlic and 1-2 small cans chopped green chilies. (Depending on how hot you like things…I did one can and it wasn’t too hot for anyone.) Stir together and add 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, and ½ tsp white pepper. Stir in 36 oz chicken broth, 3-4 15 oz cans white beans, and 4 cups chopped cooked chicken. Simmer together for 15 minutes. I wanted mine to be thicker so I made a paste of cornmeal in about 1/3 cup water and stirred it in to the simmering soup. It made it a nice consistency. Right before serving, stir in 1 ½ cup grated cheese.

Pumpkin Soup

This is a good cold weather recipe. I know the rest of you are going into summer, but this is perfect for our weather right now. It's sooo good, too. I think any orange pumpkin or squash would work.

1/2 kg pumpkin, chopped into pieces
1 large onion
2 small potato, chopped
2 med carrots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 chicken bullion cubes
2 C water (or to just cover)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tblsp margarine
a pinch grated nutmeg

1. Boil pumpkin, onion, potato, carrot, garlic, bullion and water until tender.

2. Puree using a blender or potato masher. (I used a potato masher
because I
like it a bit chunkier.)

3. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. (I didn’t add the nutmeg)

4. Heat gently and serve with chopped parsley and a swirl of yogurt or
whipped cream or sweetened condensed milk.
(I didn’t serve any topping with it, and we all liked it. My friend who gave me the recipe said it’s really good with a topping. We just ate fresh bread with it. Yum.)

Homemade Tomato Soup

You may remember that when we were kids I didn’t like tomato soup, but whether I’ve matured or this is just a lot better than Campbell’s, I don’t know. This is also a really quick lunch that doesn’t take much more time than opening a can. (I suppose Martha Stewart would make her own tomato juice, too, but I have to draw the line somewhere. And that’s a good thing.)

Sauté together:
5 Tblsp margarine
1 small onion, finely chopped

Slowly add until blended:
4 rounded Tblsp flour

Add and heat to good rolling boil:
3 cups thick tomato juice (I use puree and just add water to make thick juice)
heaping ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sugar
¼ - 1 tsp pepper, as desired

Add and heat to almost boiling, but do not boil:
3 cups milk (or less)

I usually add a bit of Lawry’s, garlic powder and parsley.

Serve with crackers or homemade croutons.