Gazpacho isn't very MACHO!

It's hot hot hot here, and this cold soup has really hit the spot for lunch the past few days!  My Brother in law James was quite hesitant to eat this, he's never tasted cold soup before and felt it was too girly...but it says something when he went back for seconds!  Thanks Karen for sharing this awesome recipe with me, it makes me long to be sitting on your back porch eating gazpacho, having some good ol' girl time.    

GAZPACHO

4 cups v-8 juice
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/3 cup olive oil (I use 1/4 cup)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup green pepper, minced
3 Tb parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (I add very little because V8 doesn't hold back on the sodium)
8 tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, chopped
2 avocados, cubed
Garlic croutons
Grated Parmesan cheese

Combine V8 juice, onion, olive oil, vinegar,green pepper, parsley, garlic,Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

Next day, add tomatoes, cucumbers, and avos, Refrigerate. Serve very cold with croutons and parmesan cheese.

printable recipe

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

I had this yummy soup at a friend's Birthday luncheon. I wanted to lick my bowl clean, but I refrained! Instead I went home and called Holly for the recipe, so I could make my own big pot of soup. Unfortunately the kids didn't care too much for it, but Dave and I licked our bowls clean!

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Thanks Holly for the recipe!

1 large butternut squash (or 2 small)
2 cloves garlic-minced
1 small onion-chopped
4 Tb butter
2 cup water
1 cup apple cider (or water if you don't have any cider)

4 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (if your doubling recipe don't double this, it will be too spicy!)
1 granny smith apple
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 oz. cream cheese

Carefully cut squash in half. Place on cookie sheet lined with foil, skin side facing up. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Meanwhile, in a large pot saute onions in butter until soft.

Peel and core apple. Microwave on high until apple is soft and tender. Add to onion in soup pot. When squash in done scrape out with a spoon and add to pot. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the cream cheese.

Bring soup to a low boil for 10 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Blend in cream cheese with a hand held immersion blender--Or-- add 2 cups of soup in regular blender with the cream cheese, then pour back into soup pot stirring to incorporate. Keep soup warm, but don't boil.

AMPED UP Baked Beans!

This was a major hit with the fam! I love it when everyone is asking for seconds!

It would go good with a summer bar-b-que. Or as a main course with breadsticks or biscuits!

Amped Up Baked Beans-

Makes enough to fill a large crock pot!

In a med. skillet cook:

1 tube of SAGE Jimmy Dean Sausage

1 large yellow onion-chopped

Cook until sausage is nice and crumbly and almost done. Add to Crock pot, then add:

One regular size cans of:

Kidney beans-undrained

Black beans-drained

Red beans-drained

Northern white beans-drained

Butter beans-drained

Garbanzo-drained

Black eyed peas-drained

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes-After I open the can, I use my scissors to snip the tomatoes until they're nice and small.

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mustard

2 big handfuls of brown sugar

1 tsp garlic-minced

1/4 tsp dried rosemary-chopped up

6 to 7 dashes of Worcestershire sauce (about 2 tsp)

1 tsp maple flavoring or 1 Tb maple syrup
1 bay leaf

Stir until well combined. Turn to low-medium (My low is more like medium on my crock) and let it do it's thing for a good 2-3 hours! Don't forget to remove bay leaf!

SOUP TO WARM THE COCKLES OF YOUR HEART!

A day like this. . .

Calls for some soup like this. . .



Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes
found on My Kitchen Cafe - adapted from Cooks Country
serves 8

3 cups whole milk
1 cup yellow corn muffin mix (Jiffy Brand)
2 Tb butter
1 onion-chopped fine
3 garlic cloves-minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 quarts chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 " pieces
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup fresh parsley - chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Mix milk and 1 cup muffin mix in a bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foamy. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth , raw chicken, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in milk mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.


If you are a sweet potato kind of person, you will flip for this soup! It has such a great flavor. I didn't like the sweet potatoes as much as Dave did. I prefer them drenched in butter, brown sugar and marshmallows! Next time (and there will be a next time) I'll use regular potatoes.

Panera Bread Co. . . EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

Best Broccoli Soup in a Bread Bowl

I can't believe I did it! I'm not usually one for bread bowls, but since we've moved close to Panera Bread Co. Dave has become strangely addicted to this combo. I thought I'd surprise him after a long hard day at work, and let me tell you he was blown out of the water! The high I got from it was worth being in the kitchen for half the day!

Homemade soup and bread bowl cost: .50 cents

Panera Bread Co.: $4.95

I can't wait to show this to Dave at our next love/hate budget talk!

I used the bread bowl recipe from this yummy blog site: http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-favorite-bread-bowls.html

The soup was really good, it's from Taste of Home. There is a broc. soup recipe from My Kitchen Cafe that looked excellent, but I didn't have the right cheeses. I'll try it soon and let you know. It's so cold out here that soup is the only thing that will keep you alive! :o)

Best Broccoli Soup

2 cups water

4 cups fresh broccoli chopped

1 cup celery chopped

1 cup carrots chopped

1/2 cup onion chopped

6 Tb butter

6 Tb flour

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

1 Tb fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder - I used 1 clove garlic minced

1/2 tsp salt

In a soup pot bring water to a boil, add broc, carrots and celery. Boil for 2-3 min until crisp tender. Drain, set veggies aside.

In the same pot melt butter add onions and cook until soft. Stir in flour to form a smooth paste. Gradully whisk in broth and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute until thickened.

Stir in reserved veggies and remaining ingred. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 min.

Makes 6 servings. I would double this next time if using bread bowls.

My Favorite Creamy Chicken Soup

On a blustery day, this rich and creamy soup soothes the soul...trust me!

Creamy Chicken Soup~

3 Tb butter
1 medium onion - chopped
1 large clove garlic - pressed
3 Tb flour
5 cups chicken broth - I use the brand - Better Than Bouillon
3 stalks celery - chopped
2 carrots peeled - chopped
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped - or dried
1/8 tsp sage - I used powdered - if using dried leaves use a little more
1 1/4 cups half & half
3 cup shredded chicken - rotisserie is my fav for this one!
3/4 t dried parsley or 1 1/2 tsp freshly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
noodles if desired - I put them in if I'm in the mood - you really don't miss them!

In your favorite soup pot add the butter and onion over medium heat, saute for 4 min. - add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in flour to create a paste like texture. Slowly stir in chicken broth until mixture is well combined. Add celery, carrots and herbs - bring to a low boil and cook until veggies are soft - about 10 min.
Turn down heat to low and stir in half & half and chicken. Enjoy!

* you can stretch this soup by adding milk

Sopa De Mexico (Me-he-co)!! ya gotta say it right!

Here it is Hillary-I'm pretty sure this is the one I made at the recipe exchange. I have a few more like this that I love- I'll post them later :o)

Ingredients

In a large pot, saute until tender-
1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Add:
1 can Mild Rotel tomatoes
1 can black beans - don't drain
2 small cans sweet corn - don't drain
1 can red beans - drained
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 soup can of water - if needed
1 can of chicken or 2 chicken breast cooked and shredded

Heat and serve - with a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips-YUM-O!

Chicken Cheese Soup

I have a weakness that grosses my sisters out, it's fake cheese! It all started in 7 th grade when I had my first taste of nachos with cheese sauce from the local 7 eleven, we have had an on and off again relationship ever since! Aimee made this soup for dinner and I remember eating it for breakfast the next morning! I could not get enough! I asked for the recipe and then it all made since...velveeta cheese!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

2 whole chickens - I use 6 or 7 chicken breast
16 c water
10 chicken bouillon cubes
2 c sliced carrots
2 c sliced celery
1 onion, chopped
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
2 c Minute Rice (uncooked)
1 10 oz can mild Rotel tomatoes
2 pounds velveeta cheese - cut up

Simmer the chicken and water in a large stockpot with bouillon until the meat is cooked. Remove chicken and shred. RESERVE BROTH, add carrots, celery, onion, parsley, rice, and tomatoes, simmer for 30 min. Add the chicken and cheese just prior to serving. Stir until well blended.

Serves a crowd!