Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

From 

Www.copykat.com/2010/02/28/olive-garden-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/

This was delicious!! Very much like the Olive Garden version. 

I will definitely make this again but will make it a little less thick - it's a very hearty soup.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

This recipe is from the Best of Bridge and can be found here: www.food.com/recipe/cheddar-corn-chowder-177704

This came together really quickly and easily.  Best of all, the whole family liked it which makes it a keeper.

Tuscan Bean Soup

The From the soup sisters cookbook and as seen here:

Www.soupsisters.org/recipe/1.27.2011_Karen McSherry.pdf

This was really good...

You will have to take my word for it because I'm the only one who tried it. This was the 4th recipe from this cookbook that I've tried and the first one I really loved. I will make this again.

Leek, Corn and Pepper Chowder

I couldn't find a place online where this soup recipe was posted except for a snapshot on google books so I won't repeat it here. It is from the book Soup Sisters.

I found, just like the last soup recipe from this book that the soup was ok but not amazing. It definitely needs...something... But I couldn't tell you what that something is. I won't make this soup again but I will try another recipe from the book once fall comes. I know that somewhere in this book will be a soup to knock my socks off!!

No one but me tasted this soup and so there are no second opinions to consider here. :)

Carrot, Leek and Rice soup

From the soup sisters cookbook and also can be seen here:

Www.soupsisters.org/recipe/4.27.11_elizabeth%20baird.pdf

I ate this for lunch three days in a row. I thought it was ok but didn't love it. It also upset my stomach each day.  No one else tried this soup. Without rave reviews from me, I won't make this again.

Pickle Soup

Apparently when I get hungry I have to talk about it...
There I was chattering on about food at work when my current roommate told me about Pickle Soup.  After I finished throwing up in my mouth a little at the very thought I tuned back in to hear him say that he had tried the soup at Continental Treat on Whyte Ave in Edmonton.

You can see the original recipe here:
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/bistro/story.html?id=c3302f95-5ab7-4a38-869b-7a6448542ea1

and a slightly modified one here
http://kelly.cybr.org/archives/2008/03/31/dill-pickle-soup/

I knew that I had finally gotten past my sordid Kraft Dinner past when a few moments later I had the urge to make this soup.

It came together really quickly.  Mr Picky came in as I was shredding the pickles and decided right then and there that whatever I was making would be gross.

Miss Almost Vegetarian pranced in after her brother and begged a pickle off me.  She bounced up and down in excitement with the thought that our soup would have pickles in it.

Upon his first bite Mr Picky declared the soup to be "really good" but with each successive bite he got a bigger grimace on his face until he finally begged to be let loose from this torture.

Miss Almost Vegetarian suspiciously eyeballed the green floating things in the soup and had to be convinced to take a bite.  Once she tried it though she finished her bowl quite happily.

Husband of Cheerios and I both enjoyed this soup.  It was not as pickle-y as we thought it might be.  We WILL make this soup again but will add more vegetables for a heartier soup.

I brought some soup to my roommate Seth and he thought it was good too.  He couldn't remember if it tasted the same as the soup from the restaurant.  Now I'm going to have to make it again and plan for a lunch out to compare.

Chicken Barley Soup

From Everyday Food magazine - October 2011

As seen here

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 carrots, diced small
• 4 celery stalks, diced small
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 1 cup quick-cooking barley
• 5 ounces baby spinach (5 cups)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until chicken is opaque at edges, about 2 minutes.
   
2. Add broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Stir in barley. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until barley is tender and chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
   
3. Add spinach and cook until wilted, 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
   
   
   I couldn't find quick cooking barley at Save On Foods or Safeway.  If anyone finds it - let me know where you spotted it.  I ended up using regular barley and cooking it separately and then adding it to the carrots, celery, onion & cooked chicken mixture.
   
   Both Mr. Picky and Miss Almost Vegetarian ate their soup but slowly and without joy.  :)   Mr Picky was creeped out by the celery and Miss Almost Vegetarian was whining about the spinach.
   
   I, on the other hand thought the soup was pretty good.  I think Husband-of-Cheerios liked it too but I don't really remember for sure.  He isn't a soup fan in general.  I probably wouldn't make this soup again as it wasn't awesome - just good but maybe with some tweaking of flavor it would be a little more exciting.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Broccoli Cream Soup

From April 2012 issue of Everyday Food:
http://www.marthastewart.com/314341/broccoli-cream-soup

This was a super easy soup to make and it came together very quickly.  I can't sing the praises of my Black and Decker hand blender enough.  We received it as a wedding gift back in 1998 and it has blended many a soup in its time and is still going strong.  :)

The soup itself was...so so.  The kids seemed to like it and eat it which is always a plus.  Husband-of-Cheerios and I both found the soup to be quite bland.  I think eating this soup on the heels of the super awesome UBER Cream of Cauliflower soup was the mistake we made.  This soup would be most excellent with a little bit of a kick added to it.  If anyone figures out what that kick should be - please let me know.  :)

Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

Unknown to me, I made the same soup at Heather as posted here
http://www.familysquabbles.blogspot.ca/2012/03/cauliflower-and-cheddar-soup.html

Just because the kids didn't join me in Meatless doesn't mean that they can't join me in yummy soup right?  This soup was chock full of awesome!!  Not only did I love it  but Husband of Cheerios loved it too.  What sealed the deal was that both Mr Picky and Miss Almost Vegetarian LOVED this soup.

We WILL be making it again and soon!!  It was absolutely 2 thumbs up!!

Summer Borcht and buns!

OK so this is a soup that you have to keep an open mind about, it s a recipe passed down many generations from large Mennonite families. This particular version comes from my grandmother who is greatly missed, she had 18 children, so you see the recipe is large! I still make it in this quantity because we put it in several containers in the fridge and eat it for a week! My family goes CRAZY for it, even my 8 year old loves it. I'd have to say it's an acquired taste. I'm posting it for the brave few who might try it, once you get a taste for it, you will make it in the quantities that I make lol!! It's always so sad when it's done. It is called summer borscht because it is FILLED with summer greens as you will see in the recipe, we used to call it marijuana soup when we were young and thought we were funny.

Now there is one ingredient that is tough to find, either you grow it and freeze it like I do, or sometimes you can find it in those nice little plastic containers of fresh herbs in the grocery store, but as of late, I cannot find it anymore. Luckily this can be substituted quite well with...another odd ingredient... BEET LEAVES lol!! Shame on me, I have been known to sneak a few leaves off the beets in the grocery store cause well...other people just throw them in the garbage lol!! TERRIBLE!! I had another option once, my neighbor brought me to his backyard to show me his gardens and he happened to grow a lot of beets. He also mentioned once that urine was really good for growing plants and vegetables....also he is such an awesome environmentalist that he doesn't waste any of his bathwater by simply draining it, he uses it to water his plants, what an awesome guy!! Anyway, short story long, I now shoplift the beet leaves from the grocery store....

This is best served up with FRESH buns, recipe to follow. I would give you a much better recipe but heck I am not my mother and cannot make a freezer full of buns at one time, so I sufficed with this recipe I found online. If you are interested in the BIG recipe of mouth watering buns/bread I can certainly pass it on and I will take a picture of how much it makes next time my mom makes her recipe lol!!  P.S.  My soup is boiling in the picture hence the bubbles on top!

Summer Borscht
(feel free to half, or even quarter this recipe, I suggest quarter when you first try it, remembering to keep an open mind and have no expectations for what it will taste like, it is like no other potato soup you will have tried)

10 cups soup stock made by boiling a smoked ham and 2 onions chopped for 1 hour.

Add 2 cups of a mixture of chopped greens including:
Sorrel
beet leaves
green onions (about 3 bunches)
FRESH dill (around 3 tbsp)

and around 6 cups cubed potatoes
salt to taste

Cook until potatoes are done.

take off the heat and let cool for a while, then add 1 litre of buttermilk and bring to a boil again.

then WA LA, you are done! Here is what it looks like... generally, this soup had probably more greens but hey, whatever floats your boat.

ok on to the buns!

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
2. When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

The "In Season" feature for this month's Everyday Food (Issue #90) is cauliflower. YUM, I like cauliflower, but rarely do anything other than eat it raw or steam it.

CAULIFLOWER AND CHEDDAR SOUP

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" pieces

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar, grated

coarse salt and ground pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (the wimp (me) skipped this)

Step 1

In a large pot, melt butter over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook until just beginning to brown, 12 minutes. Add broth and 1 cup water; bring to boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

Step 2

In batches, fill a blender halfway with mixture and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return pureed soup to pot and add more broth or water for thinner consistency, if desired (I didn't have to). Heat over medium until warmed through; add cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with cayenne (if you are braver than me, I used paprika).

RATINGS:

Heather - 9 - "I thought it would be creamier"

Brad - 12 - "Soooo good"

NOTES:

I can't believe Brad gave this a 12 out of 10! A nice surprise since soup isn't high on his list.

The "use caution" statement couldn't be more true. I usually use my immersion blender for soups but since this needed to be totally smooth and the regular blender hadn't seen any action in awhile I figured I would use it. I almost blew the top off of it. BE CAREFUL!!

We will definitely have this again.

Asian-Style Chicken Soup

The January/February 2012 Issue of Everyday Food had a feature called "Chicken Soup 5 Ways" and even shows how to make your own broth (if you have the time for that). We have already tried the Mexican Tortilla Soup and loved that so we thought we would give this one a try as well.

ASIAN-STYLE CHICKEN SOUP

http://www.marthastewart.com/872967/asian-style-chicken-soup

I must admit that I took a short cut and used bought broth and a roasted chicken.

RATINGS:

Heather - 9.5 - "Yum"

Brad - 9 - "I was skeptical, but this is good"

NOTES:

While we were making this, Brad said to me, "This is so easy I could make this by myself!" We shall see if that ever happens.

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

The January/February 2012 issue of Everyday Food is jam packed with great light recipes.

I have tried tortilla soup at several restaurants so I was excited when I saw this recipe and had high expectations.

MEXICAN CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

http://www.marthastewart.com/872962/mexican-chicken-tortilla-soup

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Exceeded my expectations"

Brad - 9 - "Was not looking forward to this, but it's great"

NOTES:

I couldn't find cojita cheese so I used feta.

Make sure you serve with the lime wedge. It it perfect.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Yes, another soup recipe. I told you I could eat soup everyday!

This time I am cheating and I am using the link to the recipe rather than typing it out (if you decide you want to try it, and I think you should, you can print it easily from there).

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP II

by Michelle Chen

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-of-mushroom-soup-ii/detail.aspx

I did make a couple of substitutions. I used butter instead of margarine, chicken broth instead vegetable and used quinoa flour so that it was gluten free (I did have to use a bit more, 1/4 total).

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Fantastic"

Brad - 10 - "The only bad thing about this is that I will never enjoy canned soup as much again"

NOTE:

This soup is really that good. I have made it twice in the last 2 weeks.

Vegetable Bean Soup

It has been awhile since I posted last. I have been cooking, I just haven't had a chance to post about it.

As many know, I could eat soup everyday. LOVE IT! So I am always on the lookout for new recipes to try. This months issue (#88) of Everyday Food Magazine had a great looking and healthy soup that whispered warm thoughts to me.

VEGETABLE BEAN SOUP

2 tbsp olive oil

2 med carrots, diced small

2 celery stalks, diced small

1 med onion, diced small

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

coarse salt & ground pepper

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and draind*

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth**

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme ans season with salt and pepper, cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, broth and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Perfect for a cold winter day"

Work Crew - 9.5 - "Good Stuff"

NOTES:

* I didn't have cannellini beans so I used their cousin the white kidney bean

** I like chicken broth for soups, I find it adds more flavor than vegetable broth

*** You might have noticed some meat in the soup, I had some leftover sausage in the

fridge so I tossed that into the mix.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Another recipe from the Western Producer parsnip collection. This was super easy to make. All the hard work was done yesterday when I roasted the vegetables.

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP

1 part roasted vegetables

1 part chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken)

Combine and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup in pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

RATINGS:

Heather - 9.5 - "Better than yesterday"

Brad - 8 - "It's OK but not my favorite soup"

NOTE:

The soup really wasn't the nicest color. While the purple carrots looked great yesterday, when pureed with the orange sweet potatoes and the brown from the roasting the soup ended up a very brown, not so appealing, color. Good thing looks aren't everything, it tasted great.

Chicken Barley Soup

The newest issue of Everyday Food Magazine is loaded with great recipes. This recipe is featured in the Dinner 1-2-3 section, a meal in three easy steps (I like easy). I was able to use celery, carrots (I added some purple ones for color), onion and thyme from garden.

CHICKEN BARLEY SOUP

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 carrots, diced small

4 celery stalks, diced small

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces

coarse salt and ground pepper

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

5 spring thyme

1 cup quick cooking barley*

5 ounces baby spinach (5 cups)

Easy Step #1

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring until chicken is opaque at edges, about 2 minutes.

Easy Step #2

Add broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Stir in barley. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until barley is tender and chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes**.

Easy Step #3

Add spinach and cook until wilted, 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

RATINGS:
Heather - 10 - "A definite keeper, I loved the spinach"
Brad - 9.5 - "The best soup you have ever made"

NOTES:
* I didn't have quick cooking barley so I used regular pot barley and cut it down to 1/2 cup
** I had to cook the soup longer since I was using the regular barley, it took about 30 minutes

FUNNY:
The purple carrots held their color nice for the initial cooking but when I put it in the fridge the carrots transferred their color to the barley and I ended up with purple barley!

Cheeseburger Soup

As adapted from "Eating Forward" by Sandi Richard as seen here

Repeated here for convenience:

1 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1 onion
2 celery ribs
1 lb or 450 g ground beef, extra-lean
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
 ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
 ¼ tsp –  ½ tsp hot chili flakes (optional for spice lovers)
3 bay leaves
1 can Italian or chili stewed tomatoes (14 fl oz or 400 mL)
1 tomato can filled with water
1 can consommé (10 fl oz or 284 mL)
1 consommé can filled with water
1 can pasta sauce (24 fl oz or 680 mL) choose a lower sodium brand or or use reserved 3 cups pasta sauce from Calabrese Lasagna meal (another recipe in the book)
3 cups frozen mixed veggies
 ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated, light
fresh buns or focaccia (optional)
leftover pasta (optional)
…the night before…
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick fry pan at medium-high. I use my electric fry pan for this. Sliver onion, adding to pan as you cut. Finely chop celery, adding to pan as you cut. Sauté until onion turns slightly brown, then add to inside crock of slow cooker.
Reduce heat of uncleaned fry pan to medium. Form tiny little flat burgers (approx 1½" in diameter) in the palm of your hand and brown on both sides. Once browned, add to slow cooker.
…while burgers are browning…
Add the following ingredients to slow cooker:
spice, chili stewed tomatoes, consommé, water from both cans, pasta sauce and mixed veggies. Stir to combine. Refrigerate over night.
…in the morning…
2. Set slow cooker at low heat. Simmer all day.
…when ready for dinner…
3. Serve with a bowl of grated cheddar cheese at the table. Get the kids to lift their little burgers to the top of the bowl so they can sprinkle them with cheddar. I actually find this fun!
Our family loves this with fresh buns, focaccia or… I make extra pasta from another meal so that we can put a little pasta in the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup over top. Either way it’s a meal in one and it is absolutely fun
and delicious!!
Serves 6.




The best part about this one is that everything was ready the night before so in the morning all we had to do was plug it in.  Although it was weird seeing tiny little hamburgers floating around in soup - this tasted really great.  


My parents dropped in unexpectedly and there was enough soup to feed them too.  Both my parents had 2 helpings so I know that they liked it!  DH said that it was really good too.  Miss Almost Vegetarian ate a bit of hers but preferred her bun instead.  Mr Picky gave it merely a so-so as there were too many vegetables present.


We WILL make this one again!

Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

As adapted from the cookbook Lunchbox Love

1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 small potato, peeled and chopped
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 T chopped, fesh tarragon or 1 tsp dried sea salt & pepper - to taste

In a large skillet, over medium heat saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add all the other ingredients except for fresh herbs. Simmer on low for 45 min. With a hand blender, puree mixture until creamy and smooth. Stir in tarragon or dillweed, sea salt and pepper.

Upon first bite, I hated this soup but the more bites I took, the more I liked it.  This is somewhat different from the version the author made at a class that I went to and I liked the in-class version WAY better.  The main ingredients are the same - the seasonings were different.  DH thought the soup was so-so.  Neither Mr. Picky nor Miss Almost Vegetarian liked it.  I will not make this again unless I find my class notes so I can change the taste.  Apparently none of us like tarragon.

Pronto Potato Soup

Melanie here again....

A few days ago I made pronto potato soup with the leftover mashed potatoes in my fridge.   I got this recipe from my Mom but I'm not sure where she got it from originally.

8 bacon strips, cut into pieces
1 sm onion chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups mashed potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 cans milk
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
2 T chopped parsley

In small frying pan brown bacon until crisp.  Remove and let drain on paper towel.  Add onion to drippings in pan and saute 2-3 min.  Drain fat.  Meanwhile mix potatoes and soup until smooth.  Add milk gradually to desired consistency , stirring constantly.  Add bacon and onion.  Season to taste.  Heat thru.

I added a little more to make it taste like Tony Roma's potato soup.  I ladelled it into bowls and topped with a little cheddar cheese and chopped green onion.  Served with biscuits!!

This was loved by everyone!  Mr Picky declared it to be not as yucky as he thought although he did grimace as he ate it.  Miss Almost Vegetarian loved it so much that she had 2 bowls.  Both my husband and I thought this was a winner!!