Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

I think this is a copy-cat recipe for the one at Zupas:)

http://www.butterwithasideofbread.com/2012/07/wisconsin-cauliflower-soup.html
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk**
1 1/2 cups water**
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Directions:
-In a large saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and salt. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and water.
-Add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.
-In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. {Don't let this step deter you from making the soup! Blending it is really easy and so worth the extra 3 minutes. The most annoying part are the added dishes!} If you have an immersion blender, use it- it literally takes less than a minute to blend. 
-Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Serve soup with remaining cheese as a garnish.


*The lady who posted this said that it would be good with Ham or even fresh tomatoes as a topping. We had some ham that we diced up and put in. It was great with club crackers :) 

Tortellini Soup with Spinach

Tortellini Soup with Spinach

My house has been full of sickies and we wanted a warm dinner - this soup was definitely the answer. Super flavorful and I made a huge batch so we had leftovers for 3 days. Soup warmed up awesome as leftovers! Love that it's so versatile and simple and uses everything I always have in my house. 

Ingredients: 

1 large package of refrigerated cheese tortellini (I always keep these in my freezer for last minute meals)

3 - 32 oz cartons of chicken stock/broth (I always use Swanson's, tastes the best)

Several handfuls of baby leaf spinach (I keep some in the fridge, but you could also used frozen)

1/2 tbsp basil

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

*optional: canned/drained tomatoes (crush them between your fingers), carrots, really anything you want...

Directions:

Bring chicken broth to boil. Add tortellini and cook according to directions on the package (usually you just reduce the heat and let them simmer). (If you're using frozen spinach add it before tortellini).

1. If using fresh spinach, add it after tortellini has cooked and season with basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I actually added my spices with the tortellini, great taste!
2. Serve hot with crusty bread (or if you're sick with a sore throat, not so crusty bread). Enjoy! 

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

We have been craving chili...and this one sounded too delicious to pass up. Let me just say, when we walked in the door after church the smell was ridiculously tantalizing. So much so that we almost thought about leaving the apartment while it finished cooking just to resist the urge to eat it early (it had an hour to go). During that last hour I managed to keep busy by putting Livi down for a nap and then preparing some tortilla chips and guacamole to go along with dinner. YUM!!! 

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

 Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts (raw or cooked), cut into bite-sized pieces *I only used 2 large
1 onion, diced *I omitted the onion - didn't have any on hand, hubby not a fan
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans white beans, drained
1 regular can pink beans (pinquitos) *I used kidney beans (what I had available)
1 large can diced green chiles *Hubby not a spicy fan, so used small can
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups chicken stock
1 jalapeño, minced *Again - omitted for hubby
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup finely crushed tortilla chips *I didn't have any, so made some! (see recipe below)
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:
Throw all the ingredients, except for the crushed tortilla chips and cheese into your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. 

During the last 30 minutes, stir in the crushed tortilla chips and the shredded cheese and heat until the cheese is melted and the chili has thickened. 

Serve with sour cream, cheese, guacamole, whatever you fancy! 

Recipe found here: White Chicken Chili

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

Flour tortillas (or corn)

Olive Oil (I love the can of Pam Spray - Olive Oil)

Salt

Directions:

Lightly coat one side of the tortillas with olive oil.

Stack them in a pile (greased side up). Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut them into eighths.

Lay them in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet, greased side up. Sprinkle with salt (I love using coarse salt). 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't burn! 

Found recipe at: Homemade Tortilla Chips

And if you're like us and LOVE avocados, we topped our chili with Homemade Guacamole.

Meatball and Spaghetti Soup

Meatball and Spaghetti Soup

Great recipe, I made a few adjustments to save myself a trip to the store. My adjustments are marked with an *. Olivia and I were a big fans --- Aaron, not so much. 

Ingredients: 

For the soup:

• 5 cups low sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 2 cups water 
• 2 chopped cloves garlic, divided
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided *I didn't have fresh parsley (hardly ever do), used All Spice
• 1/2 onion, chopped, divided *Didn't use an onion, didn't have one - soup doesn't need it
• 3-4 tbsp tomato sauce (I use my quick marinara sauce) *I used canned although hers sounds delicious
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional) *Didn't use (had them, but opted out)
• kosher salt and fresh pepper
• 6 oz dry cut up spaghetti, I used Ronzoni Smart Taste *Be sure to cut it up. Totally spaced and only broke it in half. Adds an extra step once it's in your bowl (to cut up spaghetti to bite size).
• *Dried Basil (used this instead of the fresh basil she uses in her recipe)

For the meatballs: 

*I didn't have ground turkey - but I did have frozen Jennie O Italian Style Meatballs. I cooked them on a skillet for 2-3 minutes and then added them to the soup as directed in recipe. Because I already had to cut my spaghetti in my bowl - I quickly halved the meatballs to make them bite size as well. 

• 16 oz 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 small egg
• 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil

Directions:

In a soup pot over medium heat, bring chicken broth, water, 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 1/4 of the chopped onion, tomato sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh black pepper to a boil; simmer about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs by combining ground turkey, parmesan cheese, egg, remaining garlic, remaining onion, remaining parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.Form into little 1 inch meatballs (about 36).

Drop meatballs into the broth, cook about 3 minutes; add pasta and cook according to package directions. Add fresh basil, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Recipe found here: Skinny Taste Meatball and Spaghetti Soup