Hamburger Soup

This is a small tribute to my beautiful grandma who passed away on Saturday. We all loved her cooking. When I was a new bride and was just learning how to cook, she taught me this recipe and it instantly became my new husband's favorite dish. It's got all the meat and potato things guys enjoy, especially after a long day on the farm like my Grandpa had. I love this soup because all the ingredients are always on hand. You can pretty much just throw in anything you want to, and it will still taste great.

Grandma Lill's Hamburger Soup

Recipe from Lillian Rydalch

1/4 c chopped onion

4 1/2 c water 

1 c diced carrot

1 c diced potato

1 c diced celery

1/2 Tbsp salt to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

1 beef bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1 28 ounce large can tomatoes (un-drained)

handful macaroni noodles (1-2 cups to your liking)

Brown hamburger with the onion and drain.

Add all ingredients except tomatoes, noodles and beans; cover and bring to boil.

Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add tomatoes, noodles, and beans and simmer until noodles are tender. If you use a lot of noodles you may need to add more water. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with some crackers or bread and enjoy!

The Best Potato Soup

7 cups water
7 chicken bouillon cubes
7 medium potatoes cut in cubes
1 grated carrot
1 T parsley
2 T dried minced onion
1 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 quart half/half

Bring to boil water, bouillon cubes, potatoes, carrot, parsley, onions. Cook til potatoes
are tender. Mash potatoes to your consistency ( I made mine pretty small) Make roux with butter and flour in pan. Add to Soup to thicken. Add one Quart of half/half. Serve with grated cheddar cheese.

Crock pot chicken chili

My husband Rick made this the other day. It was almost 80 degrees so I didn't really feel like chili

but I wasn't going to say anything since the only thing he has ever made for the last 7 years has been baked chicken sprinkled with a strange seasoning. This was actually really good! I would make it again... 

Ingredients

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can black beans (16 oz), drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans (16 oz), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 3 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• celery if you want
• it's suppose to have corn but I refuse to eat corn so you can decide if you want that or not 

Instructions

1. In a large crock-pot, add all of the ingredients and stir. Draining and rinsing the beans is not necessary, but it will help cut down on the amount of liquid in the crock-pot later on.
2. Cook on high approximately 4 hours or on low 6-8 hours, until done.
3. Remove the chicken breasts and shred. Return the chicken to the crock-pot and cook for an additional 20 minutes. This will allow the shredded chicken to absorb a bit more of the liquid.
4. Serve over rice or alone 

Adapted from Skinny Girl something that he found on the web :)

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup

 Why haven't we posted this recipe yet? I'm shocked! lol.

This is our Grandma Lill's famous chicken noodle soup in which we always requested when we visited in the cold months. I love this soup so much, we have made it twice this month upon request from my kids, regardless of the fact that it's summer!

Grandma Lill's Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe from Lillian Rydalch

8 cups water

chicken (1 breast, 2 drums or about 2 cups)

3 circular chopped carrots

3 stalks celery, chopped

onions or onion flakes

8 chicken bouillon cubes

pinch of garlic salt

pinch of pepper

1 bay leaf

1 bag Kluski noodles (if you can't find them just use egg noodles)

Combine all ingredients except for the noodles in a stockpot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 35 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board and cool. Tear chicken into bite size pieces (you can skip these steps if you use leftover cooked chicken). Return chicken along with noodles and simmer 15 minutes (or use your noodle package instructions).

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

I've been wanting to try this recipe for a long time now and after I saw Candice's post about the YUMMY enchiladas I thought I would give it a try! And I am soo glad I did because it has the best flavor to it! My hubby even went back for seconds!(and he doesn't do that often;))

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Recipe by: www.skinnytaste.com

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 c chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 c low sodium fat-free chicken broth

8 oz can tomato sauce

1-2 tsp chipotle chili in adobo sauce

1/4 c chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish)

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes (I used the ones with green chiles in it, for a kick)

2 c frozen corn

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 8 oz skinless chicken breasts

1/4 c shopped scallions (optional for topping)

shredded cheddar cheese (for topping)

sour cream (optional for topping, I used greek yogurt-taste the same and healthier)

Directions: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft (3-4 mins). Slowly add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and chipotle adobo sauce and bring to a boil. Add Cilantro and remove from heat. Pour into crock pot. Then add drained beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano and stir. Add chicken breasts; cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add chicken back into soup. Add salt, pepper and more cumin  to taste. Serve in bowls and top with sour cream, cheese, scallions, cilantro, avacodo, and whatever else you might like!

Tips: I added a lot more cumin and some tabasco because we like it extra spicy in our household. I also wish I didn't put 2 cups of corn in it-because it was soo much corn, a little too much for my liking. Make sure you put the cilantro in it because it gives it a really yummy flavor. Enjoy!

Easiest Chili Ever

Here's another recipe I got from my classes I took getting my home economics ed degree :) I love it because it's super easy to throw together and the picante gives it a really great kick!

Super Easy (and tasty) Chili

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup onion (I use about 1 Tbsp onion flakes), optional

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 (16 oz) cans crushed or diced tomatoes and juices

3/4 cup picante sauce

2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

cheese and chips of course

Cook and brown hamburger in skillet with the onions; drain. Stir in remainder of ingredients and cook until hot.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup-Panera Style



It has been so rainy here, this was my first time making this soup and it was a big hit in my house! Especially with the soup bowls.

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 Tbl melted butter
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 4 c. half and half (I use non fat)
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1 lb. fresh broccoli
• 2 cups, julienned carrots (basically cut up into thin pieces)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Whisk butter and flour over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add half and half. Add chicken stock, still whisking.
Simmer 20 minutes.
Add broccoli, carrots and onion. Cook over low heat until veggies are tender – about 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup will have thickened by now.
Carefully transfer soup mixture to blender and puree. Return soup to pot (or slow cooker) over low heat. Add cheese. Stir until well blended. Add nutmeg right before serving.
Makes 8-10 servings.

adapted from www.myblessedlife.net

Cold Weather Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey ( I used ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (16-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions:
In a large pot, brown the turkey or ground beef with the onion and garlic over medium heat, until cooked  breaking up the ground turkey into pieces as it cooks. Drain off  grease. Add the chopped bell pepper and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the rinsed and drained beans. Stir. Add the remaining ingredients and spices. Stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or more, stirring occasionally and making sure the chili isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips, if desired.

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafehttp://www.melskitchencafe.com/