.italian meatball soup. {husband's choice}

Words can not describe how obsessed the hubby and I are with this recipe. He has helped me make it twice already and the second time we changed it up a bit and added orzo instead of macaroni. We love us some orzo. I even made it for the in-laws and it was a big hit. The original recipe can be found on this amazing blog here.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup of diced onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
8 cups of low sodium beef broth
2 cups of water
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes
½ lb Orzo or Macaroni pasta
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
2 Tbsp chopped basil
Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef (90/10 or higher, you won't be able to drain the grease!)
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 large egg whites

Preparation
Warm olive oil in a large 6-8 quart stock pot over medium high heat Chop carrots, onions, and garlic. Add the carrots and onions to warm pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an addition 1 minute. Add broth, water, tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with hands to combine. Using a 1 tablespoon scoop to portion, lightly shape the scoops into meatballs using your hands to roll them. Drop them into the broth, distributing them evenly around the pot. Cover. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Stir meatballs gently. Add pasta. Cook 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Add basil and parsley, stir and serve. ENJOY! :)

.chili. {husband's choice}

Here is my hubby's favorite chili recipe from his childhood. He has been begging me to make this recipe from his mom's for years (she calls it "Pork n Beans One Pot Dinner") and I finally made it for the Super Bowl. It was a huge hit and super easy to make. Its a bit sweet so if you want extra spicy I would just add some hot sauce into your bowl before serving. Also, I served this with cheese (duh), onions, and fritos. So GOOD!!! enjoy!

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
3/4 lb bacon, cut into small pieces
1 c chopped onion
2 28oz. cans Bush's Original Baked beans
1 15.5 oz. can Kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz. can Butter limas, drained (or called butter beans)
1 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar
1 T liquid smoke (in a bottle next to bbq sauce at store)
3 T white vinegar

Preparation
Brown ground beef in skillet, drain off fat and put into Crockpot. Brown bacon and onions, drain off fat. Add to crockpot. Add remaining ingredients and stir together well. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

.crockpot beef stew.

Call me special but I am one of those people who grew up never having or making stew. My friend Alison told me how easy it was and boy was she right. Not only was this one of the best meals but it took almost no time to make thanks to the most amazing invention called the crockpot! I also cheated and used a seasoning packet for beef stew, if you do this no need to add the other spices listed below. We ate this meal over rice the first day and with a yummy crusty bread the next and it was excellent both ways. Try it out for yourself and enjoy!



Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced (I used butternut squash, SOOO good)
4 carrots, sliced (I used baby carrots)
1 stalk celery, chopped (I omited)
*not in recipe but I added diced tomatoes.

Preparation
Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours and enjoy!

. crockpot broccoli cheese soup.

Please do not just this soup by its picture. I know the picture is terrible and I desperately wanted to cheat and use someone else's online but decided not to. The crushed pepper on top was my last ditch attempt on a more appealing picture..haha. I had all intentions of taking another picture later but the soup disappeared very quickly. I found original recipe here but changed it up a bit after reading the reviews and combined it with this recipe here and voila. The original recipe says that you can just mix all the ingredients together and it will be fine..it did not look fine or mix well so I used an immersion blender (a regular blender would be fine) to mix it all up well. We enjoyed it with some warm french bread and it was so yum. And btw..Target has really good french bread...who knew?!



Ingredients
1 whole Onion, Diced
1 stick Butter
1/3 cup Flour
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups milk
4 heads Broccoli Cut Into Florets (I used one bag of 16oz. bag of frozen florets)
1 pinch Nutmeg
3 cups Grated Cheese (mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Jack, Etc.)
Small Dash Of Salt (more If Needed)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation
Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes, then sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute or so, then pour in milk and add nutmeg.
Combine in crockpot with chicken broth, broccoli, a small dash of salt, and plenty of black pepper.
Cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. 20 minutes or so before serving, shred all the cheese you are going to use, and stir it in. The cheese will be stringy and will stick to the broccoli florets, you can eat the soup as is, or blend it for a smoother texture. Serve with bread or in a bread bowl and enjoy!

.tomato soup with bacon grilled cheese.

This recipe was on the cover of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. It was in the cooking for one section, so I just doubled the recipe for the two of us. The hubby is a huge fan of tomato soup and making it was SO much easier than I ever thought it would be. I will definitely be making this soup again very very soon. It pairs up well with this sandwich or even by itself. Enjoy!



Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 slices of bacon
4 slices sandwich bread
2 oz. cheddar (or cheese of choice)
fresh pesto or Salsa Verde

Preparation
1. In a small pot heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook until onions are solf, 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender with cream; puree until smooth (Use caution when blending hot liquids. Remove cap from lid and cover opening with a dish towel) **I used an immersion blender, it worked wonders with much less clean-up** Season to taste.
2. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high until browned and crisp 10 minutes; drain on paper towels. Remove pan with fat from heat. Layer 2 bread slices with half the cheese, bacon, and rest of cheese; top with second bread slice. Return pan to heat. Cook sandwich until cheese is melted and bread is browned, 4 minutes, flipping once. Serve with soup, topped with pesto if desired.

.chicken & dumplings.

This recipe was given to me a couple years ago by my friend Alisha. I know the picture looks wierd but it really is delicious and super simple. Enjoy!



Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon butter
2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough (i prefer flaky layers)
pepper to taste or any other seasoning you prefer

Preparation
Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 45 minutes before serving, place the biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

.tex-mex corn chip chili.

I love chili and this recipe was so simple and tasty! I found it in Rachael Ray's magazine. Great for those cold rainy nights :)



Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
one 15-ounce can black beans
one 15-ounce can pinto beans
one 10-ounce can tomatoes
one can green chiles
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
12 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
one bag corn chips, such as Fritos

Preparation
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the beans, with their liquid, and the tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the cilantro, then top with the cheese, cover and let stand until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Place a handful of corn chips in each bowl. Top with chili and serve.

.taco soup.

This is the perfect recipe for those cold winter nights that we have been having. This recipe was sent to me by my friend Erin (thank you!), and I have already made it twice already. Its SO good and I especially love all the toppings you can put on it. I'm getting hungry as I type..anyways..I cut some of the recipe in half and it still made a ton of leftovers. Enjoy! (if you want to freeze leftovers for another day double the meat, tomatoes and corn)



Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey or ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 cans of corn
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 small can of diced jalapenos mild or chili peppers
1 package of Taco seasoning
1 package of Ranch seasoning

Preparation
Cook the meat and onions until meat is brown. Then add all cans and DO NOT DRAIN any of them, then add packages of seasonings. Heat until boiling and serve. Can be served with sour cream, cheese, cilantro and onions for toppings. Enjoy!

.chicken tortilla soup.

I was craving this soup from one on my favorite restaurants but did not want to spend the money and energy to go out. After looking this recipe up on allrecipes.com I discovered that I already had all the ingredients so I could easily make it :) I did not have corn tortillas so I used tortilla chips that I already had and just crushed them up. Im sure it would be even better with the real tortillas. Also, you can add much more chili powder and cumin if you like the flavor much stronger like i do :) Enjoy!



Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 (6 inch) corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 bay leaves
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
4 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked

Preparation
In a large stock pot heat oil. Add tortillas, garlic, cilantro and onion. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves and chicken stock. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add salt and cayenne. Simmer for 30 minutes remove bay leaves and stir in chicken. Heat through and serve.

.grilled corn and shrimp chowder.

I LOVED his soup! It came from my "Nordstrom Entertaining at Home Cookbook." I did change some of the recipe to make it simpler and serve less people. Instead of shucking 3 ears of corn, I just used some frozen corn from my favorite Trader Joe's, im sure a canned corn would also work fine. Good luck and enjoy!



Ingredients
3 ears of corn, shucked
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely choppe
2 cups of red potatoes, peeled and cute into 3/4-inch dice
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
3 bottles (8 oz.) clam juice
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation
Bring a saucepan to medium heat, melt the butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onion, celery, potatoes, and bell pepper and cook. stirring occasionally, until softened, 10-12 minutes. Add the clam juice and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the corn and cream, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 10 minutes to meld the flavors. Add the shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Tabasco sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

.cheese soup with wild rice.

This amazing recipe was given to be again by my mother-in-law. She put together a recipe box for my hubby and I with all his favorite recipes :) I changed the recipe a bit by adding some broccoli and regular white rice in addition to the wild rice. Also, I do not add bacon when I make it, just to make it a bit healthier. However, I am posting the original recipe, so feel free to add bacon, broccoli or whatever you please, just have fun with it! Also, since it is a crock pot recipe its perfect for those busy days! Super tasty with beer bread :) Mmm mmm good!





Ingredients
1 jar or bag crumbled bacon
1-2 onions, chopped
1 lb. Velveeta
3 c milk
2 cans cream potato soup
2 cans cream chicken soup
1/2 c washed raw wild rice
2 chicken breasts, grilled with garlic powder (depending how long you cook you can put in raw)*optional

Preparation
Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for several hours until hot. Or simmer until hot over the stove. (I will add the broccoli in the last 30 mins or so :)