Potato Chowder

This is another family favorite soup. We all love potatoes and this is another meal that everyone will eat. Those are always so nice to have! No one likes to spend the time cooking dinner only to hear the whining about how they don't like the food. No complaints for this one!

 

Potato Chowder

3 3/4 c. water

4 1/2 Tbsp. butter

3 cubes chicken bullion

6 c. potatoes, diced small

5 green onions, diced

Put all of the above ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. 

9 Tbsp. butter

9 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. pepper

2 1/4 tsp. dill

1 1/2 tsp.salt

22 oz. frozen corn or 1 1/2 cans corn, drained

3 3/4 c. milk

While waiting for the potatoes to cook, melt butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add flour and stir. Add milk in slowly, stirring until smooth after each addition. When all the milk is added and mixture is smooth, add to potato mixture after potatoes are tender. Add seasonings and corn. Serve. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, if desired.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love soup in the winter when it is cold outside. This is one of my favorite soups and it is super easy to make, which only makes it better! The recipe is really easy to adjust to make or less, whatever the amount you need.

 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 bag frozen broccoli pieces

2 cans cream of potato soup

2 soup cans milk

Velveeta (can also use shredded cheese)

Blend soup and milk together in the blender until smooth. Heat in pan on stove. While the soup is heating (stir frequently of the bottom will scorch), steam the broccoli. Add to soup when it is at the consistency you like. Melt Velveeta or cheese in soup and heat through. Serve when hot. For this amount of soup, I use 1/2 pound Velveeta.

To make more: simply add another can of soup plus a can of milk. Get a bigger bag of broccoli and add more cheese. You can add more can of soup/ milk until you get the amount you need. To feed my family of 7, I use 4 cans of soup and milk, 32 oz. broccoli, and a pound of Velveeta.

Taco Soup

This soup is a big-time favorite at our house. Everyone loves it! Maybe because it is one of the few meals we eat that comes with tortilla chips as a side, but it is always nice to have a few meals everyone eats. I got this recipe from a friend years ago and changed it a bit to suit my family a little more. This recipe also makes a TON of soup! It is enough to feed my family of 7 for two meals.

 

Taco Soup

1 pound hamburger

1 pound Italian sausage

2 cans corn

2 cans hominy

2 cans black beans

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans Rotel 

1 envelope Taco seasoning

1 envelope Ranch dressing mix

First, do not drain any of the cans! This is a recipe where you just open and dump.

In a large pot, brown the hamburger and sausage together. I chop my meat up really finely because I hate large chunks of meat, but that is my personal preference. You can chop this up as you like. Dump in all the opened cans and add the two envelopes of seasoning. The original recipe also calls for three cans kidney beans and 2 cubes beef bouillon, but I can't tell the difference when I use them and don't. I get large containers of Taco seasoning at Costco and pour in some of that. No, I'm not big on measuring so I dump in what looks good to me. It's more than one envelope, maybe about 1 1/2. At this point, heat through and serve with tortilla chips. We prefer to use Tostitos Scoops, but any will do.

Beef Stew

It's cold outside so there is nothing better for dinner than something warm and delicious. My picky eaters weren't too thrilled when they looked at this, but I reminded them that they've eaten it before and they reluctantly ate their dinner - with the threat of no dessert if they didn't finish!

 

Beef Stew

2 lbs. stew beef

1/3 c. flour

1 tsp. pepper

Place all in a ziplock bag and shake until meat is coated. Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in frying pan and cook  over medium heat until meat is browned. Transfer to crock pot and add:

1 c. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. beef broth

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

5-6 carrots, cut into large chunks

5-6 large potatoes, cut into large chunks

Cook over high heat 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours.

 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

It's fall and cold and windy and rainy. There is no better time for soup! This is one of my favorite soups. It was one of my kids's as well, but last night... well, it wasn't the favorite. Not sure what happened. I mean, bacon. Need I say more? And they are boys - what happened???

This recipe freezers really well, so I usually double it and freeze the leftovers for a night I don't have much time to cook and need something quickly. I would triple it, but my pot isn't that big.

 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 4 large baking potatoes

10 Tbsp. butter

2/3 c. flour

6 c. milk

1 1/2 - 2 c. cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 oz. bag real bacon bits

1 c. sour cream

Bake potatoes. I like to have them still pretty warm when I make the soup as they mash easier. You can use them cold, too, they just don't break up as well. 

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add flour and stir until smooth. Add milk s-l-o-w-l-y-. I add a little bit and stir until roue is smooth, add a little more, stir, repeat until all milk is added in. Turn up heat to medium high and cook until soup is thickened. While it is thickening, scoop insides of potatoes into bowl. Add a some soup and mash until potatoes are desired consistency. Scoop potatoes into pot and stir into roue. Add cheese, pepper, and bacon. Stir in sour cream when hot. Top with more cheese and enjoy!