Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This recipe is a copycat version of the Chicken and Gnocchi soup at Olive Garden. I had that soup for the first time last week while at lunch with my friend Tiffany and I knew I had to find the recipe. This did taste a lot like the restaurant version, it was a big hit with the boys so I will definitely be making it again. I followed the recipe I found, which called for heavy cream, but I will make it with whole milk next time to reduce the fat content.

I meant to make homemade focaccia bread with the soup but I didn't have time, but I will make it next time. I think bread would go really well with this soup, but it was fine on it's own. I also had a glass of Bogle Chardonnay, it was a great dinner.

Ingredients

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

2 cups heavy cream (or whole milk, for lower fat)

4 cups chicken broth

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 vidalia onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

16 oz package potato gnocchi

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and saute carrots, onion, and garlic until soft and translucent.

2. Add chicken stock, thyme, salt and pepper, cream, and chicken and bring to a boil.

3. Add gnocchi and boil for 4 minutes

4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

5. Add spinach and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival - Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup

Epcot Food and Wine Festival - Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup



Mike and I went to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival last weekend and had a really good time. I liked a lot of the foods we sampled so I decided to buy the festival cookbook. I am gradually trying the recipes in the book and I will be posting them as I try them out.

The Canada booth is always our favorite stop during the festival so I decided to start with the cheddar cheese soup, which is probably the most popular item at the festival. This is definitely not a healthy soup, but it would be great for a holiday or dinner party. This soup is extremely rich, we could barely finish what was in our bowls so I will cut this in half if I ever make it for just our little family again.

I especially loved how wonderful the preparation of this soup made the house smell. I rarely cook with bacon and butter is used sparingly, so this almost felt like making a dessert. The best thing to go with this would be something light, like a salad or small Panini.

Ingredients:

½ Pound applewood smoked Bacon (cut into ½” pieces)
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Diced red onion (about 1 cup)
3 Diced celery stalks (about 1 cup)
1 Cup all purpose flour
3 Cups chicken stock
4 Cups whole milk
1 Pound aged white Cheddar cheese (shaved or grated)
1 Tablespoon salt (to taste)
1 Tablespoon pepper
1 Tablespoon worchester sauce
1 Tablespoon tobasco sauce
1 cup warm beer

Directions:

(Tips from allearsnet.com)

*****The number one rule in Cheddar cheese soup is “Low and slow”. This recipe takes about an hour to make, and if you try to turn the heat up and rush it, you will only ruin your work *****

*****The number two rule is “Keep stirring”. This is a soup that can burn, and takes a lot of tender loving care. When in doubt, “Keep stirring" *****

1. In a large Soup pot or dutch oven, render down the bacon.

2. Add the Butter and melt it.

3. Add the Onion and Celery and sauté until onions to start to get translucent.

4. Dust this with flour and mix to form a roux. Keep stirring until all of the flour has been incorporated.

5. Add chicken stock, slowly, while constantly stirring. You are looking for something resembling a gravy at this point. It's going to be very thick. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Next add milk, again slowly, while constantly stirring. This should significantly lighten up your soup at this point. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

7. Turn heat up slightly, it's time to melt the cheese. Add cheese very slowly in small amounts, while stirring constantly. Allow each portion of cheese to melt away before adding the next. Keep stirring.

8. Now add salt and pepper. Be very careful with your salt. There is a lot of salt in your bacon, and possibly even in your chicken stock.

9. Next add worchester, tobasco, and beer. Keep stirring.

10. Turn down the heat slightly and let simmer or serve. You can garnish each bowl with some finely chopped bacon and chives.

****When you are reheating this soup (especially in a microwave) you need to remember the 2 rules. “Low and slow” and “Keep stirring” you want to be constantly stirring this to ensure it blends evenly. ****

Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Chestnuts

Beef stew has always been one of my favorite foods. It’s wonderful on a cold night after a long day out shopping or running errands on the weekends. I have tried a lot of different recipes but I have stuck with this one for several years just because the whole family loves it so much. My Mother-in-law made this for us years ago, it can be found on Williams-Sonoma.com, I have been making it ever since.

I unfortunately did not have any chestnuts this time, they are not available in the stores yet, but I wanted to include them because when you can get them, they really add so much to this recipe. They have a slightly meaty, salty taste and they give the stew a great texture. The stew by itself is very good if you cannot find chestnuts. Browning the beef and then stewing it all day in wine gives the broth a very velvety texture.

I live in Florida, so I don’t get to experience a lot of cozy winter nights, but this stew makes me think of cold winter nights and holidays with my family, it’s one of my favorites.

Ingredients:
3 lb. boneless stewing beef, cut into small
cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp Salt and freshly ground pepper (or seasoning salt)
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
8 oz. new potatoes, cut into small pieces
1 cup steamed chestnuts
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 1/2 – 2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 – 2 cups red wine

Directions:

1. In a Ziploc bag, toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper to coat evenly.



2.In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm half the olive oil until just smoking. Add half the beef and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.

3.Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, chestnuts, tomato paste to the slow cooker.



4.Pour the wine into the sauté pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Add the wine to the slow cooker.

5.Add stock to the slow cooker, enough so that the liquid can be seen just beneath the vegetables and meat.



6.Stir all ingredients to combine

7.Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

Pasta e Fagioli

I have had this Olive Garden Copycat recipe forever, it’s definitely one of my favorites. I decided to make it Sunday night because the whole family is recovering from and cold and because, well, I had a massive hangover after attending my class reunion. This soup hit the spot, it has a spicy zing to it which helps clear congested sinuses and keeps it from being a bland meal, but the broth is very good when recovering from sickness (of all kinds).

You can make this more of a stew by adding more pasta and less broth, I do this so the baby can eat it too (he’s not so good with the spoon yet). If you want more broth, just add more beef stock and go easy on the pasta. If sinuses are your problem, don’t be afraid to add more Tabasco sauce, it really does the trick.

Ingredients
3 tsp Olive Oil
1 lb ground beef
1 chopped onion
2 cups slivered carrots
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 box beef stock
1 ½ tsp Tabasco sauce
1 42 oz can spaghetti sauce
1 cup ditalini pasta
Oregano
Pepper
Parsley

Directions:
1.On medium heat in a large stock pot, saute ground beef in oil until brown.
2.Add carrots, onion, and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes or until soft.
3.Add rinsed beans to pot
4.Add beef stock, spices, Tabasco, and spaghetti sauce
5.Simmer until veggies are tender, about 45 minutes, adding pasta into the pot in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

I also like to make some crusty bread to go with the soup. I just take French bread and put it under the broiler for a few minutes until it’s lightly browned.



Nate loves his soup!

TGI Friday's Black Bean Soup

I found this on recipezaar.com when I was searching for some vegetarian recipes. I have never had TGI Friday’s black bean soup, so I can’t compare, but this recipe is fantastic! My 1 ½ year old son gobbles it up every time. I usually make this with a quesadilla or grilled cheese sandwich. This time, I made it with some baked salmon and crispy, oven baked tortilla chips and it was a wonderful dinner.



Ingredients
•2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•3/4 cup diced white onion
•1 cup diced carrot
•1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
•2 tablespoons minced garlic
•4 (15 ounce) cans black beans
•4 cups chicken stock
•2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
•2 teaspoons chili powder
•1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•1/2 teaspoon cumin
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke

Garnish
• shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend, blend
• chopped green onion, sour cream

1.Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium/low heat.

2.Add onion, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic to the oil and simmer slowly for 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

3.Keep the heat low enough that the veggies don't brown and be careful not to burn the garlic.

4.While you cook the veggies, pour the canned beans into a strainer and rinse them under cold water.

5.Measure 3 cups of the drained and strained beans into a food processor with 1 cup of chicken stock.

6.Puree on high speed until smooth.

7.When the veggies are ready, pour the pureed beans, the whole beans, the rest of the chicken stock, and every other ingredient in the list (down to liquid smoke), to the pot.

8.Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes or until soup has thickened and all the ingredients are tender.

SPICY Chicken Tortilla Soup

My husband and Son have both been feeling a little under the weather lately so I wanted to make them some soup. Instead of making chicken noodle, I decided to make a chicken tortilla soup that would have lots of yummy broth but would also be a hearty meal. I used a recipe I saw on “Rescue Chef” and change it up a bit to make it a more balanced meal. I found the two Jalapenos to be very very spicy, so just cut out one of them or use milder chili peppers instead if you don’t like super spicy food.



•2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•1 small onion, finely diced
•2 tablespoons minced garlic
•2 jalapenos, finely diced
•6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I used Hunt’s brand)
•1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
•1 cup instant brown rice
•3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
•2 limes, juiced, plus wedges for garnish (optional)
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
•1 (8-inch) flour tortilla, grilled, cut into thin strips ( I used pita, tasted just as good)

Directions
1.In a large saucepan heat the vegetable oil. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.

2.Once the onions have softened add the garlic and jalepenos and cook for another minute.

3.Pour the chicken broth, tomatoes and beans into the pot and bring to a boil. Once at a boil lower heat to simmer and add your chicken breasts. Cook the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes.

4.Once chicken is cooked remove from pot. When cool enough to handle, shred it and return it to the pot.

5.Add brown rice and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until rice is cooked.

6.Add lime juice and fresh cilantro to the pot. In a serving bowl, ladle soup over chicken and top with a lime wedge, and grilled tortilla strips.