Carrot Soup On The High Seas

Recently, I bought Sam a cookbook with recipes for kids. Lately, he doesnt seem interested in eating anything. I figured if I let him pick things out of the book, then have him help me make it, he will be more interested. This soup was really easy to make. It was actually very good too. Ive never thought about having carrot soup before. The kids pretty much played with their boats, ate the goldfish out and were done. I guess even fun carrot soup didnt strike their fancy this time around. Oh well, I will keep searching! If your kids arent as picky as mine, Im sure they would love this. Its a great idea for any creamy soup.

Carrot Soup on the High Seas (from The Geronimo Stilton Cookbook)

3 to 4 medium sized carrots, about 1/2 lb
1 medium sized leek, halved lengthwise
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1 small zucchini
2 wooden toothpicks
construction paper
goldfish shaped crackers

1. Clean and peel the carrots. Cut 2 long thing strips from 1 carrot for the sails of the boats. Set aside. Clean the leek in cold running water.

2. Cut the remaining carrots and leek into slices. Place in a saucepan. Add milk, water, olive oil, and a pinch of salt to the veggies. Cook covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

3. While the veggies are cooking, make the boats. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides of both halves. Cut one end of each zucchini half into a sharp point to make the prow (front) of the boats. Push toothpicks through the carrot sails and stick them into each zucchini boat. If you wish, make a flag from construction paper. Stick it on top of the toothpick.

4. Let the pan of cooked veggies cool. Pour the mixture into a blender. Work in 2 or 3 batches to prevent the liquid from spilling. Bleand until creamy. Return blended soup to the pan to reheat. Pour the soup into 2 bowls. Garnish each bowl with a zucchini boat. Add goldfish shaped crackers to the soup. Enjoy.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

The other day I was hanging out with my friend Elisabeth and she had chicken tortilla soup in her crockpot. I got the craving for it right away and made it the very next day. The recipe she had was from our friend Kristen. I didn't have everything that hers called for, so I kind of winged it and it turned out just the way I like it. This is so versatile. You could put beans in it or anything you have on hand really.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breasts
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1(10 ounce) can enchilada sauce (I used a green sauce and it was so good)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cans of chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn

tortilla strips, sliced avocado, green onions, shredded cheese for serving.

Put everything into the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hrs. Remove chicken breasts and let cool. Shred them with a fork and return them to the crock pot and simmer another hour or as long as you need to until dinner. Put the tortilla crisps, avocado, green onions into a bowl and pour the soup over it. Top with cheese.

Beans and Ham

I had a big ham bone left over from a Honey Baked Ham that we had on Christmas Eve. I decided that I was going to make some beans. This is such a simple, easy, filling recipe. Pinto beans are so good for us, I want to get my family to eat more and more of them, and not just in the re fried fattening way we love. Serve it up with some corn muffins.

Beans and Ham

2 cups dried pinto beans
1 ham bone or other leftover meaty piece
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste.

Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with 1 inch of water. Soak overnight. Or instead of soaking overnight, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cover and let set for 1 hr. Discard soaking liquid. Now add 7-10 cups water and bring to another boil. Add onions and garlic and let simmer for 1 hr 30 minutes. Season with lots of salt and pepper.

Steak Soup in the crock pot

The first time I had steak soup was when I was living in Kansas City. Steak soup is popular there with all the bbq restaurants everywhere. Its so savory and filling! Perfect for a cold day. Perfect for a warm day too, as it was 80 degrees here! I still crave winter foods, even though we don't have much of a winter. All of the measurements on my recipe are not exact. I eyeball everything. Try to base the ingredients on what you have in your fridge or pantry.

Steak Soup

1 1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh green beans
2-3 potatoes, 1 inch dice
3-4 cups left over steak, finely chopped
3 cans beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp pepper
1 tsp dried Thyme
salt to taste
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine

Add all ingredients except 1 can of beef broth, flour and margarine to a crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs, or as long as you need to. About 1 hr before serving, melt butter in a small sauce pan, add flour. Make a roux and cook for a minute. Add 1/2 can beef broth and whisk until smooth and no lumps. Add the rest of the broth and stir to combine. Heat until boiling again, then pour it into the crock pot and stir. Let it simmer on high another hour, to thicken up. Season with salt to taste. Enjoy.

Baked Potato Soup

I had a bag of potatoes in my pantry and I decided to make some soup. I love baked potato soup with all the fixins...sliced green onions, crisp bacon, cheese and sour cream. This recipe was pretty good. I was really excited about this soup when I made it. When we sat down and ate it, I thought it was missing something. I realized that I had forgot to put in the 1 cup of sour cream! That is huge! I was bummed about that, but easily remedied the problem by adding a nice big dollop of daisy to each of our bowls. Once stirred in, it was nice and creamy, just like I had imagined. I didnt have any sharp chedder, so I used a colby jack blend and I really think that a sharp cheese would have really made the flavors pop. Next time I make this, I will definitely use an extra sharp chedder...no pre-grated cheeses will work as well. I used turkey bacon. I love turkey bacon when its cooked really crisp. I almost cant tell that its not pig!! What I really loved about this soup that is different from other creamy soups Ive made is that it doesnt use any fat at all for the base. No butter or oil. Just whisk the milk into the flour and heat until creamy and thick. I will try to use that method in the future when Im throwing a soup together from scratch or even a sauce. I served this one up with some chewy sourdough with butter. It was so good!

Baked Potato Soup from Cooking Light

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)

6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1 teaspoon salt (I used over a Tbsp)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (again I used more)

1 cup reduced-fat sour cream (I forgot this. Doh!)

3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (I used turkey bacon)

Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Chicken and Veggie Soup

Today I decided to make chicken soup, even though its 100 degrees outside. I have lots of fresh veggies from the farmer's market, and chicken leftover from the whole roasted chicken I made yesterday. That just screams great soup to me. I LOVE soup and its one of the most healthy things we can eat.

Usually when I make soups, they are a bit of experimentation. I pretty much throw in whatever I have instead of following a recipe. Same with the spices. If I don't have fresh herbs, then I mostly use salt and pepper to season soups, I don't like lots of dried spices.

Chicken and Veggie Soup

make the broth:

1 chicken carcass
a few sprigs of fresh herbs (I used Thyme and Rosemary), don't bother chopping
several bay leaves

Put the carcass into a large stock pot and fill with water. Add the herbs and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the carcass and herbs, strain if you like. ( I usually don't strain it). I also pour off several cups, usually 4 or more into a bowl to cool and bag up and freeze for later uses. Then what is left, is more than enough for a lot of soup.

make the soup:

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 potato diced
2 small zucchini sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces egg noodles

In a small skillet, heat oil and saute onions until softened. Add the garlic and cook about 15 more seconds, then add it to the broth that is remaining in the stock pot.

To the remaining chicken broth in the pot, add carrots, celery. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let it cook for awhile, as little as 30 minutes, but longer if you like. Then add the chicken and continue to simmer. 30 minutes before serving, add potatoes and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 15 minutes before serving, add egg noodles. Serve hot when the pasta is al dente.