Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Last week I tried a new crockpot soup recipe.  It's from Today's Mama and I found it via 365 Days of Slow Cooking.  I paired the soup with homemade Honey Oatmeal Bread and it was a delicious meal.  I'm looking forward to making it often this winter!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
Honey Oatmeal Bread

Chicken Taco Chili

This great soup is not too spicy (the way I make it) and makes a ton so you can either eat half and freeze half or can eat leftovers.  It would be a great soup to mix together and then freeze as well.  I got the original recipe off of a pin from Pinterest which came from a Photo A Day blog.

Chicken Taco Chili

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

16 oz Black Beans, drained and rinsed

16 oz Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

16 oz Tomato Sauce

1 pkg Frozen Corn Kernals

28 oz Diced Tomatoes (or you can use 2 cans of Rotel to up the spice factor)

1 packet Taco Seasoning

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1. Mix everything except the chicken up in a slow cooker.

2. Place the chicken breasts on top of the mixture.

3. Cook on Low for 10 hours or High for 6 hours.

4. 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, open the slow cooker and shred the chicken with two forks.  Stir the chicken into the soup and continue cooking.

5. Serve with taco chips, sour cream, etc.

Sausage and Potato Soup

Since it's gotten so cold outside I have been wanting any kind of soup that I can find. I keep a recipe folder in my email box and whenever I get an email I tag it for that folder and archive it. So on Sunday I started going through some of those emails to see if I could find something to cook this week that was new and I ran across this recipe from one of my Mom's co-workers. It was good as she gave it but I've tweaked it just a little more to our liking. That's the beauty of simple recipes -- you can change them up to just how you like them and you can be pretty sure that they'll still taste great! And this recipe makes a lot of soup so you might want to half it if there are just two of you.
Sausage and Potato Soup

32 oz bag of frozen diced hash browns (or about 3 lbs of peeled and diced potatoes) (the more potatoes the better)
1 1/2 to 2 lbs sausage browned (can be hot or mild)
2 chopped onions
4 cups of water
4 cups of milk
28 oz of chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of celery soup

Mix everything and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve with cheese -- pepper jack or parmesan go especially well.

Baked Potato Soup

Last week when it was so cold and rainy I decided to try out this soup recipe that I've been saving for a while.  It was so easy because all I had to do was throw it in my crock-pot and let it cook by itself all day!  It turned out so good and so filling! So, if you're looking for soup that will really warm you up, give this a try!

Baked Potato Soup

6 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in cubes

1 large onion, chopped (I just used onion powder instead to keep the consistency the same)

3 14 oz cans Chicken Broth with roasted garlic

1/4 c Butter

2 1/2 t Salt

1 1/4 t Freshly Ground Pepper

1 c Whipping Cream

1 c Shredded Cheddar Cheese

4 slices Bacon, chopped and crumbled (I used 5 pieces but if I was serving for more than just the two of us I would definitely cook more slices)

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Combine potatoes, onion powder, chicken broth, butter, salt, and pepper in slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on High 4 hours or Low 8 hours.

3. Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened.  Stir in the whipping cream and the cheese.  

4. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese before serving.

*This recipe is from Southern Living

Taco Soup

Since today is October 1st I thought I'd let you know on my must-have comfort food of the fall and winter.  Taco Soup.  This is a great recipe that is huge so you can freeze half and save it for later.

Taco Soup

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 small Onion, chopped

1 16 oz can each Pinto Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Lima Beans, rinsed and drained

1 envelope Taco Seasnoning Mix

1 1/2 c Water

1 envelope Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

1 t each Salt and Pepper

2 cans Rotel

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Brown ground beef in a large skillet; drain.  Combine beef, onions, rotel, all beans, taco seasoning mi, water, salad dressing mix, salt and pepper in a large slow cooker; mix well.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Top with cheese and tortilla chips.

Let me know if you make it!