HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Recipe from my mom!

You'll need:
4 cans chicken broth
2-3 chicken breasts
Noodles- you can use any kind you want. I like regular fettucini noodles, my mom likes to use the bowtie kind- whatever you like will work! Also, I never measure these, I just eyeball them.  I do about 4-5 cups cooked.
Carrots- I use 3/4 bag of baby carrots
1 small onion
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Pour in your crockpot the cans of chicken broth and 1 can of water. Chop the carrots and onion and add to the broth. Boil chicken, dice, and add to the broth. Simmer on low for 4 hours or until carrots and onions are soft.

Boil the noodles until they are ALMOST done but not quite. Drain and add to your crockpot. Turn crockpot to high and let cook for 1 hour or until noodles are soft and done- i left mine cooking for over two hours last time and they were way too mushy. So check them periodically, stirring and testing softness.

At the very end, right before you're ready to serve it, salt and pepper to taste {not much salt needed} and stir in the sour cream. You can't add it earlier or it separates as it cooks. This add a bit of creaminess without making it heavy and it's so good!

Serve hot, and it's best with warm rolls of course. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

We have an obsession with this soup at our house, we eat it at least twice a month during the winter. It is delicious, and extremely easy to make.

I'm posting two recipes because they are both delicious. The first is amazing but I don't always have all the ingredients on hand (I never have half and half,Velveeta, or fresh broccoli) so I have simplified the recipe so I can make it whenever we want.

Here is the link to the first recipe:

http://southerncolor.blogspot.com/2011/11/panera-broccoli-cheese-soup.html


Simplified Recipe:

Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/4 c Butter
1/2 chopped onion
1/4 flour
2 c chicken stock or broth
2-3 c Milk (depends on how much you're making)
1/2- 1 lb frozen broccoli
1/2 c chopped carrot (optional)
2 c cheddar cheese (or more if you like it extra cheesy)
Garlic Salt
Salt
Pepper

In a small saute pan cook onions and carrots in a little butter until tender.

In large pot: Melt 1/4 c butter. Add flour and stir until incorporated. Continue stirring and cooking flour and butter for a few min. Don't brown the flour.

Add chicken stock and milk to the butter/flour mixture. Add seasoning. Cook for about 5-10 min.

While base is cooking, de-frost broccoli in microwave or under warm water. If desire break broccoli pieces up into small bite size pieces.

Add onions, carrots, and broccoli to pot and cook for about 20 min.

Add cheese and stir until incorporated.

Taste, add more cheese and seasoning if desired.

Enjoy!

This recipe is easily adjustable to your taste buds. Add other seasonings if you want, add more cheese, add more milk to make it thinner. Play around with it and figure out what your family like! :) 

Baked Potato Soup

This recipe was given to me by Cassie Goodman who received it from Cami Miller.

(The recipe is HUGE but I make the whole thing and freeze the leftovers).

8 baking potatoes
1 1/3 cup of butter
1 1/3 cup of flour
12 cups of milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
8 green onions
24 slices of bacon
2 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp)
16 oz sour cream
2 Tbs chicken base

Wash/scrub and poke potatoes. Bake at 400 for 1 hour or until done. Let cool. Cut into cubes (as small as possible without falling apart--think bit size). Leave skins on.
Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Gradually add milk. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly (takes about 20-30 minutes to get thick). Add potato cubes, salt, pepper, green onions, crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and chicken base. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk if necessary for desired thickness. Garnish with addition bacon, cheese and green onions.

It is a little time consuming but so worth it! Great for a chilly fall day. Yum!

BLACK BEAN SOUP

this soup is hands down, the best crockpot soup in my arsenal. it's amazing, especially on those freezing cold winter evenings that call for a little mexican food heaven.

trust me on this one, and make extra.

dump into your crockpot:

2 {15.5oz} cans black beans {don't drain}

1 can water

1 {14.5oz} can diced tomatoes

1 green pepper, chopped

1/4 chopped onion

2 shredded chicken breasts

1/2 packet fajita seasoning {or season to taste, however strong you want the flavor}

lime juice to taste

stir well and simmer on low for 4-6 hours

serve with shredded cheese and fresh avocado on top, or break out the tortilla chips

{makes about 4 servings}