Grandma's Cheese Soup

Grandma Evans' Cheese Soup

INGREDIENTS

·         4 Large Carrots diced in small cubes

·         1 Stalk of Celery diced into small cubes

·         4 Medium Potatoes diced into small cubes

·         1 package of frozen peas

·         1 Large onion (Blend in blender with 1 Cup of water until onions are liquefied)

·         5 Quarts of Water

·         1 jar of Cheez Wiz (16 oz size)

·         30 Chicken Boullion Cubes

·         1 Can of Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup add 1 can of water

·         1 cup of canned milk

·         2 cubes of butter melted

·         1 cup of flour

DIRECTIONS

COOK VEGTABLES:

·         Mix the Carrots, Celery, Onion water blend and 4 cups of water

·         Cook until vegtables are half done, then add the potatoes and simmer

PREPARE SOUP STOCK

·      While the veggies are cooking, Mix 5 quarts of water, cheez wiz, boullion, canned milk and cream of chicken soup then bring to a boil in a very large stock pot.

·         Mix melted butter and 1 cup flour – mix smooth, make sure there are no lumps

·         Add butter/flour mixture to the boiling broth slowly stirring all the time

ADD VEGTABLES

·         Add the vegetable stock to the broth

·         Add frozen peas

·         Simmer minimum of 30 minutes before serving

Tomato Soup

 4 lbs. tomatoes (or at least 2; you can supplement with good, canned diced tomatoes)
 1 large onion, chopped
 1 medium carrot, thinly chopped (for a change I will use 2 red bell peppers instead of the carrot)
 1 stalk celery, chopped
 1 clove garlic, chopped
 4 T. butter, room temperature
 1 1/2 T. flour
 2 sprigs fresh thyme
 water
 1 c. milk
 salt
 pepper

 Turn the broiler on in the oven and set the rack six inches below it.
 Spray a sheet pan with non-stick spray. Core the fresh tomatoes (not as essential with Romas) and spread them out on the pan. Broil on both sides until the skins are blackened. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
 In a large saucepan (larger is better so it doesn't spit at you), sauté the onion and a couple of pinches of salt in 2 T. butter for about 5 minutes over medium high heat. (Adding the salt immediately with the onion helps to bring out the sugars in the onion, which will help it to carmelize faster.) Add the carrot and celery and continue to cook until the onions are starting to brown, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 5 more minutes, until they're more thoroughly browned but not burning. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
(I have found that I perfer to slow roast the tomatoes, rather than broil - cook onions and tomatoes in the oven at 250 for 4-5 hours until fully cooked and browned around the edges.)
 Place all of the contents of the saucepan in the blender. If you're supplementing with canned tomatoes, add a 15-oz. can, juice and all, along with the onion mixture to the blender, purée the tomatoes, in two batches, in the blender. Strain the seeds and skins and add to the saucepan. Stir everything together and return to heat. Add 1 cup of water and leaves from the thyme sprigs. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

(Beurre manié (French "kneaded butter") is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces. By kneading the flour and butter together, the flour particles are coated in butter. When the beurre manié is whisked into a hot or warm liquid, the butter melts, releasing the flour particles without creating lumps)

Stir together the remaining 2 T. room temperature butter and flour to make a beurre manié.
Stir the beurre manié into the soup and continue stirring as the soup thickens slightly. Stir the milk into the soup and remove the pan from the heat. If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add more milk. I like to use whole milk for a richer soup.


 Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
 You can, of course, strain the soup if you don't like the tomato seeds in there. It wasn't a big deal to me, and straining would take a while. Plus I really liked the consistency of the soup, which would smooth out more upon straining. Removing the skins before puréeing the soup takes away the biggest reason to strain, but use your own judgment.
 Also, one or two tablespoons of chipotle purée would be a great addition if you're not serving it to spicy-sensitive kids.

EASY Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is my go to when I've got sick kids or we need a comforting and filling supper. I usually use rotisserie chicken when I make this, or any other leftover chicken I have on hand.  I sometimes even use canned chicken.  When I want to make it extra chunky I add the vegtables. Chicken soup really is a cure-all, especially when it can be made from start to finish in just over half an hour. Serve with biscuits or crispy crackers to sop up all the flavorful broth.

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced (optional)
• 3 stalks celery, sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon & 4 cups of water or use Chicken broth
• 1 package linguine noodles
• 3 cups chicken meat, cooked and chopped into bite size bits
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 package chicken gravy mix (optional)
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions

1. (IF ADDING VEGTABLES) In a large stockpot, melt butter with olive oil over medium low heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add Broth, cream of chicken soup  and chicken, turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Add egg noodles and cook for approximately 9 minutes, or until noodles are tender.
   Then add chicken gravy mix to thicken if needed.
   Serve.

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 lb stew meat (cubed beef) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion (thinly sliced) 1 cup carrots (chopped) 6 potatoes (cubed)

I bunch of celery (chopped) 1 bay leaf 1 package brown gravy mix 1 package beefy onion soup mix (optional) 2 tbsp flour

Directions

Place beef and flour in a plastic baggie, Shake.

Pour oil into a large stock pot or dutch oven, high heat.

Add beef cook until brown, stirring occasionally.

Add water, vegetables, bay leaves, soup & gravy mix

Bring to a boil.

Cover.

Reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender.

Discard bay leaves.

Serve

Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup - Khao Soi

Khao Soi - Thai Curry Soup with Chicken

Alos known as: 

Khao Soi 

Chiang Mai

Kao Soy

Ingredients

• 1 T canola oil

·         1 T garlic, finely chopped

·         2 T Thai brand red curry paste

·         2 T Thai brand green curry paste

·         3/4 lb chicken breast, cut in bite-sized chunks

·         1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

·         2 cups coconut milk (it was REALLY RICH, next time I will use light coconut milk)

·         2 cups chicken broth

·         1 T soy sauce

·         1 T fish sauce (may also substitute more with more soy sauce)

·         2 T lime juice

·         1 T Siracha Rooster sauce (optional)

·         1/2 lb dried rice noodles or soba noodles

Condiments for Garnish:

·         Fresh cilantro

·         Lime wedges

·         Bean Sprouts

·         Crispy Asian noodles (like La Choy brand)

Prepare the Curry Paste:  

This recipe calls for pre-made curry paste. You can use fresh made curry paste.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Add the red & green curry paste, mashing and stirring to soften it in the oil, about 1 minute. 


Cook the Chicken and Soup:

Add the cubed chicken

cook 2 - 5 minutes, browning it evenly and combining it with the curry paste.

Add sliced mushrooms lightly brown with the chicken

Add the coconut milk, 1/4 cup at a time until well blended.

Add chicken broth,  soy sauce and  fish sauce. (I didn't use fish sauce)

Bring to a gentle boil and adjust heat to simmer. 

Simmer about 10 minutes, to thoroughly cook the chicken.

Stir in lime juice and Siracha (optional), 



Reduce heat while you prepare noodles


Prepare Noodles & Serve

 I prefer the rice noodles

Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package directions.

Drain and divide the noodles into individual serving bowls. 

Ladle on the hot curry. 

(I just added the noodles to curry soup, so everyone could easily dish up for themselves) 



Serve soup garnished with desired condiments.