Tuna and Pasta Cheddar Melt

23 April, 201422 April, 2014Marissa

I think I found the original for this recipe on a site for Campbell’s soup, but I changed its ingredients to add carrots and use this cream soup substitute from Center Cut Cook instead of canned soup. Haven’t tried the soup yet in any of my other recipes that call for cream of chicken, but I plan to. The texture is perfect, though the color and taste is a bit different.

Tuna and Pasta Cheddar Melt

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2 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 cups uncooked rotini pasta

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup milk

2, 5-ounce cans of tuna

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

2 teaspoons butter, melted

Heat the broth and water in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the pasta is tender, stirring often. Do not drain.

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Tuna and Pasta Cheddar Melt recipe. marissabaker.wordpress.com — cream of soup substitute

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth, then 1/2 cup milk. Whisk until it begins to thicken. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the thickened soup, 1 cup milk and tuna into the skillet with the pasta. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, then sprinkle the rest over the top. Stir the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the tuna mixture and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Turkey Sausage Chowder

5 March, 20144 March, 2014Marissa

Here in Ohio, we’re back to weather that would make a penguin shiver. The only decent thing to do is make pots of creamy soup for lunch and then curl up with a warm blanket, a book, and a cat. Or you could share the soup with the cat, which Tiger seems to think is a good idea. He’s taken to begging whenever I sit down to eat anything, even if he knows he doesn’t like it (such as scrambled eggs).

I’m not sure if there ever was an original recipe for this soup — I wrote it down while watching my mother throw ingredients in a pot. It’s tasty and easy to make, which is why it and Cheese Burger Soup figure so prominently in our eating habits this time of year.

Sausage Chowder

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3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)

4 to 5 carrots, sliced or chopped (about 2 cups)

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups water

1/2 of a 13-ounce package of turkey sausage

1 teaspoon chicken base

2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

black pepper and salt, to taste

a pinch of cayenne pepper

Place chopped potatoes, carrots, and peas in a large sauce pan. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, cut turkey sausage into cubes. Add sausage, chicken base, and onion powder when mixture in pot boils. Reduce heat and simmer till carrots and potatoes are done.

While vegetables are cooking, place flour in a small bowl or measuring cup and gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Once the vegetables are tender, add milk and flour to cooked mixture.

Add black pepper and salt to taste and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Turn up temperature to medium-high and stir regularly until the soup bubbles and thickens. Serve warm.

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my brother photo-bombing the Sausage Chowder, marissabaker.wordpress.com — my brother photo-bombing the chowder

Chicken and Rice Soup

11 December, 201316 November, 2014Marissa

This has become one of my favorite soups. It is simple and easy to make with few ingredients. Here is the original recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod. It’s a good recipe, and I’ve changed very little to make it perfect for me (basically, I took out the onions because I don’t like them and replaced the fresh thyme with dried because I didn’t have any). It makes a huge pot of soup though, probably enough for 8-10 people, so the version I’m posting here is smaller. It heats up well, so if you want to make a big pot and eat it for several days go right ahead.

In regards to the chicken, you can either boil a chicken breast cut into large pieces for about 7 minutes (until there is no pink left) and then shred it with two forks, or you can use meat left over when making chicken stock from scratch.

One more thing …. I apologize for only have two pictures. I kept for getting to take them while cooking, and then only these two turned out not-blurry and edible-looking.

Chicken and Rice Soup

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Chicken rice soup recipe at marissabaker.wordpress.com — Chopped carrots and the celery we froze from our garden

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 teaspoon ground thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth

½ cup water

½ cup long grain rice

1 cup shredded chicken

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Cook chicken ahead of time and prepare broth. Set aside.

Place a soup pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme. Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring until vegetables are softened but not browned. Add chicken broth, water and rice. Bring to boil and add chicken, salt, and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Serve hot.

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Cheese Burger Soup

23 October, 201321 October, 2013Marissa

Ah, the fall season — crisp weather, autumn leaves, ripe apples, nasty allergies, and warm soup. This soup began life as a way-too-cheesey potato soup, and has now settled down as a meat soup with respectable levels of cheese.

A bit of bloggish news: I’ve added a recipe book page. It has all the recipes I’ve posted in one convenient, organized location so you can easily find what you’re looking for. I’ll keep it updated as I post new recipes.

Cheese Burger Soup

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5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)

1 large carrot, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

2 cups water

2 cups beef broth

1/2 pound ground beef, cooked

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender (15 – 20 minutes. Add ground beef.

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

6 Tbsp. flour

3 tsp. steak seasoning (see recipe below)

2 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar or a mixture of different types)

In a small bowl, combine ingredients except cheese. Stir into soup, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Steak Seasoning

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon paprika or chili powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 t teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon . cayenne or chipotle powder

1 dash each coriander and tumeric (optional)

Combine all and place in a container.

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Vegetable Chicken Chowder

16 October, 201315 October, 2013Marissa

The first time I made this soup, my family was praising the smell even before they got a taste of it. The basic recipe comes from an old cookbook my grandmother gave my mother called Country Classic Pioneer Cookbook. I’ve changed it a little, streamlining the recipe instructions and adding meat. This version calls for chicken, but you could easily make it with beef (which is what I did the first time I tried it). It goes well with bread, such as these Easy Bread Sticks.

Vegetable Chicken Chowder

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2 cups water

3 cups chicken broth

1 can tomato soup

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons onion powder

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup rice

2 cups chopped potatoes

½ cup diced celery

1 cup diced carrot

2 cups chopped chicken

1 cup milk

3 Tablespoons flour

Combine liquid, seasonings, and rice in a large sauce pot. Heat to boil. When soup boils, add chopped potatoes, celery, and carrots. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook chicken. Add to soup after the 45 minutes cooking time or when the rice is tender. Whisk milk and flour, add to soup. Bring to boil and serve immediately.

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Potato Soup and Bread

29 May, 20138 July, 2014Marissa

Chunky Potato Soup with my unimpressive bread

I tried something new for dinner last night. I’d been feeling like potato soup and a nice crusty bread for days, and finally decided to make it. I couldn’t find a potato soup recipe I really liked, so I combined elements from this recipe and this recipe. I must be getting better at doing this, because it was such a hit I’m not going to have to do any more tweaking.

For the bread, I started with this Rosemary Olive Oil Bread recipe. But since I had no rosemary (and the texture reminds me of pine needles) I altered the recipe a little. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite like I hoped. I thought it was a complete failure, but the rest of my family said they liked it. Or, more specifically, my brother told me “Maybe I like it ’cause it tastes like flour and I like eating flour.” Needless to say, I’ll be doing more work on that recipe.

Speaking of working on bread recipes, I’m going to start experimenting with gluten-free, egg-free breads leavened with baking soda. I like a cooking challenge, so this is going to be interesting.

Chunky Potato Soup

3 cups/ 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small carrot, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

½ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped chives

½ cup shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, carrot, broth, and dried seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add 1-3/4 cups milk. Combine flour with remaining milk; stir to form a smooth paste. Add to soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add a small amount of hot liquid to sour cream; stir to mix. Gradually add to soup, stirring constantly; heat through but do not boil. Add fresh herbs. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted.