I learned 95% of my cooking skills from my Mom, she is an excellent cook, and has taught me all our family recipes. My Mom made this soup over the weekend, and although she invited us for dinner we had plans and were unable to make it. She did give us some leftover and this was excellent soup. I don’t know if I have ever had baked potato soup, but it was delicious! Perfect for these cooler fall days coming up.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup (From: My Mom)

• 2 extra large baking potatoes
• 1/2 pound bacon, diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 4 T butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 16 oz carton sour cream
• Cheese and bacon bits to garnish

Wash and pre-bake the potatoes.  Cool completely, then dice into medium size chunks (I left the skins on).

In a soup pot, fry the bacon about half way.  Add the onion and continue to fry until bacon is crispy and the onion is soft.  Remove the onion/bacon mixture with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add the butter to the bacon fat, then mix in the flour to make a roux.  Slowly add the broth to the roux.  Add the salt and pepper (adding more or less to taste).  Add the potatoes, and the bacon/onion mixture back in and stir.  Heat through, then add in the sour cream and stir well.  Garnish with cheese and bacon bits.

Makes 4-6 servings.

I love love french onion soup, it’s my favorite soup hands down. But I am picky. I get it at pretty much every restaurant that serves it, but it takes a special one to be good. Last winter a friend posted on facebook how she was making some, I was excited… why hadn’t I ever thought to make my own. She sent me a rough recipe and I adapted it to what we like/wanted.

This was a great soup, and I was proud of my first time, it lacked some flavor. I think I need to find a spice to add to it. Otherwise it was excellent!

French Onion Soup (From: Myself)

• 8 onions, sliced
• 8 cups beef broth
• 1 cup red wine
• butter and olive oil
• Provolone Cheese
• French Bread

In a large pan warm butter and oil, once warm add onions.

Stirring occasionally until onions are caramelized about 20-40 minutes.

Place onions, broth and wine in crock pot put on low and simmer for 8-10 hours.

In oven safe bowl pour soup 3/4 way out, place a piece of french bread on top and cover with cheese. We prefer provolone but could use any white cheese.

Put under the broiler and broil until cheesy is melted and bubbly.

Adams favorite soup is hands down Clam Chowder, if we go to a restaurant and he has already decided on a meal, if they come and say the soup of the day is Clam Chowder he HAS to get a bowl. I don’t like it at all, and the smell alone drives me nuts. I never planned to make him homemade clam chowder… But then I saw this recipe and saw it was cooked in a crock-pot. I thought this was great as I could make it for a night when I was going out with a friend and he could come home to fresh soup.

This week was the week, he said it was really good and tasted great. I guess it was a hit.

Crock-pot Clam Chowder (From: Casual. Concoctions)

• 2 cans whole baby clams (20 oz)
• 8 pieces pre-cooked bacon- chopped
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 6 lg. potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 cups half-half

Mix first 6 ingredients into crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for about 5. During last hour of cooking, combine half and half and cornstarch, then mix into crock pot.

We had a very fall feeling weekend here in MN this weekend, with highs around 70 it reminded me of soup. I decided I want to make a creamy soup, but wanted to try a new recipe. When I found this one I decided tomato soup and grilled cheese sounded perfect.

This soup was good, I would of preferred it a little creamier then it was, it was kind of “thick” so I think I would add more broth to it. But it was wonderful with the big old grilled cheese to dip in it.

Tomato Soup (From: The Way the Cookie Crumbles, Originally From: Cooks Illustrated)

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, juice reserved
• 1½ tablespoons brown sugar, preferably dark
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large shallots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Pinch ground allspice
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons brandy (I omitted)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Adjst an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a strainer in a bowl and remove the seeds and juice of each tomato over the strainer. Place tomatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Rub with the brown sugar. Bake until the tomatoes are dry and just starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Let the tomatoes cool slightly, then peel them off the foil.

While the tomatoes roast, heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add the shallots, tomato paste, and allspice. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the flour, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Stirring constantly, gradually add the chicken broth; stir in the reserved tomato juice and the roasted tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover, reduce to heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

Strain the mixture into a medium bowl. Transfer the tomatoes and solids in the strainer to a blender; add enough liquid for the blender to work, then puree until desired consistency. Stir the pureed mixture and remaining strained liquid together. Stir in the brandy and heavy cream and serve.

Today was a very rare cool day in Minnesota for May, and with having a horrible cough thanks to a mild case of whopping cough I wanted to make some soup. I didn’t want to have to stop at the store and realized I had everything to make broccoli cheese, but decided I wanted to spice it up and add some potatoes to it too.

This was AWESOME!!! It was light and creamy and had the perfect amount of chunks and broth. I am glad I made this tonight and will be making it again.

Potato and Broccoli Cheese Soup (Inspired From: Emeril)

• 3 tbls of unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 yellow onion diced
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of ground pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 glove crushed garlic
• 3 tbls of flour
• 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen broccoli
• 1 cup diced potato
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 2 cups of shredded colby jack cheese

In dutch oven melt 3 tbls of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook until soft, add garlic. Stir frequently while garlic cooks. Add the flour and stir until thoroughly mixed together. Slowly add the chicken broth while whisking constantly. Add potatoes and broccoli. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened about 20 minutes.

Mix in cream and bring to a low simmer. Add cheese and simmer until cheese is melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Stir until it is mixed throughly. Serve hot.

My new favorite magazine is Food Network, I love it! This was in one of the issues I got and thought it looked great.

A few weeks ago Adam was wonderful enough to buy me this dutch oven at Macys for only $35 so I decided I now had NO excuse not to make this soup. This soup was rather easy to throw together also.

It had great flavor, and was very yummy, but both Adam and I thought it needed some crunch, some meat, pasta, or rice of some sort. But will make it again. I just realized as I was posting the recipe that we forgot to add the vinegar… opps it was good without it.

Tomato Gorgonzola Soup (From:Food Network Magazine Nov/Dec 2008)

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) cognac
• 1 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 35-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed, juices reserved
• 2 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese, plus more for garnish
• 2/3 cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the cognac and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.

Add the potatoes and broth to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, cream, gorgonzola and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender, puree until smooth. Add the vinegar and serve in warm bowls with more basil and gorgonzola.

I don’t know how I missed this soup when Elly posted it in her blog, but I saw Mary Ellen post about it this week and knew it was something we had to make. Adam and I are both mushroom and potato lovers, and he has a new love for smoke gouda cheese.

He actually ended up making this for us last night, it was WONDERFUL it has wonderful flavor and was the perfect warming soup. My only complaint out of the recipe was that we only got 4 bowls, I was hoping for a lot more leftovers! Next time we will double or triple this.

Mushroom, Potato and Smoked Gouda Chowder (From: Elly says Opa)

• 1/4 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb. mushrooms (your choice, I like to use a variety), sliced
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cups yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 cups half and half (or milk, or cream)
• 2 oz. smoked gouda, shredded

In a stockpot or dutch oven, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the bacon fat, cook the diced onion over low heat for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms. Add a little salt and pepper and continue cooking over low or medium-low heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture, about 10-15 minutes. Increase the heat and add the sherry or wine. Cook until almost all of the alcohol has cooked off.  

Add the potatoes and the garlic, stirring to combine. Add the bay leaf and broth. Bring to a light boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the bay leaf. Put as much or as little of the mixture as you want into a food processor and pulse it. This isn’t necessary but it creates both texture and thickness to the soup. Return the pureed soup to the dutch oven. Add the half and half and gouda. Simmer until the soup has heated through and the cheese has melted.

Garnish bowls with diced bacon and more cheese, if desired

I love soup! I love everything about soup. Here in Minnesota we are going on 80 hours of below zero. It was my turn to bring lunch for all the girls at work today so I decided to make some broccoli cheese soup.

I have had this starred in my google reader for a long time. It was well worth the wait. It was SOOO creamy and the flavor was just amazing not overly cheesy. Just the right amount.

Sorry for the bad photo, it was taken on my camera phone at work. Because I need to take this into work. I made it in the morning put it in the slow cooker and then about an hour before we would be eating I turned it on to warm up. Also because I am a cheese lover I used 2 cups of cheese instead of the 1 1/4 it called for.

Broccoli Cheese Soup (From: Bliss~Felicite Orginally From: Emeril Lagasse)

• 3 tbls of unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup of yellow onions or sliced leeks (use only the bottom white part)
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of ground pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp of chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp of chopped fresh thyme or 1/8 tsp of dried
• 3 tbls of flour
• 3 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed & separated or 2 to 3 cups of fresh
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups of shredded medium Cheddar

In a medium pot, melt 3 tbls of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook until soft about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme. Stir frequently for 20 seconds while it cooks. Add the flour and stir until throughly mixed for about 3 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth while whisking constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened for about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

Add the cream and barely bring to a simmer. Then add the cheese and lower heat till the cheese is melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter. Stir until it is mixed throughly.

When we were visiting Adam’s family his aunt made chicken and dumplings one night, once I took a bowl I realized that I have NEVER had chicken and dumplings. I loved it, and Adam really enjoyed it also, although he had had it before. I asked his aunt for the recipe and made it for dinner.

It was wonderful, and a super simple throw together dinner! It was hard to photograph so it’s not the best picture, but believe me it’s tasty!

Chicken and Dumplings (From: Michele)

• Rotisserie  chicken
• Chicken broth (2-3 of the large boxes)
• 1-1 1/2 can evaporated milk
• 4 cans canned biscuits (I only used 2 cans)
• salt and pepper to taste

De bone chicken and discard skin. Shred chicken by hand into bite-size pieces. Pour broth into large stock pot. Add chicken. Add canned milk. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, pinch of pieces of biscuits and drop into boiling broth/milk mixture. Stir occasionally so biscuits are not left floating on top (they need to cook so stirring is good). Once all biscuits have been added, turn down heat and let simmer. Addsalt and pepper to taste.

Eat and enjoy. I always serve it with cornbread…just seems right.

A few weeks ago Adam and I went to a local little restaurant, I decided to get the half a panini and mushroom soup. The meal was wonderful and inspired this meal.

Adam and I love mushrooms so I thought we would LOVE this, but we both felt it lacked flavor and was very bland.

Mushroom Soup (From: Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen)

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 c. flour
• 1 lb. mushrooms, mix and match to match your flavor
• About 4-6 c. milk, stock, or half-n-half
• Salt and ground pepper

Add the butter to a large heavy pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the melted butter, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and brown. Add flour and make the mixture thick, get that flour mixed into the turkey really well (you’ll have a thick, sticky, lumpy mass on your hands. That is fine, it’s what you want).

Add mushrooms and cook for awhile, until juices and flavor are released (about 15 minutes). Slowly add your liquid of choice (milk/broth/half-n-half). Cook until thickened as desired while on medium heat, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.