Soups and Stews

French Onion Soup by freyguys

4 c. thinly sliced sweet onion
1 stick butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
5 1/2 c. water
7 T. beef boullion
6 slices french bread
6 slices swiss or provolone cheese

Melt butter and cook onion and garlic until tender. Add water and boullion. Heat to boiling. Simmer for 30 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Put a slice of cheese on the french bread. Heat until melted. Place soup in bowl and top with french bread.

Cracker Barrel Chicken And Dumplings Recipe (copycat) by eightisenuf


Chicken and Broth

3 quarts water
1 3-4 pound chicken cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 small onion sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
4-6 whole parsley leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dumplings

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third.

2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum. You only want the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.

3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this. Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings.

4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often.

6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones. Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end.

7. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot. Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.

Lambs' Creamy Tomato Soup


1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon paprika (never use)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package cream cheese, cubed (who cubes? not me!)

In saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in everything else except cream cheese and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted and serve immediately!

carrot soup w/ croutons by thebeckery


This is from the Good Things For Kids magazine by Martha Stewart. It is just a tiny little magazine on sale for a few more days....everything we have tried out of it has been EXCELLENT and my kiddos have loved it. I like that it doesn't use any prepared foods!

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium leek (white and pale green parts), rinsed well and finely chopped
12 medium carrots (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/4" pieces
6 cups homemade or reduced-sodium chicken broth
ground nutmeg
1/2 loaf rustic bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 5)
salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, broth, and a pinch of nutmeg; bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut out bread, using small animal-shaped cookie cutters; transfer to a baking sheet. Brush both sides of bread with oil. Bake, turning croutons halfway through, until golden brown, about 9 minutes.

3. Working in batches, transfer carrot-broth mixture to a blender or food processor; puree until very smooth. Return to saucepan; season with salt and pepper. Spoon sour cream (if using) over top; swirl into soup. Top w/ animal croutons.

Tip for blender - To prevent splattering, fill only half-way, and allow heat to escape: Remove cap from hole in lid. Cover lid with dish towel, and proceed.

Vegetable Soup by MaryTT


Brown two pounds of ground chuck with a small onion chopped. Drain if necessary. (My meat was so lean it wasn't.) Add the following:

3 cans of mixed veggies with potatoes, drained.
I can of peas and pearl onions, drained.
I can of diced tomatoes with onions and green peppers.
2 26 ounce jars of tomato and herb spaghetti sauce

Simmer for at least 20 minutes.

This makes a HUGE amount. You will need a HUGE pot or put it into two large ones. I wound up putting the excess into my crock pot and cooking it on low in there.

I plan to freeze several meal-sized portions for use throughout the winter.

Coconut Milk Soup by Dora Spanish


Coconut Milk Soup

1 ½ QUARTS HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK
1 CAN COCONUT MILK
1 PINT WHIPPING CREAM
1 LB. CHICKEN CUT INTO SMALL CUBES
5 JALAPENO PEPPERS DICED (FOR MILD SOUP TAKE THE SEEDS OUT)
1 TBSP FRESH GINGER
JUICE OF ONE LARGE LIME
CHOPPED CILANTRO FOR GARNISH

Simmer all ingredients until meat is cooked through. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 6 –8. Preparation time 1 hour if your chicken stock is all ready.

This is my version from Dr. Jordan Rubin's book, "The Makers Diet".

Buen apetito,
Michelle









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Curried Chicken Soup by Mocha Mom

Curried Chicken Soup

¼ cup butter
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced small
½ cup onion, chopped
½ apple, diced small
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons curry powder
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup white rice or orzo, uncooked
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into cubes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch dried thyme
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped


Melt the butter in a large soup pot and sauté celery, carrot, onion, and apple until tender. Add flour and curry, and cook 3-5 more minutes. Add chicken stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer about ½ hour.

Add rice or orzo, chicken, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice or orzo is done.

Garnish the soup with cilantro and serve hot.
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