Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup

We truly can’t believe that it’s March already but on the other hand, we’re happy that spring is right around the corner as it’s been a cold winter for us southerners.  And on these cold winter nights there’s nothing more wonderful than a bowl of hot, creamy and comforting soup.  It was just one of those cold days when we perused Leigh’s blog, Chit Chat… Chomp, this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment.  Leigh’s food choices are very similar to ours in that she leans towards fresh, gluten free, organic, fructose-free, healthy foods so when reading through her blog, we found so many offerings that fit in with our diets which we were tempted to make.  Her gorgeous photography skills had us wanting to jump right into the screen and devour every item she displayed.  In the end though, because it was a freezing cold day, we were tempted by the comfort of soup.  We actually debated between two soups, her Mushroom & Cashew Soup and her Roasted Tomato Mascarpone Soup and the tomato soup won out only because we had all the ingredients in the house.  I mean seriously, who wants to trek out to the store when it’s freezing outside!  We thought about also making her Zucchini Quiche to enjoy with the soup but that would have entailed a trip to the grocery, so that was going to be left for another day!  Can you tell that we don’t particularly care for freezing cold weather?  Thinking about it, while we’re here freezing, Leigh is on the other side of the world in Melbourne enjoying summer…maybe we should go visit her!  Hey Leigh, want some visitors????

Anyhow, back to the soup.  The soup was oh-so simple to make and the flavors were divine.  The soup wasn’t overly creamy, just enough to balance out the acidity of the tomato.  We changed the recipe only slightly, adding an extra red bell pepper and we chose to leave out the brown sugar.  When the soup was served, some of us chose to add an extra dollop of mascarpone and a sprinkle of chives which topped off the soup perfectly.  It’s still cold out there so make some delicious soup, our version or Leigh’s and while you’re enjoying your soup, check out Leigh’s blog, all her recipes, gorgeous photography and all of her travels to France, oh-so interesting to read.

  Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup  (adapted from here)

• 2 1/4 lbs. plum tomatoes, halved
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled & quartered
• 2 large red bell peppers, deseeded & quartered
• 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled 
• Himalayan salt 
• fresh ground pepper
• olive oil
• 1 TBS. mascarpone cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add a drizzle of olive oil.  Place the tomatoes, onion, bell peppers & garlic onto the pan and stir to coat everything with with oil.  Season with a little salt & pepper.  Roast for 45-60 minutes, until the the vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize slightly.  Remove from the oven and carefully add all the contents of the pan, juices too, to a blender.  Secure the lid and hold it down with a towel as you process the ingredients until smooth.  Once smooth, add the tablespoon of mascarpone and blend until incorporated.  Serve immediately, adding an extra little drizzle of olive oil to each portion and if desired, a nice dollop of mascarpone.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata 
Chicken Satay with Sunbutter “Peanut” Sauce 
Asian Pork Chops 
Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Check out the new SRC blog for more exciting recipes from past reveals

An InLinkz Link-up

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup

We could eat this soup every.single.day and sometimes we go for weeks at a time doing just that!  Such a simple, healthy soup and it’s beyond delicious!  We found the recipe originally on Melissa Joulwan’s blog, The Clothes Make the Girl and in her cookbook, Well Fed 2.  Melissa labels this soup as “a healthy hug in a bowl” which is such a fitting description for this soup.  We make this soup when we gather up enough leftover pieces of zucchini after spiralizing it when making another of Melissa’s recipes, Zucchini Noodles Aglio et Olio (freeze the extra pieces until you have enough.)  We also make this soup when we have an abundance of fresh zucchini.  When we have an abundance of zucchini, we make a huge pot and freeze the soup in 4-6 cup containers.  If you do freeze the soup, you’ll need to puree it again once thawed, either by placing it in the blender or using an immersion blender.  So, if you have an abundance of zucchini or need a warm hug, make this soup!!

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup (adapted from here)

• 2 TBS. coconut oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 10 large fresh garlic cloves
• 2 TBS. ground ginger
• 2 TBS. ground coriander
• 1 TBS. Himalayan salt
• 1 TBS. fresh ground pepper
• 6 lbs. zucchini, cut in 1/2 moons or leftover pieces
• 12 cups chicken bone broth or Cheaters Chicken Soup (can also use beef,vegetable or any mix of broth you choose)

Heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot.  Add the onions and sauté low and slow, until caramelized.  Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, salt & pepper.  Cook stirring continuously until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and zucchini.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Allow the soup to cook for 45-60 minutes, until the zucchini is very soft.  Once the zucchini is soft, use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or use a blender to carefully puree (use a towel to hold the lid on the blender on whilst pureeing.)  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

It’s Crazy Cooking Challenge time again!  Each month our hostess, Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking challenges the participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate recipe of the month.  We are then to make and feature that recipe and the blog where we found it.  This month the challenge was to find the ultimate chicken noodle soup recipe.  I almost passed on participating this month because my mind wasn’t thinking past traditional chicken noodle soup which isn’t a favorite for me as I generally strain the noodle out so to just enjoy the soup.  As a rule noodles in soup isn’t a favorite and now with Maisie’s food allergies, well I just wasn’t feeling the challenge.  Then I saw a recipe for Thai Chicken Noodle Soup on Lesa’s blog Edesia's Notebook and I knew I had found the ultimate chicken noodle soup recipe and I just had to make it.  Lesa’s soup looked delicious and simple to make and with a few little changes I knew that it could be made “Maisie safe,” delicious and perfect for us…and it was.  Maisie loved the soup as I made it and Eammon and I enjoyed it spiced up a bit with a squirt of Sriracha.  Mild or spiced up, this IS the ultimate chicken noodle soup.

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge 

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup (Adapted from here)

1 TBS peanut oil
2 carrots, julienned
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS fresh grated ginger
1 tsp dried lemon grass powder 
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1/2 tsp red pepper powder 
4 cups Cheaters Chicken Soup 
3/4 cup lite coconut milk 
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 
1 lb cooked chicken meat (I used the meat from when I made my “Rotisserie” Chicken and Cheaters Chicken Soup)
3 oz dry vermicelli rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS fresh chopped cilantro
2 TBS fish sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Sriracha 

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the carrots and cook until slightly softened.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until it is fragrant.  Add the lemon grass powder, turmeric and red pepper powder and stir fry it for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, chicken meat and cooked noodles.  Bring to a low boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the sugar, cilantro and fish sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve and add Sriracha to taste.

Enjoy!

Soup day

When my reserve of Cheaters Chicken Soup starts to run low I know that it’s time for a full day of chicken roasting and soup making.  I recently happened upon a great sale on chicken, both on whole chickens and leg quarters so I stocked up and made a day of it.   

Ten pounds of leg quarters and twenty seven pounds of whole chickens, ready to become “Rotisserie” Chicken.

After five hours in the oven the entire house smelled delicious.  The skin was crispy and the meat, juicy and tender.  I let everything cool enough so that I could easily handle it.  I then got to work and put into separate bowls, the skin, the white meat and the dark meat.  I put all the bones and pan juices into a huge stockpot and along with some vegetables and garlic I rendered everything I could from the bones before discarding them, and made my Cheaters Chicken Soup. 

I don’t like to let anything go to waste especially when I can make it into something wonderful.  So I slowly cooked up the skin in a fry pan until it was delicious crackling, a perfect crunchy topping for the soup.

My freezer is now nicely stocked with the roasted chicken meat and plenty of Cheaters Chicken Soup. Using my FoodSaver I packaged the chicken meat in one pound portions so it’s ready to be used in soup or other recipes.  The Cheaters Chicken Soup I packaged two cups to a bag and froze the bags flat so that’s now available to pull out to use in recipes or for when we want a nice bowl of homemade soup.  I’ll tell you, all the soup served us well recently when Maisie had her surgery and Eammon had pneumonia as both only wanted soup to eat for a few days.  I was happy to eat the soup plain and Maisie & Eammon enjoyed it with the addition of some chicken and rice noodles.

From my original 37 pounds of chicken I ended up with:

8.2 pounds of roasted dark meat

4.6 pounds of roasted white meat

10.1 ounces of crackling and

Over 3 gallons of Cheaters Chicken Soup, fifty-one cups to be exact.

Not bad for less than $25 and a days work.

Enjoy!

Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens

Each month I say it and each month it’s true, I adore The Secret Recipe Club and reveal day is the best!  The group was started by Amanda back in April of this year with only nineteen participants for the first reveal.  By the time I joined and got into the rotation it was the June reveal and I posted my recipe for Home Style Chicken Curry along with 96 other recipes from food bloggers who were also playing along.  In July the group grew even more and my Holy Guacamole shared the page with 166 other wonderful recipes.  Amanda had so many more food bloggers that wanted to participate that she split the group so that in August 196 bloggers posted their recipes split over three different reveal days and I posted my recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken.  September brought even more members and wonderful recipes, 226 in total and I found and made yet another winning recipe, Welsh Cakes.  Last month so many more food bloggers wanted in to the group that a fourth posting date for each month was added with 250 participants.  We are split into groups A,B, C & D and last month I actually got to post with two of the groups because a week before group “C” reveal someone wasn’t able to follow through with their posting.  I posted with Group “A” on my assigned reveal day Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies and then I filled in for a blogger in group “C” and I posted a recipe for Thin Mint Irish Coffee…YUM!!  Not only am I finding and posting wonderful recipes from my assigned blogs but so many of the other recipes that are being posted each month are tempting and delicious looking. 

Also tempting and delicious looking were so many of the recipes on my assigned blog this month, Sara’s Cupcake Muffin.  So you’d think with being assigned a blog named Cupcake Muffin I’d have a gorgeous baked sweet gracing this page and trust me, I almost did as Sara has numerous sweet treats on her blog and I debated about some of them including her Lemon Cream Tart, Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Sour Cherry-Pistachio Crumble, Real Sour Cherry Crisp, Apple Cobbler Bars, Simple Yellow Cupcake with Tangerine Curd, Rhubarb Steamed Pudding, Banana Cake with Crackly Brown Sugar Frosting and Sour Cream Apple Pie with Lemon Cardamom Streusel.  Yes so many gorgeous looking sweets and all of these have been added to my '”need to make” file.  Also added to that file are some of Sara’s savory dishes including Thai Cucumber Salad, Murgh Makhani, Campanelle with Vodka Sauce, Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Udon Chicken Salad with Snap Peas and Mustard Chicken with Fresh Corn Polenta, all so delicious looking and sounding.

In the end what really caught my eye was Sara’s Hunan Braised Spareribs and Mustard Greens.  Our weather in Atlanta has become quite chilly at night so a nice hearty meal called to me as did the flavors in her recipe as they sounded delicious.  Also when I read what she wrote about the recipe, that the original recipe she adapted from used pork belly, which I had in the freezer, and her version turned out with a lot more broth than what she adapted from, well right there it was Pork Belly Soup.  I really followed the spices in Sara’s recipe but because I wanted even more broth so to actually have a soup, I just increased the spice and liquid amounts.  The addition of mustard greens sounded wonderful but I just wasn’t finding them at my local market so to keep with the theme of greens I substituted collard greens which were beyond delicious in the soup.  Also at the last minute I decided that I wanted to bulk the soup up a wee bit more so I added a few of our favorite ingredients which I thought would work well, sliced water chestnuts, sliced bamboo shoots and straw mushrooms.   

The soup was rich, delicately flavored and with a touch of sweetness.  The balance of the spices was spot on and even with all the chilies, it really had only the tiniest amount of heat.  The day that I was making the soup I was in and out of the house running Maisie to and from her activities.  Each time I entered the house it smelled delicious and reminded me so much of the great pork belly and other foods we enjoyed when we were in Guangzhou.  Smells can bring back so many memories.  We so much enjoyed this soup and I will definitely be making again along with some of Sara’s other wonderful sounding recipes.

Very simple ingredients make one spectacular soup.

Partially cooked pork belly ready to be sliced.

Oil and palm sugar caramelizing.

 Pork belly, chicken broth and spices ready to be simmered to make the most delicious soup.

 

Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens (Adapted from here) 

3 pounds pork belly
4 TBS peanut oil
1/3 cup palm sugar
1/3 cup Shaoxing wine
3 inch piece fresh ginger, skin left on and sliced thick
5 whole star anise
6 dried red chilies 
2 large cinnamon sticks
4 cloves garlic, quartered lengthwise
9 cups Cheaters Chicken Soup or chicken stock
1 16-oz. bag frozen chopped collard greens
2 8-oz. cans sliced water chestnuts, rinsed & drained
1 8-oz. can sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed & drained
2 15-oz. cans straw mushrooms, rinsed & drained
Soy sauce 
Chopped scallions
Korean noodles or pasta of your choice, prepared according to package directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the whole pork belly. Bring the water back to a boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the pork is just partially cooked. Remove the pork from the water and let cool for a few minutes. Then cut into a bite-sized pieces.

In a large stockpot add the peanut oil and palm sugar and cook, stirring often until the sugar dissolves. Then turn the heat to medium and cook until the sugar turns a rich caramel brown. Keep a close eye as the sugar can burn easily. Add the Shaoxing  wine and stir to blend.  Add the pork and stir well.  Add the ginger, whole star anise, dried red chilies, cinnamon sticks, garlic and chicken stock.  Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 1 hour or until the meat is cooked through and tender.

Strain the soup and set the solids aside while you chill the broth so to easily skim the fat. Once the fat has been removed return the broth to the pot along with all the solids.  Add the collard greens, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots & straw mushrooms.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the collard greens are cooked and soft.

Place some pasta in a large bowl, ladle in the soup and serve topped with chopped scallions and a splash of soy sauce.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Soup Florentine

When I was a child my favorite school lunch was when they served grilled cheese and tomato soup.  Dunking that horribly greasy cheese sandwich in reconstituted soup, well what can I say, I was a child and I loved it.  I hadn’t had that meal in years but recently I was at a friend’s home and that’s just what she served, American cheese on white bread grilled in oil (yuk).  So if the sandwich wasn’t bad enough, the tinned tomato soup…well that was just horrid!!  Have they changed the recipe over the years or have my tastes just changed that much?   Amazingly after that “interesting” lunch I actually ached for a decent grilled cheese and a more grown-up tomato soup so I experimented in the kitchen and came up with this rich, creamy, healthy and totally wonderful recipe.

Creamy Tomato Soup Florentine 

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds plum tomatoes, quartered
large pinch of salt
12 grinds of black pepper

olive oil
3 large heads of garlic, cut in half to expose the cloves
salt
fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 grinds of black pepper
Two 16-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
8 cups chicken broth
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (I use fat-free)
12 basil leaves minced
9 - 12 ounces fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Pre-heat oven to 450F. In a large bowl lightly toss together the quartered tomatoes, 3 TBS olive oil, salt & pepper. Pour out onto a foil lined baking pan and roast 25-30 minutes until tomatoes are soft and have started to caramelize. Remove from oven and set aside.

Place halved heads of garlic on a large sheet of foil with cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal up the foil and roast in the oven with the tomatoes until the garlic is soft. Set aside and allow to cool so that it can be handled.

In a large pot heat 2 TBS. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until caramelized. Add thyme, black pepper and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly for one minute. Add the diced tomatoes with all the liquid, simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and roasted tomatoes to the soup. Squeeze the garlic from it's paper, discard the paper and add the soft garlic to the soup. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender or by small batches in a blender, blend until smooth. Stir in the evaporated milk and bring soup to a simmer. Add the fresh basil and spinach and allow the spinach to wilt in the soup before serving.

I topped the soup with some homemade garlic croutons, Yummy!!

Enjoy.

Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup

 “Peas and Carrots, Carrots and Peas.  Book come out, please, please, please!”  That phrase of Princess Pea’s from Super Why has been haunting me like the March of the Toreadors, It’s a Small World and the music from Peter & the Wolf.  Don’t you just hate when a song gets stuck in your head and drives you crazy?  So you ask why is that phrase haunting me?  Well this month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the two specified ingredients of, you guessed it, peas & carrots, carrots & peas, let me figure this out, please, please, please! 

If you don’t have a child or have never seen Super Why, what happens is that Whyatt, the main character gets a call on his computer in which he discovers that one of the other characters has a "super big problem". After investigating the problem Whyatt calls on all the "Super Readers" to come to the Book Club.  There the four characters, Whyatt, Pig, Red Riding Hood, and Princess Pea gather.  Whyatt plugs in his Super Duper Computer and uploads data about the problem and they all discuss it.  Once the problem is discussed, Whyatt says, "When we have a question, we look ... in a book!" Pig always asks, "Which book should we look in?" and in response, Princess Pea casts a magic spell to summon the appropriate book: “Peas and Carrots, Carrots and Peas.  Book come out, please, please, please!”  The book then magically descends from the shelves.  Whyatt, invites the audience to read along, summarizes the problem faced by the book's characters and drawing a parallel to the problem the Super Readers are trying to solve. The Super Readers follow the storyline to solve the problem applying their literacy skills to change the story when needed to overcome any obstacles.  Throughout the story they are rewarded with red glittery "Super Letters" which are uploaded into the Super Duper Computer, eventually forming the words that make up the solution to the "super big problem."  Yes I know, for those of you who have never experienced the show you now feel like you have a “super big problem” and have missed out…or maybe I have a “super big problem” as I know oh-too much about this show.  I’m just glad that Maisie’s outgrown the show…even if it is still haunting me there’s hope that the haunting will end. 

So now that you’ve read this far, let me tell you that I could have used Whyatt, the Super Readers and a magical book as I was at a complete loss as to what to make using peas & carrots.  That was until I had my DUH… moment.  I seriously for an entire month had been wondering what on earth to make using peas and carrots and then I just wasn’t feeling well, our weather was cold and stormy and I wanted to make some comforting soup, my Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup.  I was writing out my shopping list, beef, split peas, barley, string beans, yellow squash, parsnips, carrots, lima beans, mushrooms… and light dawned on Marblehead… peas & carrots, carrots & peas, I had found my recipe, please, please, please!

My Mom doesn’t remember if it was her Mom or my Dad’s Mom who originally made this soup but either way it’s been made my entire life and has always been a favorite of mine.  Of course the recipe below can be cut down but just like my Mom does, I make the recipe as written which makes a huge, and I mean HUGE pot of soup.  I then freeze individual sized portions so that anytime I crave this delicious, comforting soup, it’s there in the freezer, ready to be eaten after just a few minutes of defrosting and heating in the microwave.  

Peas & carrots, carrots & peas, try & enjoy this soup, please, please, please!!

Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup

• 6 lbs. beef (flanken, beef short ribs, chuck steak)
• 2 – 3 lbs. beef marrow bones (optional)
• 1 lb. dried split green peas
• 1/3 lb. barley
• 6 oz. dried baby lima beans
• 1 1/2 lbs. fresh string beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 lbs. fresh baby carrots, cut into coins
• 3 lbs. fresh yellow summer squash, cut into half rounds
• 3 small fresh parsnips, peeled & cut into coins
• 1 lb. fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
• Better than Bouillon beef soup base
• sea salt to taste

In a very large stock pot add the meat and marrow bones and cover with 3x the depth of water.  Add the peas, barley & lima beans to a cheesecloth or put into a colander and suspend into the water.  Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cook at a simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the peas, barley & lima beans are soft.  Skim the soup as needed.  Once everything is soft, empty the contents of the cheesecloth/colander into the beef stock and add the string beans, carrots, summer squash, parsnips, mushrooms and soup base to taste.  Simmer until the vegetables are cooked and soup has thickened to desired consistency.  Add salt to taste. 

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

February 2013  Hearts & Flours:  Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013  Bananas & Nutmeg:  Baked Bananas 
December 2012  Chocolate & Marshmallows:  White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark    
November 2012  Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp 
October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Jalapeño Popper Soup Re-visited

We have been sick with the crud this month so soup and scrambled eggs have made up the bulk of our diet.  We made some super-easy Cheaters Chicken Soup and then turned around, once we got a bit of our energy back, and turned some of the stock into this delicious, creamy, spicy, hearty, filling soup as it’s a great way to use up the leftover chicken.  We enjoy the soup quite hot and spicy but you can mellow it out some by either removing the seeds from the jalapenos or using less of them.  Also, we use white meat in the soup but if you have a preference for dark meat, go for it!

Jalapeño Popper Soup

• 2 chicken breast halves, roasted, skin & bones removed, shredded
• 1 lb bacon, cut crosswise in 1/8-in strips
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4-6 whole jalapenos, stems removed, sliced in thin 1/2 rounds
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups cheaters chicken soup, or chicken stock of your choice
• 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. block of cream cheese, cut in chunks
• salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot, slowly cook the bacon pieces until crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, leaving the fat behind.  To the fat add the onion and sauté until golden.  Add the jalapenos and garlic and sauté until the jalapenos and garlic are fragrant and softened.  Remove half of the onion/jalapeno mix and set aside with the reserved bacon.  Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the cheddar cheese and while stirring, allow it to melt.  Add the cream cheese and using a hand blender, blend until fully mixed and creamy.  Return the soup to a simmer and add in the shredded chicken and reserved bacon and onion/jalapenos.  Allow to simmer for a few minutes and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Enjoy!

Loaded Potato Soup

It’s Secret Recipe Club time and this month I was assigned the blog Cupcakes with Sprinkles which is written by Meghan, a sweets loving, cooking and crafting Mama to two cutie-patootie little girls.  So I know you’re scratching your head thinking Cupcakes with Sprinkles and a sweets loving Mama and here I am posting a recipe for Loaded Potato Soup???  Well I had just done a whole slew of sweet treat baking as I was sending a care package off to a friend’s daughter who’s away on her mission for the next year, so here in the Cook Lisa Cook home we were sort of sweet treated out.  Also, about a month ago we were out for dinner and Eammon ordered loaded potato soup and just adored it and had asked if I would try to make some at home for him, so when I saw Meghan’s loaded potato soup recipe I knew what I’d be making.  Trust me though a number of her sweet treat recipe have been saved to make in the future.  I mean check these out and I know you’ll be adding them to your list of recipes to make:  Boston cream pie, one of my all time favorites, white chocolate mousse torte for my white chocolate loving husband and Avalanche Bars which I know I’ll be making one day soon with Maisie.

The day that I made Meghan’s soup was a cold day here in Georgia so it was a perfect & delicious meal.  I’m not even going to mention how much of the pot Eammon consumed in just one day but I’ll put it to you this way, I have already made this soup again and seeing how much Eammon especially loved it the first time, I was smart and made a double batch the second time around.  Oh and here’s something amazing and almost unheard of, other than adding a bit of salt, I changed nothing in Meghan’s recipe…yes amazing for the cook who is always tweaking and changing recipes.  Oh and when I say I didn’t change anything, I mean even the second time around, this recipe is just absolutely perfect and I hope you’ll give it a try…but make a double batch, trust me on that one!    

Loaded Potato Soup (recipe from here)

• 1/2 lb bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 30 oz. Cheaters Chicken Soup or 2 - 15oz cans chicken stock or vegetable stock  
• 3 TBS. butter
• 3 TBS. all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used skimmed)
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper 
• sea salt, to taste
• sour cream for garnish

In a large stock pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. Keep the bacon grease in the pot and add the onions, cook until tender.  Leave the onions in the pot and add the potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. With a slotted spoon remove about a cup of potatoes. Place in a bowl and mash with a fork. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes on med-low. Whisk in the milk, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened.  Slowly stir the milk mixture in to stock pot of potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Stir the bowl of smashed potatoes back into pot.  Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and three-fourths of the bacon to the pot. Add pepper and salt to taste. Stir to combine. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with some shredded cheese, bacon and sour cream.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup ~ Instant Pot

For over two years, we have been enjoying our adaptation of Melissa Joulwan’s Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup.  You'd think that by now we'd be tired of it and would have moved on to a different favorite soup, but truth be told, I can still eat this soup every.single.day, especially for breakfast.  It's a great way to get in some healthy bone both and it's always warm and satisifying.  It's perfectly labled by Melissa as “a healthy hug in a bowl.”  Though a simple recipe to make on the stove, it's now even easier and quicker using our Instant Pot.  Though we have the 8-qt. Instant Pot, it still holds less than our big stock pot, so I've adjusted the amounts from the stovetop recipe.  This recipe will work in either a 6-qt. or 8-qt. Instant Pot. Remember, if you do freeze the soup, you’ll need to puree it again once thawed, either by placing it in the blender or using an immersion blender.  So, if you have an abundance of zucchini or need a warm hug, make this soup!!

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup ~ Instant Pot (adapted from here)

• 1 TBS. beef tallow or coconut oil
• 1 med. onion, diced
• 5 large fresh garlic cloves
• 1 TBS. ground ginger
• 1 TBS. ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 3 lbs. zucchini, cut in 1/2 moons or leftover pieces
• 6 cups beef bone broth, (can also use chicken bone broth or Cheaters Chicken Soup,vegetable stock, or any mix of broth you choose)

Turn on saute mode and heat the beef tallow or coconut oil in the liner of the Instant Pot.  Add the onions and sauté until caramelized.  Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, salt & pepper.  Cook stirring continuously until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the bone broth and zucchini. Press Keep warm/Cancel button to stop the sauté.  Secure the lid and move the vent to closed.  Press Manuel and using the -/+ buttons, adjust the time to 10 minutes.  Once the 10 minutes are finished, allow for NPR (natural pressure release).  Once the pressure has dropped and the pin falls, remove the lid.   Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or use a blender to carefully puree (use a towel to hold the lid on the blender on whilst pureeing.) Adjust salt and pepper seasoning. Serve hot.

Enjoy!