Cheeseburger Soup

Everyone in the family LOVED THIS!! SO GOOD AND SO EASY!!!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef 
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups of Cheddar Cheese (mild or medium)
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.
Yield 8 servings

Fluffy Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls

These Rolls were DELICIOUS and more healthy than the other rolls I love making. So fast and easy to make too!!! Time: 60 minutes total Yield: 16 rolls Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up! 2 C wheat flour 2 C white flour, divided 3/4 C hot milk 3/4 C hot water 1/4 C honey 1 t salt 6 T butter, softened 1 T yeast (I use active dry) 1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. 2. Into a stand mixer place 2 cups wheat flour (I used freshly ground hard white winter wheat...but any wheat flour will do). Add 1 cup white flour and 1/4 cup of honey. 3. Pour yourself 3/4 cup of milk and heat it up in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add it to the mixing bowl along with 3/4 cup hot water. Your hot water should be hot to the touch, but not so hot that it burns your hand when you touch it. :) 4. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 6 tablespoons softened butter. Turn the mixer to low-speed and allow the ingredients to blend together for about 1 minute. 5. Add 1 tablespoon of yeast (I use active dry). Mix for about 30 seconds. 6. While the machine is mixing add 1 more cup of white flour. Allow the dough to mix for another minute or so. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl. This is an indication that you have enough flour. If the dough remains stuck to the sides of the bowl then sprinkle a bit more flour (up to 1/2 a cup) into the bowl. Once you have the correct amount of flour added, turn the mixer to medium speed and let the dough mix for 5 minutes. 7. Grab a 9x13 pan and coat the bottom and sides with some butter. 8. Place the dough into the middle of the pan. 9. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. Then roll each piece into a ball. 10. Place the pan into your warm oven and let the rolls rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size. 11. Turn your oven up to 350 degrees. Leave the rolls in the oven while the temperature rises. Allow the rolls to bake until golden brown. Mine took about 13 minutes. 12. Remove the pan from the oven and brush soft butter over the top of each roll. 13. Allow them to rest in the pan for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

CURRIED WILD RICE & CHICKEN CHOWDER

CURRIED WILD RICE & CHICKEN CHOWDER

I love this chowder – thick, rich, without being full of fat and calories. Chicken chunks paired with chewy wild rice – just a touch, enough to give the illusion without too many added carbs…easy and filling. The ingredients list is long, but it’s quick to put together!
Serve this with warm whole grain rolls for your family and maybe a chopped green salad.
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Because  I didn't have certain ingredients I substituted some and omitted others. Like just used Basamati rice, didn't have any zucchini, sage or chives  on hand and just used my dry parsley.  It turned out amazing still!!

Made these amazing Rolls to go with it



1/4 cup wild rice
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/4 cup flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups 2% milk (Skim would work…will be less rich, but will taste fine, if you’d rather)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon yellow curry powder
2 cups shredded chicken breast (or vege: use the Morningstar Chicken meal-starters, shredded)
2 teaspoon fresh, minced parsley
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In a small saucepan bring wild rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until tender. Drain if necessary. Set aside.
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Over medium heat in a large pot add olive oil, butter, onion, and garlic. Cook for 15 minutes or until golden and soft, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery, and zucchini. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in flour very well and cook for an additional minute. Add the cooked wild rice, chicken broth, milk, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, chives, thyme, sage, nutmeg, and curry powder.
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Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup is thickened. Remove bay leaf. Stir in chicken and fresh parsley. Heat through. Makes approx eight 1-cup servings.

Pizza Braid

I was babysitting a couple girls the other day (only B was home) so once he went down for a nap we did some baking. Mom taught me how to make this a while back and I love doing it when I make bread!! The one I made the other day was probably the best one I did! SO GOOD! and of course EASY!

So I just pull out a loaf or loaf and a half amt of Bread dough out for this. Roll it into a large rectangle, fill the middle slice the sides with a pizza cutter. Fold the top in and start braiding. Really just alternate folding over sides. fold up the bottom and let rise. bake for the same amt of time as bread (maybe a little longer)

Filling
        this is the one I did the other day and loved
Sauce (I usually just make my own with a sm jar of tomatoe sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic pwder and salt and pper)
Cheese ( Mozzaralla)
Polish sausage, about 3 inches of it chopped
Red onion Chopped (not a lot)
Green Bell peppers (sliced)
and a little more sauce and cheese on top for good measure

You can fill this with chicken and bbq sauce or whatever your favorite pizza is! Have fun with it!

Zuppa Toscana

So whenever we go to Olive Garden Brent get's the endless Zuppa Toscana soup while I pig out on whatever my heart desires. This recipe is so good and almost, if not exactly like OGs. Brent text me today and said it is definitely as good as OG, even the 2nd day for lunch, I told him the worst part is that it's SO EASY! 

Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

 

1 pound Italian Sausage (I used the precooked polish sausage and only like 3oz of it, I always cut down on the meat and I could cut down even more)

1/2 T red pepper flakes

1 large white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 T crumbled bacon pieces (I used Hormel precooked bacon)

8 C chicken broth

2 C water

1 C half and half

2 large russet potatoes, sliced thin

3 C Kale, chopped

salt and pepper

 

I didn't follow these instructions and just cooked it how I thought it could be and it turned out great, not rocket science! I like the Kale to cook a little more than she does

1. In a large soup pot brown up your sausage with the red pepper flakes.

2. While the sausage is cooking, slice up your potatoes. Nice and thin, now.

3. Then quarter the slices.

4. Chop up your onions, and mince your garlic.

5. Once the sausage is cooked remove it to a plate, and pour your onions, garlic and bacon into the soup pot. Saute them, stirring frequently until the onions are transparent.

6. Add the broth and water to the soup pot.

7. Carefully pour in your potatoes. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the potatoes cook. Should only take about 10 minutes.

8. While your taters are cooking wash up your Kale.

Roughly chop up your Kale into small pieces.

9. Once your potatoes have cooked through, add the half and half,

and the Italian Sausage. Cook the soup just until it is heated through.

 10. Add your Kale, remove from the heat and serve.