Christen's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Yesterday I went to lunch with a good girl friend to a place that specializes in soups and sandwiches, a "ladies lunch" type of place. I ordered the roasted red pepper soup (never had it before!) and a BLT with avocado sandwich. I'd had the sandwich before and how can you fail with that? You can't! But this soup. One word. Heaven. I decided to look up some recipes, see what the basics of this soup are. So many different recipes had so many different versions, so I made my own and I hope you enjoy it! It makes four generous servings.

Christen's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 baby carrots, chopped into small pieces
1 tomato, peeled and quartered
4 cups chicken broth
appx. 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon evaporated milk
seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, etc)
extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Cut the bell peppers in half, removing the seeds and stems. Place on a baking sheet skin side up, brush lightly with olive oil and broil until browned and blistered on top (when they're done, remove from oven and set aside to cool). While the bell peppers are cooking, saute' onions, garlic and carrots in a small amount of olive oil until tender. You may add a splash of chicken broth if it's starting to stick. When almost tender, add the tomato and basil. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then add the rest of the chicken broth. Your bell peppers should be cool enough to handle now, so very gently remove the skins, then roughly chop the flesh and add to the pot. Discard the skins. Let simmer about 5-10 minutes, then puree to a fairly smooth texture using an immersion blender (you may want to empty to a big bowl if you are using a nonstick pot as I was). Once smooth, return it to a slow simmer and add the cream and seasonings. Let simmer a few more minutes and taste test.

Serve with optional green onions and cheese. Would be great accompanied with a grilled cheese sandwich!


Christen's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

The Verdict: I think this picture speaks for itself...

We had no leftovers AT ALL!

This recipe would be very easily doubled for a small dinner party, and could also be served in smaller portions (this was a main part of our dinner so we ate it all!).

Chilled Avocado Soup

Sometimes the summer heat calls for a cool, tasty treat. This chilled avocado soup (recipe from The Joy of Cooking) could be the star of your next dinner party.

Chilled Avocado Soup

Ingredients:

2 large Hass Avocados (the ones with the dark bumpy skin)
2.5 cups buttermilk
5 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt (or more if needed)
pinch of ground red pepper
1 small clove garlic, chopped

Method:

Puree' the avocados and the garlic. Stir in the buttermilk, lime juice, salt and red pepper. Remove to a bowl and refrigerate until cold. If necessary, you can thin it further with buttermilk or water. Once chilled, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary and ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Garnish with fresh pico de gallo.


The Ingredients (only the roma tomato was used, the rest just happened to be on the counter!)


Chilled Avocado Soup

The Verdict: This soup is very rich and should be served in small portions. Adding more pico de gallo also breaks up the thickness of the soup. This was delicious!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Let's face it, the economy sucks and we're all trying to find ways to pinch those pennies and make things stretch as much as possible. Yesterday's meal not only dirtied practically every dish I own, it also called for three quarts of chicken stock or broth, which would have been wasted as it was only used for boiling the spaetzle. Rather than let it go to waste, I made it into another recipe.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

3 quarts chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 can sliced carrots
2.5 cups egg noodles, raw
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 bay leaves
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups water
1 TBSP heavy whipping cream
desired seasonings

Method:

In a large pot, bring chicken stock and water to a boil and add the bay leaves. Season chicken with desired seasonings and add to the pot, cook till done. Add carrots and celery, allow to slowly boil for another 5 minutes. Add noodles, cook covered until they are tender. Add whipping cream. Serve hot.


Chicken Noodle Soup

Verdict: I have never made chicken noodle soup before that was not condensed! This was very easy to make and was delicious! If you don't have leftover stock on hand, you can buy it already made, or buy broth and season it up! Two thumbs up!

Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup with BLT and Avocado Sandwiches

My husband and I both really love French Onion Soup. We've tried a few recipes and none could quite compare to the wonderful concoction at Maspero's in New Orleans. I found this recipe on the Food Network website and decided to give it a try. For a side dish, we made BLT sandwiches with sliced avocado. Interested? Read on!

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

5 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 cans Swanson's low sodium beef broth
2 cans Campbell's Beef Consomme
1 packet Lipton's Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 loaf pumpernickel bread, cut into slices
sliced aged swiss cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons white wine

Method:

In a large nonstick pan, saute onions in butter. When almost soft, add wine and cook for a few more minutes. Dump into a crockpot sprayed with cooking spray. Add the broths, consomme and soup mix. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. When ready to serve, put soup in a bowl and place a slice of bread and both of the cheeses on top and put under the broiler until the cheese melts.


The Ingredients


The soup, in all it's cheesy goodness!

The Verdict: Fantastic!! While it still does not compare to Maspero's French Onion soup, this is the best I've had at home so far. James says it's much better than the canned variety, less salty tasting. Be sure not to get red onions because they will make your soup sweet, which is a mistake we have made in the past. We will definitely be making this again. Soon!

BLT Sandwiches with Avocado

Ingredients:

White bread, sliced
Cooked Bacon
Mayo
1 tomato, sliced
lettuce
1 avocado, sliced
cheese, if desired

Method:

Toast bread to desired doneness. Spread a generous amount of mayo, then add bacon, tomato slices, lettuce, cheese if desired, and avocado slices. Enjoy!


The Ingredients


mmmmmmm....

The Verdict: OK look at the above picture, do I really need to tell you?? Yummola!!

Vegetable Beef Soup

When I was growing up, if I ever so much as got a case of the sniffles my grandma would have a pot of soup coming my way. Unfortunately I didn't get the recipe for her vegetable beef soup, but I do have another of her soup recipes and was able to use it to concoct my own veggie beef. I believe I've come quite close in replicating her recipe. Warning - it makes a TON! But it freezes great!

Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen seasoning blend
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 can tomato paste
2 (14 oz) cans stewed sliced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 can original Rotel tomatoes
1 can Summer Crisp Corn (DelMonte)
1 can sliced carrots
1 small can peas
1 small can lima beans
2 cans beef broth
1 large cooking spoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 large cooking spoon of Lea & Perrins wine sauce for chicken
2 teaspoons sugar
chopped cabbage
1 large turnip, peeled and chopped
1 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pkg. tender stew meat
salt, black pepper, Tony's Creole seasoning to taste

Method:
In a small pot, add the stew meat and cover with beef broth just till covered. Bring to a boil, then simmer until cooked through.

In a very large pot, make a roux using oil and flour. Oil must be hot before adding flour, stir constantly until the oil/flour mixture turns the color of a brown paper bag. Don't rush it, it's the secret. Add seasoning blend, cook until tender. Add 1/2 can beef broth to dissolve the roux, then add remaining 1/2 can. Once it comes to a boil, add the tomato paste and Rotel tomatoes. Stir well. Add the tomato sauce, stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the broth that the stew meat was simmering in. Cover and simmer on med-low for 45 minutes. Check and adjust seasonings, if needed. Extra beef broth or water can be added if needed.


Vegetable Beef Soup Ingredients


The Soup

Verdict: Fantabulous! While this soup does make enough to feed an army, it's so delicious you will want to eat it for days. Once you get tired of it, put it into quart sized ziplocs, label and freeze. Defrost for a quick dinner on a cold night or when you don't feel well. It has magical healing powers ;)

Tony's He-Man Chili

This recipe is one that my parents have been cooking for years. The version they cook comes from Tony Chachere's Microwave cookbook. I've adapted my own version because for one thing I don't have a big enough microwave, they make them smaller nowadays! Also, my tastes are a little different and I like to smell something yummy simmering on the stove for a while! Once you've tried He-Man chili, regular ground meat with chili powder will no longer deserve the name "Chili" in your book!

Christen's Version of Tony's He-Man Chili

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 pkg. bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 lb. sausage of your choice - you can use more if you like (I don't like)
1 pkg. frozen Seasoning Blend vegetables
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup beer
2 cans diced Rotel tomatoes
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
Seasoning to taste (Tony's creole seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt)

Cut sausage into bite size pieces. In a pot with a little oil, brown ground beef, bacon and sausage until no longer pink. Add the frozen vegetable blend and minced garlic. Once the vegetables have softened, add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well to mix. Season to taste. Cook for 1 hour on low-medium heat. Serve with cubed sharp cheddar cheese and cornbread (if desired).


The ingredients


Chili simmering


I like to use these cups so I can cuddle up on the couch to eat!

Verdict: As I said, my family has been making this chili for years so it comes as no surprise to anyone for me to give this two thumbs up. If it counted, I would even give it two big toes up ;) It's fantastic. Run, don't walk, to the store to get the ingredients NOW!

Hot Dog Chili

Yeah that's right, no canned stuff here! This recipe actually is not a new one to me, but I thought I'd share anyway. About a year ago, James and I watched a show on the Food Network about the best hot dogs across America. So many people raved about this place Pink's in California and said it was their chili that made it so great. So I looked online and found a recipe that was supposed to be similar to theirs. If it is or not, I can't say since I've never had the real deal. But this is a good one. Sorry, it's been a long time so I can't divulge the source of this recipe but I will say that it is not a Christen original. Once you have it though, you'll never go back to the canned junk!


Chili for Hot Dogs

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin


Brown beef, garlic and onion in skillet. Cook until tender. Place portion at a time in blender and blend a few seconds.

Put meat mixture back into pot and add tomato paste, water, vinegar, Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste. Add cinnamon, chili powder, and cumin.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer at least 30 minutes.

Stir occasionally and add a small amount more water if needed.


The ingredients


The Chili

Verdict: Like I said, this is not new to us but oh so good! We both love it. We'll never buy another can of chili! A note though, for anyone with an immersion mixer - those work superb in this recipe!

Seafood Gumbo

I know, it's a tragedy that I am 28 years old, from South Louisiana and before today I had never cooked a seafood gumbo. Sure I ate plenty, but never cooked myself! Seafood gumbo can be hard on the pocketbook, so I always cooked chicken and sausage gumbo. Today I decided to change that and started looking through my cookbooks for the recipe to try. This recipe came out of the Best of the Best of Louisiana cookbook and was submitted by River Roads Recipes II.

For those that don't know, The Best of the Best of Louisiana cookbook is a compilation of all of the very best recipes of the "Louisiana style" cookbooks. So I knew this would be good! If you are ever looking for a good cookbook, this is THE one to get! Here is the recipe:

Seafood Gumbo

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) can tomatoes, undrained
1.5 pounds frozen okra or equivalent fresh
Oil for frying okra
2 quarts hot water
3.5 tablespoons salt
3/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 large bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
8-10 allspice berries
Few grains chile pepper
2 pounds headless raw shrimp, peeled
1 pound claw crabmeat, picked
1 pint oysters
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Make a very dark roux with oil and flour in a large heavy pot. Add onion and garlic. Cook slowly until onions are transparent. Add tomatoes, and cook on low heat until oil rises to the top (about 30 minutes), stirring frequently. In separate skillet, fry okra in oil on moderately high heat, stirring constantly until okra is no longer stringy. Add the okra to the other mixture, stir and simmer about 10 minutes. Add water, salt and pepper. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes. Add other seasonings and simmer an additional 20 minutes, then add the shrimp and simmer 15 minutes; then add crabmeat, simmering 15 minutes more. Add the oysters the last 5 minutes of cooking. Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more if necessary. Remove from fire and stir in green onions and parsely. Serve over rice. Variations may be made by adding different seafoods, sausages, or poultry. Serves 8-10.
River Road Recipes II



The Verdict: For the tomatoes I used 2 cans original Rotel tomatoes. It gave it a little extra kick. I also used 1 quart chicken broth in place of 1 of the quarts of water. It made it a bit thicker and a little richer I think, which I really liked. However, next time I would use the low-sodium variety of chicken broth because it made the gumbo a little salty. Still delicious though! I will definitely be making this again! James loved it as well :) This definitely gets two thumbs up!