Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This hearty soup is filled with chicken, potatoes, and vegetables, and then topped with flaky puff pasty rounds.  It's a warm soup, sure to please on a cool fall day!

Cheesy Potato Soup {Flashback Friday}

Sometimes you just need a big bowl of comfort food. And this Cheesy Potato Soup, my friends, will satisfy those desires!

It feels like it has done nothing but snow this winter.  And every time it snows we end up under a Winter Weather Advisory, or Watch, or Warning....  What ever happened to a little light snow fall?  Enough of this craziness!  We've already surpassed our average seasonal snowfall and it's only the end of January. Ay yi yi...

I don't know about you, but when the weather is this cold and dreary, I find myself craving comfort foods: homemade macaroni and cheese, chili, cheesy potato soup.  Foods that warm the body and the soul.  This Cheesy Potato Soup certainly fits my idea of comfort food, a big bowl of it whisks the cold chill away.  Every one who tries this soup loves it and I'm constantly asked for the recipe.  Give it a try, I'm sure you'll love it too!

Get the recipe:  Cheesy Potato Soup

Chunky Chili

Chili.  It seems to be the favored meal this time of the year.  And everyone tends to have their own take on chili.  Some like it mildly spicy, some like it burning hot.  Some like it with lots of tomato chunks, some like it completely smooth.  Maybe that's the reason chili cook-offs are so popular, so people can try all the different varieties of chili out there.

One of the great things about chili is that I've found it really doesn't matter what you put into it, the chances are it's going to taste great!  My dad recently made a chili with spaghetti sauce in it.  Surprisingly, it was pretty good! My go-to chili recipe calls for some unique ingredients like cocoa powder and beer.  Since I didn't either of those ingredients in the house, I just combined the ingredients I did have and came up with this chunky chili.  Mike and I both enjoyed it, and the leftovers were delicious the next day!

Chunky Chili

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 can red kidney beans (don't drain!)
32 oz beef broth
1 Tablespoon chili powder

1. Brown the ground turkey and drain the fat.

2. Add diced onion and minced garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.

3. Pour the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, kidney beans, and beef broth into your crock pot.

4. Add the meat mixture and chili powder and stir to combine.

5. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.


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Crock-pot Cheeseburger Soup

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday with our extended family.  My mom's family lives in Canada, so we made the trip to visit everyone.  It's about an 8 hour drive ...depending on how much of a lead foot your husband has and how long the baby wants to nurse for.  The trip went really well, we stopped every couple hours to feed Summer and it worked well because I felt like our stops made the trip not feel like it was so long.  Summer traveled well and only cried during the last 30 minutes of the trip when we were in stop & go traffic around Toronto.

My Grandma was so excited to meet her great-grand-daughter! She had balloons and a sign that read Welcome to my little sweetheart Summer Joy!  Of course, as soon as we walked into the door she took Summer out of my arms.  It took her a few minutes before she said hi to Mike and I.  It was so precious to see Grandma's excitement over meeting Summer.

On Saturday, we had an open house and then a family dinner to celebrate.  Grandma should have been the star of the show, but I think Summer was, and Grandma didn't mind a bit!  Summer got passed around and met about a hundred people, she was mostly smiles the whole time!  Mike and I had to come home on Sunday so we could go back to work today, but the celebration in Canada goes through today!  They sure know how to party!

Over the weekend, the weather took a drastic change.  It definitely feels like Fall is here to stay now!  These Cheeseburger Soup is my new favorite fall food.  It was so easy to make, I just put the ingredients into the Crock-pot before work one day.  Then when Mike got home, he added the Velveeta cheese.

I used an entire bag of shredded potatoes, so I thought that it needed more liquid so I added extra chicken broth.  I think that addition made the soup a little less thick than the original recipe.  However, I really enjoyed the soup's texture this way.  This recipe made about 8 servings, so Mike and I had plenty of soup for leftovers.  It heated up well and we enjoyed a few more delicious lunches!

Crock-pot Cheeseburger Soup 

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 pounds (1 bag) shredded hash browns
64 ounces (2 boxes) chicken broth
2 pounds (1 box) Velveeta cheese, cubed

1.  Put ground beef, crumbled bacon, shredded hash browns, and chicken broth into your Crock-pot.

2.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3.  About 30 minutes before serving, add cubed Velveeta cheese to the soup and stir.  The cheese will melt on its own.

4.  Cover the Crock-pot again and cook about 30 more minutes.  Stir before serving.

Source: Well Cooked (original source site unavailable)

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

This weekend was filled with adventures.  I was at a camp up north with my youth group teens for a weekend retreat.  Here are some of the "highlights":

*Driving through a horrible winter storm, taking the wrong exit, and driving out of our way.  A normally 1-1/2 hour trip took nearly 3!

*Sliding backwards down a steep hill because halfway up my car couldn't make it anymore!

*Watching the kids brave their fears and climb up an ice-wall.

*Spending one-on-one time with the kids and getting to know them better.

*Bursting out in random songs like, "I'm a Barbie Girl".  Oh yes, they did!

*The speaker making up yoga poses like the "dirty lion."

*Playing games like Family Feud and Citadel.

*Jones Soda and sour candies.

*Eating way more food in the 3 days we were there than I normally eat in a week!

We had a ton of fun, got way too little sleep, ate way too much food, laughed until our stomachs hurt, walked miles in the snow.  Most of all we grew closer to God and to each other.  We really have a great group of kids.

This soup has nothing to do with this weekend, but that's okay.  It's cold outside and that means it's soup weather.  This was another of the recipes that Alecia and I made on our freezer cooking day.  It makes enough for dinner, plus leftovers for lunch or to freeze.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar
2 cups frozen sweet corn
1-1/2 cup cooked ham, cubed

1.  In a large saucepan over high heat, bring water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, in a medium pot over low heat, melt the butter. 

 

3.  Blend in flour. 

 

4.  Add milk all at once.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. 

 

5.  Add cheese and stir until melted.

6.  Stir cheese mixture into the un-drained veggies and return large saucepan to burner. 

 

7.  Add corn and ham.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Source: Alecia

White Chicken Chili

Was it just me or was it super hard to get out of bed this morning?  After 4 days of sleeping in, I did not want to get out of my cozy warm bed this morning!  The colder the weather gets, the more reason I have to stay in the warmth!

I did have some motivation to get out of bed this morning though.  Today is Mike's birthday!  I wanted to surprise him by bringing him and his co-workers doughnuts from his favorite bakery.  He started work at 5 this morning, so I left the house around 6:30 to pick up the doughnuts.  He was quite surprised when I showed up at his work with a box of doughnuts!

Anyway, we had our first snowfall of the season on Friday.  The snow actually stuck and really made it feel like the Holiday season has started.  We continued to get flurries on Saturday and though the accumulation was minimal, it was a beautiful sight.  Of course, with the cold weather comes the desire for cold weather food.  Foods like chili, stew, and other soups sure hit the spot when it's so cold!

I adapted this recipe to be made in the Crock-pot so the hands-on time was minimal.  Mike shredded the chicken when he got home from work, and when I got home, supper was ready to eat.  We both loved this soup and Mike added a couple dashes of hot sauce to really give it a kick!  You could even substitute leftover Thanksgiving turkey and cook this on the stovetop to make a fast dinner.

White Chicken Chili

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2 (15 ounce) cans white northern beans, drained and rinsed
32 ounces chicken broth
1 cup water
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles (don't drain)
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder

1.  Place all ingredients in your Crock-pot. 

2.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

3.  Shred chicken before serving.

Serve hot.  Top with shredded cheese or crushed tortilla chips.

Slightly adapted from:  Alli 'N Sons

Sausage, Kale and Bean Soup

A few weeks ago, we had some unseasonably warm weather here in Michigan.  When temperatures are typically around 40 degrees, we experienced a week of near (or above) 80 degree days!  It was incredible, and gave us a chance to do some grilling.  Much to our dismay, though not a surprise at all, the weather has returned to normal and in fact it seems much cooler because we had such hot days.

I try not to make a lot of soup during the warm summer months, I prefer to grill meat and vegetables and eat a lot of fresh food.  But now that we're back to our typical cooler temperatures, I decided to take advantage of it and make some hot soup.  It's especially delicious on gray rainy days!

Sausage, Kale and Bean Soup

Serves 6

You will need:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups kale
salt
pepper

1.  In a large pot, warm olive oil over medium heat.

2.  Crumble sausage and add to the pot.  Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

3.  Transfer sausage to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

4.  Discard all but 1 Tablespoon of fat from the pot.  Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

5.  Return sausage to the pot and add chicken broth, water, and beans.

6.  Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.

7.  Stir in kale until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Season as needed with salt and pepper before serving.

Adapted from All You

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles

When I think of comfort food, one of the first things I think of is homemade chicken noodle soup.  It's the perfect food to enjoy during a cold winter day. 

This month's Crazy Cooking Challenge was to find the Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.  I think I've hit the jackpot with this one!  This is a really basic soup, just chicken, noodles, carrots, and broth.  I served it with some French bread, and it made for a delicious dinner.

I found this recipe on Laura's blog, Heavenly Homemakers.  She has so many recipes on her site that are both good for you and delicious.  I really encourage you to stop by and visit her!  In her original recipe, she suggests making your own chicken broth, but because I was using chicken breasts, not a whole chicken, I used store-bought broth.  I used the whole wheat noodle recipe that I shared yesterday and Mike and I both loved this recipe.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles

Serves 8

You will need:

8 cups chicken broth (homemade or store bought)

3 carrots

1 recipe whole wheat homemade noodles

2 cups cooked chicken, diced

sea salt

1.  Peel and chop carrots into bite-sized pieces.

2.  Pour broth and carrots into a large pot.  Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.

3.  Add in chicken and noodles. Salt as needed.

4.  Simmer soup for 15-20 minutes, until noodles are fat and tender.  

***Don't forget, you can vote for your favorite recipe by clicking "like" under the picture.  I'm #15 and I'd love your vote :)

Zuppa Toscana

One of my favorite things to make during the cold winter months is soup.  I love to make a big pot of it, so that we have enough for our meal, plus leftovers for Mike to take to work during the week.  Plus, there's something so comforting about a bowl of hot soup on a cold wintery day!

I've mentioned before my love of Olive Garden.  Every once in a while, they'll run a special for unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks.  It makes for a delicious lunch and it's so filling.  A couple weeks ago, one of my friends posted this recipe on Facebook.  He had just made it for dinner and it sounded delicious.  After asking him a few questions about how to make it, I picked up some of the ingredients at the store and set to work.  The result was a delicious pot of soup!  It's quite filling, especially if served with my Olive Garden Breadsticks!  Mike and I both enjoyed this soup, and it tasted even better the next day.

Zuppa Toscana

Serves 4

You will need:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.

8 cups water

5 Tablespoons chicken bullion

1 pound Italian sausage, browned

handful of fresh kale, washed

1/2 pint heavy cream

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1.  In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups of water to a boil.

2.  Add in sliced potatoes and boil for 5 minutes.

3.  Add in chicken bullion, browned sausage, and kale and boil for another 5 minutes.

4.  Stir in heavy cream, garlic, and Italian seasoning and simmer for 5 minutes.

5.  Top individual servings with fresh Parmesan cheese before serving.

Recipe from Dave, inspired by Olive Garden

Fiesta Chicken Soup

Fiesta Chicken Soup

I've found that we've been eating more soup in the past month or so than we did all winter!  We've had chili a few times, chicken noodle soup, and my newest soup creation, Fiesta Chicken Soup.  This soup was originally supposed to be a white chicken chili, but since we don't care for beans and some of the other ingredients, I ended up making something different.  My favorite part of this soup is that I made it in the Crock Pot, so it's a great meal for a busy day!  I think this soup is definitely something I'll be making again!

You will need:
2 chicken breasts
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (mine had green peppers in it too, it was a can of tomatoes for chili)
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon dried onion
2 tsp chili powder
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream cheese (I used Philadelphia cooking cream)

1.  Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in Crock Pot.

2.  Pour diced tomatoes, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, dried onion, and chili powder over chicken.  Stir to combine.

3.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

4.  30 minutes before serving, stir in frozen corn, sour cream, and cream cheese.  Cook on high until you're ready to serve.  Serve with crushed tortillas or shredded cheddar cheese.

Cheesy Potato Soup

My co-worker recently introduced me to Bob Evan's Cheesy Potato Soup.  It is delicious!  Our work recently moved and now we're right behind a Bob Evan's.  It's dangerous I tell ya!  One day, after eating Bob Evan's soup, she commented to me that I should try to replicate it.  Of course, I couldn't pass up that challenge!

The first time I made the soup, I was impressed with the flavor, the texture- not so much.  It was too grainy and mushy for me, but I solved that problem by waiting to add the potatoes until the very end.  Much better that way!  So here is my version of the dangerously addicting Bob Evan's Cheesy Potato soup!  (I did make one change, Bob Evan's doesn't put bacon in the soup, just on top, but I put it in the soup as well.)

Cheesy Potato Soup


Serves 4-6


You will need:
8 ounces bacon
3 pounds of potatoes (about 9 medium potatoes)
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) margarine
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed (1/2 a box)
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Garnish with:
shredded Cheddar cheese
bacon bits
chives
parsley

1.  Dice bacon and cook in a skillet until crispy.  Drain fat and set aside.

2.  Peel potatoes and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.  Boil for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.

3.  In a large pot, melt butter and add the flour, whisking constantly until the roux is smooth.

4.  Gradually add milk, heavy cream, and chicken stock, whisking constantly.

5.  When the sauce begins to thicken, add the cubed Velveeta.  Stir constantly until cheese is completely melted.

6.  Add the bacon, garlic powder, and Tabasco to the cheese mixture.  Lower heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes, stirring  frequently.  The first time I made this, I had a burned layer at the bottom of my pan so please, stir frequently to avoid this!!!

7.  Add in potatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes.

8.  Garnish individual bowls of soup with cheddar cheese, bacon, chives, and parsley.

Note:  You can use frozen diced potatoes (hashbrowns) instead of fresh potatoes.  I skip boiling them and just add them to the hot pot of soup and simmer for 10 minutes.

****UPDATED PICTURES HERE****

Beef Stew

Beef Stew (1/23/11)

This is definitely a filling meal! Perfect for a snowy winter day. We had some friends over for dinner and I knew this was the perfect meal. I served this with thick slices of Beer Bread and it went over so well! No-one knew I used 2 cans of beer to make this meal--ha ha! I had the left over stew for lunch the next day and it was just as good, if not better than the day I made it. It had thickened up a lot and was even more of a stew than a soup like the day before.

Note: I took the pictures before I thickened up the stew, but when I served it, it was thicker than it appears!

I saw a post on Tidy Mom a few weeks ago about her Soup-a-Palooza.  It sounded like fun but I didn't know what to enter.  I knew this stew had gone over really well, so I figured it would be the perfect addition to her party!  After all, who can resist an invitation like this?  "Come join Soup-a-Palooza with TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers”

You will need:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 pounds Stew Meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 can Beer, 12 Ounce
4 cups beef stock (you can also use 4 cups water and 4 beef bouillon cubes)
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Sugar
4 whole Carrots, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
6 whole New Potatoes, diced
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add meat to pan and brown.
3. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook until onions are tender.
4. Pour in beer, water, beef stock, tomato paste, salt, and sugar.
5. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. The liquid will cook down, if it gets too thick, add up to 2 cups water to thin it out.
6. Add carrots and potatoes. Cook for 30 more minutes.
Adapted from: Pioneer Woman

Chili

Chili (12/22/10)

Everyone who has had this recipe says it's some of the best they've ever had! It's versatile enough that I've made it in the Crock-pot, and on the stove. And, if you're really in a pinch for time and putting it in the Crock-pot, you don't even have to cook the meat first! Don't let the list of ingredients scare you, it really does taste fantastic!

This is one of our favorite dinners.  I knew it would be perfect to link up to Soup-a-Palooza.  Check it out here: "Come join Soup-a-Palooza with TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers” 

You will need:

2-1/2 pounds ground beef
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons pre-chopped cloves)
1 small onion, finely chopped

1/4 of a green pepper, diced

1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 bottle beer
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons instant beef bouillon (or 6 cubes)
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Stove top directions:

1. In a large saucepan brown meat, drain the fat.

2. Add the garlic, onion, and pepper; cook and stir until tender.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, beer, chili powder, bouillon, oregano, sugar, cocoa, and hot sauce. Mix well.

4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered , for 2 hours.

5. Make sure you allow the chili to simmer for the whole 2 hours, even longer is better to achieve the best flavor. If you think the soupy part is too thin, feel free to thicken it up by mixing 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of flour in a cup and add it to the chili. Simmer for 10 more minutes until thickened.

Crockpot directions:

1. Add all ingredients, except meat, to Crockpot. Mix thoroughly.

2. Add uncooked ground beef and separate into smaller chunks using a spatula.

3. Cook on low for 4-8 hours. If the soup is too thin, follow the above directions to thicken it.

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