Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
1tsp dried parsley flakes
4Tb butter or margerine, divided
1/4 c sour cream
3 c shicken broth
4 c diced potatoes
1/4 c flour
16 oz processed American cheese (I use a 15 oz jar of velveeta)
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Just a tip here, I use a mandolin slicer tool for all these veggies; it makes things cut fast, cook fast, and are the right size for eating.

In a 3qt saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1Tbs butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-13 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cooka nd stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Ad to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

This is to die for with a loaf of fresh made bread, but I don't have a special recipe for that.

Tip-wise, I don't think my saucepan will hold this, but I'm also not sure how big my pan really is. I end up adding all ingredients together in my stockpot. I also tend to skip steps and I just brown the beef, then leave it in there to add the veggies, herbs and broth and let it all simmer together a little longer; I just taste-test it as I go.

This new favorite of mine comes from my mom who got it out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Be ready to share the recipe with anyone who tries it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 I actually got this from a Pampered Chef party--I didn't buy any products, but I've gotten many miles out of the recipe!

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (approx. 12 oz)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped or diced green chilies, undrained
tortilla chips
fresh cilantro, finely chopped
shredded cheddar cheese
thick slices fresh lime

Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat stockpot over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a little olive oil. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add chopped onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place a handful of chips in a bowl. Ladle soup over chips and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Garnish each bowl with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup (one of my favorite parts!).

I often make this when I have planned another dish during the week that uses chips and cilantro. I hate wasting ingredients, but if I don't plan for these ones in other meals, they'll go bad.

Potato Soup

Evvvvveryone loves a good creamy potato soup, but I found a neat little trick to take most of the hard work out of it! Frozen potatoes!!! (You'll never peel and chop again.) And I might be a tad biased, but this recipe tastes a lot better than most others I've tried. Since I made it up, a lot of the measurements are up to you... but it's pretty hard to mess up. Just start out small and taste to decide how much of the spices you want. I also like that I can omit or add in different veggies to make it different. But here is the general list of stuff that works for me!

POTATO SOUP

3 cans cream of potato soup

1 bag frozen southern style hashbrowns (cubes)

Milk (to fill one empty soup can)

1 can corn - drained

1 cup fresh (or frozen) broccoli flowerets - I chop them up very small

Bacon bits

Garlic powder

Pepper

Diced yellow onion (or dehydrated onion flakes)

½ cup (or more) heavy cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bring soup and milk to a gentle boil, add potatoes and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, chop broccoli into tiny, tiny bits. Add that and the corn to your boiling mixture. Add bacon bits, onion, and other spices to your own liking. When potatoes are soft, add cream. Start with ½ cup, but you can add more as you wish. The more the richer and yummier! Serve with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.