Souper Saturday

# 5 Thanksgiving Soup

I actually designed this recipe from scratch because we did our annual Thanksgiving lunch at UCM and had more leftovers than could be consumed before they spoiled. Or before I told the students that they were no longer in the "leftover safety" range (they think I'm crazy because leftovers are to them good for at least a month).

6 cups of chicken broth (you can use turkey broth if you have it, but chicken makes little difference)
3 cups mashed potatoes
3 cups shredded cooked turkey (light and dark meat mix)
2 cups corn
2 cups cooked cubed sweet potatoes (you made need to make these up depending on what you did for thanksgiving)
2 cups green beans (I just bought a steamable bag of frozen beans, nuked em and tossed em in)
1 T onion powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 cup dried cranberries or craisins
French Fried Onions to garnish

Pour your broth in a large pot and start it heating to a simmer, stir in your mashed potatoes until you have a thicker, potatoey broth texture. Stir in your salt, pepper, and Onion powder. Add in your cranberries so they plump up a bit as it simmers. Add in your turkey and veggies. Simmer for about ten minutes or so. Serve nice and hot with a few french fried onions on top, if desired.

Enjoy a clever way to use most of your leftovers.

# 6 Corn Chowder

This is mostly a barefoot contessa recipe but she loves fat and calories more than I do so I healthified this one a lot but it's still flavorful and very very tasty. I happened to have some leftover smoked ham, but if you wanted to you could just have the deli sell you a few very thick (like 1/4 inch or so) slices of ham lunchmeat and dice it up and use it.

• 2 cups cooked diced ham, or 8 oz of cooked crumbled bacon (both optional)
  
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 3 tablespoons butter or margerine
  
• 1/4 cup flour
  
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups medium-diced potatoes
• 5 cups corn kernels
• 1 cup milk
  
• 4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat your butter add the onionsand cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add in 1 cup of chicken stock and allow to get hot.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the milk and cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper if needed.

We made these both today and at first Kel was loving the Thanksgiving Soup, but then he tried to corn chowder and said it may be the best soup yet. So far of all these soups my favorite is the white chicken chili. #3. Which alarmingly I have not posted the recipe for!!! I have it here just a second....

Sorry no picture, but I am sure I will make it soon and I'll catch up a pic then.

It's very simple and all props go to Debbie Whelan for sharing it with Amy who shared it with me.

#3 White Chicken Chili

1 Jar of Great Northern beans or 3-4 cans

2 lbs of chicken breast (shredded)

1 Jar of salsa (about 16oz)

8oz package of pepper jack cheese

2 cans of chicken broth

1 Tablespoon of Cumin

Boil the chicken breast in water until cooked through. Cube or shred up chicken, whichever you prefer. Add all contents together in a Pot or Crock pot. Stir and heat through. For best results let simmer together at least 4 hours. Make sure not to have the simmer heat on the stove too high as you will most definitely burn the cheese and then spend your evening picking out black burned cheese floaties.

The Leanne/Soup Nazi Project

Well friends. I am setting myself up for a culinary challenge, which I hope will go better than the summer of the skewer, which I think we can all admit fell rather flat. This is the Soup Project and the challenge is that I am going to see how many different soups I can make this Fall09/Winter10. My goal out load is 20 so if I make 20 different kinds I will have reached my goal. Secretly I hope to do 30 though. And for your viewing and perhaps cooking pleasure I want to try to blog my way through the soup project. When asked for his comments on the soup project Kel said: "I'm looking forward to immersing myself in a lot of soup." I assume he meant eating it and not bathing in it. We will assume that anyhow.

Tonight I made soup #4. I have already made Chili, White Chicken Chili, and Chicken Tortilla.

SOUP #4
Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This deliciously hearty and thick soup serves 4 and is perfect for a cool, crisp fall evening. I got the recipe idea from one of my favorite restaurants up North, Zoup! They make this soup and it was always Kel's favorite so I tried to replicate it.


2 cups Cooked Chicken (cubed or shredded- I roasted a chicken and used shredded ck from it)
1/3 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Sauteed Onion (or you can cook this with your chicken)
2 Tbsp Chicken Bullion (crystals)
4 Cups Milk
3 Tbsp Butter, Margerine, etc.
3 Tbsp Chicken Broth
1 Cup Cooked Peas
2 Cups Potatoes, Cubed, Cooked
1 Cup Cooked Carrots, Sliced, Cooked
1/4 tsp Garlic
1 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Cook all your veggies and chicken and have them prepared, measured, and ready to go. In a small bowl mix together your flour, pepper, garlic, bullion. In a Medium Saucepan/Small Pot Melt your butter and add your stock or broth to it. When it's melted add in the flour/pepper/garlic/bullion mixture very gradually stirring the entire time. I like to use a silicone whisk for this. Gradually start pouring in your milk, stirring the entire time. Bring this mixture to a boil gradually- watching and stirring it the entire time. When it's bubbling start mixing in your chicken, and then each veggie one at a time. At this point it is ready to serve.

I recommend serving it with bread, over corn bread, or if you're feeling crazy you can cook a pie crust and crumble a bit of it over top really sealing the whole "chicken pot pie soup" deal.

I ate mine with some of Libby's wheat bread, toasted.

NOTE- The original recipe called for no broth and 6 Tbsp of butter/margarine. I halved the butter and subbed broth to cut down on a bunch of fat and calories. I used Skim milk as well.