Soup's On!

The weather cooled off a bit around here the past few days, and hot soup is sounding good again, so I decided to try out another of Leslie's soup recipes. I made this on Sunday, and it's delicious!

Leslie's Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup

Nonstick cooking spray
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup quick cooking barley (use 3/4 cup for a thicker soup if desired)
2 cans (14 ounces each) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)
1 can (about 10 ¾ ounces) 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of black pepper

Step 1: Coat Dutch oven or large saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat or until hot. Add oil and tilt pan to coat bottom of pan. Add onions; cook and stir 8 minutes or until onions just begin to turn golden. Add carrots and cook and stir 2 minutes.

Step 2: Add chicken broth, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, barley, Worcestershire sauce and thyme; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until carrots are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in green onions, salt and pepper and enjoy!

PS: I forgot to buy the green onions, so to add a little extra flavor, I added some grated Locatelli cheese--and some rosemary to help me remember these things . . . not sure if it helps or not. . .

Tasty Tuesday Asiago Cheese Bread!

I recently bought some delicious Asiago cheese bread from a local bakery and decided take a stab at making some of my own. So, on Saturday, when I had the whole house to myself for the day, I made this bread, based on my Kalamata olive bread recipe. It smelled incredible while it was baking, and tasted pretty darn good, too.

Asiago Cheese Bread

Mix together in a large mixing bowl and let set until foamy:

1 cup warm water
2 pkgs yeast
1 tsp sugar

Then add:

1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups grated Asiago cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix together and knead in more flour (about 3 cups) until you've got a smooth, non-sticky dough. Cover and let rise 2 hours until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough and shape into a ball. Place in a greased glass or ceramic pie dish, flatten the ball and lightly grease the dough with a little butter or oil, then let rise, covered, until doubled in size. Bake 50 min in 350 degree oven. Brush the top with milk and bake for 10 more minutes.

Jean's Mexican Hot Dish

You're all invited to visit Magical Musings where I'm guest blogging today! Come on over!

In the meantime, this recipe was sent to me by Donna, and, trust me, it's a good one!

Enjoy!

Jean’s Mexican Hot Dish

9x13 pan – 350 degree oven – 45 minutes bake time

2 lbs. ground beef

½ cup chopped onions

2 cloves minced garlic

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 2 ½ oz jar chopped black olives

1 pack taco seasoning

1 15 oz. pkg. cheese taco chips (I used Nacho Cheese Doritos)

1 12 oz. pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

1 8 oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese

½ pint sour cream

Brown meat with onions and garlic.

Add sauce, tomatoes, olives, and taco seasoning.

Crush ½ pkg. of taco chips into bottom of 9x13 pan.

Layer on 4 oz. cheddar cheese, meat mixture, then mozzarella cheese.

Spread sour cream across top.

Top this with remaining taco chips (optional: do not add remaining chips until about 30 minutes into baking time – then the chips will not be quite as crunchy).

Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle on remaining cheddar cheese.

Serve to your friends & family.

*Optional: Sprinkle chopped green onions across top.

Also, this dish is relatively mild. If you want a little more heat, add cayenne or hot sauce to taste.

Need a break?

With all the hotties I've been posting lately, I think it's time to cool off for a while with another recipe! This one is pretty easy, but darn good.



















Chicken with Herbs and Lemon

Mix together:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Place one chicken, cut up (you may want to remove excess skin to lower the fat content) in a baking dish and spread sauce over the top.
Bake uncovered for 2 hours at 350.
This dish makes its own gravy, which you can serve over noodles or potatoes.

Enjoy!

PS: I'm also guest blogging on A Book Blogger's Diary today. I'd love to have you visit!

A little something for those cold winter nights...

Here it is, as promised! The guys in my family get all dreamy-eyed when I serve this stuff.



White Chicken Chili

4 cups water
4 tsp instant chicken broth
2 cans Great Northern Beans
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped sweet pepper
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 large onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
1 cup uncooked pasta shells or macaroni
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

In a large soup pot, saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients except for sour cream, pasta, and cheese. Put chicken breasts in whole. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to simmer for about an hour until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and shred it using two forks. Return chicken to pot and add pasta. Cook for another fifteen minutes. Add one cup of cheese and stir until it melts. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and more grated cheese. Sprinkle with chives to make it look pretty and enjoy!

Cold Days and Red Hot Chili Peppers

It's cold and snowy here. My feet are cold and the trip to the barn to feed the horses left my face numb. Sounds like a great day for some nice, hot chili!


Now I know everyone has their own favorite way to make chili, and most people are very firm in their beliefs about what should or should not be included in the recipe. That being said, if you're a non-pasta chili person, I just might convert you.

Cheryl's Tummy-warming Chili

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp chili powder of your choice (I use Mexene)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
30 oz can light red kidney beans (undrained)
28 oz can diced tomatoes (pureed)
3 to 4 oz uncooked pasta of your choice

In a big soup pot, saute the onion in the butter, then add garlic and ground beef. Use the leanest beef you can find so you don't have to drain it. When the meat is browned, add remaining ingredients except pasta. My husband doesn't like chunks of tomato in his chili, so I run the tomatoes through the blender first. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to simmer for 45 min, stirring occasionally. Then add pasta and cover; cook another 15 min, stirring frequently until pasta is done and chili is thick. If you use spaghetti, break it into thirds before you add it. Pasta shells work well, too. Serve with grated Colby Jack cheese on top. If you want it hotter, you can always add the hot sauce of your choice!

















Next week I'll post my recipe for White Chicken Chili. In the meantime, keep warm!