Tortellini in Pesto Broth

 
As I mentioned previously, my friend, Branny, is hosting a Charity Souper Bowl to help donate money to the ASPCA.  She and her husband, the Omnivore, have made it their New Year's Resolution to donate more to this wonderful cause!

They have asked fellow bloggers, family and friends to enter a soup recipe to Branny's blog, Branny Boils Over, including a picture of the soup and of the pet you wish to dedicate it to.  They have offered to donate $1 for each entry received.  Their goal is to reach a minimum of 100 entries and the last I heard, they were definitely getting closer!

I opted to make a Tortellini in Pesto Broth and it was, by far, the easiest and quickest soup I've ever made!  It was also really delicious and versatile so you could add a variety of things to make it more hearty!

This soup is dedicated to sweet little Bailey!  We adopted Bailey shortly after moving to South Carolina and she has been a joy in my life ever since!  We got her at just 10 weeks old and didn't know much about her history or why she had been dropped off, but she won our hearts immediately with her sweet little face!  Just look at her....how could you not love that face?!

Don't get me wrong, she has definitely had her "puppy" moments but all in all, she has been a great dog and she brightens my day!  She has grown up so much in the year that we've had her and really
come into her own.  She has quite the personality and some funny little quirks!

We absolutely adore her and cannot imagine our life without her!  For it being the first time that either of us had ever adopted, we sure lucked out and found the perfect addition to our little family!

Tortellini in Pesto Broth


Ingredients
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
1/3 Parmesan Cheese, grated
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Pine Nuts
1 Garlic Clove
32 oz. Tortellini (fresh or frozen)

Directions
In a large pot, heat the broth over med-high heat until boiling.

Meanwhile, place the basil, Parmesan, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic into a food processor and process until smooth.  Whisk 1/3 cup of the pesto into the hot broth, reserving the remaining pesto for another use.

Reduce the heat to medium and add in the tortellini; cook until tender (about 7 minutes).

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: From Radically Simple

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Zuppa Toscana

If one were to question whether Winter had arrived yet in Georgia, they need not question it any longer!  It was frigid and down-right freezing here over the weekend and we saw snow fly! 

Now, being a "Yankee" myself, snow and frigid temperatures are nothing out of the ordinary for me at this time of year (especially since my family has already seen blizzard-like conditions where they live).  But when you live in the South, especially getting down past Tennessee and Kentucky, you would expect that you've escaped that horrible weather!  Well let me assure you...that's a big fat NO!

But what is December without being a little cold and seeing Mother Nature's frozen little stars falling from the sky?!  And what better way to celebrate weather like that than to curl up to a nice bowl of homemade soup?!  I'll do you one better, how about a nice bowl of Zuppa Tuscana from Olive Garden?!  And even better than that...a bowl of Zuppa Toscana homemade from your own kitchen!

Olive Garden: home of the infamous soup, salad and breadsticks special.  One that I know I officially partook in plenty of times at lunch gatherings!  As always, I feasted on the yummy salad with homemade Italian dressing, buttery garlic breadsticks and piping hot Zuppa Toscana with chunks of potatoes, spicy sausage and fresh kale in a creamy broth....YUM!  Seriously, if you've never tried it, you must go and get some.  Now!  I really mean now!!!

Surprisingly, Chris had never had it, but that's because when he goes to Olive Garden, he orders pasta.  Hmmm...who would've thought?!  So to my delight, he was pleasantly surprised after trying this hearty soup and even took some for lunch today!  As one of my definite favorites, this soup will surely be greeted with big open arms in our house again (probably sooner than we think)!

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients
1 lb. Italian Sausage
8 slices Bacon, chopped
4 cups Water
2 cups Chicken Broth
2 Lg. Potatoes (Yukon, Russet, Baking, etc.), cubed
1 Med. Onion, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Kale, chopped
1 cup Heavy Cream
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Directions
In a large pot, crumble the sausage and brown over medium heat.  Add in the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until browned; drain the grease from the pot.

Add in the water, chicken broth, potatoes, onion and garlic.  Cook over medium heat until simmering; let simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 10-15 minutes).

Add in the kale, cream, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; stir until combined and cook until heated through.  Serve immediately.

Note: The red pepper flakes definitely add a bit of heat to the soup, so use sparingly if you prefer less or omit altogether.


Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: Adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures, originally from America's Most Wanted Recipes

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Squash Bisque

One thing you'll probably notice a lot of in the next couple of months are soup recipes.  This is the perfect season to make them and not feel bad about eating a hearty and rich homemade soup...there's actually nothing more comforting in my opinion!  And there is such an abundance of wonderful ingredients right now that can be taken full advantage of, especially squash!

Don't get me wrong, we definitely eat squash in the Summer as well (it's absolutely fabulous on the grill), but there are different types of squash for that and it's rather challenging to find a good Butternut or Acorn squash mid-July.  But right now they are in full force and at their pique, meaning they are perfect for eating!

I love the stuff and it definitely holds it's place as a nice side dish or even as the main star at dinner as in this case with the bisque.  This was my first time trying this particular recipe but I liked that it used a few other ingredients that are not found in my usual go-to recipe.  With a combination of sauteed onion, potato and apple, there was a nice balance of sweet and savory going on this dish.  Normally, sage is paired with something like this; however I was out and opted for rosemary instead and was pleasantly surprised with how much more I liked it over the sage!  Chris was also quite surprised at how much he liked it and determined it to be at the top of his list of favorites!

Squash Bisque

Ingredients
5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 Med. Onion, diced
2 Med. Apples, peeled and diced
1 Lg. Potato, peeled and diced
2-3 lb. Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and diced
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Dried Rosemary (or Sage)
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 cup Apple Cider
4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add in the onion, apples, potato and squash.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onions become tender (about 10-12 minutes).  Stir in the rosemary (or sage) and flour.  Add in the cider, stirring occasionally until thickened.  Add in the broth, milk and cream; cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a potato masher, carefully begin mashing the chunks of potato and squash in the pot to form a thicker consistency.  Add in the cheese, stirring until melted in.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: Adapted from Food Network Magazine

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup

With Fall weather comes Fall meals.  We have been having some incredible weather lately and I have been inspired.  I finally got my groove back in the kitchen and have been on a cooking craze these days.  I have so many new things that I want to try and most of them are perfect Fall and Winter meals. 

I definitely want to add more soups to my repertoire and believe it or not, Loaded Baked Potato Soup was on that list.  I can't believe I've never made it, especially given how much we love loaded baked potatoes!  I've made Potato Soup plenty of times but I've never taken it a step further by loading it up...silly me.  What was I thinking?!

I had several potatoes that I had to use up before they went bad and what better way to do than by combining them in a creamy mixture with bacon, cheese, and green onions?!  Sounds like heaven to me!  I actually had a recipe picked out from none other than my favorite cookbook in the whole wide world,Grand Temptations, but at the last minute, I decided to change it up a bit and ended up altering another recipe I found online - normally, I'll change up a few things to accommodate our tastes more, but shamefully, it happened this time because I read the directions wrong and somehow saw things on there that weren't really there and also got it mixed up with another recipe I had been eyeing.  But all is well that ends well because this soup ended up turning out perfectly!  It was so, so good.  Ridiculously good.  And it was all by mistake!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients
5 Lg. Potatoes (Baking, Idaho, Russet, etc.), peeled and cubed
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup Water
6 Strips Bacon, chopped
1 Sm. Onion, diced
3 Stalks Celery, diced
3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. Flour
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
3 Green Onions, diced

Directions
In a large pot, add the potatoes, chicken stock and water; bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a large pan, cook the bacon over med-high heat until crisp.  With a slotted spoon, remove bacon pieces and let cool on a paper towel covered plate.  Meanwhile, add the onion and celery to the pan and cook in the reserved bacon grease until tender.

Once the potatoes have cooked, place a few spoonfuls of potatoes into a separate bowl and begin mashing with a potato masher; set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the milk and heavy cream; set aside.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add in the flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes.  Gradually whisk in the milk/cream mixture and let come to a boil over medium heat until thickened. 

Add in the mashed potatoes to the remaining cooked potatoes and carefully stir in the butter/milk mixture.  Add in the cheese, bacon, green onions and celery/onion mixture; stir to combine.  Let simmer until heated through.  Season to taste with pepper.  **If it becomes too thick, you can think it out a bit with chicken stock**

Serve warm and top with shredded cheese, bacon, green onion and/or sour cream.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: Adapted From Cooking During Stolen Moments

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Southwest Turkey & Black Bean Soup

It seems that Mother Nature, herself, is playing games with us here in the South lately.  While we've had our fair share of abnormally warm hot weather this Summer, it doesn't seem like she really cares.  Being from MI, this is the time of year that I look forward to the most and it's usually right around this time that it really starts feeling (and looking) like Fall.  I realize that the further South you go, the longer it takes and I'm okay with that.  Last year was beautiful down here during the Fall and I really have no complaints.  However, it has been cooling off quite a bit at night and in the mornings around here (so much that Chris even wore a jacket to work last week) and we even had a few days in the 80's which, to us down here, feels like it's in the low 70's.  I got excited!  I brought out my cute little cardigans and wore them around with jeans and I even had my first taste of the year of the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte!  You know it's Fall, when those little babies come out! 

But oh the mind games that Mother Nature plays with us.  Wouldn't you know it?!  It's been well over 90 degrees again and in some spots, it even reached 100 degrees.  100 degrees?!  Really Mother Nature?!  That's what you're going to give us after we've suffered through a grueling and ridiculously hot Summer?!  Please....that hot weather doesn't scare me and it certainly doesn't stop me from already making my Fall meals and baked goods (hence the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones with Maple Glaze). 

With the very short spurt of what felt like cooler weather on it's way, the shelves overflowing with Autumn and Halloween goodies in the stores and the ads for cute jackets, sweater dresses, awesome boots and the like, I'm already geared up and ready to go!  So with Fall weather, comes a lot of warm, hearty and comforting meals, especially soup!  This recipe is definitely one of my favorites (I know, I say that about every recipe) but I realized that I had never made it for Chris!  It's actually a healthy soup as it's made with ground turkey, but you would never know it because the flavors are so warm and wonderful together! 

Chris especially loved this meal!  We had it with some nice, crusty French bread (perfect for dipping or as they say here in the South, "sopping") and he even had another helping and took some for work the next day....that's a sure sign, in our house, that the meal was a success!


Southwest Turkey & Black Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 - 15oz. cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Sm. Onion, chopped
2 Sm. Green Peppers, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tsp. Cumin
1 - 15oz. can Diced Tomatoes, un-drained
1 Sm. Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and minced
1-1.5 lbs. Ground Turkey
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions
In a food processor or blender, puree' 2 cups of the black beans with 1 cup of chicken broth; set aside. 

In a Dutch Oven or large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the onions and peppers; saute' until tender (about 7 minutes).  Add in the garlic, cumin, tomatoes, the remaining black beans and black bean puree'; mix well.  Gradually add in the remaining chicken broth, stirring constantly.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes. 

In a large pan, cook the ground turkey over med-high heat until slightly browned.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Mix in with the soup mixture.  Add in the jalapeno and cook until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.


Yield: 6 Servings
Source: Adapted from Grand Temptations

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Kickin' Chili

I'm not a big soup or stew person and I usually only prefer it during the Fall and Winter months. I don't really consider that weird because I think most people feel the same way; however I do know some who could eat soup everyday throughout the entire year! One thing that I probably could eat all year long is Chili. Call me weird, but I love it and it's so easy to make. Now I normally don't make it during the Spring/Summer months (unless it's a really cold day) but sometimes there is the unusual occasion.

Yesterday was the last day of February and while we had decent weather most of the weekend, it was still a little cool. Now I know that, technically speaking, Spring doesn't start until later in March but in my mind and in my world, yesterday marked the last day of Winter for me! So in honor of the cold season, what better way to give it a proper sendoff than to make a big pot of Chili?! Plus, Chris was sick all weekend and it was a personal request of his!

This recipe is one of my own and I must say, it's definitely a keeper! I'm not one for bragging much, but I am pretty particular about my Chili and this recipe hits all the right spots and has never let me down when I've made it for others. But if you've been following me long enough and have made some of my recipes, you know that I like a little heat in my dishes and Chili is no exception to that rule! Luckily for you, if you don't like spice or heat (or a lot of it for that matter), this recipe is easy to adapt to your taste buds! Either way, the combination of flavors that burst in your mouth every time you take a bite, will leave you yearning for more!

Kickin' Chili

Ingredients
2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Garlic Salt
3 Tbsp. Cumin
1 Lg. Onion, chopped roughly
2 Jalapenos, seeded and diced
5 cloves Garlic, minced
2 - 7oz. cans Diced Green Chiles
1 - 16oz. can Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained
1 - 16oz. can Light Red Kidney Beans, drained
2 - 14.5oz. cans Diced Tomatoes
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped
1 - 46 oz. bottle Spicy Hot V8 Juice

Directions
In a large pot, brown the beef over med-high heat until tender; drain grease and return pot back to the stove. Add in black pepper, garlic salt and cumin; mix well to combine. Add in onion, jalapenos and garlic; cook until onions and jalapenos become tender, stirring frequently to prevent burning of garlic. Stir in the green chiles followed by the beans. Add in the tomatoes (with their juice) and cilantro; stir until everything is combined together. Slowly begin pouring in V8 juice to desired consistency. Let simmer over low heat until heated through (approximately 30-60 minutes).

Serve hot with sour cream, shredded cheese and diced avocado.

Note: To alter dish to a less spicy version, reduce (or omit) the amount of jalapenos used and/or use regular V8 juice or tomato juice in place of the spicy hot version.

Yield: 6-8 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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White Chicken Chili & Homemade Tortilla Crisps

Winters in the South are much different than in Michigan!  The "normal" fifty degree days with sunshine sure beats tempartures below zero with snow drifts that even some of the heaftiest snow blowers can't even cut!  But even in South Carolina, it gets cold enough for you to want to curl up in front of the fireplace with a warm, cozy blanket and a nice, hot bowl of soup!  Chili is probably my favorite type of soup - it's hearty enough to stand on it's own, it's very versatile and it's one of those things that definitely has a place of it's own on my list of comfort foods! 

A popular twist to the delightful dish is White Chicken Chili and if you've never tried it, oh my, you are missing out!  With flavors reminiscent of Santa Fe, this hearty recipe is a sure-pleaser!  Not only is it an easy and quick meal to prepare, but it's a wonderful dish that works well for get-togethers and parties alike!  While I usually prefer corn bread as an accompaniment, I chose to make homemade tortilla crisps to serve on top instead.  The smokiness of the cumin-flavored crisps with the creaminess of the chili was delish and not a single drop was left!

White Chicken Chili & Homemade Tortilla Crisps
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Ingredients
1 lb. Grilled Chicken Breast, cubed
1 16oz jar Salsa Verde
4 16oz cans Cannelini Beans
1 lb. Pepper Jack cheese, cubed
Sour Cream
Cilantro
6 Flour Tortillas
Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile, in a large pot, add chicken, salsa and beans (including the juice - do not drain them).  Cook on Med-High heat for 20 minutes or until heated through.  Stir in cheese and cook until melted.

While chili is cooking, cut tortillas into 1" strips and then, again, in half.

Spread strips out onto an ungreased baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with oil and sprinkle cumin on top, covering each piece. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and slightly browned.

Serve chili immediately and garnish with tortilla crisps, sour cream and cilantro.

Source: With a Cherry on Top

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