Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Warm Fall Spices!

I was not a huge butternut squash soup, I made it before but just was not a fan.  So either my tastes have changed over the years or I just made it better this time.  I don’t know for sure but this is really good!

I was schedule for oral surgery and knew I would need soup for the first few days so what better than a hearty, fall and creamy soup to fill my tummy and comfort my soul.

I bought squash that was already peeled and chopped, the container was 32 oz and I used every bit it.  I also chopped and peeled one large apple and 1 large carrot.  I spread all of the chunks over a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, a little cinnamon and nutmeg.  I gave it a little toss and then baked for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Keep a close eye and toss often.

When the squash was just about ready to come out of the oven, I sautéed a little onion in olive oil in my soup pot. When the squash was done, I added it to the soup pot.  Next I added a 32 oz container of chicken bone broth, but you can use whatever broth or stock you want.

I added more warm, fall spices too! A little more ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice and a hint of ginger. I brought this to a light simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.  You can certainly add the amount of spices to your preference, but I was going for all the warm spices that I could!

I turned off the heat and used my immersion blender to puree until completely smooth.  You can transfer your soup to your blender, please use caution as blending hot liquid could blow out of the blender.

As soon as the soup is creamy and smooth, I added about one cup of coconut milk.  But you can add light or heavy cream if you want, half and half would work too.  I also adjusted the spices, at this point.  I added more cloves and cinnamon. Let this heat completely and then serve.

*Please note, I added and adjusted the spices through the entire cooking process to achieve the warm, fall taste I was after.  You can eliminate a spice if you don’t like it.

Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash with Warm Fall Spices

32 oz butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes

1 large apple, peeled and sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

1tsp to 1 T of spices-ground cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg *adjust to your preference

1/8 tsp ground ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil for coating the vegetables

1 small onion, diced

32 oz box of chicken bone broth (any broth or stock will work)

1 cup coconut milk (cream or half and half works too)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all vegetables on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Toss lightly to coat. Bake for about 30 -35 minutes.
2. Sautee onion in olive oil in a large soup pot, just before pulling the vegetable out of the oven.
3. Add the roasted veggies to the soup pot with the onions and add the broth or stock. Add some spices, I suggest one teaspoon, or a sprinkling at a time (see note above). Simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until completely creamy.
5. Add the coconut milk, and taste.  Adjust spices as needed and preferred.

Gramma’s Chicken Rice Soup

My Mom’s side of the family is Pennsylvania Dutch, and they were farmers. So I grew up with some pretty hearty meals when we visited. Some of the things I miss most are my Gramma’s slippery chicken pot pie, hogmaw (recipe here), and of course her chicken rice soup. She mostly made beef rice soup but I loved the chicken soup.

If you follow me on Facebook, you saw me post a picture of this soup that I made on a day that I had a little bit of an upset tummy. I have been craving it again ever since! So I thought the next time I made it, I would share it. There is nothing extraordinary about the recipe that sets it apart from others. It’s just delicious, simple and basic, and a family favorite. I am positive I am not making it like my Gramma did, but it’s pretty darn close and just as comforting. I use boxed chicken stock or broth, fresh herbs from my garden, as well as ground turmeric, she did not use any of those things.

So let’s get to it!

I’ll start with the chicken. Most of the time I use leftover chicken from a roast chicken dinner, and sometimes I use leftovers from a rotisserie chicken that I bought at the market. Today I’m cooking half of a chicken breast on the stovetop with a little chicken broth. When that is cooked, I will chop it into small pieces and set aside.

After cooking the chicken, I heated olive oil and tossed in finely diced carrots and onions. I cooked these until they are tender and then added the chicken and left that simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Next I poured in an entire carton of chicken stock or broth.

**I forgot to mention that I salt and pepper each layer, always. So I seasoned the chicken while it was cooking, I seasoned the onions and carrots too, and then just another light seasoning after the broth is added. I also add the turmeric to the onions and carrots. Turmeric is not only healthy for you but it also adds the golden color that we all associate with chicken soups and gravy.

So, back to the soup. After adding the broth or stock, I immediately added one cup of uncooked rice. I left that simmer on low until the rice was cooked. Just before serving I added some chopped thyme and dill, stirred them into the soup and cook for a few minutes to release the flavor and then I served myself!

This is such a quick and easy soup that is so full of flavor and so comforting. Enjoy!

Chicken Rice Soup

Serves 2

Half of a chicken breast, cooked, deboned and skin removed, chopped

1-2 T olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1/3 c carrots, diced

Few dashes Turmeric

1 carton of chicken broth or stock

1 cup uncooked rice

1T chopped Thyme

1 tsp chopped Dill

Salt & Pepper

1. Sauté onions and carrots in olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized sauce pot. Season with turmeric, salt and pepper.
2. Add cooked, chopped chicken and stir for about 1-2 minutes.
3. Pour in carton of chicken stock or broth, season with salt and pepper.
4. Add rice. Stir and lightly simmer over a medium to low heat, do not boil.
5. When rice is tender, add herbs and let simmer for a few minutes, then serve.

Turkey Noodle Soup on a Cold Snowy Night

It has been snowing here in south central Pennsylvania since about 1pm.

They initially were calling for 1-3 inches but I’m pretty sure we now have just a little bit more than that.

Can you find my little snowpup nugget? She absolutely loves the snow!

For tonight’s dinner I was just going to have some leftover stir fry from last night but after watching the snow all afternoon at work, I instead pulled some leftovers from the freezer.

I still had a little bit of turkey from thanksgiving that needed to be used, I had some buttered corn left from one of my Christmas dinners, and I always have chicken stock and some sort of noodles in my pantry. Oh, and I still have some thyme!

I have my herbs in a pot up against my house. My rosemary and thyme are still good!

There’s nothing better on a cold snowy night!

A nice bowl of noodle soup, a blanket and my pup.

Have a great evening!

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce (leftover from soup)

I made my creamy roasted red pepper soup, which I love!  The recipe is here. I had plans to go away for the weekend and I still had some soup left so I popped in the freezer.

When I returned home I thawed it and made pasta sauce with it! It was absolutely delicious!

I had just a little over 1 cup of the soup, I poured it into a medium saucepan over medium low heat, then I added a handful of some shredded Monterey Jack cheese that I had in the fridge. Maybe about a ½ to ¾ cup.

I also had a little bit of some diced tomatoes leftover so I tossed them into the pot too.

My original soup recipe is spicy but I did not have the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce so I omitted that, but for the sauce I wanted some heat so I added some ground cayenne pepper.

When the cheese was melted, I poured the sauce over my penne pasta and topped with grated Parmesan cheese and some basil that I still had from my garden.

I just loved how yummy this was!

Sausage, Corn and Potato Chowder

I love hot and hearty soup on a chilly day. It hasn’t been too chilly yet but the soup is still a wonderful meal.

This soup is easy to put together, and can be on the table and in your tummy in no time!

I started with a pound of loose sausage, I usually like using a spicy Italian sausage, which would be great for this soup but this time I opted for just a plain sausage. I wanted to use my own spices this time around.

Brown your sausage and a chopped onion, salt and pepper. As it was browning I added paprika and a few dashes of cayenne pepper.

As soon as the sausage is cooked I added 4-5 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of cooked, diced potatoes, 1-1/2 cups of corn. And I tossed in a rather large sprig of fresh thyme from my garden.

I love using thyme in just about everything. Last year I was lucky, our winter wasn’t too terribly cold and my thyme lasted all winter. I have it in a large pot by my back door. My rosemary survived as well.

Bring the soup to a light simmer, adjust the spices to your preference. After about 15-20 minutes, remove the sprig of thyme, and serve.

Sausage, Corn and Potato Chowder

Serves 4

1 pound loose, ground sausage

1 small onion, chopped and diced

4-5 cups chicken broth or stock

2 cups cubed cooked potatoes

1-1/2 cups corn

1 tsp paprika

few dashes of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 sprig of thyme

Brown sausage and onion in olive oil in a soup stock pot, salt and pepper to taste. Add the cayenne pepper and paprika.

When the sausage is cooked, add your broth, about 4 cups to start. Adding more if you prefer.

Add in the corn, and potatoes and bring to a light simmer, add sprig of thyme. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust your spices. Remove sprig of thyme before serving.

Enjoy!

Shrimp and Corn Bisque

Now that the weather has FINALLY taken a turn towards autumn and the days and nights are a little cooler, it makes me want to be in the kitchen baking treats, bread and…making soup!

This bisque has been a favorite for a while now.  It’s very easy quick and easy to make and it is practically fool proof.

You can add more cream if you like or substitute the light cream for heavy.  You could add cheese, more shrimp.  You could use sherry.  And you could always add kale or spinach too.

It is very versatile and easy to change up to what you are craving.

As always, I love some warm bread with my soup, and a glass of wine of course.

So, first you want to devein your shrimp and remove the tails.  If you are using large shrimp, cut them in half so they are more bite size.

Dice up your potatoes into small cubes, again bite size BUT if they are small cubes they will cook quicker.  I use diced frozen potatoes, the work is already done for me!!

The corn I use is just frozen yellow corn,

Using the herbs is optional of course but I still have plentiful amounts of thyme and rosemary so I have been adding them to lots of recipes!  You could use whatever herbs you have on hand and love.

 

Here’s the recipe:

3 cups shrimp, deveined and tails removed, chopped if shrimp are large

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cups potatoes, diced in small bite size cubes

1-1/2 cups corn

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

one 32 oz carton of chicken stock

1 cup light cream (or heavy cream if you prefer)

2 sprigs each of thyme and rosemary, strip the stems and chop the rosemary

slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken the soup

In a heavy soup pot, sauté the shrimp, onions and potatoes for about 10 minutes, salt and pepper.

Add the stock, tomato paste and corn, using a light simmer, cook until the potatoes are tender.

Add the cream, herbs and the slurry.  If adding kale or sherry you can add it now.

Once the soup has thickened, turn off the heat and serve.

Garnish with shredded cheese, bacon, sour cream, whatever you like.

Serve with crusty bread or I made Rosemary Focaccia bread to go with this soup.

Enjoy!

Hamburger Vegetable Soup, More like Cheeseburger Soup!

This soup is yummy!

This soup whips up quickly and is so easy to make!

And I used to make this soup many many years ago when my kids were little. It was my go to soup on autumn days when my boys played elementary football.

And my daughter disliked it!!! But I still made it and everyone else loved it and I never had leftovers.  I remember one day inviting one of her friends to come over for dinner after the game and she specifically commented that I better not be making “that” soup again (*rolling eyes).

So, on with the soup, I snapped these pictures at work when I heated the soup for my lunch.  So please excuse the awful photo’s!!

It’s just hamburger, onion, canned vegetable soup, sprigs of herbs and cheese. So maybe I should be calling this Cheeseburger Soup.

I still on occasion make it for myself, but I prepare it just a little differently.

Now I like to add sprigs of herbs like thyme and rosemary. And cheese, but not just any cheese! I use that processed cheese that comes in a foil wrapper!!! And I am not ashamed of it either!

And man oh man is it even more delicious than when I made it for my little munchkins.

So, there is no way to mess up this soup, it’s just that easy. I usually plan on about a ¾ pound of hamburger and 2 cans of soup for 4 people.

Brown your burger and onion, add salt and pepper. When that’s done, pour in the cans of soup, herbs and the cheese. You can add as much or as little cheese as you want. I only like enough to make it creamy. You only want a light simmer, just enough to heat up the soup and melt the cheese, and then it’s done.

Hamburger Soup

½ pound ground hamburger

½ small onion, chopped

Salt and pepper

2 cans of your favorite vegetable soup

Thyme, rosemary or whatever herbs you have on hand

½ cup processed cheese, cubed (more or less to your preference)

Brown the meat and onion. Then add the canned soup, cheese and herbs, bring to a light simmer. When the soup is heated and the cheese is melted, serve.

ENJOY!!!