Schoolhouse Chicken Soup

Here's a recipe from a blog that I visit from time-to-time (http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/). I haven't tried it yet, but I will!

*Schoolhouse Chicken Soup*

In a large skillet, heat:
3 T. olive oil

Add:

8-10 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
lots of celery, thinly sliced (up to an entire head)
as much garlic as you can stand to mince, at least 4 cloves

Saute til sweaty and onion is transparent.

Transfer to a big stockpot.

Add:

2 boxes chicken stock (the large size)
6-8 frozen boneless chicken breasts
1 T. salt

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. When chicken is cooked through, turn off the flame and let cool slightly. Fish the chicken pieces out and shred or slice them. Taste the broth and maybe dress it up with the juice of half a lemon and a slug of tamari sauce.

Bring the broth back to a boil, and dump in a large bag of egg noodles. When cooked, add the chicken back, and serve with lots of pepper. I made this yesterday and fed fifteen people! This recipe works for *you*.

Chicken Soup: Making It Spicy

Use 4-5 cloves of garlic in your vegetables. After you've sauteed to the point of transparency in your onions, add 2 t. cumin and 1 t. chili powder. When you add the broth, add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Instead of choosing noodles or dumplings for the starch, stir in 1-2 cans of rinsed black or white beans and add some frozen corn, heating til it's cooked through.

Serve with any of these delights: shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, crushed tortilla chips, or salsa.

Creamed Tomato Bisque

Had this yummy bisque at my friend, Kerry's house. She's vegan and substituted the necessary ingredients and it was awesome.

1/4 lb butter or margarine
1 c chopped celery
1 c onion
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/3 c all-purpose flour
2 (1 lb, 12 oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp marjoram
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/ tsp white pepper
salt to taste

Melt butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Saute celery, onion and carrots until tender. Stir in flour. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, marjoram, bay leaf and chicken broth. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Puree 1/3 of the mixture at a time in a blender. Add cream, paprika, curry powder and pepper. Stir to blend. Add salt to taste. Serve hot or cold. May be refrigerated several days or frozen. Makes 8 servings.

Marcy Rice's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Makes about 8 servings. Great for a crowd.

Ingredients:
3 cans chicken broth (14 ½ oz. cans)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T uncooked rice
1 lg. tomato, chopped
½ c. chopped onion
¼ c. finely chopped cilantro
tortilla chips
½ c. shredded cheese

Directions:
Heat chicken broth to boiling.
Add chicken and cook until opaque.
Remove chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. (Marcy chops chicken before cooking) Add rice and cook 15 min. or until tender.
Return chicken to the broth.
Just before serving, stir in tomato, onion and cilantro.
2 ½ tsp. tobasco green pepper sauce (or 1 T chili powder)
Crush chips into bowl.
Pour soup over chips.
Top with cheese, avocado or guacamole, and sour cream.

Sherm's Christmas Clam Chowder (New England Style - White)

Clam chowder recipe with minced clams, bacon, onion, potatoes and milk. (plus a few more things)
INGREDIENTS:
* 4 (6 1/2 oz.) cans minced clams with juice
* 1 lb. bacon cut in bit size pieces
* 1 large chopped onion
* 3 stocks of chopped celery
* 8 to 10 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 4 cups. water
* 3 tsp. salt
* 1/4 pd butter
* 1/2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 tsp. pepper
* 1 can of beer
* 2 c. milk
* Garlic salt for favor it desired.
* If needed, 3 to 4 tbsp. cornstarch to thicken stock
* If garnish is desired sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley
PREPARATION:
In frying pan cook the bacon strips. While bacon is browning chop up onions and celery. Remove bacon from frying pan and place on paper towel to absorb excess grease. When cooled, cut or break the bacon up into 1/2" square chunks. Place chopped onions and celery in frying pan with bacon grease and simmer until the they are translucent in color. Remove chopped onions and celery from frying pan and place on paper towel to absorb excess grease. Set aside frying pan with bacon grease. Heat 4 cups of water in a soup pot. Add salt and pepper to the water. Peel and dice 8 to 10 medium potatoes. Put potatoes in the water and boil until they are soft and can be beaten easily with a fork.
Drain off excess water into a bowl for later use. Add 1/4 pound of butter to the hot potatoes and stir (don't completely mash the potatoes). In a sauce pan boil the 4 cans of clams in their juice until they are very soft. Add the clams, onions, celery, bacon and a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce to the potatoes in
the soup pot. Stir together. Add the 2 cups of milk, 1 can of beer
and a cup of the potato water to the mixture. Continue stirring.
Thicken with cornstarch if necessary or add more potato water if soup is to thick. Let the soup simmer for 1/2 hour to blend flavors and burn off the alcohol. Add garlic salt for favor if desired. May be served with chopped fresh parsley garnish. Have some Tabasco or Tapatio on hand for those who like to spice it up.

Potato Soup variant -
Some people don't like clams so you make this recipe sans shell fish, divide the soup base into two pots after it's all mixed, and add the clams to just one of the pots.

Tuscan Bean Soup

1 c packaged peeled baby carrots, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 15 oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)**
1 32 oz box reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 packet of Trader Joe's Savory Chicken broth
2 to 3 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 5 oz package baby spinach
Freshly cracked black pepper

In a 4-qt Dutch oven cook and stir carrots, onion and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add beans, broth, savory chicken broth packet and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Slightly mash beans. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach, tossing with tongs for 1 to 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from Heat.

Ladle soup into bowl and top with spinach, sprinkle with pepper.

Note: I have also substituted a breast of chopped up chicken breast for a can of cannellini beans, too.

** I have been using La Contena canned whole pinto beans. The spices and ingredients int he can add a great boost of flavor.