irish beef stew

IRISH BEEF STEW via damn delicious

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup beef broth**
1 cup dark stout beer
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup frozen peas

FOR THE GARLIC MASHED POTATOES***
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup half and half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To make the garlic mashed potatoes, place potatoes and garlic in a large stockpot or Dutch oven and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes; drain well and return to the stockpot.
Stir in half and half and butter. Using a potato masher, mash until smooth and creamy; set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season beef with salt and pepper, to taste. Add beef to the stockpot and cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
Add garlic, onion, leek and carrots to the stockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until well combined, about 1 minute.
Whisk in beef broth, beer, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and beef; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until the beef is tender, about 90 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine butter and flour. Add mixture to the stockpot until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in frozen peas until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve immediately over mashed potatoes.

**I used way more stock than this.  Prob because i like to add more carrots than it says.  I probably added some frozen peas in there.  Stew needs peas!

***I made these in the instant pot. 
I used a 3 lb bag of yellow potatoes.  The skins were thin so i just quartered the spuds and tossed them in the pot along with a big heaping spoonful of chopped garlic from a jar.  I added a cup of water, or if im fancy bullion or broth.  Cooked on manual or high for 10 min.  then i let it sit for 2 min before doing the quick release.  then i started mashing without draining.  Then i added butter and half and half.  If you use bullion broth you really dont need to add much more salt. add salt and pepper to taste.

Egg noodles from scratch

Five Minute Homemade Egg Noodles via Real Life Dinner
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
½ tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1½-2 cups flour + more for rolling out

Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper.Add flour, (start out with 1¼ c and add until dough begins to form. Knead 1 min to get dough into a ball shape.  Roll out very thinly on generously floured surface
Slice dough into ¼-1/2 in slices with a pizza cutter and gently place in boiling soup. Let noodles cook in boiling water for 10-15 min before serving.

notes: I was expecting these to be like the egg noodles you buy at the store.  They are not.  They were still good, but tasted more like the flat style dumplings.  Again, very tasty, just not what I was hoping for.

Crockpot Chicken Parm Soup

Chicken Parmesan soup for the crock pot via Baked by Rachael

Soup:
3/4 C carrots, chopped
3/4 C onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
30 oz petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 t salt
1 t  pepper
1 t orgeano
7 1/2 C chicken broth
6 oz spinach
3/4 C pasta

Meatballs:
1 lb gr chicken (or turkey)
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/2 C plain breadcrumbs
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 - 1 t red pepper flakes
1 egg

Mozzarella, shredded

To crockpot add carrots, onions, garlic, drained tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano and chicken broth. Cover and cook on high for 4 hrs. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In large bowl, combine meatball ingredients. Using sm cookie scoop, shape balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, bake for 10-15 min. Add meatballs to slow cooker, replace cover and continue cooking. When 4 hrs are up, gently stir in pasta and spinach. Cover and cook for 30 min.

Divide soup between oven safe bowls. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is fully melted. If using broiler safe containers, broiler may be used to brown cheese. (I just added the cheese to the soup in the crockpot and let it get all stringy and melty as I did not have oven safe bowls.)

Pizza Chili

The original recipe for Pizza chili was so thick that it was more like the consistency of sloppy joes, not chili.  I had to add a minimum of 4 cups of stock to thin it out.  Just keep adding liquid until the soup becomes your preferred consistency.

Pizza Chili adapted from The girl who ate everything
2 lb ground beef
1 lb sausage
4oz  oz sliced pepperoni, halved
1 lg  onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
1 1/2 c cooked pinto beans
1 1/2 c cooked black beans
1 jar pizza sauce
1 cup water

4 c stock as needed
2 t chili powder
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t  salt
1/2 t pepper
3 c (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a large soup pot, cook beef, sausage, pepperoni, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in salsa, beans, pizza sauce, water, stock, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle servings with cheese.

This also makes a great baked potato topper!

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili via Real Housemoms
3 T EVOO
1 sm onion, diced
4 jalapeno peppers diced, seeds removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1 t oregano
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)
1  ½ c chicken broth
1 (14 oz) can cannelloni or navy beans, drained (1 1/2 c cooked)
1 (14 oz) can corn, drained
8 oz cream cheese
1 lb bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, divided
cheddar cheese

In a large soup pot heat 2 T EVOO over med heat and sauté onion, jalapeno, and garlic until tender
Season chicken with salt and pepper, then add to pan, adding another T EVOO.  Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Toss chicken and seasonings together and lightly brown chicken on all sides. Stir in  tomatoes, broth, corn, and beans and bring to a boil.  Boil 30 min. Stir in cr cheese and stir until completely melted. Add ½  crumbled bacon. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Add more chicken broth if too thick. Serve and garnish with cheddar cheese and rest of bacon.

Turkey meatball and orzo soup

Turkey Meatball and orzo soup adapted from Will cook for Smiles
1 lb ground turkey
½ c bread crumbs
1 egg
1 garlic clove
2 tsp fresh minced dill weed (1 t dried)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T veg oil
1 lg yellow onion, diced
2  carrots, shredded
1 garlic clove
2 T vegetable oil
4 c chicken or turkey stock
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 c orzo
1 t minced fresh dill weed (1/2 t dried)

Meatballs: In a mixing bowl, combine meat, crushed garlic, bread crumbs, egg,  dill, salt and pepper. Mix until all evenly incorporated. Divide it into sm meatballs and leave on a tray while saute veggies.
Preheat 2 T  oil in asoup pot, over med heat. Add onion and carrots. Raise heat to med-high and saute veggies until they begin to caramelize. Stir often. When golden, add garlic and lower heat to med. Saute til garlic fragrant. remove veggies, set aside. Add 2T oil and meatballs. Cook til mostly done, turning after bottom golden. Once meatballs almost cooked, add  veggies, bay, salt and pepper, and stock to pot.Cook, covered, for about 15 min. Add orzo and dill. cook til orzo done, 10 min. remove bay leaf and serve!

Sausage and Grits Chowder

This dinner was so simple, Blockette, who is 9, prepared it for us with only minor supervision.

Sausage and Grits Chowder via Plain Chicken
1 lb bulk  breakfast sausage
2 cans Cream of Potato soup
1 (14.75 oz) can cream corn
3 c milk
1 Tbsp cajun seasoning (This was a bit spicy so reduce according to your tastebuds)
1/2 c quick grits (I only had regular grits, but they cooked in the same amt of time.)
1 1/2 cu water


In a small pan boil 1 1/2 c water. Stir in grits. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 5 min, til grits done, stirring often.Brown sausage over med-high heat in a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot. Stir in Cream of Potato soup, cream corn, 2 1/2 c milk and cajun seasoning. Stir in cooked grits. If soup is too thick, add more milk. Simmer over low heat until heated through, approximately 10 min.

Pumpkin Lentil Chili

Pumpkin lentil chili via Healthy Delicious
1 can (15.9 ounce) Black Beans, rinsed and drained (1 1/2 c cooked)
1 can (15.9 ounce) Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained (1 1/2 c cooked)
1 can (15.9 ounce) Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 can (15.9 ounce) Pumpkin
2 c Water
1 c Lentils
1 Onion, minced
1 Green Bell Pepper, finely diced
1 Carrot, peeled and finely diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 T Chili Powder
1 T Ground Chipotle Chile Pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on High 4 hrs or Low 8 hrs.

This is another dish that tastes great served over a baked potato!

Sweet potato chicken quinoa stew

 SWEET POTATO, CHICKEN, AND QUINOA SOUP via Chelsea's Messy Apron
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c quinoa
2 large sweet potatoes
1 can (1.5 c cooked) black beans
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
1 t minced garlic
1 packet (3T) chili seasoning mix
5 c chicken broth
Optional: fresh parsley

Spray slow cooker with nonstick spray. Remove fat from chicken and put into slow cooker along with rinsed quinoa. Remove sweet potato skins and cut into bite size cubes. add to crockpot. Drain and rinse black beans and add. Add undrained petite diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chili seasoning mix, and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3-5 hrs. Shred chicken and stir.  Add salt, pepper and parsley to taste.

Drunken Stew and Soda Bread Biscuits

I very rarely make beef stew, but I thought I would make something special for St. Patrick's Day this year. The stew I chose to make was called Drunken Irish Stew from Bakeaholic Mama. The house smelled awesome 15 min into making this day long stew, and continued to do so two days after I made it!

Since I don't make a lot of beef stew I don't know if it's the norm to add bacon and beer.  All  I know is that it made the soup smell and taste heavenly. 

Don't be like me and leave your wooden spoon to rest on the iron pot all day while the stew simmers.  I cracked my spoon in two places from all the heat and moisture.


There were only a few minor changes that I made to the recipe.  I used 1 1/2 lb beef stew meat instead of 2 lbs.  The stew seemed plenty meaty to me.  I also increased the barley from 3'4 cup to 1 cup.  I didn't have any fresh herbs so i just added dried rosemary, thyme, parsley and dill.  I also tossed in a few handfuls of frozen peas at the end for color.

About an hour before dinner I thought this stew would taste even better if I had some tasty bread to sop up all the soupy juicy bits.  Because it was St. Patrick's Day, what could be better than Soda bread?!  Unfortunately most soda bread takes 50 min to bake.  I didn't have that kind of time.  So I did a bit more research and came across a recipe over at laa loosh for Soda Bread that you bake in a muffin tin.  The cook time was only 20 min with a cool time of 5 min. Perfect! 

I was surprised how much the little mini loaves rose!  Higher than your average muffin.  The next time I make these I will score them like a traditional loaf of Irish soda bread.

Drunken Irish Stew adapted from Bakeaholic Mama
1.5  lbs beef stew meat
2 bottles of your favorite Irish Ale
6-8 c beef stock
4 large carrots peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1.5 lb red skin potatoes large chunks (about 1.5-2" cubed)
1 large yellow onion diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 herb bouquet (I just used spices to taste)
1/2 lb bacon chopped
1c Barley (I had quick cooking)
2 T tomato paste
1/2 cup of flour

In Dutch Oven fry bacon til crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  Pat stew meat dry with paper towels. Then dredge through flour.Toss into Dutch Oven with left over bacon grease. Fry on med til it browned and is lightly crisp on outside.Remove meat from pan. Cook veggies and saute in drippings til onions start to caramelize (about 15 min).  Add 1 bottle ale, stir with wooden spoon to deglaze pan.  Add meat and bacon back into dutch oven. Pour second bottle of ale and 4 c stock into pan. Add garlic, tomato paste, and herbs. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to med low and simmer 3-4 hrs. Stir every 30 min . Add additional stock thickens too much while cooking. About 20 min before serving add barley. 5 min before serving, add peas.

Individual Irish Soda Bread from Laa Loosh
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c flour
1 c reduced fat buttermilk (I used powdered buttermilk and skim milk)
4 T butter, melted
1 egg
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/3 c honey

Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. In med bowl, whisk floors, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another sm bowl (I just used a large liquid measuring cup), whisk buttermilk, melted butter, egg and honey.  Gently combine wet and dry ingred, stirring just til combined.  Scoop batter into tins with large cookie scoop to get 12 "loaves".  Bake 20 min until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan 5 min before cooling on wire rack.

Basil Parmesan Tomato Soup

This Basil Parmesan Tomato Soup, from Today's Mama, is the BEST tomato soup I've ever had.  Oh who am I kidding, it's the ONLY tomato soup I'll ever eat.  Even Blockette said it was rockin awesome.  And she is a fellow tomato hater.

One great thing about this recipe is that you can make it on the stove top or in the crockpot.  I forgot to toss the ingredients into the crockpot in time so I opted to make it on the stove.  I chopped all the veggies and had the ingredients all ready to go before I left work.  The whole thing, including simmering time, took about 1 hr from start to finish.

I used veggie stock and skim milk instead of chicken stock and half and half.  I thought the soup was rich and flavorful as it was, but I bet it would be even more insane if you used half and half. 

Here's how to make this rockin tomato soup:

Tomato Basil Soup from Today's Mama
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 c finely diced celery
1 c finely diced carrots
1 c finely diced onions
1 t dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 c fresh basil
4 c chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ c flour
1 c Parmesan cheese
½ c butter
2 c half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)
¼ t black pepper
 Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to lg slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 5-7 hrs, til flavors blended and veg soft.
 30 min before serving prepare roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 min. Slowly stir in 1 c hot soup. Add another 3 c and stir til smooth. Add back into crockpot.  Stir and add Parmesan , warmed half and half, and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed.  Cover and cook on LOW 30 min til ready to serve.

Stove-Top Version:
 Heat oil in 4 qt pot. Add celery, onions and carrots. Saute 5 min. Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. While simmers, prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 min. Slowly stir in 1 c hot soup. Add another 3 cs and stir until smooth. Add back into soup pot.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup thickens. Add Parmesan and whisk to blend. Stir warmed half and half. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The Noodle Soup

This is probably one of the few things I've made recently where I didn't use a recipe.  I made this up with my own brain.  Yes!  I can Brain.  Contrary to some people's opinions.

Because I went overboard with the noodles, it has been dubbed "The Noodle Soup."  The great thing is when I make up a dish of leftovers for Mrblocko to take with him to work, I don't need to pack any crackers.  There is literally no room for crackers in this soup.

Noodle Soup- with chicken and veggies from Mrsblocko's brain.
2T olive oil
2 small onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 medium sized carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced, leaves included if you have them
1 T cumin
1 c Salsa
8 c stock
2 c cooked quinoa
2 cooked, diced chicken breasts (mine were grilled)
18 lasagna noodles
1-2 t  Penzey's northwoods seasoning (or Penzey's northwoods fire seasoning if you can take the heat)

Boil water in a pan or tea kettle.  While the water is coming to a boil, in a large soup pot, cook onions, garlic, carrots and celery over medium heat until translucent.  About 5 min.  Add cumin and cook for 1 min.  Add salsa and cook for 1-2 min until simmering.  Add stock and bring to simmer.

Once water comes to a boil, place lasagna noodles in 9x13 pan and pour the boiling water over the noodles.  Let the water and noodles sit until the noodles become pliable, about 5-10 min.  Cut noodles into 1" wide fat strips.  Add noodles, chicken and quinoa.  Cook for 10 min until the noodles are fully cooked.  When everthing is eated through add northwoods fire seasoning.  We added ours to our bowls individually as Mrblocko likes a bit more heat in his soup.

Cheeseburger Soup in the Crockpot or Not

It's about time for me to forget to take a picture of an amazing dish!  It's soup, so it's not like it would have looked different from any other soup I've made in the past.  I even thought about swiping a picture from an old post, but then I felt guilty.  Ah, that stupid guilt.  It sticks to you like doggie doo doo on the bottom of your tennis shoe.



Anyhow...Cheeseburger soup.  This recipe hails from the blog Kitchen Meets Girl.  Blockette has declared it to be her FAVORITE SOUP of ALL TIME.  She's been talking about it weeks later about how great it is, and when am I going to make it again because it's her FAVORITE! 

The soup is pretty amazing.  It's rich and creamy, cheesy and meaty, just like a cheeseburger in soup form should taste.  The seasonings really do remind you of a grilled burger, another one of Blockette's favorite dishes.  We eat burgers at least once a week in the summer.  The winter is too cold and windy for our grill to heat up properly so I'm sure a lot of the love for this dish is wishful thinking for warmer days. 



The recipe calls for the soup to be baked in a crockpot.  I'm sure it would be faster if you just made it on the stove.  However, if it's one of those nights were you have time to prepare dinner before you do the mad crazy dash of after school activities, the crockpot would be your friend when you come home with a starving family.

I added a few diced carrots and a few handfuls of corn to amp up the veggies.  The original recipe also calls for Velveeta.  I detest Velveeta, so I used a bag of shredded cheddar cheese.  It was the kind from Kraft with the cream cheese in it.  I think it made the soup extra creamy without a ton of actual milk.  I also increased the chicken stock from 3 to 4 cups, only because I store my chicken stock in 4 cup containers and I didn't want to re-freeze a cup of stock.




Cheeseburger Soup adapted from Kitchen Meets Girl
1 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 medium onion, diced
3-5 medium celery ribs, diced
1-2 c diced carrots
1-2 c frozen corn
1 lb ground beef
2 T flour
4 c chicken broth
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk ( low-fat is fine)
heaping 1/2 t paprika
1/2 t garlic powder
2 T Worchestershire sauce
1 T yellow mustard
1/4 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper
8 ounces cubed or shredded cheddar cheese (I used shredded with cream cheese)
additional cheese for topping, if desired

Preheat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic, carrot, onion and celery to skillet and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and place in bottom of your slow cooker.
In same pan, brown hamburger. Drain, and add meat to slow cooker. Leave a few T of the fat in the skillet. Sprinkle flour over fat and cook for 1 min.  Slowly add broth about a 1/2 c at a time. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and allow to cook until just thickened. Pour over meat in slow-cooker.
Stir in your remaining ingredients, through the black pepper, including corn. Cook on low for 2-4 hours. Just before serving, add cheese and stir until it is melted. Top with additional shredded cheese, if desired.

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

I cannot believe I didn't take a picture of this soup.  I could have sworn that I did.  I think perhaps my camera ate it.  It was so yumtastic that I could see how a camera would want to.

via

In the past, I've made mashed potatoes in the crockpot, but never baked potato soup.  Let me tell you, it's a total winner.  It was the perfect meal for a freezing day on the go. Chop everything up before you go off to work and bam...delicious dinner waiting for you when you get home.

I had planned to have this with black bread that was baked earlier in a crockpot, but that's a story for another post.

• 1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g butter
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

See an Asian Pot Roast Recipe

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks, and add them to the slow cooker along with the stock, onion and garlic. Mix to combine, and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Add the grated cheese and butter, and cook for a further twenty minutes or so until the cheese has all melted. Season to taste (be generous!)
3. Serve topped with your choice of toppings – I used a little more grated cheddar, some sliced spring onions, and some sweetcorn.

Note: this soup should keep for a few days, but it will thicken up a lot as it cools. To reheat, just add it to a pan with a good splash of water and it should thin down again as it gets warm.

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

Baked potato soup in the crockpot from Amuse Your Buche
1kg/ 5 med potatoes
500ml chicken stock
1 onion, diced
4 minced cloves garlic
50 g shred cheddar cheese
2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
toppings of your choice: I used cheese, corn, green onions and turkey bacon

dice potatoes and toss into slow cooker.  I left the skins on. Add stock, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook on low 8-9 hrs.  Mash with potato masher or immersion blender.  Add cheese and butter and let them melt, about 20 min.  Add desired toppings to bowls.  This reheats well, but needs a bit more liquid as it thickens a lot as it sits.

1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)

500ml vegetable stock

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

50g cheddar cheese, grated

30g butter

Salt

Black pepper

Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

• 1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g butter
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

See an Asian Pot Roast Recipe

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks, and add them to the slow cooker along with the stock, onion and garlic. Mix to combine, and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Add the grated cheese and butter, and cook for a further twenty minutes or so until the cheese has all melted. Season to taste (be generous!)
3. Serve topped with your choice of toppings – I used a little more grated cheddar, some sliced spring onions, and some sweetcorn.

Note: this soup should keep for a few days, but it will thicken up a lot as it cools. To reheat, just add it to a pan with a good splash of water and it should thin down again as it gets warm.

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

• 1kg potatoes (around 5 medium potatoes)
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• 30g butter
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Toppings of your choice: I used cheese, spring onions and corn

See an Asian Pot Roast Recipe

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks, and add them to the slow cooker along with the stock, onion and garlic. Mix to combine, and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Add the grated cheese and butter, and cook for a further twenty minutes or so until the cheese has all melted. Season to taste (be generous!)
3. Serve topped with your choice of toppings – I used a little more grated cheddar, some sliced spring onions, and some sweetcorn.

Note: this soup should keep for a few days, but it will thicken up a lot as it cools. To reheat, just add it to a pan with a good splash of water and it should thin down again as it gets warm.

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-loaded-baked-potato-soup/#cSEJWuvUgdLHc0gh.99

Greek Black Eyed Pea Soup

Apparently it's good luck to eat Black Eyed Peas on New Years.

via

 No.

Not those Black Eyed Peas.

These:

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I wanted to make something different from the usual crockpot Black eyed pea soup I usually make.  I thought this Greek style black eyed pea stew from The Cozy Apron would fit the bill.

Sadly, while my family enjoyed it, I thought it was a bit on the bland side.  I doubled the amount of spices called for in the recipe, but it still lacked that certain something I was never able to put my finger on.  I'm wondering if the culprit might be that I used turkey stock instead of beef stock.  That is a definite possibility.

Greek Black Eye Pea Soup from The Cozy Apron
3 T olive oil, plus extra
½ pound lean ground beef ( i used 1 lb)
½ t sea salt
½ t black pepper (I used 1 t)
1 onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ T dry oregano (I used 3T)
½ teaspoon ground cumin (I used 1 t)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used a scant t)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
6 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas (I used 1 bag of dried beans that had been soaked and cooked about 6 cups)
5 cups beef (or chicken) stock, hot (I used turkey stock)
2 T flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 t lemon zest
2 t lemon juice

Place a large pot over med-high heat, and once hot, add the 3 T olive oil; once oil's hot, add  grbeef , break up to crumble,brown 2 min. add salt and pepper, onion, celery, carrots, minced garlic and dry oregano. Cook 2 min, add cumin, cinnamon and tomato paste. Stir to combine;  cook 2 min, add  the black-eyed peas and stock.  stir to combine, and simmer, covered, for 20 min; after 20 minutes, smash black-eyed peas lightly with potato masher to break them up to thicken the stew; cover, and simmer an additional 20 min, stirring ever so often to keep peas from sticking to bottom of pot; to finish  stew, add in parsley, lemon zest and juice.

From Scratch Chicken and Dumplings

I've made chicken dumplings before, but never from scratch.  The kind that I made before consisted of a few veggies, condensed soup, chicken and biscuits from a can.  Very easy and tasty. 

This version from Hip Foodie Mom was pretty tasty as well.  It contains mushrooms and dumplings with dill.  Since you are in control of the salt and fat, it's oodles healthier than the quick version.  Since there isn't all that salt and fat, it's not quite as tasty.  It does come in a close second though! 

I'm sure it would be tied if I had fresh instead of dried dill.  Fresh herbs are just so tasty!

Chicken and Dill Seasoned Dumplings from Hip Foodie Mom
3 T butter
1 med onion, cut in half moons
5 med carrots, cut crosswise into 1½" pieces
½ t dried thyme
1 c flour; split
29 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used homemade chicken stock)
½ c mushrooms; sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breastts, cut into 2" pieces
2 T chopped fresh dill (I used 2t dried)
1¾ t baking powder
½ c plus 2 T milk
1 package (10 oz) frozen peas

In Dutch oven heat butter over med-high heat. Add onions, carrots, and thyme. Cover and cook, til onion is soft, 5 min. Add ¼ c flour and cook, stirring, for 30 sec to make roux. Add chicken broth and mushrooms. bring to boil, stirring constantly; season w salt and pepper. Nestle chicken in pot; reduce heat to med-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 20 min. Meanwhile, make dumplings: In a med bowl, whisk remaining ¾ c flour, dill, baking powder, and ½ t salt. With fork, gradually stir in ½ c milk to form moist, soft batter. It should be just a little thicker than pancake batter; you can add an additional 2 T milk if too thick. Set aside. Pour peas in pot. And using a cookie scooper or spoon, drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls (or smaller if desired), keeping them spaced apart. The dumplings will swell as they cook. Flip dumplings to ensure even cooking. Cover and simmer until chicken cooked through and tender and dumplings are firm, for about 20-25 min. Serve.  (Note:  I didn't think there were enough dumplings so I doubled the dumpling part.  After 4 servings I thought the soup was pretty dumpling sparse so when I reheated the soup for leftovers I made yet another batch of dumplings.)

Crockpot Minestrone Soup

This is the last recipe I made from the zucchini harvested from my little garden.  I had to remove the plant the first week in October.  The zucchinis were only growing to half as large as a normal sized zucchini before they began rotting on the plant.  If I brought them inside, they would start to get fuzzy after 24 hours.  The one plant gave us lots of veggies, but it was time to say good bye.

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The minestrone soup was really awesome the first day.  It made a lot so I froze the leftovers.  The zucchini got a bit more mushy upon defrosting and reheating that I'd have liked, but was met with zero complaints from the peanut gallery.  Well, at least no complaints about the zucchini.

After eating the soup for the second time my husband told me he does not like cooked kale, or spinach, or any leafy green.  They do get a bit slimy so I can't really blame him.  We've come to a compromise to leave the greens out of the soup and serve them in a side salad instead.

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Cooked greens or no, this is the perfect dish to make with the last of your zucchini harvest as the weather makes the transition from summer to fall.  It's a nice healthy hearty soup that makes your insides all toasty and warm after a crisp autumn afternoon!

Crockpot Minestrone Soup from Skinny Taste
1 small onion, chopped
2 large  carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (i used 1 1/2c cooked cannellini beans)
3 c chicken broth (I used homemade)
1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind (I omitted because I didn't have it)
1 fresh rosemary sprig (I used a t of dried rosemary)
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used 2 t dried)
1/4 c chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I used 2 T dried)
salt and fresh pepper
1 med zucchini, chopped
2 c chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach or kale (I used kale)
2 cups cooked small pasta  (al dente) (I used ditalini)

Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 c broth. In crockpot, toss broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.40 min before soup done, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 min. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 min more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parm if desired.

Sausage and Bean Soup with Ditalini

Just a quick post about today's recipe.  This soup hales from The Italian Dish.

 It was super tasty!  A big hit with the whole family.

This was one of those dishes where I did all the prep work before heading to work, including pureeing half the beans with a splash of stock.  Since Blockette and I aren't big fans of chunks of tomatoes, I pureed half of those too.  I left some of the tomatoes whole because Mrblocko likes them.

Doing the prep work ahead of time meant I could just toss the ingredients in the pot and let it simmer away while I helped Blockette with homework and just generally chilled out.  I love it when all you have to do is wait and the food just does it's thing.

Look how puffy those noodles got!  They took on so much stock when they were cooking they look like they are going to explode.  Strangely, they didn't taste over cooked.  I'm not quite sure how that worked.

I will definitely make this recipe again.

Sausage and Bean Soup adapted from Italian Dish
1 c dried cannellini or cellini beans (this is about 1 1/2 c cooked) or 1 15-ounce can of any beans you like, drained - I used dried northern beans that had already been precooked
1 pound ground sausage, turkey or pork (I used Italian pork sausage)
1/2 medium onion, diced (I used 2 small onions)
1/2 medium carrot, diced (I used 1 large carrot)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
6 to 8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 cup ditalini pasta, or any small pasta
grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese  (I didn't have any so I omitted it)

If using dried beans, place them in a pot, cover with cold water and let soak for several hours or overnight. Drain. (I highly recommend precooking beans before using them in this soup.  Not only will it cut down on prep time, but it will ensure that you don't have any dreaded "crunchy" beans.")

At this point I pureed half the beans and tomatoes.




In a large pot, brown sausage. Remove from pot. If there is a lot of fat left in the pot, pour this out but do not wipe out pot. Add onion, carrot and olive oil and saute 5 min til soft. Add garlic and saute about a minute more. Add tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken broth, thyme, bay leaf, some salt and pepper, the beans and sausage. cover pot. Cook for 45-60 min over low heat, at a gentle simmer.

 If the beans are not soft enough, cover the pot again and cook for another 30 minutes or until the beans are soft. This is where having precooked beans saves you a bunch of time.  I checked my soup at 45 min, then added the pasta. Cool til the pasta is tender. This will depend on your cut of pasta.  Mine took a little less than 15 min to get fat and poofy.  Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick for your liking, you can add more chicken broth.

I'm sure you could do the simmering in a crock pot minus the noodles.  I haven't tried it, but I imagine 4-6 hrs on low should do it.  If I was making this in the crock pot I'd cook the noodles separately and add them in just before serving, just to ensure the noodles didn't get over cooked.

Turkey Tamale Soup

Are you like me? Do you purposely buy an enormous turkey just so you can have leftovers?  I'm so crazy, I buy two turkeys around Thanksgiving because they are so outrageously low, cheaper than roaster chickens per lb! 

If you are like me, you probably have leftover turkey hiding in your freezer.  We just cooked up our second turkey from November last week, so I've got a lot of leftover turkey to work with.  This turkey is slated to be used in some of our favorite turkey recipes like: Turkey Cranchiladas, Crumble Pot Pie, and Mega Burritos.

When I first started this blog I discovered websites like Foodgawker, Tastespotting, Tasteology, and finally Pinterest.  I became aware of just how many recipes were out there that I wanted to try.  Consequently, as there were so many recipes on my "to cook" list, I rarely made the same thing twice.  Then I came to the realization that some of the meals I made were so darn tasty that they were worth making again.  Sometimes I struggle to find a happy medium, preparing old favorites and experimenting with new dishes. 

That being said, I such an over abundance of turkey leftovers that I can make a lot of our old favorites, and try some new dishes too.  One of the recipes I tested out for the first time with this round of Turkey leftovers was Cheesy Turkey Tamale Soup from The Cozy Apron.

The name is not misleading!  It really does taste like tamales in soup form.

I added some of the corn after the soup was pureed, and used 3 cups of turkey.  This made the soup very thick and hearty.  It was perfect for these cold snowy March days we've been having lately.  (Hey Mother Nature, what's the deal?  Why wait until March to get all wintery?  We're all sick of the cold and snow now so let's get a move on with the spring-like weather!)

The family consensus was that this soup tasted best with shredded jalapeno cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.  Of course Mrblocko added lots of hot sauce to his as he is crazy about spicy foods.  Or maybe he's just plain crazy. You decide.

Cheesy Turkey Tamale Soup from The Cozy Apron
2 T olive oil
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 (1lb.) bag frozen, sweet corn, thawed
½ t cumin
½ t oregano
¼ t pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 T tomato paste
¼ c fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
4 ½ c chicken/turkey stock, hot
1 c broken-up, corn tortilla chips, plus more chips for garnish
1  c shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 T honey (I used 1 T sugar as our honey has solidified from sitting in the cold pantry all winter and I didn't feel like attempting to liquify it)
2-3  c  left-over roasted turkey, chopped/cubed/shredded, for topping soup

Place the ingredients through red pepper flakes in lg pot over med heat.  Stir to combine, add tomato paste, cilantro, stock and chips.  stir. boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer soup for 20-22 min, til veggies tender and chips dissolved. Remove from heat and blend in batches with a blender.  (Don't fill your blender too much or hot liquid will explode on you!  Even better, be super cool and use a stick immersion blender.)  add cheese, turkey and honey. Garnish with cilantro, cheese and chips!

Crockpot Lentil and Ham Soup

I will shout it loud and shout it proud... 

I love lentils! 

 Well, maybe I just love Ham and Lentil Soup.

This particular recipe is crockpot lentil soup from The Apron Gal.  Ham and lentil soup in the crockpot?  I was so there.

My crockpot must have been running cold, because after 4 hours on low, the lentils were no where near being done.  I cranked the slow cooker up to high for another 1 and a half hours and they were lentil perfection.

I was lucky enough to have homemade ham stock on hand instead of the suggested chicken stock.  This made for a very rich ham flavor throughout the soup.  I highly recommend using ham stock if you can.

One more thing, I only had pomegranate red wine vinegar instead of plain old ordinary red wine vinegar.  The recipe only calls for 2 tsp of vinegar, so I don't think it made any difference.

Crockpot Ham and Lentil Soup from The Apron Gal

2 medium carrots, peeled, and diced 2 ribs celery,  diced 1 medium onion, chopped   2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups dry green lentils -  (I used 1c green and 1 c red lentils - I happened to have exactly that much in the pantry) 3 bay leaves 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon cumin  3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 8 c ham stock (or chicken if you must) 1 c diced ham
Cut up vegetables into small chunks. Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove bay leaves and serve.