If I had a restaurant, I would name it Soupz... My inspiration would be soups...

Yes, I've been watching America's Next Great Restaurant. Yes, I know it is terrible programming, but I'm obsessed with reality television. As Kidd Kraddick would say: Get Over It! :)


The husband wanted some grilled cheese for dinner the other night, and you can't just have grilled cheese by itself. I decided to give French Onion Soup a go! It was a first attempt, and I must say it was pretty good (considering I don't normally eat French Onion Soup).

Shopping List:
2 Large Red Onions, sliced thin ( I actually used 1 red and 1 sweet)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 cans beef broth
3 cups water
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (i also used some minced garlic)
7 slices french bread (3/4 inch slices)
1 bag mozzarella shredded cheese
1 pkg. provolone cheese slices
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
-In a Dutch Oven (or really big pot), saute onions in butter until tender. The more you caramelize the onions here, the better the soup will be. You want these onions to be melt in your mouth onions. Always remember to stir often.
-Add the broth, water, soup mix, pepper, Worcestershire, garlic powder (or real minced garlic). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
-Meanwhile, place bread slices on a baking sheet ( I lined mine with foil to avoid cheesy messes later). Sprinkle each piece with mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and then top it with a slice of provolone. (feel free to use any type of cheese you like, this recipe originally called for Swiss)
-Broil 4 inches from heat source for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top each with a toast slice.
-Yield: 7 servings.

Toast Slices... Yum

Finished Soup
If you really want to let your flavors develop, you can cook this soup much longer than 5 minutes. I would say between 30-45 minutes if you have the time.

I also noticed that our bread got super soggy right away. It might be good to toast the bread by itself before adding the cheese to give it a little more crunch.

Happy Eating

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup is a new recipe at our house! We just love the taste of this when we are out to eat, so I decided to create my own version at home. The best part about this recipe? Most of the ingredients are from a can so it is mainly a open, pour, and stir meal!

Please let me know if and when you try this in your own home!

Ingredients

The canned and packaged items

The fresh items

Shopping List

1 medium onion, diced
1 orange sweet pepper, diced

2 Tbsp. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of potato soup

1 can chicken broth

1 can Rotel tomatoes and chillies, with juice

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1/2 packet chili seasoning

1 cup 2% milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Tortilla Chips

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions

-Saute onion, pepper, garlic, and butter in a large pan until tender.

-Add soups and broth to onion mixture. Stir well.

-Add Rotel, corn, beans, and chicken; stir and let heat through

-Add taco and chili seasoning with 1 cup of milk. More or less milk can be used according to desired thickness. Add sour cream and heat through; stirring often.

-Spoon into individual bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

We ate our soup with a tasty grilled cheese (with turkey). Please be warned, this recipe make enough to feed an army (about 8 large bowls). We like to freeze the leftover soup in separate containers so we have a few quick meals at our fingertips later on!

I also did a little calculating because I really wanted to know how good (or bad) this soup is for you. With all of its cheesy, creamy, rich goodness I must admit I was a little afraid. However, with a serving size of 2 large ladles it only worked out to be 475 calories! I may have done a small happy dance at that revelation.

So there you have it. The first recipe of what I hope is many to come.

Happy Eating!