quick and easy vegetable soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (11.5 ounce) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail
• 1 cup water
• 1 large potato, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped fresh green beans
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• salt and pepper to taste
• seasoning to taste

Recipe

• in a large stock pot, combine broth, tomato juice, water, potatoes, carrots, celery, undrained chopped tomatoes, green beans, and corn. season with salt, pepper and seasoning. bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Quick Chili I

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

Recipe

• in a large stock pot lightly brown ground beef, and drain if needed.
• add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent.
• add tomatoes, diced tomatoes with chili peppers, tomato sauce, water, kidney beans, pinto beans, chili powder, cumin, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce. simmer for 30 minutes and then serve.

Bacon Roll-ups

Ingredients

• Servings: 32
• 16 slices bacon, cut in half
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package pita bread rounds

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Ready Time: 40 mins


• preheat your oven's broiler.
• open pita rounds, and spread generously with cream cheese on the inside. replace tops, and use a pizza cutter to slice into 1 inch wide strips. cut the long strips in half crosswise. roll up each piece, and wrap with half of a strip of bacon. secure with toothpicks, and place close together on a baking sheet.
• broil for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bacon is cooked through. use a spatula to remove them to a napkin lined bowl or platter. remove toothpicks before serving.

zuppa toscana

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 (16 ounce) package smoked sausage
• 2 potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups kale - washed, dried, and shredded
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
• 1 quart water
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 55 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 10 mins


• preheat oven to 300 degrees f (150 degrees c).
• layer the sausage links a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until done. cut in half length-wise, then cut at an angle into 1/2 inch slices.
• place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear.
• remove bacon and crumble. set aside.
• add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1 minute. add chicken base or bouillon, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
• add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. simmer 4 minutes and serve.

Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 24 fluid ounces chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 40 mins Ready Time: 55 mins


• melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. place the red bell pepper, onion and garlic in the saucepan and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.
• pour in the chicken broth, stirring well, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.
• run the soup through a strainer and return the liquid to the saucepan over medium low heat. stir in the heavy cream and the ground black pepper and allow to heat through, about 5 to 10 minutes.

butternut squash and turkey chili

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 pound butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can white hominy, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Ready Time: 50 mins


• heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir for 3 minutes, then add the turkey, and stir until crumbly and no longer pink.
• add the butternut squash, chicken broth, green chilies, tomatoes, kidney beans, hominy, and tomato sauce; season with chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt. bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

good new orleans gumbo

Ingredients

• Servings: 20
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup bacon drippings
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 3 quarts water
• 6 cubes beef bouillon
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (such as tabasco®), or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning blend (such as tony chachere's®), or to taste
• 4 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons gumbo file powder
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 pound lump crabmeat
• 3 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons gumbo file powder

Recipe

Cook Time: 2 hrs 40 mins

Ready Time: 3 hrs 40 mins


• make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. this can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. remove from heat, and set aside.
• bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large dutch oven or soup pot. stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.