Better Recipes Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Since my son turned one I'm trying to get him off baby food and onto "table" food so I fed him this recipe. He loved this soup and made happy grunting sounds that I took to mean this is one yummy recipe. It's also easy and inexpensive to make.

Ingredients:

• 6 bacon strips, chopped
• 2 cups fat free milk
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 (7.6 ounce) package roasted garlic instant mashed potatoes
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Chives
• Sour cream

Preparations:

1. Cook bacon, drain on a paper towel, set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on top of soup.
2. Combine milk and water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; add potatoes, and stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Add 3/4 cup cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon. 
3. Spoon into serving bowls; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese, 2 tablespoons bacon and freshly ground black pepper. 
4. Top with chopped chives and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

I was out of chives!

Better Homes and Garden Split Pea Soup in a Crock Pot

I've gotta whole lot of ham left over from Christmas and no one willing to eat it! I hate to waste food so I decided the only way I was going to get rid of it was to put it in something else. This recipe is perfect for Sunday dinners because I'm home enough that I can just throw things in a crock pot and check on it periodically. With the weather being cold and frosty, this is a great recipe to warm you up on the inside and it takes very little preparation.

One thing you have to note about this recipe is that it needs salt! Throw a few shakes in while it's cooking and be sure to taste and season when it's done. Also, I threw in chunks of ham instead of a ham bone and it made the soup that much more tasty.

Ingredients:

2 & 3/4 cups water
1 & 1/2 cups dry split peas
1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
1 to 1 1/2 ham bone (if you don't have this, throw in some chopped bacon or bits of ham)
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped carrot (1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped celery (1 stalk)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

Preparations:

1. In 4 or 6 quart crock pot, combine peas, ham, spices, carrot, celery and onion.
2. Pour water and broth over over all ingredients. Stir.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. 

Keep an eye on your peas and make sure they don't run dry. You might need to add an additional cup of water towards the end.

Spicy Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

You can put leftover cooked chicken to good use with this easy recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed Cream of Chicken (Use fat free for a healthier version)
1 can (10 oz) Enchilada sauce
2 cups milk
1 cup Shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked Chicken (torn into pieces)
1 tsp Salt (it really needs this plus possibly more after you pour yourself a bowl)
10 oz Hot Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros (if you don't like spicy, make it mild)
3/4 cup crushed Tortilla chips

Preparations:

1. Combine all ingredients except for Tortilla chips in large saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.
3. Top with Tortilla chips and Sour cream.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I'm a huge fan of Cafe Rio's chicken tortilla soup so I thought that I'd try to make a homemade version. This recipe is great for Sundays.

Ingredients:

1 14.5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes in Mexican sauce

1 lb of chopped chicken breast

4 ounces of green chiles chopped

1/2 large onion chopped

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 teaspoon of dried Cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2 cups of water

1 can of chicken broth

12 ounces of Enchilada sauce

tortilla strips

Preparations:

1. Chop chiles, onion and chicken. (I used my small food processor and it saved a ton of time.)


2. Pour chicken broth, enchilada sauce, water and stewed tomatoes into crockpot. Mix well.


3. Add cilantro, salt, garlic, chili powder and cumin to mixture. Mix well.


4. Add chicken, chilis and onion to crock pot.


5. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.


6. Top with tortilla strips and sour cream.

Servings: 4

Amazing Taco Soup - Crock pot Recipe

I found this recipe via Petite Chef and it is so good and easy! I adapted the recipe from the Dunkins cooking blog.

Ingredients:

1 Can (15 oz) - Chili
1 Can (15 oz) - Whole Corn, with liquid
1 Can (14.5 oz) - Diced Fire Roasted Tomato, with liquid
1 Can (8 oz) - Tomato Sauce
1 Can (15 oz) - Black Beans, with liquid
1 Packet - Taco Seasonings
2 Tablespoons of chopped onion

Preparations:

Dump everything into your crock pot. Stir really well. Cook on high for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese.