Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

My life has taken a huge change this week and I'm absolutely loving it. When Neal and I found out I was pregnant, we made the decision that I would quit working once the baby came so I could be a full-time stay at home mom and be with our little one. It's a dream I've always had and we both fully agreed it would be the most beneficial for our children and for us. Although I'm not due for another few weeks, my last day of work was Friday and now my sole focus is getting everything ready for our baby boy and for the move to our new house in a couple of weeks. Being at home is definitely a big adjustment since I've always either been in school or worked full-time. This is a whole new experience that I'm quickly learning to love and look forward to.

I like to talk to our baby boy when I'm by myself. Even though I'm sure I look pretty silly talking to my belly, I know he can hear me! :) When I left my work for the last time on Friday, I talked to him almost the whole way home about how excited I was to turn all of my focus and attention to him and his daddy - my two boys! Although I'm only in Day 2 of this new homemaker business, I'm determined to make it the best I can and live each day to the fullest. I'll keep you all posted on how everything's going since I know you're all dying to hear about my mundane life.. ;)

Anyway, back to the recipe here. I realize it's the middle of June and eating soup on a hot, humid 90-degree day sounds about as wonderful as getting a root canal, but we had a refreshing rain storm come through last night that cooled it off enough to make soup actually sound pretty nice! I knew it would be the last time I could get away with eating soup until around October, so I took advantage of it! There's nothing like a homemade chicken noodle soup, but I think I may have made it even better by making it creamy! I can easily say this is one of my favorite soups. Neal came home today to eat lunch with me and quickly decided this was much better than a sandwich or lean pocket any day! It's chocked full of hearty vegetables, chicken and thick noodles which absorb most of the liquid - just the way I like it. Plus there's an added bonus: it's a one-pot meal so less dishes are used and there's only one pot to clean - can't beat that, I tell you. It makes enough to comfortably feed around 4-5 people, or 2 people for several meals in our case!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. egg noodles
• 1 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken, carrot, celery and onion and saute for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and onions are translucent. Add in the chicken broth and egg noodles and bring to a boil. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until egg noodles are al dente. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and flour until the flour has dissolved. Stir into the soup and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until the soup has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and spices. Allow the heat from the soup to melt the cream cheese, stirring occasionally until dissolved. Serve warm.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I stopped by Panera Café a few weeks ago for lunch. It was a cold, rainy day and I simply couldn’t pass up a bowl of broccoli cheese soup with some warm, crusty french bread. I was smitten! I had to figure out how to make this soup for myself. After browsing through several different versions, I finally settled on this one for its’ simplicity and flavors and it definitely did not disappoint. Warm, thick and cheesy with chopped broccoli, this soup was heaven on a spoon after a long day at work. I made a few adjustments to the original recipe to better suit my tastes and to add in more flavor and it turned out great. (Recipe courtesy of Mels Kitchen Café)

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups chicken broth


• 1 small onion, diced


• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour


• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter


• ½ tsp. pepper


• ½ tsp. salt


• 2 cups milk


• 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce


• ¼ tsp. nutmeg


• 1 tsp. garlic powder


• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp


• ½ cup shredded swiss cheese


• 2 cups chopped, cooked broccoli

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. While the onions are softening, heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour, salt and pepper. Cook together, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then slowly whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium heat until soup starts to thicken, about 5-8 minutes. Add warmed chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and stir until completely melted. Stir in cooked broccoli. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately in bowls or bread bowls.

Note: To speed up the process, I put frozen broccoli in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap and microwave it for about 5 minutes until tender.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Yes, I realize that it is the middle of the summer and the average temperature around here has been 98 degrees, but I still made this soup on Sunday afternoon. Neal and I had eaten a pretty big lunch after church and wanted something light and simple for dinner, so we had sandwiches and caulifower soup. It was so easy and delicious. This is a very creamy soup and works best as a side dish rather than a main course. It also has a very mild flavor and doesn't even taste like vegetables. And did you know that one cup of cauliflower has most of your daily Vitamin C allowance? Pretty awesome! (Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Cookbook)

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 4 cups chicken broth


• 3 cups cauliflower, chopped (fresh or frozen)


• 1/2 cup whipping cream


• 1 tsp. sugar


• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg


• 1 tsp. garlic powder

In a medium saucepan, mix together the chicken broth and cauliflower and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and allow to simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Pour everything into a blender and puree until all of the cauliflower chunks are smooth. Transfer back to the saucepan and stir in the whipping cream, sugar, nutmeg and garlic powder. Warm through on low heat if necessary. Serve immediately and top with fresh chives if desired.

Note: This recipe could also be made with carrots or broccoli in place of the cauliflower. Or mix together a variety of the three vegetables to make up 3 cups.

BBQ Chicken Soup

I was craving some type of chicken tortilla soup a couple of days ago so I started to throw in a few random ingredients. I noticed a new bottle of Bulls Eye BBQ sauce I had just bought and thought, "Eh, why not?" So I poured some in and came up with a new smoky-flavored soup! It was delicious. I loved the familiar flavors and tastes of the regular ingredients of tortilla soup, but the bbq sauce added so much more flavor and a hint of sweetness that otherwise wouldn't have been there. We ate our soup with some cheese quesadillas on the side and it was perfect. Try it! I know you'll love it. (Picture courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen)


Ingredients:

• 1-2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded into small pieces
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn, frozen or canned
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients into a large saucepan and heat over medium-low until warm (about 25-30 minutes). This recipe would also work great in a crock pot with cooked or uncooked chicken on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3-4. Top soup with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips or whatever else you have on hand.