Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love making this soup, because you can make it on the stove in about a half hour or cook it all day in a crock.

12 cups water
20 ounces chopped broccoli (or if you're me, much more)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 teaspoons salt
pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1 cup cold water

Bring water to boil.  Add broccoli and onion; boil 10-12 minutes or until onions are transparent.  Add seasonings, milk, cream, butter, and cheese.  Stir until cheese melts and soup has a creamy texture.  Mix together flour and cold water for a thickener.  Add to soup, stirring rapidly and cook until soup is thick.

Mexican Corn Chowder

This recipe essentially comes from my boyfriend’s mom.  However, we make it a little bit different.  We had it for dinner tonight and I ate two large bowls.  I absolutely love it with a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla chips (in case there isn’t enough corn already!).


One of the wonderful things about this recipe is it can be made any time of year, since most of the ingredients are canned and it’s made in a Crock Pot. However, it would be great to use fresh when available too.  I know part of my family (in Michigan) who will husk and partially cook corn on the cob to freeze for the winter when it’s unavailable.

Mexican Corn Chowder

6 cans cream style corn, not drained
2 cans corn, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes, not drained (I used diced tomatoes with sweet onion tonight)
1 package bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, chopped (I just estimated it)
Chopped jalapeno, to taste (I used about a tablespoon and a half of nacho slices from a jar tonight)
2 cans potatoes, sliced OR 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced

Crock Pot directions:
Open up canned vegetables and add to Crock Pot.  Start to cook bacon over medium heat in a frying pan.  While bacon is cooking, chop up onion, jalapeno, and potatoes.  Once bacon is done cooking, discard (or store) bacon grease leaving about 1 Tablespoon of bacon in the pan.  Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the bacon fat. If using fresh potatoes, sauté those as well.  If using canned, simply add to Crock Pot without cooking them. Once the onions start to turn translucent, add pan contents to Crock Pot.  Mix together well and cook on high for 4-5 hours (or on low 8-10 hours)  or until warm.

Stove directions:
Cook bacon over medium heat in a frying pan. While bacon is cooking, chop up onion, jalapeno, and potatoes.  Once bacon is done cooking, discard (or store) bacon grease leaving about 1 Tablespoon of bacon in the pan.  Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the bacon fat. If using fresh potatoes, sauté those as well.  Once the onions start to turn translucent, add all ingredients back in and cook on the stove for 20-25 minutes.

French Onion Soup

Growing up, there was a restaurant nearby called The Sweet Onion and they were famous for their onion soup.  I've tried many since the restaurant closed and none have come close to The Sweet Onion's. This recipe was given to me by my wonderful boyfriend and is tastes nearly the same so it's definitely one of my favorite soups.

Cut up all the onions at once, even if there is more than will fit in the pan.

Start to saute the onions.  Add all onions once there's room.

Continue browning.

Once onions are this brown, proceed.

Add in part of beef stock.

Let simmer until liquid is gone and continue.

Yields: 2 quarts of deliciousness

2 1/2 lbs yellow onions, sliced very thin
2 oz clarified butter**(1/2 stick of unsalted butter)
1 quart beef stock
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste (go easy on the salt to start since there is some in the stock)
2 fluid oz. sherry (cooking wine)
Toasted French bread slices and grated Gruyere cheese, for garnish

Saute the onions in the butter over low heat.  Carefully caramelize them thoroughly without burning.  Deglaze the pan with 8 oz. beef stock.  Cook au sec (until dry).  Repeat this process until the onions are a very dark, even brown.  Add the remaining beef stock, chicken stock, and thyme.  Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes to develop flavor.  Adjust seasonings and add sherry.  Serve in warm bowls.  Top each portion with a slice of tasted french bread and thick layer of cheese.  Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

**To make clarified butter: Melt butter until milk fat separates.  Remove milk fat.  Butter should be a transparent yellow.

Potato Cheddar Soup

2 cups water
2 cups peeled potato cubes
3 tablespoons butter/margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Red and black pepper to taste
3 cups milk (whipping cream)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup cooked ham (1 cup steamed broccoli or bacon)

Bring water to boil in large saucepan. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain and reserve liquid. Measure 1 cup of reserved liquid, adding water if necessary. Melt butter in another saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook and stir until tender but not brown. Add flour and season with pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes gradually add potatoes, reserved liquid, milk, and sugar to onion mixture and stir well. Add cheese and ham, simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

-Make sure to use whisk

Cheesy Baked Potato Soup

I whipped this up for dinner last night in the Crock Pot and it almost fed 5 adults with large servings. It's been too hot in Southern California to want to use the oven or stove, so the Crock is coming in handy. Triple digits in late-September is definitely not cool!! The previous night, I made Enchilada Lasagna which I will be posting immediately after this.

1 stick salted butter (or unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp salt)
1/2 medium onion, fine dice
12-14 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-2" chunks
2 Tbsp or 3 cloves minced garlic (I used the jar kind)
1 small can chicken broth or 1 3/4 cups water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 tsp garlic salt (or garlic powder if it has enough salt)
2 Tbsp dried parsley
bacon bits, to taste
Shredded cheddar cheese

I think I used a 4 quart Crock Pot and it was about 2/3 full when done. Cut butter into pats and place on bottom of crock. Turn on high and cover with a lid to melt the butter. Peel and dice potatoes while waiting. Once butter has melted, add onion and garlic. Stir together then add potatoes. Next add chicken broth, 1 cup milk, and pepper. Stir until all potatoes are coated. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4 hours (or keep on high for 2 hours). Add cheddar cheese soup and let cook on low for another 1 1/2 hours (or high for 45 minutes). Using a potato masher, mash the larger chunks of potatoes to get a smoother consistency. Add another cup of milk, garlic salt/powder, parsley, bacon bits, and stir well. If you are going to eat this immediately, I would recommend adding shredded cheese then serving. Since we ate in shifts, each person added cheese to their bowl before eating.

Since this is designed as a baked potato soup, it would be appropriate to garnish with sour cream, more bacon bits, chives or green onions, and shredded cheese. It's a matter of personal preference.