Kind of a Chef Boyardee copycat version of their lasagna or pasta but also is lasagna soup (or stew if you make it thicker like I did)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lasagna soup was one I saw on social media from McCormick spices, and although I didn't have lasagna noodles on hand, it looked really easy and surprisingly good to me that afternoon so I decided I'd whip it up for dinner.  I don't actually love 'soup' for dinner and I'm not a huge fan of lasagna or any of its soup equivalents.   But it was really cold that day, and this recipe was so easy to throw together in a pot and forget about it that I decided to make it.

At first I didn't think it was one I'd bother putting on my website for future reference but when I had leftovers the next day I realized it tasted a lot like the Chef Boyardee version I remembered from my childhood... and decided to put here just in case I ever felt like making it again.

Another quick note - I used food storage items in this too so if you need to use your freeze dried ground beef, this is a good way to do it.

 

 

Loosely based on the Lasagna Soup recipe by McCormick - but then winged it on my own version

2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced (or used the equivalent of dried)
1 lb. ground beef (used freeze dried - with some bouillon added for flavor)
2 cans diced tomatoes (14 oz each)
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t dried oregano (I used more like 2 teaspoons)
1-2 t dried basil
salt and pepper
4 c chicken stock or made with chicken bouillon base 
A handful of pasta - lasagna noodles broken up or penne, etc.

Brown the ground beef and onion in the oil.  Add everything else, bring to a boil and then simmer until the noodles are soft.  Add more water as needed if you are using freeze dried foods or if you want it more 'soup' and less thick.  It was even better the next day - it had thickened up to ChefBoyardee style and texture and tasted a lot like it.   

 

 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

 

 

Back in high school I had wrote down a recipe for broccoli soup we had made in Home Economics class (now known as Family Consumer Science).  I've been making it ever since. 

Tonight's dinner version of it used pantry, shelf-stable milk and Velveeta from the pantry as well.  I was prepared to use freeze dried broccoli but was gifted fresh broccoli by a friend so I used that instead (yay!). 

I don't use a recipe as I've been making it so man years, but here is the 'recipe' off the top of my head - all amounts are approximate.  Adjust as you wish.  I usually end up doubling it.  When we had all the kids at home I would triple it.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2 T flour

2 T butter

3 c milk

dash of tobasco sauce

pepper
1 t chicken base or chicken bouillon (optional)
2 oz Velveeta or cream cheese

1 1/2 c cooked broccoli

Melt butter in a pan on the stove and whisk in flour.  Add a dash of tobasco sauce and pepper to taste.  Add the milk all at once and whisk smooth.  Add the chicken base or bouillon, whisk. Remove from heat.  Add the cheese and broccoli.

Food Storage: Beef Stew (made in the Instant Pot this time)

 

SLOW:  I've posted this recipe many, many times over the years.  It's my favorite beef stew and I typically make it in the crock pot and let it cook 5-6 hours.  It's a no-work recipe that tastes incredible.  However, I've never tried to make it in a 'rush' before.  I've never had to.  Yesterday... I did.  And it turned out great!

FAST:  Yesterday, time got away from us and suddenly I realized my husband had to leave for work in about 25 minutes and we needed to find him a dinner to take, as we had no leftovers to throw together this time. I looked at a package of ground beef I had taken out of the freezer that was lying on the counter, and suddenly decided to see if I could throw this beef stew together SUPER FAST by using the instant pot pressure cooker, but also because since we are using food storage, most of our foods are pre-cooked in various ways already, which would cut down time.

FOODS:  The package of ground beef was one I ground from chuck roast last Fall and food sealed for the deep freeze.  However, I could just as easily used freeze-dried ground beef, canned beef, leftover steak or hamburger, diced beef (either fresh or freeze dried), etc.  I had home canned potatoes and home canned carrots on hand (again, could use freeze-dried, dehydrated, canned, etc.).  I had sliced mushrooms in the freezer, and a package of dehydrated corn I had dehydrated myself as a 'trial' last summer when I bunch leftover from a family vacation. 

I've NEVER tried to make this 'super fast' before using a pressure cooker. But it turned out perfect and so good that I ended up going back for 3rds and we plan to have it today as well. 
 

 

Beef Stew

3 c cubed, peeled potatoes  (I used home canned)
4 medium carrots, sliced  (I used home canned)
1 medium onion, cubed  (Use dried minced or freeze dried, but I had one fresh on hand)
2 lb. steak or other beef, cubed or cut to about 1" pieces  (I used frozen ground beef, thawed in the microwave)
2 T oil  (had avocado oil on hand)
3 T flour
2 beef bouillon cubes  (used 1 1/2 tablespoons beef base)
2 c boiling water  (used cold from tap)
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 c ketchup
1 T prepared horseradish (Horseradish Cream - the kind for sandwiches, looks like mayo)
1 T prepared mustard
1 T sugar
1 c peas  (didn't have, left out)
1 c corn  (used dehydrated - added dry)
1 c fresh sliced mushrooms  (used frozen, bought, sliced and froze last summer/fall)
I added a handful of sliced cabbage as well

Place the potatoes, carrots and onions in a slow cooker.  In a large skillet, brown the beef in oil.  Lay on the vegetables in the slow cooker.  Sprinkle with flour.  In a bowl, dissolve the bouillon cubes in the water and stir in the vinegar, ketchup, horseradish, mustard and sugar.  Pour over meat in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high about 5 hours.  Add the peas and corn and mushrooms.  Cook an additional 45 minutes.  Makes about 5-6 servings. 

Yesterdays Instant Pot Fast Version:  Heated instant pot to saute with oil.  Added partially thawed ground beef, broke up and browned in pot.  Added onions and flour, blended.  Added the potatoes, corn and carrots along with the water, bouillon base, vinegar and ketchup.  Added the horseradish, mustard and sugar, stirred gently.  Topped with the mushrooms.  Put the top on, sealed it and put the timer on to pressure cook on high 20 minutes.

_________________________________________________

The instant pot 20 minute version worked PERFECTLY.  

 

Homemade Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I've posted this recipe before - and most recently back on January 13th, which is the last time we had it.  This photo is really blurry because I was snapping a super fast picture of my soup before I ate it.

Earlier today I made a loaf of my daily bread and used that to make oven-baked grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup.  It was absolutely delicious and so perfect for a chilly night.

This is some butter, oil and dried minced onion.  Off to the side is a large can of tomato sauce, which I've put the dried basil and thyme into.  The small red cap is the top of the chicken base I used to make broth.

 

 

Baking soda, broth, flour and evaporated milk

 

Mixing in the evaporated milk.......

 

Warming through after the baking soda and sugar was added along with the milk

Homemade Tomato Soup

5 T butter
1 T oil
3/4 c sweet onion, diced  (Used 1/4 c dried, minced onion)
3-4  cups worth of fresh tomato puree (approximately) or crushed or pureed tomatoes in a can - 28 oz. (Used 28 oz can sauce, plus leftover tomato paste (about 1-2 oz. and an extra can of tomato sauce - about 12 oz.)
1/2 t dried basil 
1/4 t thyme
3 T flour
1 3/4 - 2 cups chicken broth (bouillon, homemade or canned)  (Used 1 1/2 - 2 T chicken base and 2 cups water)

1/4 t baking soda
2 T sugar
12 oz. evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and basil/thyme. Simmer about 10 minutes. 

Combine the flour into the broth and whisk or beat with a fork until smooth.  Add to the soup, stirring constantly. Simmer on low 10-15 minutes.  Add the baking soda, sugar, milk and salt and pepper.  Heat through and serve.

 

*Note:  If you are using fresh tomatoes, plunge them into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then into cold water and slip the skin off before chopping up and adding them to your blender to puree.  If you are using canned, diced tomatoes you have the choice of blending them smoother OR leave them chunky for a soup with body.  If you are using puree from a can, no need to use a blender at all.

 

I usually substitute what tomato products I have on hand or want to use up.  I mix and match amounts of fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, crushed, puree, sauce, paste... 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Storage: Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Soup

 

Had absolutely NO idea what I was going to make for dinner.  As I stood in the kitchen thinking, I decided something to go with the fresh loaf of 'daily bread' I made this morning. 

Soup.  A hearty, thick, creamy soup.

Not sure what kind of soup I'd make, I started with the basics.  Dehydrated celery in a pan with some water.  Heat it.  Onions.  I had 1/3 of an onion in the fridge to use up (I bought onions in October or November and still have 2 or 3 left).  1/3 was not enough so I added about 2 teaspoons dried, minced onion.  Let that come just to boiling, turned off the heat and left them while I finished doing...  all the things.

Back in the kitchen later.  What next.  What kind of soup do I want to make?

I have celery and onions cooked and tender now.  Opened freezer.  Mushrooms!  I had sliced and food sealed mushrooms last Fall.  Grabbed one.  Added it (frozen) to the celery and onions mixture, and put it on simmer.

Back to... all the things with the 3 and 1 year olds.

Ok.  Back to the kitchen.  Soup. 

I have a small pan with with celery, onions and mushrooms in about an inch of liquid.

Another pan on the stove... scoop in a few tablespoons of flour.  Added a few tablespoons of butter. 
Heat the rue and whisk.

Grabbed a 1 1/2 pint jar, filled it with 1/3 whole milk powder and filled the rest to the top with cold water.  Shake shake shake.  Added to the flour/butter rue.

Got out the heavy cream powder.  1/2 the jar with heavy cream powder, the rest to the top with cold water. Shake shake shake.

Added to the pan.  Whisked until it came to a bubbling boil.  Reduced heat.  Added 1 T chicken bouillon base and 1 1/2 cups water. Whisk.

Cheese drawer.

3/4 of an 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3 oz. cheddar, cubed
6 slices American Cheese

Whisking and stirring until it's melted.  Add in the celery/onion/mushrooms.

Ok now we have a thick, creamy mushroom and cheese soup...  it needs... bacon!

Into the freezer and grabbed the bag of crumbled real bacon bits (the sam's club bag which I have 2 more in the freezer - woohoo!).

And... heat through.  Serve!

Onion
Celery
Mushrooms

Butter
Flour

Milk powder
Heavy Cream powder
Chicken bouillon base
Water
Salt and Pepper
Crumbled real bacon
Cream Cheese
American Cheese
Cheddar Cheese

Homemade Chicken Soup with Noodles - (after cooking and de-boning leftover turkey and freezing it and the broth)

Tonight we had homemade Chicken Soup for dinner but the afternoon was spent doing this... simmering a smoked turkey to get food sealed bags of cooked turkey to use for future meals and broth for the same.

This was a great deal at the store after last Thanksgiving - a whole smoked turkey that went down to about $5.  It went into the deep freezer at the time.  I brought it out at some point and roasted it to heat it through (because they are already precooked by the smoking process) and we had it for a meal but it was wrapped tightly and put back into the deep freezer until I had time to do exactly what I did today.

I filled a pot with water and put the whole turkey in.  Brought it to a boil and then reduced heat to let it simmer a few hours until it was completely heated through again and falling apart.  Removing the turkey to a large pan, I strained the broth, saved about 4 cups for our soup and bagged up 12 cups into food sealed bags for the deep freezer. 

I de-boned the meat, used some for the soup and food sealed the rest and froze them for future meals. 

I've posted the soup recipe before but it's quick and simple so here it is again...

Homemade Chicken Soup with Noodles

2 chicken breasts, or equivalent (dice, cube, shred, etc. uncooked is fine if you have time to cook the soup longer)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cans water
1/2 a stick of butter (4 oz)
pepper to taste
Pasta (noodles) of choice, uncooked

In a crockpot or soup pot place the chicken and water along with the can of soup, butter and pepper.  Cook for about 5-6 hours on low in a crock pot slow cooker or about 2-3 hours on high; or cover and cook on the stove until your chicken is done and you can shred/cut it.  Add the noodles about an hour before serving time in the slow cooker or about 15-20 minutes prior to serving if cooking on the stove.  If you had the pasta too early it will get huge and mushy.  

 

 

 

I've tried 'doctoring' this up and honestly it's really good just as it is.  If you must add 'something' a little parsley for color or some tiny diced bits of carrot but I don't like any of the typical herbs or spices added to this one.  It seems perfect just how it is.

 

 

 

 

Split Pea Soup and Homemade Artisan Bread in a Dutch Oven

Today I glanced through the kitchen pantry, brainstorming ideas for dinner.  I spied a bag of split peas. Like most of the country and Canada right now, it's freezing cold, so split pea soup seemed like a delicious idea. I just had to make sure I could make it from our food storage items.

Store Items and Substitutions.....

Split Peas... check.
Water, ok.  Salt and pepper, yes.  Dried Marjoram, yes.
Onion... yes!  I still have a handful in the onion bin - one was starting to sprout, so he gets used for sure.
Ham hocks or meaty bone.  Sigh.  No.  But I do have ham deli meat in the freezer and I know I have Spam in the long term storage! 
Celery, potatoes and carrots?
I have that large #10 can of dehydrated celery (I previously posted about) bought in 2012. 
I don't want to use up my canned potatoes as they are going quickly and I really had no idea we'd be using them in 2024.  I do have mashed potato flakes and dehydrated potato hash browns in storage though!  Mashed flakes will do.
Carrots?  Yes.  Thanks to 10 lbs. fresh carrots that someone couldn't use and gave to one of my young adult daughters, who also couldn't/wouldn't use them, she had brought them to my house last month and I gladly accepted them.  I have fresh carrots! 

 

A basic recipe, repeated in similar versions in almost every church cookbook or organization cookbook you find.  Tiny differences in the water amount (2 quarts or 3 quarts) and the celery, potatoes and carrots could be anywhere from 3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cup.  Other than that, pretty much the same.  And then just add 1 cup of cooked ham or pieces at the end.  I also added 1 T chicken base (bouillon) since I didn't have ham base and I didn't have a ham bone to add a lot of flavor.

One thing I did DIFFERENT this time... made it in my Instant Pot!  I will gladly do this every time from here on out. After rinsing and going through the split peas I did NOT precook or boil them.  I put them in the instant pot with 2.5 qt. water.  Added the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the ham and the mashed potato flakes.  Sealed it and set it to pressure cook for 30 minutes. Let it set for 5 minutes before releasing the seal.  Added the diced/chopped spam (ham) and stirred enough about 3/4 cup mashed potato flakes to make it thick and creamy, the way we prefer it.

While it cooked I used my 'daily bread' from the fridge to plop into a round on parchment and heated my Dutch Oven inside, while I preheated the oven to 400.  Popped the parchment paper and dough right into the pot, put the lid on and baked for 35 minutes.  Turned the oven off, took the lid off, and left the bread in for another 10 minutes, then removed.

The bread dunked in the soup for dinner tonight was so very comforting, warm and delicious.

 

  

Homemade Tomato Soup

 
Mr. Husband had surgery yesterday and today I was determined to make some sort of hot, healthy soup for dinner.  I was craving tomato soup and it just so happens our regular, go-to tomato soup is perfect for using food storage items because it uses canned tomatoes and canned milk anyway! 

We've been making this one for years and it's a favorite.  You can play with the amount of onions a bit, and you can add extra tomato if you wish.   This is awesome with evaporated milk but you could use cream or half and half if you wished.  I've made it in the past with regular milk as well although I used a little more flour to thicken.

Homemade Tomato Soup

5 T butter
1 T oil
3/4 c sweet onion, diced
3-4  cups worth of fresh tomato puree (approximately) or crushed or pureed tomatoes in a can - 28 oz.
1/2 t dried basil or about 1 teaspoon fresh, diced
3 T flour
1 3/4 - 2 cups chicken broth (bouillon, homemade or canned)

1/4 t baking soda
2 T sugar
12 oz. evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and basil. Simmer about 10 minutes. 

Combine the flour into the broth and whisk or beat with a fork until smooth.  Add to the soup, stirring constantly. Simmer on low 10-15 minutes.  Add the baking soda, sugar, milk and salt and pepper.  Heat through and serve.

 

*Note:  If you are using fresh tomatoes, plunge them into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then into cold water and slip the skin off before chopping up and adding them to your blender to puree.  If you are using canned, diced tomatoes you have the choice of blending them smoother OR leave them chunky for a soup with body.  If you are using puree from a can, no need to use a blender at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Chicken Chili - A creamy version

Is a really crappy, quick, low quality photo snapped on my phone really quickly better than no photo at all?

 

 

Creamy White Chicken Chili

2 T butter or oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
fresh minced garlic
2 lb. chicken (either ground or diced pieces)
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1 t oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3 small cans green chilies, diced
1 can, rinsed and drained black soy beans (for keto chili) or regular black beans for non-low carb
1 c chicken broth
1 c heavy cream
8 oz. cream cheese
1-2 T fresh lime juice

Cook the onions and green pepper in the butter or oil until translucent and soft.  Add the garlic (1-4 teaspoons depending on much you like).  Cook 1 minute more.  Add your chicken pieces and cook until they are done (about 8 minutes should do it).  Add in the spices.  Stir.  Add the green chilies and beans if you are using any; add the broth and heavy cream.

Cut the cream cheese into pieces and add, simmering and stirring until they are melted.  Add about 2 T fresh lime juice - I never measure, I just squeeze and sometimes it's probably closer to 3 T.  Simmer on low until you serve it.  Don't let it boil since it has cream in it.

Serve as is, or sprinkle with some shredded cheddar on top or even some cilantro.

Homemade Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup - (THIS ONE!!!!)

 

This is my all-time favorite chicken noodle soup that I've been making for about 10 years now as it replaced my previous favorite chicken noodle soup recipe.  I've had the recipe in my files for about 25 years - but only regularly started to make it about 10 years ago. 

You would think I knew the recipe by heart, but because I only try to make it when I have keto or low carb pasta on hand, and typically only in the fall and winter... I don't know it by heart.  Too much time passes between making it.

The reason I put *THIS ONE* in the headline is for me so I can find it quickly, glancing over my files. 

Egg noodle style pastas work best with this one.

(Amounts are approximate - use as much or little as you wish.  I use more celery when I don't use carrot, etc.  and I typically use 1/4 c half and half instead of 1/2 c milk because we don't have milk on hand but we usually have cream and half and half because we are primarily low carb.  See how you can play with this recipe?  But don't leave out the milk and butter, it's part of the delicious flavor of it.)

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken breasts
water
salt
1 T chicken bouillon paste/base or a couple cubes
1/2 c diced fresh onion
1/2 c diced fresh celery
1/2 c carrot (left out to make lower carb)
1/4 c butter
1/2 c milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c noodles

Cook 2-3 chicken breasts in a pan of water (usually about 6 cups), along with about 1/2 cup of onions, celery and some carrots if you are using them.  Simmer until done.  Remove the chicken and dice it up, and add back into the pan. 

Add the bouillon and noodles.  Simmer until the noodles are just tender but not yet soft.  Add the butter, milk and soup.  Salt and pepper according to your taste.

Let simmer on low - but don't let it boil - about 4-5 minutes more and serve.

 

 

Notes

I like to use leftover chicken or pre-cooked chicken to make this even faster.  I regularly precook chicken breasts in my instant pot and food seal them for the deep freezer for an easy meal later.

You can use rotisserie chicken you've bought from the store as well.  But if you use already heavily seasoned chicken (like the rotisserie style) don't use any bouillon soup base or paste and don't salt and pepper until you've tasted it at the end before serving.  This also changes the flavor from the original recipe - it's not bad - but it's not the original flavor.

This is amazing with homemade noodles.  If you are low carb or keto you have to use a store bought low carb pasta to make this, but I often decide it's totally worth it to make my original version, which used homemade, flour based pasta.  It's one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.

Creamy, Spicy Keto White Chicken Chili (with an option of beans that are low carb and keto friendly) and UPDATE it makes amazing enchiladas the next day!

Adding this photo and update - this was my plate of chicken enchiladas the next day - literally as I was getting ready to take a bite and dig in!  I remembered to grab my cell phone and snap a quick picture!

A great way to use the leftovers of my cream white chicken chili.... a low carb tortilla wrap!

The next day's leftovers made into a low carb chicken enchilada... SO GOOD

A really bad photo of a really good white chili!  I grabbed my old iphone and quickly snapped a couple photos yesterday for instagram, but never did get around to taking any better pictures.  I have two really good white chili recipes - only one of them is low carb or keto (this one).  But the other one is so good that I do cave and make it sometimes with the white beans, because I love them so much.

 
The first night:  White Chicken Chili

 

Spicy White Chili (low carb/keto option)

3 T butter
3/4 c chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 T minced garlic
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced or use rotisserie chicken, leftovers or even canned chicken
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1/2 t oregano
salt and pepper
1 small can diced green chilies
4 to 8 oz. fresh, sliced mushrooms, chopped or not, up to you and amount is up to you
optional 1 or 2 cans Eden brand black soy beans (not regular black beans, those are high carb)
2-3 c chicken broth
1 c heavy cream
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1 small fresh lime, juiced (about a tablespoon)

Saute' the onion and green pepper in the butter in a pan.  Add the garlic, cook for another minute or two.  Add the chicken, the seasonings, mushrooms and chilies along with the broth and cream.  If you are using black soy beans, rinse them well and add them.  Heat through, then add the cream cheese and lime juice and continue to stir and heat through until it's smooth and creamy.  Simmer on low.  Serve.

RANDOM NOTES OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD

The mushrooms.  You can leave them out if you don't like them!  Totally optional.
I used my own dehydrated green peppers (LINK TO THAT POST HERE) and just added about 1/4 cup water to the butter in the pan when I was cooking the onion/peppers to help re-hydrate them.
The chicken used this time was 2 chicken breasts I precooked a couple days ago with seasonings and then placed into mason jars with some of the broth as well as one raw chicken breast I grabbed from the freezer, thawed just enough to dice it up and then cooked it in the pan with the onion and pepper.
I decided to try to cut down to one package of cream cheese and see if it was acceptable... it wasn't.  The second package really does make it nice and thick and creamy and brings out the chicken/cheese flavor.

UPDATE TO ADD:

These make amazing enchiladas!

The leftovers in the refrigerator really thickened up the next day - which was perfect to grab 2 low carb tortillas and fill them up!  It just made the most amazing low carb chicken enchiladas.  Two meals from one... I like those!

Homemade Chili - the best one I've ever found to give my regular 'go to' chili recipe a run for its money!

 

As I scoop the last spoonful into my mouth, I'm now immediately coming to the laptop to write down how I made tonight's chili, because it's the first time I've ever really liked a chili more than my regular "go to" chili I've made for years.  I still love 'my' chili but I love this one just as much - and that is something I've never said before about any chili I've had in almost 20 years.

Even though we are typically low carb and keto - when it's winter time, I crave chili once in a while and I absolutely love chili with beans.  L.O.V.E. my chili with beans.  Beanless chili is... fine I suppose but I'll pass it up for whatever other food item is available.  I love the texture and feel of a chili made with beans.  That is why even though we almost never have beans at other times; when it's December and January and I'm craving chili... I will make it with carby-chili beans and that's all there is about that!

Now, tonight I made a different version than my regular 'go to'.  I started with my general go-to, I used a couple ingredients from another chili recipe (Worcestershire I'm talkin' to you), and then improvised what I thought would be good in it.  Oh it is good.  So good that I want to make sure my young adult kids have the recipe at their fingertips if they want to make it.

 

Homemade Chili

4-5 slices bacon
1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage (crumbled)
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 medium onions
3 t minced garlic (fresh)
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 can medium green chilies, diced
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T chili powder
2 cans (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (15.5 oz.)  Bush's Black Chili Beans
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in a pan until crispy and break up with your spatula.  Add the sausage and ground beef and brown it - adding the onion towards the end.  During the last 2 minutes of cook time, add the garlic. Turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients to a crock-pot or slow cooker of choice; or you can slow cook the chili on the stove all afternoon too.  Up to you.  But in the crockpot or a large pot, put the green peppers, green chilies, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, tomatoes and beans.  Add the meat and onion mixture.  Stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slow cook all day or at least 3-4 hours if you can wait that long. 

 

(You can serve with bread and butter or cornbread.  Tonight I served with sugar free keto coffee cake muffins; the muffins with a bit of cinnamon in the topping paired perfectly with the chili.)

 

 

 

 

Bacon and Potato Chowder - Thick, rich, homemade and oh so good!

It's cold.
It's raining.
It's dark and gray outside.

It's day just calls for a hot, comforting, homemade soup.
And homemade bread.

And since we still have house guests this month and we have found it almost impossible to stick to low carb and certainly impossible to do keto... I'm giving in today and going all the way.  A thick, delicious, hearty homemade Potato and Bacon Chowder.  It's soup obviously, but so thick and rich and chunks of yummy bacon, potatoes and some onions and celery... oh it's a heavenly chowder.

Yep, it's a blurry photo.  Ha ha.  But as I always state here on An American Housewife - this is a food and recipe blog.  Not a photo blog.  It's about the food.  Good, real food.  Not how great the photos are.

Bacon and Potato Chowder

As usual, I don't measure and don't use precise amounts.  I'll give an approximate and basically, use a little more or less depending on what you like.  Do taste tests.

2 cups dehydrated hash browns, reconstituted OR about 2-3 potatoes, diced, OR about 8 small little potatoes, diced up
1 cup water to cook potato dices (don't have to use if you are using reconstituted hash browns or about 2-3 cups frozen hashbrowns)
2/3 c bacon crumbles (grab about 6-8 strips)
1 medium onion or about 3 or 4 green onions, diced
1 or 2 stalks celery, diced small
1 can cream of chicken soup  (You can make your own homemade version if you refuse to use a canned cream soup.  But you know, the homemade version isn't much different ingredient wise!)
1 c sour cream
1 1/4 cup of half and half, cream or whole milk (I opt for half and half or cream... always)
parsley
salt and pepper
optional - onion powder

You can dice your bacon up and then cook it or you can cook it first and then crumble it.  If you have 'real' Hormel bacon pieces on hand and no actual bacon... go for it.  But I wouldn't use bacon bits (imitation unless I had to.  You can, but it won't taste like real bacon).  Cook the bacon until done.  Add the diced potatoes if you are using them, and the onion and celery.  Add the cup of water to the pan (with the bacon and drippings) and cook about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 

If you are using hash browns (I use both real, diced potatoes for chunks and hash browns for a nice thick, hearty soup) you can add them with their re-hydrating water once the potatoes/onions/celery are soft.

Now you add the rest of the ingredients and you continue to cook, and stir until heated through.  The amount of cream or half and half is going to be relative to your soup/chowder.  Figure about 1 1/4 cups and then as it cooks through, especially if you've used hash browns, you might need to add a cup or two more.  It's all according to you.  How thick do you want it?  Taste it too!  Salt and pepper to your tastes.  I'd say about a teaspoon of salt and 1/8 pepper.  Parsley is 1/4 cup dried... more or less.

Just heat through and serve.  It's one of those things you can't really get wrong.  It tastes good no matter what I think.

I serve with homemade bread - which you can find a ton of recipes for here on An American Housewife - just use the search box to the right or at the top of the page.

Emergency Storage Food: Bacon Flavored Potato Chowder - For camping, food storage, or just a meal!

Although I don't talk about it on An American Housewife as much as I really planned to, I am a huge proponent of having emergency food storage on hand.  Food, water, power sources, cooking sources that don't involve powder, skills and more. With that in mind.....

Two years ago I decided to camp from the eastern border to the western border of South Dakota.  During this trip, I decided to stock up on freeze-dried and dehydrated foods so we (my daughter and I) didn't have any concerns about meals! I ordered a lot of pouches and cans of emergency storage food ahead of time that I knew I loved, as well as some new ones like this Bacon Flavored Potato Chowder.  I opened the cans and food-sealed the freeze-dried vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and dehydrated butter powder into smaller portions. Then I fit everything into one small suitcase that was our 'food' case for our 2 week trip.

When my daughter and I had this soup for dinner one evening, it was fabulous.  We absolutely loved it and finished off the whole pouch, which is basically 4 cups of chowder.  But since I don't use our food storage for our everyday meals (that would be expensive!), I've not had it since.

Until now.

I kept out a pouch and today, decided we would have it with dinner tonight.

This is actually a photo I took of the product on that camping trip... we were serving it with freeze-dried corn.

And here is a close up I took on that camping trip, because apparently I really, really loved it!

So how did it measure up to my memory???

At first... it didn't.

When I added the hot (almost boiling) water to it and gave it a stir, I was thinking it was watery and smelled... chivey?  Chives or onion was about the only smell it had.  But I knew it would thicken up upon setting so I waited the 7-10 minutes it takes per directions.

However, it still wasn't all that thick.  It does best with boiling or almost boiling water, and in a container you can seal (like the pouch it comes in).  Because I was only making 1 cup, I popped it into the microwave for 75 seconds.  And it thickened right up!

And?  The first bite was fine.  The second bite was... fine.  The third bite... wow, this really is good.  The rest of the bites?  Oh yes... I remember now why I loved this one!!!  Yum!

The bacon flavor is faint, so it's not overwhelming at all.  The chive/onion I thought would be too strong also mellowed out once it was thick and heated through.  It was just so, so good.  Great for a cold or chilly day or night.

Is it healthy?  Depends on what's important to you.  My answer is 'not really' because I mostly eat fresh, unprocessed foods.  This is made with sunflower oil, corn syrup solids and modified corn starch in the ingredient list. I also don't eat sugar, and this has 3 grams.  But I don't plan on eating this every night for every meal!  Camping trips, emergency storage, and quick and easy, no work on a cold winter night?  Sure!

Homemade Creamy Jalapeno Soup and our Lower Carb Cream of Jalapeno Soup

Cream of Jalapeno Soup

4 T butter
3 jalapenos, shopped fine (or just use store bought from a jar, or can and chop them)
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
3 T flour
1 lg. carrot, chopped or grated
3 c chicken broth
1 lg. green pepper, chopped fine
2 c whipping cream or half and half (or use milk in a pinch, it just won't be as thick or rich)
2 c cheese (swiss, mozzarella, cheddar... use what you have on hand for different flavors each time)

In a saucepan melt 2 T butter. Cook onion, celery, carrot and green pepper over medium heat until tender. Stir in jalapeno's. Remove all from saucepan. Melt 2 T butter, stir in flour and cook 2 minutes while stiring or whisking. Gradually add the broth and cream. Whisk smooth, increase heat and bring to a brief boil. Reduce heat immediately and simmer 10 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the mixture of cheeses and the cooked veggies. Serve!


UPDATED VERSIONS:
Through the years we've made this similar but different.  Basically, use what you have on hand and as long as it includes a couple basic ingredients, it's going to be good.  If you are doing low carb or keto, you won't use any flour or thickeners, but using cream and less chicken broth solves that issue.

The photo at the top of this post is probably our favorite version - which is low carb and uses no flour and different vegetables.

Lower Carb Cream of Jalapeno Soup

2 T butter
1 T bacon drippings/grease
3 jalapenos, shopped fine (or just use a bottle or can and chop them)
2 or 3 green onions, chopped
1 cup cabbage, shredded
2 c chicken broth
2 c heavy cream or half and half
2 or 3 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 c shredded cheese (smoked Gouda, mozzarella, cheddar, American... use what you have on hand for different flavors each time or what you like best.  Note the smoked Gouda and American is a great mix for flavor!)

In a saucepan melt butter and bacon drippings. Cook onion over medium high heat until just tender. Stir in the cabbage and jalapeno's. Cook for about 2 minutes to soften the cabbage.  Add the cream cheese, broth and cream, stir smooth. Add the cheese(s). Simmer and stir until smooth, thick and creamy ( a couple minutes).

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Quick and Easy Low Carb - Spiralized Zucchini with White Clam Sauce

This is hardly a 'recipe' but yet, it is a great brainstorm/hack for a quick and easy dinner.  

 
White Clam Sauce over Spiralized Zucchini 'Pasta'

1 can Progresso Clam Sauce (or similar - look for 4 carb, 0 or less than 1 g sugar)
1/2 jar Bertolli Alfredo Sauce (or similar - this one has 2 carb, 0 sugar)
3 medium zucchini

Mix the clam sauce with the half jar (or use the whole jar for a creamier sauce or more sauce if you need to feed another person or two).  Spiralize your zucchini.  Warm the sauces either in the microwave or a pan on the stove.  Boil a pan of water, add the zucchini and cook just 2 minutes or so until the zucchini loses the 'crunch' but isn't soft and mushy.  Drain well, press a little bit as it holds a lot of water.  I sometimes use paper towels to absorb a bit.  Place in a serving bowl, top with the sauce.


* I serve it with the low carb, keto almond flour biscuits - my 'go to' for any biscuit need right now, recipe here:  BISCUITS

This photo was from my personal SnapChat story to my friends/family

Fast and Easy Chicken Taco Soup in the Instant Pot (or Cosori, etc. brand instant pressure cooker)

The other night it was time to figure out what was for dinner, I had a couple chicken breasts thawed and needed something quick, but obviously also low carb (keto actually) and sugarfree.  I was craving sour cream and avocado so chicken taco's came to mind... and made with extra broth, was the perfect soup.

If you want to use taco seasoning from a packet - go ahead!  I do sometimes, other times I just throw together a bunch of seasonings.  This time I did the seasonings but you get the same results (or similar, depending on the amount of spice you use) by using store bought.


Fast and Easy Chicken Taco Soup

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 4 small breasts)
2 cups chicken stock (I use 2 cups water with 2 1/2  teaspoons chicken boullion
If you have leftover salsa to use up - you can add up to a cup of salsa if you wish
1 t fresh, minced or chopped garlic
1 T chili powder
2 t paprika
2 t sea salt
1 t black pepper
1 1/2 t cumin
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t oregano
1/4 - 1/2 t cayenne pepper, according to your own taste

Put everything in your instant pot, seal, and set it to manually cook for 10 minutes.  If your chicken breasts are still frozen when you put them in, do 20.  You can quick release when it's finished, and use two forks to pull the chicken apart and start to shred it into bite sized pieces.  Add a dash of lime juice if you wish.  Then ladle into bowls and serve with;

Shredded cheddar
Sour cream
Avocado slices
Cilantro

This can be made in your slow cooker or crock pot too!  Just cook on high for about 3 hours or low for about 6 - shred and serve.

My Favorite Beef Stew Recipe - Adapted for use in the Instant Pot Cooker

When I first started making this recipe I used the recipe that was made to simmer forever on the stove, into one I put in the crock pot/slow cooker.  Last night I adapted it for my Cosori Instant Pot Cooker as well.  This is because when I decided to make the beef and vegetable stew for dinner that evening, it was because I had diced meat pieces I wanted to use up but they were in the deep freezer.  Obviously frozen solid.  For tender bites of beef they need to cook slow and long... which wasn't an an option.

And then I thought "I'll just make it in the Instant Pot!"

So I did.

Play with this recipe on some of the ingredients - mainly the vegetables.  I actually bought a peas/carrots/corn veggie mixture specifically to make this recipe because we are *usually* lower carb so we don't keep potatoes, corn or peas on hand.  But... it's cold. And winter. And gray outside.  And darnit, a hearty beef stew on a cold winter day is just... comforting!

I didn't put mushrooms in this time.  No reason.  Just didn't feel like it.  Sometimes I dice up cabbage for this which I love!  But I didn't have cabbage in the house this week so... again, like I said; play with the recipe if you wish.




Beef and Vegetable Stew

3 c cubed, peeled potatoes
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, cubed
2 lb. steak or other beef, cubed or cut to about 1" pieces
2 T oil
3 T flour
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 c water
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 c ketchup
1 T prepared horseradish (I don't buy this but I have mild horseradish cream by Kraft (?) in the squeeze bottle)
1 T prepared mustard
1 T sugar
1 c peas
1 c corn
1 c fresh sliced mushrooms


In the instant pot, place the oil and use the 'saute' menu option.  Add the beef and brown it. (I put mine in frozen, straight form the freezer and broke it apart as it browned and thawed.)


When the beef is mostly browned and has color, sprinkle on the flour and stir a bit.  Add the beef broth (or 2 beef bouillon cubes with 2 cups water) and seal the instant pot.  I set the pot to cook on the 'meat' button setting.  Then quick released the steam to open the lid; add the potatoes, carrots (if you are using fresh sliced, which are harder than packaged, frozen) and fresh chopped onions.

Either in a bowl OR just add it to the pot; stir in the vinegar, ketchup, horseradish cream (if you are using), mustard and sugar.  Cover, seal and cook on 'soup' or 'stew' setting.

Quick release, add the peas, corn, and mushrooms.  You can add another 1/2 cup water if you need/want to.  If you need to serve immediately, set it for a short cook time like 8 minutes.  If you don't need to serve right away, seal it and use the 'slow cook' button so it cooks like a crock pot/slow cooker until you need it.

I served with fresh baked homemade rolls.

Homemade Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup

So today I whipped up a pot of oh-so-yummy soup.  I love homemade mushroom soups but my husband likes something a little more substantial.  Adding chicken to it works perfectly.  Now, if we weren't following a low-carb way of eating I'd make a chicken and wild rice soup with mushrooms - oh my word, how I love that - but rice is a huge, carby no-no right now.  Since grains are off the list too, that means no flour to thicken our soup so my version in the photo above isn't as 'creamy' as readers who get to use 1/2 cup flour to thicken theirs.  I used some xanthan gum but not much as I have digestive issues with it in amounts more than about a teaspoon per recipe so I meant to grab a low-carb thickener but I grabbed the resistant wheat starch container instead - which added fiber (cool!) but isn't a thickener so mine isn't that creamy but we are totally fine with that.

This is a recipe that you can add almost any leftover cooked chicken that you have!  Grilled, roasted, seasoned? Ok. As a matter of fact I grabbed out some of my homemade chicken sausages and just used those - cooking and browning it in the pan before I removed it to saute' the mushrooms, celery and onions.  If you don't have leftover cooked chicken, just grab a couple chicken breasts and cook them up.  *IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS DURING LENT JUST LEAVE THE CHICKEN OUT COMPLETELY and oh my goodness it's good.  I prefer it chicken-less but like I said above, The Husband likes some protein at dinner to make it more filling.

Chicken and Mushroom Soup

1 large container sliced mushrooms (or you can use 2 of the small square containers)
1/2 c chopped/sliced green onions
2/3 c chopped celery
1 c butter
Broth: I used 1 cup leftover chicken broth from a roasted chicken and 4 cups beef broth from boullion
1 t black pepper
1 t salt
1/2 t thyme
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1/4 t sauce of choice
3 c half and half or cream
1/2 - 2/3 c flour mixed in 1 cup cool water to thicken OR 2 t xanthan gum OR thickener of your choice
2 c cooked chicken of whatever you have
*optional 1 c sour cream which makes it even richer and thicker and adds a tang (I didn't use this time)


If you need to cook your chicken, do that.  Then saute' the mushrooms, green onions and celery in the stick of real butter. When soft, add the seasonings and the broth.  If you are using flour, cornstarch, etc. use it now and whisk til thickened over medium high.  Turn it down to medium, add the cream or half and half slowly while stirring - don't let it boil once the cream is added.  Add the chicken.  If you want to add sour cream you can.  Serve.





I used my chicken sausage - removed from the casings and browned in the pan.

Fresh green onions... I love.

Cooking the mushrooms, celery and onions...

Adding the cream slowly.

Chicken and Long Grain Wild Rice Soup

If I can get this post finished and you can actually read it, I'll consider it an accomplishment!  I'm currently out of state again; helping babysit a 17 month old and a 3 year old this week.  While I'm sitting at the kitchen table trying to finish this post, I'm also helping coloring Halloween pictures and practice writing a-b-c and 1-2-3.... and apparently trying to teach 'sharing' to a very belligerent three year old.  

Last night we had a yummy chicken and long grain rice soup I whipped up.  I was able to make it while the little ones were napping and let it simmer slowly on the stove until it was time to eat.  I wanted to use 'my' regular recipe but it's currently written in a notebook, sitting in my kitchen, about 800 miles away.  Instead, I remembered some of it from memory and had to improvise on the rest using the 'typical' and average chicken and wild rice soup mixture online. 

It was pretty good - not exactly 'mine' but until I can get back home and recall just what it was I was missing in this one, it will do.  I did improvise with a few things and hope you do if you wish.  I happened to have a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice boxed mix in the pantry of the house I'm staying in so I used that in this recipe because the wild rice mixture they had hardly had any long grain wild rice in it.  I really loved the addition.

Last note:  Like most similar rice dishes and even soups or stews in general, the leftovers get very thick.  If you want to eat it nice and thick just heat it up as is (it will thin a bit of course when hot) but you can also add water to thin it to the consistency you wish; and the flavor is not diminished.

Chicken and Long Grain Wild Rice Soup


1 c rice/long grain wild rice mixture cooked according to the package to make about 2 cups
             or use 3/4 c long grain white rice with 1/4 c wild rice, cook according to directions
8 c chicken broth (or use 8 cups water with 8 cubes chicken bouillon)
1 c chopped celery
1 c diced, sliced, chopped carrots
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t poultry seasoning or a dash of thyme and sage
1/4 c dried parsley
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
1 can mushroom soup
2 c chicken - cooked and chopped or diced
1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain Rice with season packet


Cook your long grain white and wild rice according to the package directions of the brand you chose.  Mine called for a quick boil and simmering 45 minutes.  I added my raw chicken to it and cooked them both at the same time.

Simmer the chicken broth, celery, carrots, mushrooms and seasonings for about 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Melt the 1/2 cup butter and stir it into the flour to make a paste.  Whisk this into the hot broth.  Add the mushroom soup, rice, chicken and if you choose to use it, the package of long grain rice and seasoning packet (totally optional).  Heat through and serve.  I served with a garlic Naan bread warmed in the oven.