Cheeseburger Soup

½ lb. Ground beef 

3/4C chopped onion

3/4C diced celery 

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley 

3/4C shredded carrots

4 TBL marg. or butter, divided 

3C chicken broth

4C diced potatoes 

1/4C flour

8 oz processed Am. Cheese, cubed

1 ½ C milk  

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 to ½ tsp pepper 

1/4 C sour cream

Brown beef - drain - set aside - sauté onion, carrots, celery, basil & parsley in 1 T marg./butter until tender, about 10 min. Add broth, potatoes, beef - boil - simmer 10-12 min. Melt remaining marg./butter - add flour - cook & stir 3-5 min. Add to soup & bring to a boil - stir 2 min. Reduce to low heat - add cheese, milk, salt, pepper. Stir until cheese melts - remove from heat and add sour cream.

Hearty Navy Bean Soup

 3 cups Dry Navy Beans

1 large Onion, chopped

1 (16 oz) can tomatoes, diced with juice

1 meaty Ham hock OR 1 cup cooked Ham, diced

2 cups Chicken broth

2 1/2 cups Water

Salt and Pepper to taste

fresh chopped Parsley

Rinse and sort beans.  Cover with cold water and soak overnight.  Drain beans and place in a Dutch Oven.  Add tomatoes and juice, onion, ham, broth, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover simmer until beans are tender, about 1 ½ hrs. Add more water if needed. Remove hocks and cut meat from bone, set aside. (For a thicker soup, beans may be pureed in a food processor or blender and then returned to kettle.) Return ham to soup and heat through. Garnish with parsley.

Beef Barley Soup

 2 cups Beef Broth

1 tsp Oregano

8 cups Water

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 cup Carrots, chopped

1/2 cup Onion, chopped

1 cup Barley

2 cups Roast Beef, chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can diced Tomatoes

1 (10.75 oz) can Tomato Soup

1/2 cup Peas, frozen or canned

1/2 Green Beans, frozen or canned

In a large pan, combine broth, oregano, water, pepper, carrots, onion, barley, tomatoes, and beef. Bring to a boil and reduce heat - simmer for 25 minutes.  Add tomato soup, peas, beans, and then season to taste.

Cheese Soup

 5 small Carrots, diced

5 Celery stalks, diced

1/2 Onion, diced

5 Potatoes, diced

2 cubes Butter

1 cup Flour

6 cups Water

5 Chicken bouillon cubes

1 lbs Cheez Whiz

1 pkg frozen Peas

Boil carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes until tender. Drain.  In a separate pan, melt butter and add flour.  Add water slowly while stirring to prevent lumps.  Add bouillon and cheez whiz.  Add all the veggies and simmer to thicken.

Garden Chowder

 2 medium Zucchini, chopped

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 T fresh Parsley, minced

1 tsp dry Basil

1/3 cup Butter

1/3 cup Flour

1 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

3 cups Water

3 cubes Chicken Bouillon

1 tsp Lemon juice

1 (14.5 oz) diced Tomatoes, undrained

1 (12 oz) can Evaporated Milk

1 (10 oz) pkg Frozen Corn

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

2 cups Cheddar Cheese, grated

Pinch sugar, optional

Sauté zucchini, onion, parsley, and basil in butter to tenderize veggies. Stir in flour, salt and paper. Gradually stir in water.  Add bouillon and lemon juice; mix well. Bring to a boil, stir 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, milk and corn.  Bring to boil again, then reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender.  Just before serving, stir in cheeses until melted.  Add sugar.  Garnish with parsley. 

Asian WonTon Chicken Salad (with homemade dressing)

Asian WonTon Chicken Salad (with homemade dressing)

(Salad)

2 lbs of cooked chicken (shred, chunk, slice)

1 head lettuce, chopped or shredded

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 red/purple onion, chopped

1 can mandarin oranges

1 carrot, shredded (optional)

WonTons, fried in oil

chopped nuts (optional)

sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)

(Dressing)

*this is going to be more of a guide, adjust things to the flavor you like

1 cup salad oil (can be vegetable oil)

1/3-2/3 cup rice vinegar*

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

2-4 cloves* of garlic, minced

1-2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4-1/2 cup sugar

3-4 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Mix all the dressing ingredients together, store in the fridge. Toss the salad together, leaving the wontons to the side until ready to serve.  When ready to serve, crunch up the wontons into the salad and pour dressing over it all.  Toss together and serve.

Ravioli Soup

*from the 'Dinner is Ready' cookbook from www.30mealsinoneday.com* 1/2 pound beef 1/2 pound ground pork (I used sausage) 1 cup chopped onion 2 tsp minced garlic 1 (28-oz) can Italian tomatoes 1 (12-oz) can tomato paste 2 (14.5-oz) cans beef broth 1 T sugar 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese 1 (12-oz) package frozen ravioli (I used a 24 oz package) Brown beef and pork with onion and garlic. Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, sugar, Italian seasoning and dry bread crumbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Sitr in Parmesan cheese. Allow to cool. Place in freezer bag or container. Freeze ravioli separately. Label and freeze. 8 servings To serve: Thaw. Cook ravioli according to package directions. Heat soup just to boil. Add cooked ravioli. Serve with garlic bread and Parmesan cheese. Other tips: this is especially delicious made with sausage filled ravioli. Try all the available types of frozen ravioli and see which you prefer. Also, the soup part of this (minus the ravioli) makes a wonderful spaghetti/Lasagne sauce.