Super Saturday Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds tomatoes - peeled, seeded and quartered*
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
8 sprigs fresh basil for garnish

Directions
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic and cook until tender. Mix in tomatoes and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 15 minutes.
2. Transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersion hand blender), and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and gradually mix in the heavy cream. Garnish each serving with a sprig of basil.

*If using canned tomatoes, use 48 oz of whole tomatoes, being sure to seed and quarter them. You may need to add up to 2 tbs of sugar.

Notes: When I make this for someone other than my family, I stick to this recipe. If I make it for us , I add a little spice. When heating the butter and olive oil, I add a little crushed red pepper (maybe less than 1/8 tsp). Be very careful when blending the soup, only fill the blender half full. When putting the lid on, don't seal the feed tube (the little hole in the lid), just lightly hold the cover on.

Susie's Potato Bacon Soup

½ onion, chopped
8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 potatoes, cubed
2 cups water
1 can evaporated milk
3 tbs Butter Buds
¼ tsp salt
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Cook potatoes and onion in water until tender. Don’t drain the water.

2. Slightly mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add evaporated milk, Butter Buds,
bacon, and salt. Add milk to thin it if needed.

3. After it has cooled slightly, stir in cheese. Garnish the soup with grated cheese on top.

I love this soup. I always double it, because it is never enough. Here are some tweaks that I've made. Be sure that the potatoes are Russets. I've tried other varieties, and none do the job like a plain Jane Russet potato. I cook the bacon in the same pot as I make the soup in. I use pepper bacon (Daleys from Costco is the best ever). It adds a lot more flavor than regular bacon. Even after draining the grease from the pot, you're still left with some bacon flavored pepper flakes. I have also added a couple of cups of frozen broccoli, peas, and cauliflower, (just to make me feel better about all of that cheese and bacon). Broccoli is by far my favorite addition. Thanks for the recipe Susie!

White Chicken Chili

Sarah’s disclaimer: I’m not really one to follow recipes. I just throw a little of ‘this’ or ‘that’ in. I combine different recipes, and use what I happen to have in the kitchen. So last night I made white chicken chili—a combination of two recipes, minus whatever I didn’t have, plus a few things I thought would be good. It was SO GOOD, that I decided to sit down and try to remember my recipe. I kind of just throw spices in, so I guessed on measurements. I hope they are accurate enough!

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic (or to taste)

2 lbs chicken breast—boneless, skinless

1 ½ Tbsp cumin

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1-2 tsp basil

2 tsp dried cilantro (or 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro)

3 cans white beans—do not drain (white kidney, navy, etc…) (OR use dried white beans—2-3 cups, soak overnight)

1 can green chilies

1-2 cups chicken broth

In a large pot, sauté garlic and onion in olive oil. Cut chicken into strips or thin slices (If you want it shredded—strips work well). Add chicken to pan and sauté until cooked through. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, cheese, etc.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb Italian Sausage
3/4 - 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper (see note)
1 Large White Onion, diced
1/2 lb Bacon Pieces
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
10 cups Water
5 Cubes of Chicken Bouillon
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 lb Russet Potatoes, sliced thin (about 3 large potatoes)
1/4 of a Bunch of Kale

1. In a large pot, cook bacon until nearly crisp, add sausage and red pepper. Reserve 1 tbs of fat and drain excess, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan with reserved fat, saute onion and garlic until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the bouillon and water then add to the onion mix. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in sausage and bacon.
7. Add kale just before serving.

This soup is so yummy. It serves 6-8. The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp red pepper. I like spicy, but that was even a little too much for me. Next we tried 1/2 tsp and it wasn't enough, so 3/4 - 1 tsp is just right for us. We also sprinkled a little Parmesan on ours, which added a nice nutty flavor. A little plug for Great Harvest, their Asiago Sourdough Bread is great with this soup (I'm sure just about any loaf of their bread would be wonderful).