Soup Night Returns!

Is there anything better than a nice bowl of soup on a cold winter night?

How about a bowl of soup that you eat while you hang out with a bunch of fun people! That's what you'll find at my house during soup nights in January! I think our invitation explains it the best...

It's that time of year again: Cold icky weather, scarves, mittens, and SOUP NIGHT! Back by popular demand, we bring you the 4th annual series of soup nights!!! Wednesdays in January we open our home to family and friends. Come have a bowl of soup...or two...or three and enjoy time with awesome people! Come whenever you can; leave whenever you must. Join us for one week...or every week!  Feel free to bring a bread or dessert. Families are welcome! Be excited for some YUMMY soups and even better people!!!!! 

We cook up a bunch of soups and everyone brings something to share. Then we all just hang out and eat soup! Sometimes the soups are crazy complicated and sometimes we just throw them together after work. One of our favorite (and easiest) soups to serve is Tomato Cheese Tortellini Soup. It's so easy and delicious, you just might want to have it at your own soup night!

All you need is...

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can fat free chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 3 c. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (about 12 oz.)
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Then all you do is...

1. Combine tomatoes, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning in a large saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Add tortellini, zucchini, and pepper. (I just put the tortellini in straight from the freezer.)
3. Simmer 7-8 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.

Makes 4 servings. (I quadrupled the recipe for soup night!)

Make up a big batch of this tasty soup and invite all of your friends over soon!

Soup NIght Edition #3: Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

Mmm, If you were at the second soup night, you probably know how GOOD this soup is! I asked Lauren for the recipe, and here's what she gave me...

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup:



{picture credit: here}

Ingredients needed:

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 2 TBS of adobo sauce (I don't add all of this, add according to your spice tolerance)
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 2 limes
• salt and pepper
• avocado
• tortilla chips

  Directions:

1. In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Stir in onion and garlic. Cook till onions begin to brown.
3. Add the chicken. Cook till chicken is fully cooked.
4. Add the peppers and adobo sauce and chicken broth.
5. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 15 min. If there is any foam that comes to the top, scoop it off.
6. A few min. before you serve, add the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste, and cilantro. Once you serve put avocado and chips on top.

Now doesn't that sound like the perfect way to warm up on this freezing cold, post-blizzard day? Enjoy!

Soup Night Edition #2: Corn Chowder

Here's another soup night recipe, this time from a guest blogger! This is my dad's recipe for corn chowder. You might want to run out to the store tonight and get all of the ingredients to make this soup for tomorrow, when the big snow hits! Here's hoping for a snow day coming up this week!

Corn Chowder

Something like this:

Chop up 6-10 large Potatoes, cover just to the top of the potatoes in water in a large pot and start boiling.

Chop up one or two large Onions.

Chop up several celery stalks

Fry up a package of bacon.

Remove the bacon from the pan when done, crumble or cut in to small pieces.

Cook the chopped onions and celery in the bacon grease until soft.  Stir in a couple of big spoonfuls of flour when its done.

Reduce heat on the boiling potatoes, add milk, while stirring, into the Pot with the potatoes until it is fairly full (you do need room for the corn and other ingredients)

Stir in all the other prepared ingredients.   Add a little Paprika and pepper.  Add a couple of big spoonfuls or clumps  of brown sugar.  Stir

Add 3 cans of corn or creamed corn or a mixture of both.   Stir

Simmer for a good long while until the potatoes are really soft.  Stir occasionally.

Enjoy!

Soup Night Edition #1: Tomato-Cheese Tortellini Soup

I'm taking a little break from the baking posts to bring you... Baking Through Life: Soup Night Edition.

Every Wednesday night in January, we had Soup Night at my house. People would stop by, eat some soup, and hang out for a while. It's a great way to break up the week and bring some warmth and flavor to dreary, cold January. We had lots of great soups, so whether you missed out coming or you just want to make them for yourself at home, I'll be posting some of the better ones here.

(I didn't think of posting the recipes here until after Soup Nights were over, so I didn't take any pictures of the soups. You'll have to use your imagination!)

First up, Tomato-Cheese Tortellini Soup. This is probably one of the easiest soups you'll ever make, but it also tastes really great!

You will need:

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can fat free chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 3 c. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (about 12 oz.)
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning in a large saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Add tortellini, zucchini, and pepper. (I just put the tortellini in straight from the freezer.)
3. Simmer 7-8 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.

Makes 4 servings.

Stay tuned for Sweet Potato Soup and Greek Wedding Soup.
Let me know which other soups you'd like the recipes for, too.