Today is s twofer. Toofer?
Whatever. Two for One.
Being snowed in has made me a bit crazy…
Don’t tell anyone… this is a secret… but I find that when I get overwhelmed with the boys being… well, boys- I escape into the kitchen with my sanity and imagination and end up with about 10 extra pounds in the last 4 days delicious things I get to serve to my excited family.
So, it kinda works out in the end.
I love a good soup. Pretty much anything savory that can be eaten with a spoon is beloved by myself and if I could eat soup 365 days a year I totally would. It’s so easy to sneak veggies and good stuff in there to my unsuspecting family and over the last few days we’ve had soup EVERY DAY. Oh glorious snow days. So here are 2 of the recipes that my family loved.
1. {The Best} Potato Bacon Soup
I’ll be up front and say that the Pioneer Woman’s version is what inspired this soup. As usual, I didn’t have all the ingredients to follow ANY recipe and I had some different ideas about seasonings, but potato soup is potato soup- there’s not a whole lot of variation you can really do anyways but acknowledging inspiration is always important.
Base:
- 8 large Yukon Gold Potatoes (leftover from Thanksgiving…) scrubbed and cubed (or half Yukon gold and half red potatoes which WAS the case for me)
- 1/2 minced red onion
- 1 1/2 cups minced carrots
- 3 stalks sliced celery
- butter, about 3-4 Tbsp.
- 1-2 Tbsp Garlic Salt
- 8 cups beef broth (I use vegan “not beef “bullion cubes)
In a large skillet or pot, put about 3 Tbsp of butter and add the potatoes and onions. When the are softened, add the carrots and 8 cups beef broth. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer.
Toppings:
Put about 3/4 (I did about 1/2, but think it would have been better if I had done more) of the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Carefully pour back into the large skilled/pot and then add:
- 3/4 cup sour cream (also leftover from Thanksgiving!)
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 5 sliced bacon, cut into small and medium pieces.
I simmered this for about 30 minutes before taking off the heat for 15 minutes before serving.
2. {Superb} Supreme Pizza Soup
I first had this amazing soup at Amy Robert’s house for small group. I was in awe! I took a photo of the magazine clipping and re-created it within the month. This recipe from Taste of Home really is similar to the one I read on the clipping and served as my starting point when I couldn’t find the picture of the recipe.
This is like everything that you ever wanted as a child- just the TOPPINGS. The fun part of this is that you can toast bread, use bread sticks or Italian Bread, sliced, garlic-ed and cheese up-ed. Also, this makes enough for about 4 adults so double if you have a larger gathering!
- 4 mild Johnson Italian sausages, cooked according to package directions and sliced small
- 1 cup sliced pepperoni
- 6-8 thinly sliced sweet mini-peppers (I used 2 red, 2 orange & 3 yellow)
- optional: 1-2 cups mushrooms (I didn’t have any)
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 3/4 cup minced onion
- 3 Tbsp minced olives (if the can had been sliced and not minced, I’d have added them all)
- 1 15 oz jar pizza sauce
- 1 Tbsp oregeno
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Parmasean Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella cheese, sprinkled in each bowl
In a large skillet, After cooking the italian sausages, remove them and set aside. I removed most of the grease and then added the onion and peppers, cooking until softened. I then added all the other ingredients, save the cheese, and brought to a boil before lowering to a simmer for the next 30 minutes. I added the Parmasen cheese right before I served it and sprinkled cheese on the top and put a pepperoni for prettiness sake.
This soup is the BEST. Enjoy and stay warm!
