This is one of my favorite winter recipes.  I am one of "those cooks" that don't really measure anything, so all measurements are estimated.  I usually don't add any salt to this recipe because the beef broth has quite a bit of salt and the burgundy adds a great flavor so it isn't necessary to me.

Beef Burgundy Stew

2 Tablespoons. butter

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 sm. onions (about ¾ cup)

1 1/2 lbs. cubed lean beef

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoons thyme, or to taste

1 to 2 cups burgundy (enough to cover the meat after browning)

2 Tablespoons of tomato paste

1 can beef broth

1 lb. carrots, sliced into 1 inch pieces

4 medium potatoes, diced in about 1 inch pieces

to thicken the gravy:

1 cup cold water

3 to 4 Tablespoons of flour

Melt butter and mix in the olive oil over medium to medium high heat. 

Add the meat to the onions and brown the meat in the pot with the onions. 

Add the garlic and thyme. 

Add enough Burgundy to cover the meat, add the tomato paste and bring it to a boil.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook it down (stirring occasionally) about and hour.

Add the beef broth and continue to simmer another two hours or so, checking and stirring occasionally.  Add water as necessary to keep the meat covered.

About 45 minutes before serving the meal, add the carrots and enough water to cover them and the meat and return to a boil. 

Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes and a little more water to just cover everything.  Return to a boil.

Lower the heat and cook until the potatoes and carrots are cooked.

Mix together the cold water and flour.

Increase the heat to bring the stew to a boil again before adding the flour and water mixture. Add the flour mixture, stirring continuously until the liquids return to a boil.

Serve with crusty bread and salad.

This is one of my family's favorites. One of the great things about this recipe is that  you use the crockpot. You can use either rabbit or chicken, my family perfers rabbit.

Ingredients

3 to 4 slices lean bacon, diced

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

pinch ground cayenne pepper

3 1/2 to 4 pounds chicken pieces (1 broiler fryer)

3 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups lima beans, fresh or frozen, cooked

2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed

1/2 cup okra, sliced, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup white wine

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the diced bacon until fat is rendered. Remove the bacon bits with slotted spoon and refrigerate until stew is nearly done. Combine flour, salt, pepper and cayenne; dredge the chicken. Brown the chicken in the rendered fat with the onions, turning pieces to brown on all sides. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water, the tomatoes, cayenne pepper and thyme to the slow cooker with chicken. Cover and cook Brunswick stew on LOW 6 to 8 hours. Add remaining ingredients, including reserved bacon; cover and cook Brunswick stew on HIGH for 30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

SAVORY CHICKEN TACO SOUP

2 C  Diced Onions

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

6 C Chicken Breasts, Cooked, Cubed

2 Packets Taco Seasoning Mix

3 Cans Diced Tomatoes w/Juice

4 Cans Black Beans, Drained, Rinsed

1 8oz Can Green Chilies, Diced

16oz Chicken Broth

1 tsp Cornstarch

16oz Extra Sweet Corn (usually frozen)

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Nacho Cheese Chips

Cook and cube chicken; set aside.  Add all other ingredients (except cheese and chips) to large pot.  Simmer over LOW heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened and vegetables are done.  Add chicken and cook until warmed.  Serve with cheese and crushed chips on top; serve with sour cream (optional).  Enjoy! 

my recipe is pretty basic... it's a variation on something I found on the back of the bag of split peas.  very tasty, simple, low cost, and healthy. 

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

1 bag split green peas
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4-5 stalks of celery, chopped
4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped
Olive Oilwater or vegetable broth/buillion
curry powder (if desired)

Saute onion, celery and carrot in large pot.   rinse split peas in colander.  add broth/water and split peas to pot - amount depends on the consistency you prefer and you can always add more later.   simmer until peas are softened - usually takes 45-60 minutes.  add a bit of curry powder if desired.  You can puree in food processor when finished or if you like chunkier soup, serve as is.

This makes a couple meals worth for the two of us - it's probably eight main course servings.  Perfect to take for lunch or freeze for later. 

This is one of my favorites for cold winter days. I use frozen corn and just found frozen roasted corn which adds a whole new spin on the recipe.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

Corn and Sausage Chowder 

3 ears of fresh corn (2 cups kernels)

1 lb. Bulk pork sausage

1 c. chopped onions

4 c. potatoes, cut in ½ in. dice

2 t. salt ( can reduce to 1)

½ t. dried marjoram

1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

2 c. water

1 16 oz. Can cream-style corn

12 oz evaporated milk

parsley, chopped, to garnish

Cook the corn in boiling water. If from garden 4 min, store, 5 min. Set aside to cool before cutting.

Brown the sausage n a soup pot over medium heat for about 8 minutes. After 5 minutes of cooking, add the onions to the pot. Add the potatoes, salt, marjoram, pepper, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook until the potatoes test done, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Add both corns and the evaporated milk and bring to a steaming heat. Don’t boil.

Ladle the chowder into warm bowls, garnish with chopped parsley and serve. Serves 6.

Chicken & Gravy

Take chickenc pieces  put in pan. Put 1 can of chicken broth over chicken. Season chicken pieces with paprika, poutry seasoning, salt & pepper. Cook at 3:50 for 1/2 hr. Turn pieces after 1/2. Mix in cream of chicken soup. Cook another 1/2 hrr. Mieanwhile boil potatoes. When chicken is done the 2 soups are the gravy for the potatoes.

Very good.

Patty

My family loves my Hearty Chicken Soup recipe in the cold months. It is as follows:

Hearty Chicken Soup

4-5 Chicken tenders (the prime cut of breast)

2 stalks of celery cleaned and chopped up

3-4 lg potatoes diced in 1 inch cubes

1 carrot diced or shredded

1 lg onion chopped in fairly lg pieces

1 can of fat free chicken broth

2 cans of campbells cream of chicken, or cream of celery soup DO NOT DILUTE

1/2 cup pasta dumplings

Salt & pepper to suit your taste

1/2 teaspoon parsley

Directions:

Boil chicken tenders until done, place in 2 qt or larger boiler with other ingredients holding back 1 can of chicken broth. Cook until vegetables are tender on medium high heat. Use broth from extra can to add liquid if necessary.

This is one I got from a fellow employee.  Makes a lot but you can half the recipe but use 1 can of each bean.  I have also put it in the crock pot.  Really tasty!!

Three Bean Chili
4 lbs ground beef
2 onions, chopped
5-6 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs kosher salt
pepper

sauté the above until brown…drain

Add
1 lg can tomato juice
1 can beef broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes
3 rounded Tbls chili powder
2 tsp Cumin
2 cans chili beans
1 can black beans..rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans…rinsed and drained
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste!

During the summer I grow many tomatoes and then roast (in batches) with onion, garlic, and basil.   Then I freeze in in quart quantities and vacuum seal.  Then during the fall and winter I have a great base for many soups .  I use progresso broth and other can of soup and puree.  The results are amazing!!

Winter Soup

1-2 pounds very lean hamburger meat

1 large onion, coursely chopped

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can ranch stylr beans, undrained

1 can pinto or red beans, undrained

1 can Rotel, any variety, undrained

1 package tace seasoning (dry)

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (dry)

1/2 cup tap water

8 ounces Monteray/Colby Jack cheese, plus extra for garnish

8 ounces sour cream,plus extra for garnish

white tortilla chips

OPTIONAL:

1 can diced potatoes, undrained

1 can any other type of bean, as desired

1 can sliced black olives

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS:

In large dutch oven, saute the onions in a little bit of olive oil til tender.  Add hamburger meat and brown.  Drain.  Return to dutch oven and add 1/2 cup of water and the contents of both seasoning mixes.  Heat til hot through, then add the cans of vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer about half an hour, to let seasonings marry.  Stir in sour cream and 8 ounces of cheese and heat 'til good and hot.

TO SERVE:

In bottom of soup bowl, crush a layer of tortialla chips.  Add soup.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of shredded cheese. Top with a dollop of sour cream, and stick a chip in the sour cream for garnish.  Serve with additional chips, or warm flour or corn tortillas or hor corn bread.

NOTES:

If you like more corn, add more corn.  If you like more beans, add more beans.  If you like it spicy, use 2 cans of regular Rotel.  If you like it milder, use 1 can Rotel Mild.  If you like more meat, add another 1/2 ro 1 pound of meat.  There really is no way to mess this up!  It's hot, filling and great for winter nights!

Freezes well.  Doubles and triples well.  Even our 9 year old nephew loves it and he hates beans!

My grandmother made the best chicken and rice soup I ever tasted and this is basically how she taught me to cook it.

We happen to like onion, celery and carrots, so I tend to put a good amount in there. And we love the taste of garlic in almost everything, so I use quite a bit, but you could leave it out if you don't like it.

I have used frozen vegetables if I'm in a rush.

This recipe is so easy and makes enough for at least 2 meals or more. My sister uses instant rice, but I've never made it that way.

There aren't a lot of measurements in the recipe, it's mainly just deciding how much of whatever's in it you like.

Mama's Chicken & Rice soup

1 chicken, whole, cut-up or use chicken breasts, legs and thighs. [Sometimes I just use leg quarters if I don't have any breasts]

Chopped onion, to taste

Chopped celery, to taste

Diced carrots, to taste

Minced garlic, I use the garlic in a jar or garlic powder, to taste

Dried parsley, amount depends on how you like it, usually ¼ cup

Salt & pepper to taste, I prefer Kosher salt

Uncooked long-grain rice, amount varies as to amount of stock and how thick you want the soup to be

Boil chicken and vegetables in enough salted water to cover until tender. Remove chicken from pot. If using cut-up chicken, let cool and remove meat from bones, otherwise, cut-up chicken in chunks or shred if desired.

Add rice, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Add parsley, garlic and chicken. Season according to your taste.

Heat throughly and serve with crackers.

This is a very simple recipe that uses things I usually have on hand.  It's just right for the two of us, or maybe a third, and is very filling and comforting on a cold day.

POTATO CORN CHOWDER

4 strips bacon, diced
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can creamed corn
1 canful milk

Cook bacon pieces in saucepan until almost done, but still limp.  Drain, return to pan and add onion.  Continue to saute until bacon is crisp and onion is tender.  Drain as much fat as possible.  Add the rest of the ingredients, and heat over medium low heat until heated through. 

This is good alone, or with a sandwich. 

Ham and Tater Soup

This is the best receipe for whenever you cook a ham and have the bone and bits of meat left over.  We have this in my house right after every xmas and my teenage son loves it.

In a big soup pot you want to put the ham bone and approx two cups of ham coursely chopped.

Add enough water to cover the bone and meat completely approximately 1 gallon.

Take one good sized onion and peel it and place it in the pot whole - we do it like this because so many of our family won't eat onions but will eat this soup after we remove the cooked whole onion.  It's like a cooks only secret.

Let simmer on low heat for at least an hour better if you can simmer for an hour and a half.

Peel approx six to eight cups of potatoes and dice them.  Rinse and add to the pot.

Pour one can of evaporated milk into the soup.

Place four whole bay leaves in the soup.

Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Cook an additional thirty minutes.  You may have to add a bit of water to make sure there is enough to encompass all the potatoes.

Remove the ham bone, whole onion, and the bay leaves.

Dip into bowls and top with about a teaspoon of bacon bits and cheddar cheese.

Viola!  Best tater soup ever :D

This is my husband's absolute favorite! I use a lot of lean meats because he is diabetic and we have to watch cholesterol as well. This really won't work with a high fat ground beef, as you simmer it all together as opposed to browning the beef first.

2 pounds lean ground chuck

2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice

2 cans dark red kidney beans

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 pkts chili mix seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp ground cumin

salt to taste

Place all items in large stew pot or crock pot. I like a chili that's not terribly thick but not too soupy, so I add water to my liking. If you are using it for chili dogs or frito chili pie, leave it thick.  Bring to a medium boil for about 10 minutes, then simmer up to one hour.

I have also used dehydrated onions in this, and it's also good that way. If you use chili beans instead of kidney beans, wait until the end to add the extra chili powder and ground cumin.

Don't like cabbage? You will love this soup! Even cabbage haters love it... really!

5 INGREDIENT BOILED DINNER (makes a 5 quart pan nearly full)

1/2 to 1 full head of cabbage chopped in small pieces (small head of cabbage)

1 large onion chopped

ham chopped into small chunks (several pounds/the more the better)

potatoes chopped into small chunks (around 4 pounds)

1 bag frozen peas and carrots

salt and pepper

1. The smaller you chop the cabbage, the less you have to boil it. I taste a piece of raw cabbage... if it has a strong taste then I use 1/2 of a head, if it is weak in taste then I use all of the cabbage. Put the cabbage and onion in a 5 quart pan and fill with water. Boil until the cabbage has broken down.

2. Add the ham and boil for at least 1/2 hour.

3. Taste the broth... if you can taste a slight cabbage taste and taste the ham, then add the potatoes and frozen peas and carrots, if weak in taste then continue to boil awhile longer.  Continue boiling until the potatoes are done. (I chop the potatoes just a bit larger than what I want to eat, as they will boil down in size as they cook... don't cut the potatoes too small!)

4. dependent on the saltiness of the ham, taste the broth and add salt as needed. Add pepper if you like.

This Boiled Dinner gets better with age, so I make a lot of it and reheat it for several days. My best friend hates cabbage with a passion and she begs to come over and eat at my house when I make this... it's our Winter Favorite!

P.S. I purchase a ham when they are on sale, then cut it into chunks and freeze it for Boiled Dinner, and Ham and Bean soup.

A canned ham can be used. I have used a 5 lb. canned ham if it is cheaper to purchase.

This is a wonderful soup for those days that you just want to come home to something warm and tasty!  This  soup, a side salad and you have a wondeful and even healthy dinner! It is very simple to make also!

"SLOW COOKER LENTIL RICE SOUP"

• 2 cups dry lentils


• 2 cups uncooked long-grain brown rice


• 1 cup chopped carrots


• 1/2 cup chopped celery


• 1/2 onion chopped


• 8 cups water


• 1 cup vegetable broth (you can use beef broth if preferred)


• 1 teaspoon garlic powder


• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley (if desired)


• 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste) 


• 1 cup sliced mushroom (fresh is best, but you can use canned if preferred)

Place all ingredients, EXCEPT mushrooms in a slow cooker.  Cover and Cook on low setting for 7-8 hours.  Stir in mushrooms one hour before serving. 

Makes 10-12 servings.,

We too love soups especially in the wintertime.  The recipe below is one of my family's favorite.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

2 lbs. lean ground beef; 4 large green peppers;  2 large onions; 1 large (28 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes; 1 14-oz. can tomato sauce; 1 tsp. black pepper; 1 tsp. salt (or to taste); 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 envelope onion soup mix; 1 cup instant white rice (uncooked); 2 cups water

Brown ground beef in soup pot; reduce heat to lmedium-low.  Add peppers,onions, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, salt, brown sugar and soup mix.  Cook until peppers and onions are tender.  Add two cups water and the uncooked rice.  Simmer, stirring often, until rice is tender.  If desired, additional water or even tomato juice can be added if soup is too thick for your liking.

Great with corn muffins or crackers/cheese!

This recipe can easily be adapted for crock pots.  I do it often.  Just brown the ground beef, place in crockpot and add all other ingredients except the rice.  Do include the water as tomato products can "cook down" quickly. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  During the last hour, add the rice.

Hope this recipe warms your heart and soul!

Borscht

This recipe has been in my family as long as anyone can remember. My ancestors were Germans who immigrated to the US from Russia in the late 1800s, early 1900s. My family lived in North Dakota until the 1930s when they moved to Oregon. They brought this recipe with them. My Mom told me that this was made in the fall when the vegetables were in season. I updated the traditional recipe, using leaner beef and adapted it for the slow cooker for convenience.

To prepare on top of the stove, brown the stew meat in a little canola oil until well browned. Add half the beef broth (about 1 quart), the beets, tomatoes, onions and dill weed. Simmer for about an hour or until the meat is tender. Add the potatoes and carrots, cook another 15 to 20 minutes until they're tender.

2 lbs. lean stew meat, cut in bite-sized pieces
3 lg. potatoes, diced
3 lg. carrots, diced
1 can sliced beets (not pickled), sliced into strips - or use julienne sliced beets
2 tbsp. dill weed
Medium onion, chopped
3-4 cans beef broth  (to equal about 2 quarts)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 head green cabbage
Salt & pepper, garlic powder

SPIRITED CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL

Ingredients

Throw everything in the crockpot in the morning, you have a hot tasty meal waiting when you get home.

Mix bouillon in water place in crockpot. Add seasonings, wine, veggies and chicken, cook on low for 8+ hours or high for 5 (depending on your cooker). Remove breasts, shread and return to cooker stir and serve.

Number of Servings: 4 large or 5 small