Soup and Chili Round Up

I know it's the summer and hot out everywhere,

but I'm a fan of soup and chili at any time of the year.

I have blogged about quite a few of those over time,

and today I'm sharing a round up of some of my favorites!

Baked Potato Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup*

Corn Cheese Chowder

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Spicy Turkey Chili*

Taco Soup*

*These soups are easy to make in a large batch and freeze for future meals.

I like to freeze mine in pint sized mason jars for easy individual portions.

I didn't include any soups in this group with potato, squash or cream 

as I find those don't freeze and reheat as well.

This post contains affiliate links meaning I may get a paid for certain purchases.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I'm a biggggggg fan of eating soup.

It doesn't really have to be cold out either.

I eat soup year round and always have a bunch in my freezer.

So when I ran across this recipe last Fall I knew I would be making it.

Not too long after finding it, I made it and it was so darn delicious!

I've made it a few more times and knew I had to share because it's that good!

And the best part is that it's made in the slow cooker!

So not only is it really tasty, but it's super easy to make too.

Let me show you how simple it really is.

The Goods:

Chicken Breasts

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Jalapenos

Corn

Bell Pepper

Black Beans

Cilantro

Diced Tomatoes

Tomato Paste

Chicken Broth

Cayenne Pepper

Chili Powder

Cumin

Pepper Jack Cheese

Place your raw chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker.

Add your diced bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and garlic.

Next add your dice tomatoes, black beans and corn.

Now time to add the chicken broth.

And finally the spices and tomato paste.

Stir everything up until it's mixed well.

Cook on high for four and a half hours.

Stir in minced cilantro and shredded pepper jack cheese.

Cook for about 30 more minutes.

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.

Return to soup, mix in and serve yourself a bowl!

Dig in and enjoy as is!

Or add something extra like soup cream or avocado!!!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Adapted from Carolina Charm

2 large Chicken Breasts

1 Large Yellow Onion - Diced

4 Cloves Garlic - Minced

2 Large Jalapenos - Minced

2 Cups Frozen Corn

1 Bell Pepper - Diced

1 Can Black Beans - Rinsed and Drained

1 Bunch Cilantro - Minced

(2) 14.5 Ounce Cans Diced Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Tomato Paste

3 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin

1/2 Cup Pepper Jack Cheese - Shredded

1. Place your raw chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Add your diced bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and garlic.
3. Next add your dice tomatoes, black beans and corn.
4. Now time to add the chicken broth.
5. And finally the spices and tomato paste.
6. Stir everything up until it's mixed well.
7. Cook on high for four to four and a half hours.
8. Stir in minced cilantro and shredded pepper jack cheese and cook for about 30 more minutes.
9. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. 
10. Return to soup, mix in and serve yourself a bowl!

Homemade Chicken Pho

I was with my aunt and uncle the first time I had pho.
I loved it from the very first bite,
so we started talking about me attempting to make it.
I knew it wouldn't be easy,
but I wanted to give it a shot anyway.

So when I stayed with them for a few days,
I found this recipe and decided to give it a try!
 And of course, because I'm me and don't do things the easy way,
I decided to modify the recipe by chaing a few things.
Take a look below at how I made homemade chickn pho!

 

The Goods:

Yellow Onions

Fresh Ginger

Water

Bone-in Chicken Breasts

Chicken Drumsticks

Salt

Sugar

Cardamon Seeds

Coriander Seeds

Fennel Seeds

 Fish Sauce

Dried Rice Noodles

Scallions

Bean Sprouts

Mint (or Thai Basil)

Cilantro

Limes

Jalapenos

Chili Oil

Siracha

Hoisin Sauce

Shallots

Quarter two onions and smash three, 1/2 inch pieces of ginger.

Place in lightly oiled pan and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes,

or until soft and chared. 

 

While roasting, fill a LARGE pot with water and bring to a boil.

The finished chared onions and ginger.

Once the water is boiling, add the chared onions, ginger, chicken, salt, 

sugar, corriander seeds, cardimon seeds, fennel seeds and bring to a boil.

Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes,

until all chicken is fully cooked.

Once cooked, remove chicken from the broth and cool slightly.

Take all the meat off the bone and refrigerate the chicken,

saving the skin and bones to return to the broth.

 

Put the skin and bones back into the broth and simmer twelve hours.

Yes - TWELVE HOURS!!!

 I did it overnight and it worked out perfect.

After twelve hours, broth should be reduced by half,

so remove the bones, skin, onions and ginger.

Then strain at least twice using cheesecloth.

 

Now add the fish sauce, adjusting to your taste.

If needed, add additional salt too.

Make sure to keep your broth really warm...

While you get all your garnishes prepped...

And your table set so you're ready to dig in!

Now it's time to prepare your noodles according to the package directions.

Oh and get your bowls and meat ready to go too!!

Place a nice helping of noodles on the bottom of your bowl,

followed by your cooked, chilled chicken.

Ladle a bunch of super hot broth on top of the noodles and chicken,

sprinkling some shallots on top too.

 

Lastly, finish off with whatever garnishes you desire and then dig in!!!

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS!!!
I'm so amazed at the outcome of this!
I thought it tasted amazing and quite authentic,
and my aunt, uncle and grandma seemed impressed too.
I have only made it once because it's a pretty long process,
but totally worth it in the end!!!

Homemade Chicken Pho
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 4 Helpings with Additional Broth

2 Yellow Onions

Fresh Ginger

4 Quarts Water

2 Bone-in Chicken Breasts

12 to 15 Chicken Drumsticks

1 to 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

2 Teaspoons Sugar

1 to 2 Tablespoons Cardamon Seeds

1 to 2 Tablespoons Coriander Seeds

1 to 2 Tablespoons Fennel Seeds

1/8 to 1/4 Cup Fish Sauce

1 Pound Dried Rice Noodles

2 Scallions, Thinly Sliced

1 Bag Bean Sprouts

1 Bunch Mint (or Thai Basil)

1 Bunch Cilantro

2 to 3 Limes, Cut into Wedges

2 Jalapenos, Thinly Sliced

Chili Oil

Siracha

Hoisin Sauce

Crispy Fried Shallots

1. Quarter two onions and smash three, 1/2 inch pieces of ginger. Place in lightly oiled pan and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until soft and chared.
2. While roasting, fill a LARGE pot with water and bring to a boil.
3. Once the water is boiling, add the chared onions, ginger, chicken, salt, sugar, corriander seeds, cardimon seeds, fennel seeds and bring to a boil.
4. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until all chicken is fully cooked.
5. Once cooked, remove chicken from the broth and cool slightly. Take all the meat off the bone and refrigerate the chicken, saving the skin and bones to return to the broth.
6. Put the skin and bones back into the broth and simmer twelve hours.
7. After twelve hours, broth should be reduced by half, so remove the bones, skin, onions and ginger. 
8. Strain at least twice using cheesecloth. 
9. Now add the fish sauce, adjusting to your taste. If needed, add additional salt too. 
10. Keep your broth really warm while you get your garnishes all ready.
11. Prepare your noodles according to the package directions.
12. Place a nice helping of noodles on the bottom of your bowl, followed by your cooked, chilled chicken. (Note - you can substitue SUPER THIN sliced beef instead of the chicken if you'd like.)
13. Ladle a bunch of super hot broth on top of the noodles and chicken, sprinkling some shallots on top too.
14.  Lastly, finish off with whatever garnishes you desire and then dig in!

Homemade Soup: Taco Soup

I saw this soup recipe on a blog I read and it sounded amazing!

I couldn't wait to make it and give it a try.

I did so not too long after spotting the recipe.

And I haven't blogged about a homemade soup in awhile,

so I thought it was time I shared another yummy soup on my blog.

This recipe is so easy to make and gives you quite a few servings. 

I made enough to eat for a few meals and then freeze some for later.
(Note: I've found that it's easier to freeze soup in individual servings.)

Take a look below at the process and then give it a try.

I'm pretty sure you'll like the outcome - I sure did!

The Goods:

 Ground Turkey (or Beef)

Taco Seasoning - Packet or Homemade

Onion

Bell Pepper

Black Beans

Kidney Beans

Pinto Beans

Corn

Rotel Tomatoes

Diced Tomatoes

Ranch Packet

Brown the meat, add the onions and bell pepper and sauté.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Simmer at least 30 minutes - if not longer.

Garnish with Sour Cream, Cheese and Green Onions!

Dig in and ENJOY!!!!

Robyn Recreates Olive Garden Favorites

Yup, you read that right!!
I have recreated not one, but TWO Olive Garden dishes that are favorites to many!

While I haven't had Olive Garden in years, I still remember what their signature salad tastes like. I used to go there just because of their amazing salad and breadsticks.

The salad was all about the dressing and I think I got pretty darn close to the real thing. I was reassured when a girlfriend I had over that night agreed that it was pretty spot on! 

Sadly, their breadsticks wasn't something I made - I haven't taken that on yet!
(Who knows, maybe soon?)

The second Olive Garden knock off I made is something I made twice in one week and just couldn't get enough. I made Zuppa Toscana Monday night and again on Friday, which was perfect for the cold evenings we've been having.

And the finished product...

So, so, SO good!!!

Since I didn't make breadsticks, I did the next best thing and made savory monkey bread muffins. They were amazing and not a single one was leftover!!!

Homemade Soup: Spicy Southwest Chicken Soup

Awhile ago I was telling my friend about this soup, and I told her I'd send her a link thinking I'd already posted about it's deliciousness. When I went to find the link to send it to her, it wasn't there! I was wrong. I hadn't shared this soup on my blog, but I thought I had, and I'm sorry.

While browsing recipes online one day, I found this recipe and saved it because it sounded amazing! I made it not too long after, and I could have SWORN I'd blogged about it (see above!), but I guess I sorta forgot...

When I first realized I hadn't blogged about the soup, I figured I'd make it again eventually,  but eventually was quite awhile later sadly!

It's been pretty cold in LA lately, and I've been making a lot of soup recently, so I wanted to do something different. After browsing some recipes online, I realized I should and needed to make this soup again! I wanted something I  haven't had in awhile and I could finally blog about it - that's a double win!

The original recipe uses a crock pot, and while I love mine, I like to simmer my soups instead. With that said, I did a few things differently because I wasn't using my crock pot. Feel free to stick with the original recipe, or switch it up like I did. I'm sure either way would be great!

So without saying anything more, let me show you how to make this soup yourself.

The Goods:

Chicken

Blackened Seasoning (Not Pictured - OOPS)

Olive Oil

Rotel

Tomato Sauce

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

Corn

Black Beans

Onion

Garlic

Cumin

Salt

Homemade Chicken Broth

Saute the Onions a few minutes...

Then add the garlic and saute another minute or two.

Throw in the can of Rotel and stir to combine.

Add a tablespoon or so of Chipotle Peppers.

I like mine spicy, so adjust accordingly. 

Throw in the corn...

And the black beans too!

Now add the Tomato Sauce...

Finally it's time for the Chicken Broth. 

Let it simmer at least a half hour - if not more.

It'd been so long since I originally made this soup that I forgot how good it really was! I'm now wowndering why I waited so long to make it again and I'm really glad I made enough to freeze some.  I will definitely be filing this recipe away to make again!

Celebrating Halloween In Kansas City

My brother, his wife and my two adorable nephews moved to the Kansas City Area earlier this year. I hadn't been to visit and see their new home, so I figured that Halloween would be the PERFECT time to go! The weather would be great - okay maybe a little cold, but more importantly I'd get to dress up and go Trick-or-Treating with my nephew Gavin!

I spent most of the day getting the house and food ready with my Sister-In-Law, Becky. The whole family was coming over for dinner before we went Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood. Becky and I made some great Halloween themed food that was served on a very life-like cobweb covered table. The many flickering candles were a great finishing touch!

While Becky and I made some goodies,

Logan, the Black Cat, supervised! 

The finished table! 

Now that you've seen all the goodies, take a look at the rest of the fun we had that night!!!

My adorable nephew, Gavin as Waldo!

Two of the cutest Waldo's I've EVER seen!

It was very hard to tell which one was Gavin 

and which one was Ethan!

Oh look - two more Waldos!

Finishing touches for my brother, Randy 

and nephew, Logan. 

Waldo Family!

And Waldo Siblings. 

I love my brother!!!

The WHOLE Waldo Bunch!

Not complete without Captain Rex and Pocahontas too. 

The littlest AND cutest Waldo of the bunch!

Trick-or-Treating!!!

And more Trick-or-Treating! 

All the kids ended up with a TON of candy. Their bags were overflowing that's how much they had! The adults got to benefit too because we could dig through and pick out our favorites. YUM!!!