soup

17 Recipes to Make with Leftover Ham

March 28, 2018

From ham and bean soup to ham fried rice, these 17 irresistible leftover ham recipes are the perfect way to put those smoky Easter leftovers to good use.

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself with leftover ham this Easter (this is one of my favorite recipes), that means spring pastas, soups, fried rice, and more are just a bite away. Of course it takes a whole lot of restraint not to just channel our inner caveman and snack on the remaining ham straight off the bone — the porky goodness is just way too tempting.

Baked hams are a celebratory food. Since we tend to make them for holidays and special occasions, they’re typically not something we have on a regular basis, so when we do, we know there’s a wealth of yummy ideas for repurposing that ham are at our disposal.

From classic split pea soup made in the pressure cooker, to gussied up grilled cheese, these round-two leftover ideas are so good, they’ll give your holiday ham dinner a run for its money .

So let’s carve in, shall we?

Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham from Skinnytastecontinue to the recipe… about 17 Recipes to Make with Leftover Ham

How to Make an Easy Asian Hot Pot

February 13, 2018

If there’s one simple cooking method that crosses over nearly every Asian cuisine, the hot pot may be it. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Mongolian and more. And with cooks of every level still making it every single day, that’s proof in the pot that it is indeed totally easy to crave, and to make.

This post is brought to you by McCormick

I like to think of hot pot cooking like the Asian fondue. It’s communal. It’s active. It’s social. And that’s what makes the hot pot just as perfect for entertaining as it is for a simple but fun dinner at home with the family where everyone gathers around the simmering brothy pot and jockeys for position and that perfectly cooked shrimp. Everyone gets to eat exactly what and how much of whatever they want, so long as it fits in the pot :).

Our family has a serious affair with Asian cooking and after our recent travels to Vietnam, Cambodia and Korea, we returned with even MORE passion for Southeast Asian food than before. If that’s even possible. So it’s no surprise to me then that when I checked out this year’s McCormick Spices Flavor Forecast report that identifies the top upcoming trends in food I wasn’t too surprised to see what topped the forecast for 2018: a love affair of worldwide flavors of Hot Pot cooking.

Back home here in Salt Lake City, we have a favorite hot pot restaurant where every customer heads to the back of the restaurant to a wall of self-serve refrigerated coolers stacked with racks of color coded plates to choose from nearly every hot pot ingredient you can imagine. It’s like a frigging hot pot gold mine.

To say I have some serious hot pot inspiration and aspiration is an understatement. But as usual, my cravings have set me to the task!

What Is an Asian Hot Pot?

Since this is a communal cooking affair like the classic fondue, there are a few essentials you’ll need to acquire to get your hot pot on.continue to the recipe… about How to Make an Easy Asian Hot Pot

How to Make the Best Minestrone Soup

January 18, 2018

My Grandma’s easy minestrone soup recipe is one of the healthiest vegetable-loaded soups you’ll make, and it tastes far better than any of those Olive Garden copycat recipes thanks to the secret ingredient in the savory broth.

“It is well worth the time and effort.”

But then, isn’t most anything when it’s done with love?

My sweet Grandma Frieda passed away when I was a senior in college and while there are many things that remind me of her, as a recipe maker it’s the cookbooks I inherited from her that I see most often.

One of my favorite things about her copies of The Joy of Cooking (pub. 1953) and Epicure’s Delight (pub. 1944) are the pages and margins filled with recipes written in her elegant handwriting that as a German-immigrant shows off the hard work it took to become a part of her new country. Like the quote says above, it is well worth the time and effort.

Nestled within those cookbook pages are recipe cards for recipes from friends like Edith’s Coffee Cake and Loretta’s Zucchini Soufflé which have both moved to my must-make list.

But the recipe that shows up time and time again is this Minestrone recipe from San Francisco’s Petrini Gourmet Grocery Stores, likely cut from the San Mateo Times’ newspaper recipe section to promote more soup bone sales for the homemade beef broth.

And because it’s #soupweek (did you see the Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?) we’re keeping the slurps going by presenting The Gourmet by Petrini’s Minestrone Soup where either the newspaper editors or Petrini himself lured readers with the headnote mentioned above and can describe any meal when it’s made with love: It is well worth the time and effort, and even more so because this recipe is actually really easy to make.

How to Make a Traditional Minestrone

Whether you say minestrone soup like the Italians aka “min eh stron ee” or “min eh stron eh”, this soup is the perfect gateway to woo non-veggie lovers into getting a head start on their five a day. It’s brothy and flavorful with potatoes, pasta, and cheese that makes the veggies more than palatable. Use a small macaroni or pasta that matches the diced size of your veggies for equal tastes in every bite.

Because this soup has the simplest of ingredients and can be made with ease, the key is starting with the best quality you can find or afford.

Let’s start with the the broth.

Grandma’s newspaper recipe calls for a super simple stock of bones and water slow-simmered for flavor. But I like a richer, heartier stock so my homemade beef stock fit the bill here. Or if you prefer, use chicken broth (this is my favorite homemade) or a veggie stock instead. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make your stock from scratch, always choose a grocery store version that’s high quality with ingredients you can actually read.

To the stock you’ll be adding diced tomatoes, adding more richness and a bit of acid to balance the flavors.

The other source for this soup’s distinctive minestrone flavor comes from the spunk of Parmesan cheese and while grandma’s recipe doesn’t call for it, I have a secret that learned of long ago: to cook the broth with a few leftover rinds of Parmesan cheese. This step really imparts that cheesy flavor and takes your broth from a tepid vegetable flavor to minestrone all the way.

What Vegetables Go In Minestrone Soup?

One of the best things about Minestrone Soup is it can truly be a clean-out-the-fridge recipe you can fiddle with based on what you have on hand or what’s in season. Traditionally, the are the vegetables that most often show up:

Tomatoes
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Potatoes
Beans (kidney and Great Northern beans are my favorites)
Peas
Zucchini
Cabbage (shred it thin)
Spinach
Kale
Leeks (use the white parts only)
Green beans (canned works wonders)

While most people think of minestrone as a vegetarian soup, Petrini’s recipe begins with salt pork. Yep, this recipe is from days gone by. I used bacon instead. To make this minestrone soup vegetarian, skip the bacon and use a rich vegetable stock in lieu of the beef stock instead.

More Recipe Ideas to Make With this Soup and Make a Meal

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

5 from 2 votes

My Grandma's Minestrone Soup

Because this soup gets a salty bite from the bacon and a generous helping of Parmesan cheese (plus Parmesan cheese rinds cooked with the broth) go light on the salt at the beginning of the cooking time and adjust the seasoning by adding more if needed just before serving.

Ingredients

4-5 slices bacon roughly sliced into bite size pieces
1 small onion chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
2/3 cup chopped leeks white part only
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 quarts beef stock 12 cups
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-3 chunks of Parmesan cheese rind
1 1/2 cups potatoes
1 cup small macaroni
1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15- ounce can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
2/3 cup frozen peas thawed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Add the bacon to a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat and cook until browned but not crispy. Add the onion, carrots, leeks and celery then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beef stock, kosher salt, pepper, and cheese rinds. Bring to a boil then reduce to a gently rolling simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, partially covered with a lid. Add the potatoes, macaroni, and tomatoes, then partially cover with the lid, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes more. Add the kidney beans and peas, and simmer until warmed through. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste. Just before serving, add the grated Parmesan cheese and serve sprinkled with more Parmesan if you’d like.

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Easy Homemade Beef Broth Stock

January 17, 2018

A rich and flavorful homemade beef broth stock is one of the essential recipes every home cook should have in their array of kitchen cooking basics.

Back in the day there were recipes home cooks didn’t even have to think twice about how to make because they made the same dishes so often no recipe was needed. Cooking was done by touch, intuition, and repetition.

Remember when you’d ask grandma how she knew when the pie dough had enough moisture or how she could tell the chicken was cooked through? The answer was annoyingly cryptic and didn’t really help things when she replied, “You just know.”

But now, with pre-made ingredients and an avalanche of recipe options at our fingertips, we can make just about any style of cuisine without batting an eye. But as a byproduct of creating these dazzling Pinterest friendly meals, making some of the good-old, most commonly used basics, like homemade broths and stocks, has fallen out of favor.

It’s time to get back to the basics friends. Back to real good real food.

A few months ago I shared my recipe for the very best chicken stock because it seems that homemade broths and stocks are rarely on the must-make radar of today’s home cook. The reasons vary from assuming it takes way too much time to make them from scratch to being unsure what ingredients go in the dang recipe (and fyi it isn’t just the meat that matters, its the bones!)

That’s why I’m waving my foodie recipe wand and pulling the beefy secrets out of my hat so that….TADAAAA!!!! Your bone stock broth cure is here.

This post breaks it all down, with simple steps and fool-proof instructions that’ll put you on your way to making homemade beef stock with confidence. Let’s go.continue to the recipe… about Easy Homemade Beef Broth Stock

Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

January 16, 2018

Thanks to the Instant Pot pressure cooker, this easy chicken with wild rice soup is rich, creamy (without any added cream), and fast to make, and it tastes even better the next day, making it a great addition to your meal prep plans. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, not to worry, I’m sharing my stove top directions as well.

It’s soup week!

This week I’m sharing a few of my favorite soups, old and new. And a good thing too, because when my daughter came home from school and looked at me with a red-ringed nose and her eyes at half-staff and announced her “throat was sooooooo sore”, as she breezed past me and coughed, wheezed, and hacked her way down the hall and into her room to flop onto her bed like a left-behind Raggedy Ann doll, I knew we were in for the night.

Good thing I had this soup prepped and ready for cookin’.

Creamy chicken and rice soup. Pure comfort and totally right for all that feels wrong.continue to the recipe… about Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

December 14, 2017

This Mexican-flavored chicken soup is truly chicken soup for the soul, with a warm broth filled with chunky bites of black beans, sweet corn, shredded chicken and tomatoes topped with its namesake tortilla strips and a surprise crispy jalapeño topper.

This recipe is brought to you by French’s

“Honey, what should we have for dinner?”

Gah. The question to end all questions, and the same one that comes up day after day, week after week. But over the years I’ve developed a strategy that serves the family’s cravings and makes dinner prep so much easier, just about every time.

I narrow the choices to get the answer I want.

“Well, I prepped a batch of chicken breasts for the week (even though he prefers steak, we gotta use those chicks up!) and a I have our yummy chicken stock in the freezer (because I’m on a clean-out-the-freezer mission.) So, are you craving comfort food flavors (we all love our Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup) or maybe something with Mexican flavor and spice? You love Mexican…”, I steer him, already knowing that spices and ethnic flavors win at our house every time.continue to the recipe… about Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

How to Make the Best Chicken Stock

November 13, 2017

This post has everything you-didn’t-even-know-that-you-need-to-know to make homemade chicken stock or broth on the stove, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Follow the same guidelines and steps for making turkey stock, too.

Just about every cook knows to keep at least one can or carton of chicken stock on hand. It’s a reliable pantry staple that many of us use on a weekly basis in everything from soups to gravies and stir-frys too.

While store-bought chicken stock work just fine in recipes that don’t call for much of it (or bouillon cubes when you’re in a real pinch), no one can deny there’s nothing like homemade chicken stock for adding the ultimate flavor.

It’s pure liquid gold.

Homemade chicken stocks and broths (and turkey too) lend a richness and complexity to dishes—particularly risottos, soups, stews—that the store-bought stuff simply can’t match. So if you find yourself with some leftover chicken bones from last night’s dinner and a little hands-off cooking time on your side, make a vat of rich, savory stock to stick in the fridge or freeze for later. Pinky swear, you won’t regret it.

Never made chicken stock before? Fret not, it’s actually incredibly easy. In fact, it’s really hard to mess up.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Best Chicken Stock

31 Pumpkin Recipes to Carve Into This Fall

October 15, 2017

This round up of 31 favorite sweet and savory pumpkin breakfast, pasta soup, and dessert recipes will get you in the fall spirit.

What ingredient is a better beacon of fall than the pumpkin? The seasonal return of this dimply, round squash is marked by PSL’s on coffee shop menus, and neat rows of Libby’s, prominently displayed on endcaps in groceries everywhere. It’s a sure sign that autumn is here, which means full-fledged pumpkin mania can now ensue.

Like stores racing to put out Valentine’s Day paraphernalia as soon as Christmas ends, hardcore pumpkin fanatics start tinkering with recipes in August, if not sooner. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls on a 90-degree day? That’s love. The general consensus seems to be that late September is when it’s socially acceptable to open up that can of pumpkin (in case you were asking for a friend).

While our Thanksgiving tables would be pretty lackluster without the appearance of that classic slice of whipped-cream dolloped pumpkin pie, there are so many more ways to enjoy pumpkin. We love roasting it for salads, puréeing it into soups, and baking it up into sweet morning treats.

Here are 31 sweet and savory ways to enjoy it this fall.

continue to the recipe… about 31 Pumpkin Recipes to Carve Into This Fall

Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup

October 5, 2017

This simple hamburger soup is loaded with vegetables and is an incredibly easy weeknight comfort food dinner because more than likely you’ll have all of the ingredients on hand and ready for soup thanks to your pantry, fridge, and/or freezer.

The first time I had this totally solid, totally comforting, hamburger soup was when my mother-in-law made it for a family gathering of which I was not yet part of the family. My husband and I had just started dating and it was dinner at mom’s house and I was invited to go.

No pressure. Nope. None at all.

One of the things I learned that night—along with the fact that as a teen my husband used to wear a nylon over his head so his wet curly hair would dry straight—is that getting friends and family together to share a meal doesn’t have to be over-thought or overdone.

Good food means good times, and that’s really all you need.continue to the recipe… about Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup

20 Chili Recipes to Cozy Up to This Fall

September 13, 2017

From crockpot to stove-top, there’s no better time to hunker down and cozy up to a bowl of homemade chili than right now.

Picture this: outside the wind is blustery, trees are rustling, and the scent of burning leaves and wood hover in the air. Inside, the football game’s on and a pot of chili is simmering away in the kitchen. Nothing conjures up fall like all of these things—particularly the aroma of home-cooked chili.

Whether you make it meaty and beefy or opt for a vegetarian version, chili really is one of the most flexible dishes you can prepare no matter what your cooking skill level. Throw it together to stew all day in the crockpot or make it quickly on the fly, you can always count on chili to bring on all the comfort food feels.

We can’t think of anything cozier than curling up under a blanket on the couch with a hearty bowl of any flavor, and that’s why we’re bringing you 20 chili recipes to make while you hibernate and warm up this fall and winter.

Grab your spoon and belly up to one of these pots of stick-to-your-ribs deliciousness. And remember to never forget the fixin’s.continue to the recipe… about 20 Chili Recipes to Cozy Up to This Fall

Chilled Corn and Crab Soup

July 24, 2017

Sweet corn kernels and fresh snow crab meat make this simple chilled soup a summer-time staple that’s made with almondmilk for a lightened-up, creamy slurp that takes only 30 minutes to prepare.

This post is brought to you by Almond Breeze

Just a few days ago, I saw reports all over the news that 2017 is on-track to being the second hottest year on record—only to be outdone by 2016’s hottest year ever, with 2015 right behind. So whether you’re finding yourself plumped up like a slippery hot dog in the humidity-fueled heat of the deep South, or topping out the thermometer in the hot and arid desert temps of the West, there’s one thing we can all agree on: It’s stinkin’ hot out there.

Heat like this leaves me with little appetite, and when I am hungry, it’s for something light, fresh, and typically topped with avocado, because what on earth isn’t better and more soothing with avocado?

This corn and crab soup is just the ticket. It’s simple but elegant at the same time. It’s healthy, and light in flavor and in calories. And with the addition of two of my favorite flavorings—a sprinkle of chipotle powder and a squeeze of lime—in the words of Emeril, this soup’s flavor is kicked up a notch.

While this recipe’s original intention is to be served chilled, it can certainly be served warm to be enjoyed all year long. I can easily see it being added to any holiday menu or meal-prepped for a week of easy workday lunches. continue to the recipe… about Chilled Corn and Crab Soup

Chicken, Crab and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

February 21, 2017

Chicken and andouille sausage are traditional ingredients in every good gumbo recipe but when you add crab, this gumbo goes from good to grand.

There are many stand-ins out there that simply don’t make the authentic cut. Cubic zirconium will never take the place of real diamonds and saccharin will never, ever, ever edge out the sweetness of real sugar.

But this gumbo recipe…now THIS gumbo recipe has no comparison. Gumbo may originally hail from Louisiana, but this recipe is the real-Southern-Delta-blues-gumbo-deal.continue to the recipe… about Chicken, Crab and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

February 13, 2017

Still dreamy but lightened up in the load, this cheesy potato and broccoli soup leaves the cream right out of it.

I was a bit of an an0maly as a kid.

I didn’t care for peanut butter, opting for liverwurst instead. I loved oatmeal for breakfast and salad was one of my favorite snacks. And what was my pre-dinner ritual? Two tall glasses of milk before the food ever even hit the table.

Who was this kid?continue to the recipe… about Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale

October 11, 2016

A clean, herb-infused broth makes this slow cooker soup with Italian sausage and cheese tortellini a favorite to keep in your weekly meal plans.

This post is in partnership with McCormick.

“Oh babe, this is so good. Hey! Don’t eat all the broth! That’s mine.” My husband. He’s usually really good about sharing. “Oh. This is really good.” Until it comes to soup. He LOVES a good soup. And he wants it all for himself.

I’ve said it here before. My man is a soup aficionado. And if you can spell aficionado without having to hit dictionary.com, you are one swell spelling bee winner, because I can’t. But back to the soup…

Not only does the slow cooker create a broth for this soup that tastes flavorful and ultimately craveable, the perfumed scent of sausage, onion, celery and garlic that wafts from the kitchen as it cooks will have you wishing you could give that lid on the slow cooker just a crack to dip a spoon in for juuuuuust a bite for taste testing. Or better yet, dip in a big old slice of sourdough. Fancy that. We’re a family of dippers.continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale

Market Street Clam Chowder Recipe

February 1, 2016

This recipe is a favorite I published in the early days of FoodieCrush. This past weekend I ran into a friend at the grocery store who said she’d been searching for the famous clam chowder recipe from Salt Lake City’s Market Street Grill, which reminded me to re-share the recipe with some updated photos for you. So, without further adieu, here is a re-post of the best clam chowder recipe, in my opinion, EVER.

“Hey, Chowda-head!”

It was a greeting that one of my fellow waiters at my post-college/pre-real-life-seafood-restaurant-job has been teased about for lo’ these many years. And he has NEVER been happy about hearing it again, and again, and again.

See, that job at Salt Lake City’s Market Street Grill was all about presentation and customer service. That meant every dish, every cup and even every spoon was served by the waiter from a tray.

So when you had a 6-top—that’s waiter-speak for a table of six—who all ordered the house specialty, famous clam chowder, we would load up a HUGE tray, hoist it high over our heads with the straightest arm we could possible muster, and charge forth through the sea of waiting to be seated customers to serve our eagerly awaiting diners bowls of creamy, white chowder in heavy china bowls with plated liners.

One especially busy night—it must have been a big rush before a Utah Jazz basketball game—my friend had a big table and of course they all ordered chowder. He loaded up the tray, even stacking the bowls two high!

It was a feat to behold for mere waiter mortals.continue to the recipe… about Market Street Clam Chowder Recipe

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

January 18, 2016

This slow cooker corn soup recipe uses a creamy almond milk and cashew milk blend to create a healthy, veg-heavy chowder with a bacon bite.

Again this year I’m happy to share that I’m partnering with Blue Diamond AlmondBreeze to share healthful recipes made with Almondmilk. Today we’re adding something brand new to the mix, Almond Breeze’s new Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend.

It’s January. And that means three things.

#1: Everyone is on the healthy no-s0-heavy-on-the-gravy-train.

#2: It’s all about the soup.

And #3: It’s time to slow cooker and crock pot everything.

At our house we love a chunky soup. A broth with girth. With bite. And flavor.

This soup aka chowder stars one of my husband’s favorite vegetables, corn. And his other favorite vegetable, bacon. Yes, in his mind bacon is a vegetable. Or at least a food group. And when paired together with this creamy, slow cooked broth they make a souper good soup. Uh-oh, I’m on a roll.
continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

25 Healthy and Comforting Slow Cooker Soups & Stews

January 12, 2016

It’s the most soup-inspiring time of the year!

It’s the season for crackling fires in the fireplace, fuzzy socks and slippers, and warm-you-to-the-bone comfort food. When frigid cold weather rolls in, we love nothing more than hunkering down in our coziest attire (hello loungewear!) over a piping bowl of soul-warming soup. And don’t forget the dipping bread!

It’s even better if that soup is made in a crock pot or slow cooker, because what’s more reassuring than coming home after a long day to a house full of the wonderful aroma of dinner that’s already made?

Slow cookers and crock pots have made amazing improvements over the years. They come in various sizes, they’re programmable, and this one is even made to brown veggies and meats directly on the stove for a true one pot meal.

In fact, I’m adding to my slow cooker collection and gearing up to purchase an Insta Pot for the multi-cooker experience of having a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté/browning, yogurt maker, steamer & warmer all-in-one. It looks awesome!

We gladly employ these cookers all year-round, but they definitely get more of a workout during the cooler months. So without further ado, here are 25 healthy and comforting soups and stews you can make in the slow cooker…on your mark…set…grab your spoon!

continue to the recipe… about 25 Healthy and Comforting Slow Cooker Soups & Stews

Turkey Pot Pie Soup Plus 10 More Leftover Turkey Recipes You’ll Gobble Up

November 25, 2015

I’ve converted my favorite way to use up Thanksgiving turkey leftovers from a baked pot pie to a totally comforting slurp able soup.

I asked. You answered. And here is what we have to show for it.

Winner, winner, chicken dinnnnnnnn…HOLD THAT THOUGHT. Move over chicken, because THIS is dinner.

A week or so ago I had 5 quarts of freshly brewed turkey stock in need of a recipe to belong to. Plus, I wanted to give you a new recipe to use up that leftover turkey that most likely you’ll have on hand like I did when I made this glorious guy.

So as I am prone to do, I took to Instagram and asked you what you’d like to see made with it.

The requests were all winners. From spicy turkey chowder with lots of veggies in a bread bowl to a turkey risotto to turkey and dumplings, and more.

But one request hit home because it combines my favorite birthday dinner recipe with the slurpable, bread dipping, request of my daughter. She could eat soup morning, noon and night. And does.

Hello world! Meet your new favorite comfort food: Turkey Pot Pie Soup.

continue to the recipe… about Turkey Pot Pie Soup Plus 10 More Leftover Turkey Recipes You’ll Gobble Up

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

September 21, 2015

This simple but flavorful Italian soup with sausage, white beans and kale doesn’t require any pre-cooking or searing, making it a true slow-cooker meal.

“Okay mom, let’s play the smell game.”

I sort of cringed at the idea. Sweaty feet. Burnt toast. The 4th hole at the golf course that sits next to the water treatment plant and man does it reek when the wind blows.

Why do I immediately go to the dark side?

“Okay. What’s the smell game?” But of course I already know.

“It’s where we say the things we think smell the best. You go first.”

I thought for a minute. More like seconds. Immediately those gross smells vanished to make way for the good.

The smell of burnt pumpkins after being lit too closely to their lids on Halloween night.

Summer rain on black top.

The smell of Gardenias and tuberose.

Puppy breath. Only to be outdone by the nuzzle spot right below the ear in the crook of the neck of a newborn baby that’s a mixed perfume of milky baby lotion.

And of course, the obvious at our house. Food cooking in the kitchen.

continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

Classic Gazpacho Plus 5 More That’ll Make You Say “WOW!”

September 14, 2015

This classic, refreshing no-cook gazpacho is a mix of fresh veggies and store-bought tomato based vegetable juice for a perfect blend of smooth and chunky textures.

Why am I standing in the closet talking to my phone at 11:30 at night? My husband’s in bed. My Smudge has been tucked in for hours.

And I’m talking into my phone.

He probably thinks I’m crazy.

Or that I’m cheating on him with someone else on the line.

But I’m not either of those two. Or at least not the latter.

I’m dictating a blog post as I get ready for bed. Because something popped into my head, and Lord help me, if I don’t write it down, or talk it into my phone, the thought will disappear as quickly as my dog eats her dinner as if she hadn’t been fed for days. Oh…this brain of mine.

continue to the recipe… about Classic Gazpacho Plus 5 More That’ll Make You Say “WOW!”

Ginger Carrot Soup

March 24, 2015

This healthy and tasty soup with blended carrots and ginger has a velvety smooth texture thanks to the addition of some creamy Greek yogurt.

I’m more of a chunky fan.

I like my peanut butter with chunks of nut. I prefer my ice cream with bites of chocolate, crunch, toffee or whatever finds its way into it’s frozen chocolate goodness. I even like my orange juice with extra pulp.

I guess you could say I like the bite. Or, TO bite.

So when it comes to soup, I generally lean toward soups with pasta, chunks of vegetables, balls of matzo and of course, chili beans.

But with spring fever sneaking its way into every crevasse of my being, my cravings steer to cleaner eats, foods that are lighter, in the pursuit that I will be lighter, too. And look at that, SMOOTH! Maybe it’s time to lose the chunk?! In more ways than one.

Knowing that this recipe is made with Greek yogurt as the thickener, that it features carrots that are chock full of beta carotene and is spiked with ginger that has been shown to help with nausea and inflammation, this soup is just one more step to take to achieve your health goals no matter what they are.

continue to the recipe… about Ginger Carrot Soup

Killer Beef and Three Bean Chili

January 26, 2015

There are two ingredients that take this easy beef and three bean chili recipe from killer to kick-ass: beer and enchilada sauce. Taste it for yourself to discover the reason why.

This red chili recipe is not only killer, it was almost kick-ass too.

But then I got nervous that when my mom read this post she’d be hot on her iPhone to text me and say, “Heidi!!! You can’t say kick-ass in your post! You’ll offend your readers!”

So in regard for you, my dear readers, this chili is simply KILLER.

But you’ll realize as soon as you make it that it’s totally kick-ass, too.continue to the recipe… about Killer Beef and Three Bean Chili

Moroccan Soup with Kale and Chickpeas Plus 5 Vegetarian Soups That Even Meat Eaters Will Love

January 5, 2015

This hearty vegetarian soup of chickpeas, kale, butternut squash and potatoes gets it’s exotic flair from the vibrant Moroccan spices of saffron, cumin and cinnamon and is so easy to make.

Happy to the new, to the year, to you!

Let’s start off the new year exactly where we should, with a big, fat THANK YOU to all of you readers. Cheers to your eyeballs, graciously deep bows for your desires to peruse this blog, and high fives for making recipes that are featured here. I wouldn’t be here without you, and, why would I want to be? It would be mighty lonely around here if you weren’t in it here with me.

Whiz, bang, boom. 2014 seems to have come and gone in the wink of an eye. Or was it just that jolly old man in the red and white suit? Either way, 2015 is already shaping up to be fit for a king.

But wait? Who wants to be some old, rolly-polly bully who sloths about his castle draped in old furs while wielding turkey legs and brandishing silver goblets of the most expensive wine as servants attend to his every whim.

Maybe I’m painting too rosy a picture here because that actually doesn’t sound half bad.

But no! This year we’re going to keep things balanced. We’re going to rely on our instincts, on our guts, and make the most of every bite of fresh, ultra-flavorful food to nourish our bellies and our souls.

continue to the recipe… about Moroccan Soup with Kale and Chickpeas Plus 5 Vegetarian Soups That Even Meat Eaters Will Love

Fish Chowder With Copper River Salmon

December 16, 2014

This thick and creamy, perfectly chunky, and easy to make chowder made with the best Copper River salmon gets a Thai makeover with flavors of coconut milk, fresh lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime, for a unique spin on a comfort food favorite.

This fish chowder, if it could talk, would have a long story to tell about a very short trip I was on that ended in minutes with a very quick fall.

This soup and I met on a rainy Alaskan night. There were no walks on the beach but we did get caught on the rain. The piña coladas were on an entirely different continent and man oh man, how I wished I had champagne to kill the pain. But this soup from Cordova, Alaska’s local Fishwives, and it’s subtle Thai-inspired flavors saved me instead.

continue to the recipe… about Fish Chowder With Copper River Salmon

Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

December 4, 2014

All you need is 4 ingredients to make this simple, 3-step roasted tomato soup recipe with tortellini, fresh basil and mozzarella, and it comes together in minutes.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of DOLE Garden Soups and the Mom It Forward Blogger Network.

As a mom of an only child, I’m that mom who is constantly lamenting that my little baby is growing up way. too. soon.

The fact that my little girl is turning into a young teen has snuck up on me. Every other month I notice how I have to raise my arms a little higher to make that red-headed top knot in her hair. When she’ll let me. This year ever since school started she’s no longer coming into mom and dad’s bed for her usual morning snuggle. It’s killing me. And she pays no heed when I suggest what she should wear to school these days. The girl knows what she likes, when she likes it.

But it isn’t all bad. She’s become totally self-driven in getting her homework done, feeding the dogs and OMG! she’s even started making her bed without being asked.

One of the best things about her becoming more independent is she’s totally into making her own lunch, and this girl’s favorite thing hands down for lunch, snack and dinner is soup, soup, soup.

continue to the recipe… about Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

The Best Cheeseburger Soup

November 4, 2014

Disclosure before we even get started: NO! I am not pregnant. But I know who is and this post is for her.

Pregnancy brings with it lots of cravings. Weird cravings that run all across the bun-in-the-oven-baking map as noted on this amusing weird pregnancy craving list. And as nearly everyone on God’s green earth knows, at the top of that list is pickles. Pickles, that in a weird, roundabout way, was the craving that fueled my fire to create this recipe for the nearly-mom-to-be.

This recipe is part of a virtual baby shower for food blogger Jessica of How Sweet It Is, because as things go in bloggerland, we can’t always be with our bloggity pals in person to party hearty, but we do enjoy toasting to their victories and accomplishments. And there’s not much bigger accomplishment than becoming a parent.

Do I hear an, “Amen sistah!” or more appropriately, “Amen, Mama!”

So for Jessica’s soon-to-be-delivered bundle of joy, a group of bloggers are celebrating the way we do, by creating recipes for stuffing our faces. But today’s theme for Jessica’s baby shower isn’t your normal, everyday will it be blue or pink kind of shower. No, this shower is in the theme that is frequently shared on Jessica’s blog, in the name of getting “all-trashed up” where she takes the everyday recipe and really throws it for a loop to create something special. And usually adorned with neon or sprinkles.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Cheeseburger Soup

Crushing on Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste & Her Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

October 23, 2014

How does the cook in the family shed a few pounds while making a meal the whole family will still crave and love? In Gina Homolka’s mind, it’s simple. You just need to get into the kitchen and start cooking.

The challenges of weight loss has been a universal struggle that has made the popularity of Gina’s blog, Skinnytaste, the success that it is since it’s beginnings in 2008. And it’s the same exact reason her new cookbook has soared to the tops of the best-seller lists.

As the creator of both publishing endeavors, Gina Homolka has found the secret ingredient that resonates with her readers: she solves cooking conundrums for dieters by delivering calorie conscious, but still totally crave-worthy, lightened-up family favorite recipes that are painless to plan and create. In fact her Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli clocks in at just 420 calories per serving. Say what?

Now with her first cookbook, The Skinnytaste Cookbook, legions of devout fans are going offline and straight to the cookbook shelves to discover recipes that she calls, “light on calories, big on flavor.”

This Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup is just one of the many of Gina’s recipes that have been tested, tasted and high five approved and I’m sharing the recipe, plus a giveaway for a copy of The Skinnytaste Cookbook, with you today.

Let’s dig in!

continue to the recipe… about Crushing on Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste & Her Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Friday Faves

October 3, 2014

Happy Friday and let’s share some wine and cheese. You are making them part of your weekend, right?

I’m planning on it, since I spent a day this week photographing sumptious food for Deer Valley Resort in Park City for their new restaurant Brass Tag. Stuff like pretzels, brick oven shrimp skillets and the cheese board above (with homemade Elderberry jam they forage for right on the mountain). It was nearly too much deliciousness for one person to handle, but I persevered. I’m really excited that his year, not only do I get to take photos of some of Utah’s best food at the resort, but I’ll also be blogging for them this winter. I’ll be sharing a bit here and there on FoodieCrush so stay hungry.

This weekend I’ll be hitting the ski swaps, clearing out all of my green tomatoes (what should I make??) and hauling out the Halloween decorations. It’s going to get spooky up in here.

If you missed my post on Food Blogging Power Couples, read about them here.

Let’s make the jump into this week’s Friday Faves…

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Easy White Bean Chicken Chili with Butternut Squash

October 2, 2014

I bet you know somebody like this. You can pick them out the first time you meet them. They’re that person who can remember the good and the bad of each and every event that has happened in their life.

They’re that friend who always remembers and retells that story (over and over) about that one time you all went to that one party and you met that one guy who said that one thing and made you all laugh really, really, really hard and it made that one girl pee her pants.

You remember don’t you?

No I don’t. And I’m okay with that.

The older I get, I’m beginning to believe that in some ways, having a terrible long-term memory makes me a lucky person.

Easy White Bean Chicken Chili on foodiecrush.com

continue to the recipe…

The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

September 16, 2014

It may be an age-old wives tale, but according to mothers, grandmothers and any soup lover, there truly is no better cure for anything and everything that ails you than homemade chicken noodle soup made with chunky carrots, celery and always savory chicken stock. It’s the ultimate comfort food and incredibly easy to make.

Typically when I place my grocery haul on the grocery store check-out line conveyer belt, it’s a hodge podge assortment of ingredients that doesn’t give anyone a hint as to what’s going on in my kitchen at home. As voyeurs peeking into other’s lives, do the checkers notice (or even care) that you buy all organic with a side of doughnuts on every trip? That you buy enough food to feed an army or simply pick up a passel of frozen dinners for one? And do they judge your cooking skills—or lack thereof—depending on what exotic—or mundane—ingredients fill your basket?

So it wasn’t much of a shocker when I showed up to the 15 items or fewer line that the grocery store clerk asked me if I had someone at home who was under the weather thanks to my collection of a bottle of Chloraseptic, two different brands of throat losenges and all the fixin’s for homemade chicken noodle soup.

I’ll do everything and anything to cure my little girl’s wicked cold and sore throat. So when my baby doll requested a soother of soup for her sickly sore throat, as her adoring mother, I hopped to and got myself into the grocery store check out line and then straight back into the kitchen to whip up a homemade broth that makes the BEST chicken noodle soup, hands down beating anything out of a can.

How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch

Why make homemade soup when you can just pry open a can? Duh! Because it’s exponentially better tasting and better for you! Making homemade chicken noodle soup can sound time-consuming and intimidating, but in reality, it’s one of the easiest recipes to prepare and master. Even the homemade chicken broth is amazingly simple, so long as you follow a few tricks I’m sharing here. And once you’ve made it homemade, you’re going to have a terribly time ever considering going back to the canned stuff.

First, homemade chicken noodle soup starts with a homemade broth, and it suprisingly easy to make. It’s the same broth I use for my matzo ball soup and is one I’ve adapted (loosely) from Ina Garten and one of the many episodes of The Barefoot Contessa I’ve absorbed over the years. Here’s how.

I used 2 chicken breasts and 2 chicken legs in this recipe for stock, but if you have a 3 1/2 to 4 pound whole bird on hand, go ahead and substitute it. You may need to adjust your cooking time, so just test the chicken for doneness and taste the stock for flavor as you go.

I always boil my noodles separately from the chicken broth, then add to the soup, otherwise, they absorb up all of the delicious broth as they cook.

If by chance you accidentally simmer away too much of your broth, have a high quality boxed chicken stock on hand to spread the soupyness a little further.

What You Can Put in Chicken Noodle Soup

There’s so much variety you can do with chicken noodle soup. My standard go-to soup always has onion, carrots, celery, chicken, garlic, and parsley with egg noodles. I always use egg noodles in my soup, but go back and forth between the shorter, fatter, extra wide egg noodles from Manischewitz and these thicker and toothier egg noodles from Montana’s Country Pasta. I always have a bag of each on hand.

To switch things up, you could also think about adding:

Peas
Corn
Lemon
Potatoes
Rice
Whole grains such as farro, quinoa
Gnocchi
Wontons
Matzo balls
You can make it creamy by adding cream, half and half or even coconut milk.
Switch out the parsley with cilantro or tarragon for a totally different flavor.

Spices to Add to Chicken Noodle Soup

I like to use fresh herbs and spices in my soup, and mainly when cooking my broth, but always keeping it baseline and simple.

When making the homemade broth I use a big handful of fresh parsley and a few sprigs of thyme. To that I always add 2-3 dried bay leaves with 6-8 black peppercorns. Seasoning the broth with kosher salt is important as that is what provides the pronunciation of its flavor. My secret ingredient is adding 3 chicken bouillon cubes for a bit of extra chicken-y-ness. Once the broth is prepared, I discard all the bones and aromatics, and pour the broth over a strainer to remove any of the fine bits for a pure and delicious stock.

Then to the soup I keep it simple with herbs and add in chopped parsley and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

If you’d like to play around, consider adding these herbs for different flavor combinations:

Lemongrass, for a fresh lemony bite
Marjoram, similar to oregano but more subtle in earthyness
Tarragon, adds a mellow licorice flavor
Ginger, adds a spicy, somewhat sweet flavor
Fennel, adds a sweet, perfumey, anise-like flavor
Dill, added right before serving it gives the soup a bright flavor

Shortcut to Semi-Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Soooo, sometimes there’s no time to make homemade broth and maybe you’ve run out your freezer stash too. What to do? Doctor up the store-bought variety. Here’s how.

Choose a quality chicken stock. At this point you’re going to want to choose stock over broth to get that deeper, chicken flavor.

When you but the stock, purchase twice as much as the recipe calls for. Then, pretend this is the water portion of the homemade broth and boil your vegetables and herbs (leave out the peppercorns) for at least 30 minutes to deepen the stock’s flavor. Strain, and continue on with the recipe.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade chicken noodle soup tastes best with homemade chicken stock, which is suprisingly easy to make at home with leftover roasted chicken bones.

Ingredients

2 split chicken breasts with ribs and skin on
2 chicken drumsticks with skin
1 yellow onion peeled and cut into quarters
1 head of garlic unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
6 carrots leaving 2 of them unpeeled and cut into halves, and the remaining 4 peeled and cut into 1/4 inch rounds
6 ribs celery two of them cut in half and the remaining cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 parsnip unpeeled cut into 3-inch chunks
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
1 bunch fresh thyme
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 ounces extra wide egg noodles

Instructions

Add the chicken pieces, onion, head of garlic, two unpeeled and halved carrots, two ribs of celery halves, parsnip halves to a large stock pot. Tie 15 stems of Italian parsley and 15 stems of thyme with a bit of kitchen string and add to the pot.
Cover with cold water 1-2 inches above the chicken and veggies or 14 cups of water. Add 3 chicken bouillon cubes, bay leaves, black peppercorns and kosher salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a lightly rolling simmer and cook uncovered for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is cooked through and tender and stock is well flavored. If the stock tastes weak, add another chicken bouillon soup and a bit more salt.
Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool and remove the vegetables from the stock and discard. Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth. Return the broth to the stock pot and add the chopped carrots and celery. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Add the egg noodles and cook for another 8 minutes or until noodles are tender but chewy. Remove the skin from the chicken and shred the chicken with two forks. Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, start by adding 3/4 of the shredded chicken to the soup then add more if you have enough broth or reserve for another use. Season with more salt and pepper if desired and stir in 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley and serve hot.

More Ideas for Chicken Noodle Soup

The classics will always be, but sometimes we need to add a little spin for the chicken win. Here are a few food blogs who’ve done just that.

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