Best Chicken Noodle Soup Ever!

Ahh... Chicken Noodle Soup. The epitome of comfort food. Unless it's nasty haha... then it can only be equated with desperation i.e. quick and easy and well, I don't make it THAT often, so the kids can't complain too much. Okay, so maybe I'm the only one who HATED chicken noodle soup growing up. Seriously, how exciting can veggies you don't like and dried noodles be in a broth? But then when I was a Junior in High School my friend brought a mug of the most amazingly creamy yummy soup I had ever tasted, and my opinion was forever changed that chicken noodle soup could not only be good, but the amazing comfort food it was supposed to be. I begged my mom to get the recipe from my friend Ashley and her mom (also my friend) Myalin. Thankfully, they were happy to oblige :) Unfortunately, however, it was all guess work... a little of this and a little of that, so I was super excited when I got this recipe from my friend Christy.. the same exact recipe but with measurements!!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do :)

1 chicken –boiled & boned (or about 3 breasts)

8 cups of water or the stock

1 cup celery

1 cup carrots

1 cup onions

2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

3 bouillon cubes

1 16 oz sour cream

1 pkg Old Fashioned Grandma’s Noodles (in the freezer section)

In a crock pot cook chicken, water/stock, veggies, chicken soup and bouillon cubes. One hour before serving add the noodles and right before you serve add the sour cream.

If cooking on the stove, boil chicken, water, veggies, noodles and bouillon til tender. Then add sour cream and chicken soup.

Cheesy Wild Rice Soup

The first time I tried this amazing soup of Jen's, I watched it disappear before I could even think about a second helping. It was so delicious that I was very tempted to go and lick the saucepan (but I didn't :)!! I made it a few weeks ago for my family, and I got the same reaction... everyone wanted more! Another dang good Jen recipe makes the list!

1 cup uncooked wild rice

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 lb of bacon

1 med onion

2 pints of ½ & ½

1 lb cheddar or Fiesta blend cheese

Cook rice as directed, set aside. Fry bacon in a large saucepan. Remove and crumble. Saute onion in grease. Combine and add soup and ½ and ½ and mix well. Add in the rice and bacon. Add cheese and cook until melted.

Roasted Cauliflower & Aged White Cheddar Soup (So Good!)

This is to die for! I found this on closetcooking.com and that guy got it right! Just the name of it made my mouth water. I didn't know how my family would react, but it got 5 stars! Mr. Amazing kept saying it was something he would expect to be served in an upscale restaurant. The aged white cheddar is a key ingredient. It's hard to find. I found it at our local Smith's made by Private Selection. It costs a pretty penny (6 oz is $4) but it is a must! :) I hope you like it as much as we do!

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tbsp oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp oil

1 med onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp thyme, chopped

3 cups vegetable broth

1 ½ cups aged white cheddar, shredded

1 cup milk or cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper and arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast the cauliflower in a preheated 400F oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 min. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5-7 min. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Add the broth and cauliflower, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 20 min. Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency with a stick blender. Mix in the cheese, let it melt and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the milk and remove from heat.

BEST EVER!!! White Chicken Chili

Oh. My. Heck. Seriously. Heaven in bowl right here!! This is so good that I went and bought enough ingredients to make this meal at least 4 more times! My family doesn't really care for chili. I've tried numerous recipes, but unfortunately there has never been one good enough to repeat. Until now! My church was having a Halloween party and asked for people to bring in Chili for the dinner. So I went on a search to find the best chili ever. And I found it on sweetannas.com! I made it for my family a week in  before just to make sure and after my family ate the entire pot in 20 minutes, I knew I had a winner. I also made 2 more batches for the freezer for even less, quicker gratification :) (Note to Wyoming, USA friends: I could only find these beans at Walmart).

3 chicken breasts (raw or cooked), cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans white beans, drained

1 regular can pink beans (pinquitos)

1 large can diced green chilies

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups chicken stock

1 jalapeno, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup finely crushed tortilla chips

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Throw all the ingredients (except for the crushed tortilla chips and cheese) into your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. During the last 30 minutes, stir in the crushed tortilla chips and the shredded cheese and heat until cheese is melted and the chili has thickened up. Serve with sour cream, chips, salsa or whatever else you want!

World's Best Taco Soup

Mr. Amazing does not like Taco Soup. I've tried numerous variations in hopes of converting him. He has to call it Chili to choke it down haha. But when I saw this recipe from iheartnaptime.net, I knew I had to give it a shot!

Well, it didn't work haha. I told him this one had tons more good stuff in it, but when he tried it he said "it tastes like taco soup." Oh well. Can't win them all!

But the rest of us loved it, so it's a keeper! It does taste like Taco Soup, but so much heartier!!! Everyone was stuffed after 1 bowl and it made double the amount of my normal recipe! It would be super easy to make this into a freezer meal, too, either before or after cooking it!

1 lb hamburger

2 tbsp taco seasoning

1 med sweet onion

½ green bell pepper chopped

½ red bell pepper chopped

½ orange or yellow bell pepper chopped

1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can corn

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

¼ cup salsa

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Brown hamburger in a large pan. Add in onion and bell peppers and sauté for a few minutes. Add to slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Top with your favorite toppings and tortilla chips.

World's Best Baked Potato Soup

I tried this at my friend Angie's house and about died... every other cream potato soup was from thenceforth erased from my recipe book. This is a keeper. The ONLY keeper! I can't even bring myself to try another potato soup, because I believe this is flat out, the best soup in the world!

1 lb bacon

1 onion

4 celery stocks, sliced

5-7 potatoes

Cook bacon, add everything else and sauté. Cover with enough water to cover potatoes and boil until soft. 

Add:

1 pint whipping cream

1 lb velveeta

8 oz Mexican Cheese

Season with Morton Nature’s Seasons Seasoning Blend (this is a must! Season to taste)

Serve with challah bread.