Venison Chili

I basically used my recipe for Simply Chili and subbed in venison and bacon for the meat. My original recipe was for two so I had to double this recipe to make enough for four and left out the serrano. It turned out wonderful, served with cornbread, yummo!

1.5 lbs venison steak, chopped
4 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups beef broth
2  15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2  14. 5 oz cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
wickles jalapeno relish, optional

In large pot begin cooking bacon.

After about 2 minutes add the venison and onion. Continue cooking until venison is cooked through.

Add the chili powder, red pepper and garlic powder. Then stir in the broth, beans and tomatoes.

Cover and simmer for one hour.

Serve topped with Wickles Relish and enjoy!

Shared with:

Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner

FF w/ All My Bloggy Friends @ My Turn For Us
FF w/ All My Bloggy Friends @ Love Bakes Good Cakes

Chili Tortilla Soup

I have made this recipe a couple of times already this winter and was surprised that I had not posted it yet. It came about by accident. I was walking through Big Lots and saw the mix for tortilla soup and bought it. I didn't have a set plan as to when I would make it. A week or two later I was looking through the cabinet for something to make, pulled this out and made it according to what I had on hand that came close to what the directions called for.  We really enjoy this and it is super yummy!!

1 cup diced potato
8 cups water
8.8 oz bear creek tortilla soup mix
15 oz can chili
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded cheese
1 large avocado, sliced (optional)
tortilla chips or crackers (optional)

Bring potato and water to a boil.

Whisk in soup mix. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.

In medium bowl mix together chili, cheese and cream. Stir into soup mix and heat through. Top individual servings with additional cheese and avocado slices if desired. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or fresh warm bread.

Enjoy!

Simple Slow Cooked Taco Soup

I pinned this recipe over a year ago from A Year of Slow Cooking. It makes quite a bit, so I had put off making it when we were just two. It was sooo yummy and simple! Ready for another pot!

2 16 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.75 oz can cream style corn, no salt added, undrained
1 15.25 oz can whole kernel corn, no salt added, undrained
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 10 oz can tomatoes and green chilies, mild, undrained
1 1.5 oz packet taco seasoning, low sodium
1 .4 oz packet ranch dressing mix
1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
shredded cheese and avocado slices for topping

Gather ingredients.

Brown meat and drain off fat. Place in slow cooker. Top with both seasoning packets. Pour in beans, corn and tomatoes.

Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (high 4 to 5 hours). Serve topped with cheese and avocado.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Soup

I pinned this recipe over at year ago at Beyer Beware. This recipe is soooo simple, I have no idea why I waited so long to try it! With cooler weather arriving, this soup really hit the spot and will be repeated over and over this winter.

1 9 oz pkg refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans tomato soup (I used one 15.2 oz can and one 10.75 oz can but you could use two 10.75 oz cans)
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups heavy cream (you could also use milk or half-n-half)
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can chicken, drained
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup + shredded parmesan cheese
serrano pepper, chopped (optional)

Cook tortellini according to directions on pkg.

Meanwhile, combine the soup, broth, cream, tomatoes, chicken and seasonings.

Heat through, stirring often. Once tortellini is done, drain and stir into soup mixture. Stir in the 1/2 cup parmesan. Top individual servings with additional parmesan and chopped pepper if desired.

Serve and enjoy!

Shared with:

See Ya in the Gumbo - Ms EnPlace

Thursday Favorite Things - Katherine's Corner

Slow Cooker Mexican Cheese Soup

This is one of those recipes that I have had around for years but have not made in quite a while. One of those recipes I have that are written on a little scrap of paper and stuck in a binder with zillions of other recipes that tend to get forgotten. This soup is way to good to stay forgotten though. I had to pull it out, dust it off and devour it's yummy, cheesy goodness!

1 lb processed cheese such as velveeta, cubed
1 26 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 cup cooked chicken (I've used both canned and fresh cooked chicken - either will work)
2 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can tomatoes with green chilies such as rotel
1 16 oz pkg frozen corn

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, stirring to combine.

Heat on low for about two hours or until cheese is completely melted and soup is heated through, stir every hour.

Serve over tortilla chips if desired and enjoy!

Shared with:

Freedom Fridays - My Turn For Us

Dreaming of a White Christmas Soup - Gifts in a Jar

In the past we have asked our families to stop giving us gifts at Christmas due to the limited amount of space in the RV. We do no want to accumulate a lot of stuff making it cluttered and difficult to pack up and move when necessary. Well my family came up with a solution by giving us food gifts, items we will consume, therefore no clutter. I received this wonderful soup as a Christmas gift from my older sister. It was soooo yummy! Thankfully she included the complete recipe, not just what I needed to add to the jar. Now I can share this yummy soup with all of ya'll!!

For the jar (if giving as a gift, layer the items in jar, or other quart sized container, in the order listed for the best presentation):

1 pkg pioneer country gravy mix
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
2 Tbsp celery flakes
2 tsp parsley flakes
3 cups wide egg noodles, uncooked (or pasta of your choice)

Add to this:

1 10 oz or 2 6 oz cans cooked chopped chicken
8 cups of water

Empty contents of jar into large saucepan or dutch oven.

Add water, stirring to mix. Heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat. Add the chicken. Cover and simmer for five to six minutes or until pasta is done, stirring occasionally.

Serve with bread, biscuits or crackers and enjoy!

Shared with:

Nacho Soup

With colder temps finally arriving to South Texas soups have been sounding REALLY good. This is one that I found HERE. We will be having this again - very yummy!

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large red onion, chopped
11 oz can nacho cheese soup
2 cups milk
1 cup frozen corn
2 small tomatoes, chopped
3.5 oz nacho cheese sauce

In a large saucepan cook ground beef, onion and pepper until meat is browned and vegetables tender. Drain off fat if necessary.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook for about five minutes or until heated through.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Shared with:

Broccoli Cheese Soup

With the cooler weather I have been craving soup in a serious way. I have pinned many, many recipes in the last couple of weeks and finally decided to try one. You can find the original recipe HERE. I double the recipe since I was making it for our group of friends here in the park and made one slight change to the ingredients - I didn't have quite enough broccoli, so I substituted chopped green pepper. It turned out super yummy. Due to my dislike of green peppers I decided to chop them a bit finer that what they were already chopped. I didn't want any "big" pieces of green pepper, lol.

The little bit I used, chopped extra small, gave the soup some added flavor without being overpowering.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
5 cups milk
1 1/2 lb (24oz) Velveeta, cubed
1 16 oz package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
5 oz frozen chopped green pepper, thawed and drained
1/4 tsp black pepper

In dutch oven melt butter.

Add onion and cook until tender, about five minutes. Stir in flour and cook until bubbly, about one minute. Add milk, bring just to the boiling point then reduce heat and simmer for one minute. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook until cheese is melted and soup is heated through, stirring frequently.

Serve and enjoy!

Saucy Ground Beef and Noodles

This is one of those recipes that I would rate as just okay but the hubby seemed to really enjoy it. I found it HERE. If I make it again I think I will add more seasoning to jazz it up a bit and not put in the bell pepper, maybe zucchini. It was very easy to make and was like an Italian soup or stew.

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups extra broad egg noodles, yolk free
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
1/2 of a 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 of a 4.5 oz jar sliced mushrooms
shredded mozzarella cheese, optional

In medium saucepan cook ground beef, onion and pepper till ground beef is done, about eight to ten minutes.  Drain if necessary.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally  Reduce heat and simmer till noodles are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Serve topped with cheese and enjoy!

John had to step outside for a minute while I was cooking. This is where Midnight sat until he came back in.

Simply Chili

3/4 lb lean ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

1 serrano pepper,chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup beef broth

1 can (15 oz. each) black beans, drained, rinsed

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

Shredded Cheese
Sour cream
  
Brown meat in Dutch oven or large deep skillet on medium heat; drain, if necessary. Add onions and serrano pepper; cook 5 to 7 min. or until tender, stirring frequently.

  Add seasonings; then stir in broth, beans and tomatoes. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

Optional - for a thicker juice in your chili stir 1 Tbsp corn starch into 1/4 cup of water(or use milk for and even thicker chili); add to chili during last 5 minutes of cooking, stirring well, continue to simmer uncovered until chili reaches desired thickness.

Top individual servings with cheese and sour cream. Serve and Enjoy!

Final Day, Then Off to Bastrop

For our final day at the storage facility we received a special treat: the lovely Michelle came to hang out and observe how the new trainees were doing, Lonnie and Lisa. Time with Michelle is always a special treat. Her stories and the way she tells them keeps everyone in stitches. I had been a tad concerned about the trainees ability in the area of customer service. Today it was as though a switch had been flipped, they did an excellent job! Lisa made a huge pot of vegetable soup in honor of our last day.

 Lisa's recipe was quite simple. She browned hamburger meat and added vegetables - both canned and frozen, there may have been some fresh ones as well. She did not disclose what seasoning she used but I know she used bay leaf and believe I detected oregano. This is one of those dishes that you can take and make it your own, use whatever seasonings and vegetables you like. As Monday was a chilly, rainy day this soup really hit the spot!

Tuesday morning we loaded up, stopped by the office for a final farewell and pointed the brave south towards Bastrop! John wanted to introduce me to some real truck stop food and traveling down I-35 they were plentiful. We stopped for lunch just outside of Hillsboro at a Petro truck stop. As we were driving a 36ft. RV and towing a car, a truck stop made sense for the ease of parking alone, but the yummy food at the Iron Skillet cafe inside made the choice that much better.

I had the Twisted Turkey Reuben:

This is a twist on a traditional Reuben in that it substitutes turkey and cole slaw for the corned beef and sauerkraut. It still comes with thousand island dressing and Swiss cheese served on toasted rye bread!

John had a Chili Burger:

 This is an open faced burger on a toasted bun topped with chili, cheese and onion. We both opted for the onion straws and at just 49 cents extra they were worth it! We both left the Iron Skillet filled and happy! We arrived at the RV park around 4pm, got set up, fed the dogs and headed over to spend a little time with my mom. A great ending to a wonderfully tiring day!

Creamy Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

I am participating in the Crazy Cooking Challenge for the first time, hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking.



For this challenge you must find a recipe on someone elses blog that fits the category for that month. Make the recipe, then blog about it. All recipes are then posted at a specified day and time. This months challenge is chicken noodle soup. I searched throughout blog-land and believe I found the perfect recipe here at  For the Love of Cooking. Of course I had to make a couple of minor changes like dividing it in half and substituting zucchini for the celery. For their original recipe click here: Creamy Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup. I picked this both because it is creamy and it has potato in it - unusual for chicken noodle soup. So here is my pared down, slightly altered version.

1 T olive oil
1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
1/4 cup zucchini, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Oregano
Poultry seasoning
1 cube chicken bullion crumbled
Sea Salt and Black Pepper
3 cubes chicken bullion
3 cups water
2 cups  potato, peeled and diced
1 cup roasted chicken, shredded
1/8 cup cornstarch
5 oz can evaporated milk
1 cup rigatoni pasta

Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and zucchini; saute for 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.

Season the cooked vegetables with oregano, poultry seasoning, crumbled bullion cube, sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Heat the three cups of water with the three bullion cubes in the microwave for about 3 1/2 minutes. Set aside 1/4 cup of the broth. Add the other 2 3/4 cups of broth and the potatoes to the seasoned vegetables; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered, 20 minutes or until the potato is tender.

Combine the cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup of broth and mix well. Add cornstarch mix, chicken, evaporated milk and pasta to the broth. Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Taste and re-season as needed. Serve and enjoy.