Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes (yams)

So here is the soup I am making today.  It hasn't finished yet, so I don't know how it is, but I do know it makes a lot!  I am also making bread soup bowls to eat it from.

Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes
adapted from Cook’s Country, taken from "Mel's Kitchen Cafe" website
serves 6-8

3 cups whole milk (I didn’t have whole milk so I used 2 cups 1% and 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2)
1 cup yellow corn muffin mix (Jiffy brand was recommended in the original recipeand that is what I used)
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 ” cubes
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
3 cups frozen corn (not thawed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve.  Makes a lot!

Bread bowls.  I got this recipe from a cast iron cooking blog-"Dutch Oven Madness", but I am going to cook them in the oven.  Again, haven't eaten yet, so don't know how they will turn out.  I will post the results later!

Bread Bowls
14" dutch oven

1 1/2 Tbs. yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
7 cups flour
1 Tbs. corn meal
1 egg white
1 Tbs. water

Dissolve the yeast in warm water.  Let stand for about 10 minutes.  Add the salt, oil and 4 cups of flour and mix well.  Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.  (I didn't use all the flour.)  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn to oil the top.  Cover and rise until doubled. 

Punch the dough down and divide into 8 equal portions.  Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased dutch oven that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.  Cover and allow to rise until doubled.

In a small bowl, combine water and egg whites.  Carefully spread the egg combination over the top of the bread bowls.  Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.  Brush each bread bowl with egg again and bake another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serves 8.

Chicken and Dupmling Stew

So it has been quite a few weeks since my last soup post.  What with Christmas and vacation to Guatemala and recovery from said vacation...Had some wonderful soups in Guatemala, apparently they have soup with every meal, at least we did for every lunch and dinner and they are great!  Already miss not having horchata and jamaica as choices for drinks.  I my be learning to make horchata!  Had some yesterday at the Salvadorian restaurant in Reno.

Have tried several chicken and dumpling recipes, but have not been happy with them.  Stole this one from the RGJ paper, a Jennifer Bushman one.  I like it!

2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, sliced or chopped 
4 medium carrots, in 1/2" slices, about 1/2 cup
3 ribs celcery, in 1/2" slices, about 1/2 cup
salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs fressh thyme,  (or equivilent dried)
1 bay leaf
3 cups cooked chicken
4 cups chicken broth

Heat butter over medium heavy covered casserole.  Add onions, carrots and celery; cook, stirring just until soft but not browned, about `10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken;  drop in seasoning.  Pour in broth, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes.  While broth cooks, make dumplings.

DUMPLINGS
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk

In medium bowel, use fork to stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in butter using pastry cutter until dough lumps look like coarse crumbs.  Stire in milk, then gather dough together into a ball.  On floured board, knead dough twice, just to mix well.  Roll out to thickness of 1/8 inch  Cut into 1 inch by 2 inch strips .. Let dry on board 20 minutes.

Reduduce heat to very low.  Add dumpling strips.  Simmer, covered, until dumplings are cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

If desired to thicken (I didn't), mike 1 T butter and 1 T flour, at paste a little at a time to thicken to desired consistency.  Serves about 6.

Cheeseburger Soup

Thanks everyone, for sharing your soup recipes, keep them coming!  Meghan, as soon as I can find some wild rice in the desert, I'm making yours!

So here is a recipe from my sister Tammy.  Rumor has it that it is my nephew Jacob's favorite.  We made it tonight, and it is really good.  If you are a cheese (or a reasonable facsimile of cheese) soup fan, as my family is (I raised up my boys right, and now my granddaughter loves cheese too!), you will enjoy this.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tsp dried basil (I used a little more)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
4 T butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced, peeled potatoes, or cubed has browns
1/4 cup flour
8 oz velveeta cheese
1 1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

In large ot brown beef, drain and set aside.  In the same pan saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 T butter until tender.  Add broth, potatoes and beef.  Bring to a boil.

Add cheese and stir until melted.  In a separate pan combine remaining butter and flour to make a paste and add the milk.  Heat until very hot.  Then add this to the soup.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat until very hot, potatoes are tender and cheese is melted.  Before serving, stir in the sour cream.

So here is our soup blog!

Randy and I love soup, so we decided this winter to commit to making homemade soup at least once per week.  We already have about 8 recipes we make all the time, but we have two large books of nothing but soup with hundreds of recipes to try.  We have already picked out about 30, so we are ready to get started.  Last week we made Chicken Tortilla Soup, we give it a definite "make again, make often."  It will go in the permanent soup recipe book.  This one Randy made.

CHICKEN/TURKEY TORTILLA SOUP

1  large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1  teaspoon ground cumin
5 cups chicken broth

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 can (141/2 oz diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
1/2 bottle pace chunky salsa (mild)
1/2 bottle (small) roasted red peppers, chopped
3 cans (5 oz) cooked white chicken, or equivalent home cooked chicken OR turkey
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or 1 teaspoon refrigerated cilantro paste (we used "Gourmet Garden" brand found in the produce section of Safeway and Raleys)
1-2 teaspoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded Jack or cheddar cheese

If you like it spicier, add 1 chapped jalapeno pepper, 1 can green chilies, or hot salsa instead of mild to taste.

In large saucepan, saute onion in oil; add the chilies, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, salsa, tomatoes.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and stir in chicken. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add the ciainatro, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Top with crushed tortilla chips and cheese.