Sausage, Potato and Beer Cheese Soup

I don't even know where to start with this soup.  It is so freaking good.  I made it on a whim on Sunday night and Mr. Schwartz and I were both blown away.  Like we actually didn't talk the whole time we scarfed it down.  I wish I was kidding.  

Surprisingly I made it with healthy(ier) things like skim milk, chicken sausage and low fat cheese.  I promise I doesn't taste low fat at all!  Also, it takes less than a half an hour to whip up.  Try this now and feel free to write me a handwritten thank you note with the tears of joy you shed while eating it. Yeah, it's that good.

Start by chopping up an onion.

Melt a little butter and pop it in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot.  Add the onions (not pictured) and saute for about 3 minutes or so.

This is the sausage I used.  Holy Moley you guys, I love this stuff. 

Cut it into cute little half moons.

Add the sausage to the pot and give it a quick stir.  Let this cook while you work on the potatoes...

Potatoes worked.  As in I peeled, washed and diced them up.

Add them to the pot as well.  Stir again.

Pour in some low sodium chicken broth.

And a bottle of beer.  Oh I love Spotted Cow.  My friend Amy hooked me up when she came back from Wisconsin.  My little bootlegger.  Shhh...don't tell anyone.

Cook for about 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender.

Combine milk and flour to make a slurry and pour into the pot.  Give it a stir and it should thicken things up nicely.

Season with a little salt

And lots of pepper.

Add the cheese and that is it!

How easy is that!?

The answer is: easy.

And delicious.


Sausage, Potato and Beer Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
13 oz of smoked sausage (I used chicken sausage) cut into half moons
3 medium potatoes, peeled, washed and chopped
1 32 oz box of chicken broth
1 bottle of beer.  I loved the flavor Spotted Cow gave the soup.
1 1/2 cups milk (skim is totally okay!)
1/3 cup flour
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese + additional for topping (low fat is okay!)

Start by adding the butter and onion into a large Dutch Oven or soup pot on medium high heat.  Let saute for about 3 minutes.  Add the sausage and let cook for 3-4 minutes while you peel and chop the potatoes.  Add the potatoes, chicken broth and beer.  Let cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft but not mushy.

Combine the milk and flour in a glass and make sure to use a fork to remove any lumps.  Pour into the pot and give it a good stir.  When it heats back up it will thicken the soup, be sure to continue to stir.  Once the soup is hot and bubbly again, add the cheese and stir until creamy and combined.

Garnish with additional cheese and enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

White Chicken Chili

If you haven't noticed lately, I am on a bit of a soup kick.  When the temperatures start dropping all I can think of is soup.  Soup, soup and more soup.  

This one is totally a winner.  I get sick of eating regular (yet tasty) red chili.  This soup was so easy to make and I really enjoyed the unique flavor it had.  This one is definitely going on our soup rotation.  

Start by melting butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot.

Finely dice up an onion

And introduce it to it's new friend, butter.

Open a can of green chiles and add it to the pan as well.

Finely, FINELY, dice up a few pickled jalapeños.  I'm sure you could use fresh but this is what I had on hand.

Add them to the pot. Let this cook for about 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans.

Add them to the pot

Along with chicken broth

Garlic powder

Cumin

Mexican (or regular) oregano

Salt

And pepper.  Let this simmer for about 15 minutes and wait for your house to smells ah-maze-balls.

Oh hello BFF.  Can I get a hallelujah for rotisserie chicken!?  I love it.  I especially love it in soups because the chicken doesn't get dry.  Have you ever noticed how weird and dry chicken gets if you cook it then add it to a soup.  I'm not into weird chicken.

So, shred the chicken.  I used mainly the breasts

Into the pot it goes.

Don't forget all of the juice at the bottom of the tray.  Sorry for the blurry picture, the dog bumped me as I was snapping.

Shred two cups of Monterey Jack cheese.   When I know I'm going to be shredding cheese, I pop it into the freezer for a few minutes so it hardens a bit.  Just a little tip for ya...

Add sour cream

Half and half

And cheese.  I wanted it a bit thicker soooo...

I added a bit of corn starch to cold water.

Pour it into the soup while stirring it…until it is thick and creamy.

Then I realized I wanted corn in it too.  So I added some corn.  Let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until heated through.

That's it!

Delicious, creamy, spicy soup!

Sluuuurp.

White Chicken Chili 

1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 4 oz can green chiles
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños (more or less depending on your taste)
1 15 oz can Great Northern (white) beans
3 14.5 oz cans chicken broth (reduced sodium preferred)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Mexican (or regular) oregano
1 teaspoon salt
15 cracks black pepper
2 chicken breasts (rotisserie preferred)
8 oz sour cream (fat free is okay)
1 cup half and half
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 12 oz bag frozen corn

Start by adding the butter an onions in a large Dutch oven or stock pot.  Toss in the green chiles and jalapeños.  Cook this for about 5 minutes on medium high heat or until the onions become translucent.

Drain and rinse the beans, add them to the pot along with the chicken broth.  Sprinkle in the garlic powder, oregano, salt and black pepper.  Let this simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.  Add the chicken, sour cream, half and half and cheese into the pot.  Combine the cold water and corn starch into a small glass.  Pour it slowly into the soup while stirring.  Stop once you have reached your desired consistency.  Add in the corn and reduce to medium heat.  Let simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Recipe highly adapted from: Lil Luna 

Corn Chowder

This is my all time favorite soup.  Not because it tastes absolutely amazing (and it really does) but because it reminds me of my Grandma.  Oh boy, was she a spitfire and a half.  Not like I know anything about something like that...but I have stories for days.  

This soup reminds me of her small house across from the Armory.  It was a short walk to the park and fully equipped with strange orange and black dishes (I need to find them somewhere) and sweet yellow curtains that flew in the summer breeze.  I made this soup last weekend and it brought me right back to her house and gave me a big old hug of Grandma Nothnagel coziness.  I hope it does the same to you.   

Start with bacon...as all good things do.  I like to cut it up with my kitchen shears.  Seriously, amazing. Try it.

Fry it up, remove it from the pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Drain the majority of the bacon fat from the pot and toss it--or keep it in a leetle jar in your fridge incase the mood hits you.

Chop up an onion

And toss it into the pot.  See all that brown goodness at the bottom, the moisture from the onions and celery will make that come up...watch.

Speaking of celery, chop that up as well.

Toss it into the pot.

Since I took out the majority of the bacon fat, I added some butter.  It only seemed right.  Oh, and see those brown bits, yeah the onions and celery are doing their job.  Let them cook for about 4-5 minutes or until they start to get translucent.

Then grab a can of these guys.  Yeah, I don't buy them for anything but this...I'm sure you could boil your own potatoes but it wouldn't taste the same.

So slice them down the long way...

Then she short way to make little half moon potatoes.

Perfect..

Add some flour, this will thicken up the soup a bit.

Give it a good stir and cook the flour taste out a bit.

Add in milk.  Yes, straight up milk.  I actually make this with SKIM milk.  Can you believe it?  My mom always did I doubt my grandma did but it tastes just fine.  Remember, there is bacon, bacon fat and butter in this...skim milk is probably a wise choice.

Add in the potatoes

Creamed corn.  This is the only time I buy this stuff from the can again...Mr. Schwartz was jacked when he saw it.   Then I broke his heart and told him it was going in soup...I deprive him don't I?

Add salt...it needs quite a bit actually...

Lots of black pepper

And back in goes the bacon...or whats left of it...

Give it a good stir and let it simmer for at least 15 minutes.  Be sure to watch it as it can scald on the bottom.  The longer you let it simmer the thicker it will get.

Perfection.

It tastes so fresh, sweet and salty at the same time.  I can't take it!

Also, I froze a bunch of this since I was making a double batch and have already re-thawed it...it came out even better and thicker than the first time.  Score!

Corn Chowder: 

1 pound bacon
2 large or 5 small-medium sized onions, chopped
4 large stalks of celery, tops included, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 14.5 oz cans new potatoes, cut into half moons
2 14 3/4 oz cans creamed corn
8 cups milk (skim is just fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Start by chopping and cooking the bacon in a large Dutch oven or soup pot that you plan to cook the soup in.  Once fully cooked, remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Remove the majority of the bacon grease (all but maybe a tablespoon or so) and discard.

Add the onions and celery to the pot along with the butter.  Saute these for about 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent.  Add the flour and cook for another 3-4 minutes to get the flour taste out.

Slowly pour in the milk and stir until fully combined.  Bring to a simmer while adding the potatoes and corn.  Once simmering, add the bacon and let it cook for at least 15 minutes.  It will become thicker as it cooks and even thicker once it cools a bit.  It's kind of strange that way but trust me.

Serve in large bowls and enjoy!

Recipe by: My Grandma Nothnagel

**a few notes, this is the doubled recipe and it makes a lot--freeze whatever is left and once thawed it is even better than the day you made it.

Also, it is not super thick from the get go, if you want a thicker soup add the 1/4 cup of flour and a few tablespoons to thicken it even more.