Diary of a Recipe Addict (2024)

Here is a recipe for a delicious soup that I made for dinner tonight! I will post the Rosemary Bread recipe very soon because it was PERFECT with this soup!

Wild Rice Soup

1 c. Wild Rice, cooked according to package directions

2 Chicken Breasts, diced

2 Ribs Celery

4 medium Carrots, sliced

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth
1 can mushrooms, optional

Reserved cooking water

Cook rice according to the package directions. Drain the excess water. While rice is cooking, simmer the carrots, celery and chicken in just enough water to cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the water to add to the soup for thinning. Combine rice, chicken, carrots, veggies, cream soups and chicken broth. You will need to add water (Start with the veggie water, then add tap if you need to). How much water you add depend on how thick or thin you like your soup! I like it a little thicker so I add at least 1 can of water, usually about 2. Start small and slowly add. Simmer together until all is heated through. Enjoy!

As the soup sits, you may need to add more water/broth. The rice tends to continue to absorb the water.

Source: A friend!

Last night, I was watching a documentary on PBS about the Germans from Russia that are so common in North Dakota. It was a very interesting program, especially so for me because my grandparents on my dad's side are part of that culture. Recently, I have heard my grandpa talk more and more about what it was like to be a youngster in a very large, poor farming family in Western ND. My grandpa could have been one of those interviewed, his story was so like others that went through the same hard times. I think he would really enjoy the program, I believe it was called Of Earth and Sky. One interesting tidbit that my grandpa recently told me, was that he never actually had a birth certificate. He was born at harvesting time and his family did not have the time to take care of it during that busy season. It was apparently, forgotten and never did happen. In the grand scheme of things, those times are not long behind us, but things have certainly changed dramatically.

One piece of my Germans from Russia heritage is Knoephla soup. I grew up eating this, often with premade "knoephla dumplings" that a local company called Baker Boy makes. We always made the recipe on the back of that package. Recently, I started wondering how hard it would really be to do it entirely from scratch. I came up with this recipe and I am really happy with it. I also like the fact that it contains much less than the entire stickof butter the Baker Boy recipe calls for.

Knoephla Soup

2 Tbsp. butter

2-3 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 Tbsp. chicken base

2 Qts. water

3-4 potatoes, peeled & diced

3-4 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. dill weed, optional

1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste), optional

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. cream

Dough:

2 c. flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot. Add carrots, celery, and onion. Saute until the vegetables are crisp tender and onion is beginning to turn translucent.

Add 2 Qts. water, chicken base, potatoes, bay leaves, dill weed, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, combine dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic. I like to throw mine in my kitchen aide mixer and let the bread hook attachment do the work for me:) Lightly flour your counter and gently roll out dough into a "rope" (approximately 1" in diameter). Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the dough in 1" increments. As you slice, add the cut dumplings to the soup. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.

Combine cream of chicken soup and cream with a whisk. Add to soup. Let simmer for 2 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Egg Drop Soup

5 cups chicken broth (low-sodium is best), divided

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 green onions, finely chopped (chives are even better & what I like to use when I have my summer herb garden)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 eggs

Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the salt, ginger and green onions or chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs using a fork. Add eggs slowly, stirring soup in clockwise direction with a wooden spoon. Egg should cook immediately.

Here is a delicious recipe for Chicken Tortilla soup from one of my very favorite people. My Aunt Cyndee is a great cook. She is especially adept at Mexican cooking, so when she gave me this recipe in a cookbook filled with some of her favorites, I knew I had to try it. I already have this recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup on this blog (eerily posted almost one year ago to the day), but they are really so different that they can hardly be called the same soup. This one is a little bit more work, but still easy enough for a weeknight meal. Plus it was DELICIOUS! I was going to skip on frying my own corn tortilla strips and I am SO glad I didn't. The freshly-fried tortilla strips and the avocado really make this soup something special. My middle son even had 3rds, so it is relatively kid-friendly!!! I also doubled the tortilla strips and they ALL got eaten.

Oh, please excuse my blog. I am in the process of changing it up a bit. Please give me your opinion on the current background. Is it too depressing? I thought it was cool (but it does border on depressing I think- especially for those of us in bleak, cold ND right now). Give me your thoughts!

Here is what you will need to get started. Except for the crushed red peppers...pretend they are peppercorns in a pepper grinder, K?

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic (I LOVE garlic, so I added about 1/2 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp. butter

32 oz. low-sodium chicken broth

16 oz. Salsa (I use my own homemade)

2 c. cooked, shredded chicken breasts (I like to boil mine while I am chopping and sauteing vegetables)

1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper (I used 1 whole)

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

2 bay leaves

1/2 c. Canola oil

6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/2" pieces

Kosher Salt (to lightly sprinkle on hot, cooked tortillas, optional)

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Sour Cream

In Dutch oven, cook onion and garlic in butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. Add chicken broth, salsa, shredded chicken, bell pepper, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Fry tortilla strips in oil until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper-towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Sprinkle a bit of kosher salt on, if desired.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla strips.

Enjoy!

Source: Aunt Cyndee

I just adore clam chowder. As a child, on Christmas Eve dinner at my grandparents house, we always had it as our first course. I always thought of the meal as so very fancy...mostly because we ate with the good china by candlelight. After dinner I always looked forward to snuffing out the candles with my grandmothers candle snuffer (is that the technical name?). As I grew up, I discovered there was nothing extraordinarily fancy about my grandma's clam chowder. As a matter of fact, it was Campbell's Clam Chowder straight from the can;) As an adult, it just doesn't do it for me anymore, but this one right here REALLY hits the spot.

Luckily, I married into a family that LOVES to cook. When my husband and I were newlyweds, I attended one of his family reunions where my mother-in-law purchased a thick cookbook for me filled with delicious family recipes. That cookbook is an absolute goldmine of wonderful recipes. Unfortunately, the binding isn't the best and it is so well-thumbed that it is basically in tatters with many pages loose. Before I lose all of those wonderful recipes, I am making an effort to record my favorites and share them here.

Oh, and if anyone has another family cookbook, I'd love a new one!!!!

Clam Chowder

1 large russet potato, peeled & diced

1/2 c. butter

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 rib celery, diced

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 c. flour

2 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) minced or chopped clams, reserve juice

8 oz. clam juice

2 c. milk

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. seasoned salt

Rinse starchy liquid off potatoes under cold water. Place in microwavable bowl with 1/2 c. water. Cover and microwave on 100% power for 7 minutes or until tender. Drain off any cooking water. Set aside.

In saucepan, melt butter on medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Saute until vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes.

Whisk together pepper, thyme, and flour; whisk into butter mixture, stirring to blend. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Combine reserved clam juice, bottled clam juice, and milk to make 4 c. liquid. Gradually whisk into flour mixture. Bring to boil, add bay leaf, and boil until mixture thickens, about 1 minute

Stir in reserved clams and potatoes. Add seasoned salt; remove and discard bay leaf.

Make 6 cups

Source: Tony's Aunt Brenda

This recipe for Baked Potato Soup is a perfect balance between healthy eating and delicious flavor. It is one of the lighter recipes for Baked Potato Soup that I have found and you would never know it judging by it's flavor. Yes, there are more changes you can make to make it even more healthy, but I think you would end up sacrificing flavor. Enjoy! This is a favorite!

Baked Potato Soup

2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes

2/3 c. all-purpose flour

6 c. 2% reduced-fat milk

1 c. (4 oz.) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 c. sour cream (I really like the all-natural sour cream although you can use light if you would like)

3/4 c. chopped green onions, divided

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Cracked black pepper, optional

Preheat oven to 400*.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400 for 1 hour or until tender (if you are in a hurry, it is perfectly acceptable to microwave the potatoes instead). Cool. Peel potatoes and coarsely mash.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 c. cheese, salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper; stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 c. onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 c. soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 tsp. cheese, 1 1/2 tsp. onions, and 1 Tbsp. bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Borscht is a true comfort food for me. I think I can speak for many members of my family that would agree. My grandmother made borscht often. She made it without measuring anything, like so many cooks in her day. I have been experimenting with it for a while now, and I decided to update my previous borscht post, because I have much improved my technique! If you try this, let me know what you think!

Oh happy day! I have once again found a new recipe that all 3 of my children really enjoyed! This made a pretty large pot of soup, enough for me and all 3 kids to eat it for lunch the next day. Guess what? No one complained about having to eat it again! They actually WANTED to have it! That tells me this is certainly a keeper. It is such a quick recipe to make too. I foresee us having this on many busy nights during the cold winter:)

For our Sunday dinner this past weekend, I made a wonderful new soup that is supposed to be very similar to one served at the Olive Garden. My husband and I have never had it there, but I do know that my home version was fantastic! Aside from the heavy cream, this is a fairly healthful recipe. I am thinking that you could also make it with half and half or milk if you want to trim the calories. I think I might give it a try that way. I highly recommend that you grab some crusty bread. I was fresh out and we all wished we had some to dunk in this creamy soup.

If you are in Bismarck, please note that neither Walmart nor Dan's carries Potato Gnocchi. I did find them finally in the freezer section of Central Market.

Doesn't this soup look delicious? Especially on my new china!

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

6 c. chicken stock

3 c. heavy cream

3 garlic cloves

1 lg. carrot, shredded

1 small onion, diced

1 bag baby spinach

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 lb. bag frozen Potato Gnocchi

Saute the onion, garlic, and carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add chicken, chicken stock, heavy cream, salt and pepper, and thyme. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

I am ashamed. It has been over a week since I last posted a recipe. I had planned to try to put one up every weekday. Well, I certainly haven't stopped cooking, I have lots of recipes that have been cooked and photographed (and eaten;). Unfortunately, the weekdays really fly by when you are out of town every weekend. My oldest son, Kade, has kept us incredibly busy hauling him to extra hockey practices during the week and hockey tournaments out of town on the weekend. There are 2 more weeks of this and I am counting down the days. I loveto watch him play hockey, but during tournament time at the end of the season, I don't feel like anyof us have time for anything other than hockey.


The following recipe can't exactly be called quick, after all, it needs to simmer for 45 minutes, but it is certainly easy. It comes together in a snap, then, if you are like me, you can clean your much neglected house while it simmers.

Kielbasa Skillet Stew

5 bacon strips (today I used peppered because it is what I had, usually I don't though)

1-11/2 lb. smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

2-15 oz. cans Great Northern Beans, undrained

15 oz. tomato sauce

4 oz. chopped green chilies

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp. black pepper

In a 12 inch skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel to drain. Cook sausage and onions in drippings over medium heat until onion is tender; drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Crumble bacon, sprinkle over stew.

Yields 6 servings

Source: Taste of Home (a long, long time ago;)

The other week, I was browsing through the cooking blog that a friend of mine started called Cooking for Seven. She started the blog when she was preggo with what she thoughtwas baby #5. Baby #5 turned out to be babies #5 & 6, two precious little girls;) The reason that she hasn't changed the title is probably because shortly after the blog began, she started writing for examiner.comas their Bismarck Budget Meals Examiner.

Anyway, Pam is a fabulous cook, on a budget, so I found myself browsing through her old cooking blog. When I came across her recipe for Italian Wedding Soup, I knew it would be good. Well, I should say, I knew I would love it, but I wasn't so sure about how it would go over with my children. I mean spinach IN the soup? I can't even get them to eat spinach normally. Well, my worries were unfounded because they ALL loved this soup. Actually my oldest was disappointed the next night because he wanted to eat lthe leftovers, but they were already all gone (both my husband and I had already had them for lunch;).

Anyway, this is a healthy and delicious recipe! Pretty dang quick and easy too!

Italian Wedding Soup

2 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 c. plain bread crumbs

64 oz. Fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 c. dried pasta (ditalini works well)

1 bag, fresh, washed baby spinach (6 oz.)

In a deep pot over medium heat, add oil, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot, and cook veggies 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While cooking, combine ground meats, egg, garlic ,cheese, & bread crumbs.

Add broth and water to the pot, increase heat to high & bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and begin to roll meat mixture into small balls. Drop the meatballs straight into the pot & stir. Add pasta. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. When the pasta is tender, add the spinach in small batches. When the spinach is wilted, the soup is done!

Serve with fresh bread & a little parmesan on top of the soup!

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe:14
Serving Size:1 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories		195.8
Total Fat		11.1g
	Saturated Fat	3.9g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.8g
	Monounsaturated Fat	4.5g
Cholesterol		47.9mg
Sodium		487.6mg
Potassium		359.3mg
Total Carbohydrate		10.0g
	Dietary Fiber	1.3g
	Sugars	2.1g
Protein		13.3g

Vitamin A	46.7%
Vitamin B-12	8.4%
Vitamin B-6	8.3%
Vitamin C	8.8%
Vitamin D	0.5%
Vitamin E	3.3%
Calcium	9.0%
Copper	2.4%
Folate	10.3%
Iron	7.4%
Magnesium	4.9%
Manganese	7.8%
Niacin	8.2%
Pantothenic Acid	2.5%
Phosphorus	7.9%
Riboflavin	7.2%
Selenium	13.8%
Thiamin	9.9%
Zinc	8.7%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.