homemade chicken noodle soup

I found this recipe forever ago on one of my favorite food blogs, Casual Cuisine. I finally made it yesterday and really enjoyed it! It made a huge pot so I froze plenty for future dinners. Try it soon! (Here's the recipe, slightly adapted)

ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, boiled or roasted, then shredded (or you can place raw chicken breasts in the pot while soup is simmering, and allow to fully cook)

8 cups chicken broth (low sodium is a good option)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2 large carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 1/2 cups dried egg noodles

2 tbsp. fresh or dried parsley

salt and pepper, to your taste

directions:

Saute onion with salt and pepper over medium heat with a small amount of oil in a deep pot. When onion is translucent, add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth, chicken, and bay leaf, and bring to a rolling boil. (If you put the chicken in raw, be sure to let boil until chicken is cooked through.) Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for pretty much as long as you'd like. Bring soup back up to a boil before adding carrots and celery, and simmer covered for about 5 minutes, until veggies are tender.

Stir in noodles. Simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. Stir in parsley to garnish. Enjoy!

crockpot chili

I love to make chili when it's cold outside. It's such a comfort food! I have seen so many recipes for chili, but I basically make up my own and it turns out great!

ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef or turkey (i use turkey and it's DELISH)

1 large can (~14 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 can kidney beans

1 package chili seasoning

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper

directions:

1. put all ingredients in crockpot and let simmer on low for about 6 hours.

2. top with sour cream, cheese, and fritos (a must-have for my hubby). Enjoy!

homemade chicken noodle soup

My mom gave me this recipe, but I can't remember where she found it. A good idea I heard was to make a big batch of this and freeze it to have on hand when you, a friend, or someone in your family is sick. I thought that was a great idea! This is one of the easiest recipes ever.

ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded chicken

1/2 cup egg noodles

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

pepper

directions:

1. add broth, celery, carrots, and pepper to a pot. bring to a boil.

2. add noodles and chicken.

3. simmer for about 10 minutes or until noodles are done.

taco soup

This soup is so delicious, and a great comfort food. I actually halved the recipe the last time I made it, and it still made enough for us to have for another night. So, if you want a lot to freeze or if you are making it for a bigger crowd, go ahead and make the whole thing. Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you... it's very easy.

ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cans pinto beans

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can whole kernel corn (drained)

1 can mexican-style stewed tomatoes (regular works fine, too.)

1 can rotel

2 cans diced green chiles

1 package taco seasoning

1 package ranch salad dressing mix

optional garnishes: tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese

directions:

1. brown beef and onion in a large skillet; drain.

2. transfer beef to large pot

3. add all beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix.

4. simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. (i actually put mine in the crock-pot on low for about 4 hours, and it turned out perfect.)