Crock Pot Ham & Potato Soup

This was so easy and delicious.  My only changes to the recipe, I used Better Than Bouillon instead of bouillon cubes and I also sauted the celery and onions in a little butter before adding them to the crock pot.

Crock Pot Ham & Potato Soup
Recipe from Moms With Crock Pots

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
• ⅓ cup chopped celery
• ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup diced ham
• 3-1/4 cups water
• 6 chicken bullion cubes
• t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 5 T. flour
• 5 T. butter
• 2 cups milk

Instruction

Stir all but milk, flour and butter into crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, check tenderness of potatoes.  About 20 minutes before serving, melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and gradually add milk, stirring constantly over med heat until thick.  Stir mixture into crockpot.  Let cook 15-20 minutes more.

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook
(Another one from my "Souper" Bowl party)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 can (49 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
5 large baked Idaho potatoes, flesh scooped from the shell and mashed
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

½ cup sour cream

½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped green onion, including green tops
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2/3 cup canned fried shoestring potatoes

In a 6-8 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, and thyme and sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  The vegetables should be very tender.  Discard the bay leaf.  Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes to blend well.  Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream topped with 1 tablespoon shredded Cheddar, a sprinkling of green onion, and one eighth of the crumbled bacon.  Scatter a generous tablespoon of shoestring potatoes around each bowl and serve immediately.  Serves 8.

*I added a little bacon to the vegetables in the beginning and felt it gave the soup a better flavor.

Bistro French Onion Soup

I'm a soup lover, and I made this and many other soups for a "Souper" Bowl party.  It was delicious.

Bistro French Onion Soup

Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 yellow onions, halved crosswise and thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
8 cups canned low sodium beef broth
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 baguette slices, each ½ inch thick, toasted
4 cups (1 pound) shredded Gruyére cheese
1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives

In a 6-8 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until tan, about 1 minute.  Add the onions and leek and cook, stirring frequently until very soft and lightly caramelized, about 30 minutes.  Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 10 minutes longer.

While the soup is simmering, position a rack in the upper third of the over and preheat to 425ºF.

Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof crocks.  Place 2 baguette slices on top of the soup in each crock.  Mound the cheese evenly among the crocks, covering the bread slices completely. Place the crocks on a sturdy, rimmed baking sheet.  Bake the soups until the cheese is lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.  Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the crocks to cool for a few minutes before serving.  Garnish each serving with the chives.

Roasted Tomato Soup

This soup is so good!  It's the only time I buy pounds of tomatoes.  Any mix of tomatoes works, I just buy whatever looks good.  From Food Network.
 

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 small yellow onions, sliced

Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 quart chicken stock

2 bay leaves

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional

3/4 cup heavy cream, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later). Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.