Chili

There are just some days where nothing beats chili. Around here, we love frito chili pies and chili baked potatoes.

1 lb ground meat
8 oz can tomato sauce
medium onion
1t comino seeds
2T chili powder
1 can Ranch Style beans
salt/pepper to taste
2T flour
1/2t garlic powder
2c boiling water
jalapeno-seeds removed

Brown meat and onion; add everything else; simmer til ready to eat!

Black Bean Soup

This is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Another great recipe from the SL forums.

1 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
14.5 oz. can vegetable broth
2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. peeled, diced potato
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. cumin
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 – 1/2 t. hot pepper sauce
2 green onions, sliced
1T. olive oil

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in the beans, potato, thyme, cumin and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in tomatoes and hot pepper sauce; heat through. Sprinkle with green onions.

I usually add a second can of broth because I like it soupier and it stretches it out a bit. Also, substituting a sweet potato for the regular potato adds a nice twist.

Sausage & Corn Chowder

This one definately made the cut


1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 lb Kielbasa, diced
1 lb new potatoes, cubed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 qt chicken broth
2 cups frozen corn
1 qt half and half
1/2 t baking soda
3 T all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in 1/4 cup butter in large saucepan. Add kielbasa; cook until browned. Stir in potatoes, celery and broth; bring to boil. Add corn, half and half, and baking soda; simmer for 10 minutes and set aside. In a seperate saucepan, melt remaining butter; add flour. Stir for 2 minutes; add to soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I used regular smoked sausage because that's what I had. I also simply added the flour and remaining butter into the soup at the end and heated for a bit longer - not sure if that made a difference or not but it was GREAT.

Turkey Bean Soup

Another favorite, healthy, easy and delicious


4-6 cups water
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans navy beans
1 can pinto beans
1/3 cup dry lentils
1/3 cup dry split peas
14oz ground turkey, cooked
1 onion diced
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in crock pot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Great served with cornbread. This is another recipe to play with. I use Rotel tomatoes instead of plain. You can also mix up your variety of canned beans - just make sure you have three cans total.

Hearty Minestrone

This is my all-time favorite cold-weather soup


1-2 pounds ground beef
2 15.5 oz cans Ranch Style beans
4 10.5 oz cans minestrone soup
1 10 oz can tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 onion chopped
3-4 soup-cans of water

Brown ground beef with onion until cooked. Combine beef and onion with all the rest of the ingredients into crock pot or soup kettle. Crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or simmer on stove top low for 1 hour.

Easy Baked Potato Soup

Quick and Easy and comforting


3-4 medium baked potatoes
5 bacon strips, diced
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
3 1/2 cups milk
2 t garlic powder
2 t worcestershire sauce
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t pepper
8 oz sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese

Peel and dice baked potatoes and set aside. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove the bacon and reserve 1-1/2 teaspoons of drippings. Add soups, milk, garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, onion powder, pepper and reserved potatoes to the drippings. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes until heated, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream and cook for 1-2 more minutes until heated - do not boil. Garnish with cheddar cheese and bacon.