Spinach & Artichoke Soup

I LOVE spinach and artichokes, together, or separate. I love them in dip, on pizza, in salad, in pasta... So... Why not soup?

Today, I decided to create some soup.

Spinach & Artichoke Soup

36 oz. chopped artichoke hearts

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp + 3 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp minced onion

3 teaspoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

48 oz. vegetable stock

3 1/4 c. Fat free half & half

3 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 c. Shredded Parmesan cheese

3/4 c. Shredded mozzarella cheese 

12 oz. chopped spinach

2 c. cooked, diced potatoes

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter. Add artichokes, minced onion, and garlic. Sautée about five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

In a large pot, heat vegetable stock.

When cooled enough to handle, remove more solid portions of artichokes and add to the stock. Purée remaining artichokes with about 1 3/4 cup half & half until smooth and creamy, in batches if necessary. Add to vegetable stock and stir to incorporate.

In the large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add flour to make a paste. Slowly add about 1 1/2 cup half & half. Add shredded cheese. Stir until melted. Add slowly to the other pot and stir until incorporated. 

Add chopped spinach and potatoes and peppers to taste. Simmer until nice and hot.

I LOVED this soup. I figured I would at least try to get my kids to eat it. My four year old refuses to try most foods, but he did sample the soup. He did not like it.

My two year old possibly would have tried it, but his brother passed him his bowl too, saying he doesn't "like leaf soup." So, he refused to taste.

Because I don't like to waste my hard-work, I ate theirs too.

Baby girl likes it though! I added baby cereal to it to thicken it up and she enjoyed a bowl.

Yup. I'm glad I decided to create this one today! 

Parmesan Bacon Asparagus and Potato Soup

I know.. I haven't created a recipe in over TWO years.

Well... I probably have. But I haven't blogged one.

Today, I created a super yummy soup.

Parmesan Bacon Asparagus & Potato Soup

2 lbs fresh asparagus

2 cups cooked, diced potatoes

32 oz chicken or vegetable broth

3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 Tbsp sour cream (I used light)

2 cups half & half (I used fat free)

2 Tbsp cornstarch

3 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp seasoned salt

1 Tbsp minced onion

2 Tbsp butter

8 or so slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Blanch asparagus. Reserve about 3 cups liquid from blanching and set aside.

After blanching, cut into segments about 1 inch long. I separated stalks from tips but it's not necessary.

Melt butter in a skillet and sauté asparagus, garlic, and minced onion.

With a food processor or blender, purée about half of the asparagus mixture with portions of reserved asparagus stock.

In a large pot, heat chicken or vegetable broth and half and half until boiling. Reduce slightly. Stir in cheeses and sour cream and stir until melted. 

I added the remaining asparagus stock (cooled) with some cornstarch to make I a little thicker at this point.

Add diced, cooked potatoes, , bacon, remaining sautéed asparagus, pepper and seasoned salt to taste.

It was delicious. Even my two-year old loved it!

Best.Soup.Ever. (Nik's Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup)

Soup. Again.

This soup is one I came up with a few weeks ago. It was after two other attempts at a creamy chicken (or turkey) and wild rice soup. They were pretty good, with some room for improvement.

Third time's a charm, right?

The name " Best Soup Ever" is mostly a joke, but a BFF of mine told me that on Facebook, so I thought it a fun title.

Again, when I make soup, I don't use exact measurements, but so I tried really hard to take note of my exact "recipe" in the event that anyone wants to recreate.

Best Soup Ever ( Nik's Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup)

- 2ish pounds shredded chicken
- 6 servings chicken bouillon broth (or so)
- 2 servings beef bouillon broth
- 1.5 cups wild rice blend (cooked to package directions)
- 1 can French cut green beans
- 1 cup or so chopped mushrooms
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup chopped carrots
- 1 quart (or pint) half and half
- 1 1/2 cup (or more) shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- cayenne pepper
- poultry seasoning
- black pepper
- Mrs. Dash
- Old Bay
- minced onion
- minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup flour

I boil and shred two pounds of chicken.

I cook rice according to package (I took a photo of the rice blend I use) except I add a cube of bouillon instead of salt.

In a Dutch oven, I melt the butter and sauté vegetables and almonds for five minutes or so, to get them softened. Then, I add water and bouillon cubes (more or less to taste and for a bit if saltiness) and cooked rice. I cover and simmer while I shred the chicken and add it. Cubed chicken would work too, but I feel liked shredded chicken is more tender.

In a saucepan, I combine half and half (I used a pint once and a quart this time because they were out of pints at the store) and flour and whisk until smooth. I heat it over medium and add cheeses. I like to add as much Parmesan as possible, usually around 2 cups. I add less mozzarella than Parmesan.

When the cheese is melted and its become a thick sauce, I slowly add to the Dutch oven. Stir until combined and then simmer over low a while so the flavors can blend and it can thicken up a bit.

Notes: I boil the chicken in water seasoned wit poultry seasoning and a bit of cayenne pepper. I add a variety of seasonings to the broth before adding cheese sauce, and then taste test once it's incorporated. I add more seasonings and/or bouillon to taste.

Nik's Sausage & Tortellini Soup

I love soup. Especially homemade soup. I find it quite a joy to make it up as I go.

I don't use recipes often. When I find one I tweak it to make it my own. Sometimes I just create as I go.

I made a sausage and tortellini soup a few weeks ago that my husband particularly loved and raved about to his coworker. He asked me to make it again so he could share.

I did today. Here's my recipe, roughly:

- 1 lb ground sausage
- 1 jug v8 juice + 1/3 jug water
- 1 bag tortellini of your choice (I usually use tri color three cheese)
- 1 bag frozen Italian blend veggies
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 4 cubes beef bouillon
- 4 cubes chicken bouillon
- minced garlic
- minced onion
- Italian blend seasoning
- cayenne pepper
- Mrs. Dash (I use table blend, tomato basil garlic blend, and original blend)

Brown sausage in Dutch oven with minced garlic, minced onion, and cayenne pepper.

Add v8 plus water, bouillon cubes, and seasonings to taste.

Add vegetables and tortellini. Heat until tortellini is tender.

I like to add a but of mozzarella when I eat it.


It's super simple really!

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Lately, I am obsessed with buffalo chicken meals. I guess I have been for quite some time.


If you know me well, you would likely know that I am also somewhat obsessed with soup. I found a canned buffalo chicken soup at the store about a month ago and I had to try it. It disappointed me. Hardcore.

So, I made my own. I based it off a recipe I found online, but changed it up. Quite a bit. That one seemed bland, too.


Buffalo Chicken Soup
1 large can chicken broth
5 cups chicken bouillon broth
1 cup milk
1/2 c. Chopped celery
1/2 c. Chopped carrots
1 can diced potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. Whole kernel corn
4 or more tablespoons buffalo sauce
2.5 pounds cooked, shredded chicken
3/4 c. Shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. Shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. Shredded Parmesan cheese
5 oz. crumbled blue cheese
2/3 c. Flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced onion


Sauté the minced onion, celery and carrots in the butter and garlic in a Dutch oven or soup pot.

Add liquids, heat thoroughly. I use the canned broth plus broth from bouillon to add some salt.

Toss flour and cheeses together in a bowl. Add gradually to the hot liquids.

Add buffalo sauce. I usually just dump some in at this point.

Stir and continue heating until cheese is melted. It takes a while. Stir frequently.

Add drained cans of potatoes and tomatoes and the corn.

Add shredded chicken. Add more sauce and milk or broth if its too thick for your liking.

Heat thoroughly and enjoy!


I took the photo of the completed soup prematurely. I needed to sample a bowl to make room for the rest of the chicken so it wasn't thick as I usually have it and the cheese wasn't completely melted yet. Whoops.

Nik's Pseudo-Minestrone

Credit for this one goes to.... Me!

Yup, I just whipped this beauty up an hour ago.

As I have mentioned before, I'm a nut for crock pot soup. Tomorrow is my husband's birthday, and he'll be working all day and sleeping away overnight, so tonight, I'm taking him out for dinner and movie (not in that order) to celebrate. I wanted to make a new soup today, but, knowing we will be eating in six hours or so, I made it for lunch. And, I "cheated" a little and cooked everything and then just heated it all together in the crock pot after.

I like to think of this creation as a type of minestrone, but there's no beans, so I am calling it "Pseudo-Minestrone."

Total cooking time for this one was about an hour, I guess? I didn't actually keep track.

Nik's Pseudo-Minestrone:

1 lb. ground sausage, cooked

1 large can condensed tomato soup + 3/4 can water

6 c. chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks

1 medium yellow squash/zucchini, cut into chunks

1 bag frozen stew vegetables

1 bag frozen California blend vegetables

1 bag frozen tortellini (I used tri-color cheese, it looks very Christmas-y)

1 T. minced garlic

pepper to taste

Italian seasoning to taste (I used a lot)

Original Blend Mrs. Dash to taste

• I started by browning my ground sausage and draining it.
• Pour tomato soup & the water into the crock pot, as well as the chicken broth. Add your seasonings and sample for flavor (my favorite part).
• Add the sausage.
• Cut your zucchini and zucchini (haha) into chunks. (see below, I used way more than one cup)

• In a large (I didn't have a large, so it was a tight fit) saucepan, place your zucchini and zucchini, and both bags of vegetables. I took out the onions, because I hate them. Add enough water to cover, and cover the pan with a lid. Boil/steam until done.

• In another saucepan, cook the tortellini according to the package directions. (Look how festive my tortellini is!)

• When everything's cooked, slowly add it to the crockpot.
• Heat thoroughly.

I topped mine with shredded mozzarella cheese, because I love cheese.

This is a less spicy soup compared to my usual regime, but it's pretty tasty, I think. Jake says it's "really good." Oh, correction, he just said, "I think you did amazing. This is really, really good!" Haha.

Turkey & Chick-Pea Chili

When it starts getting cold outside, I start going crazy over soups. I especially adore homemade soups. I really enjoy being able to make them in my crockpot.

I don't know if chili is considered a soup, but to me, they're pretty similar.

Today, I decided to make chili. Jake will be delighted when he comes home from work tonight and has a nice hot bowl of chili waiting for him. (Well, the chili will be hot, but he'll have to dish it himself, most likely.)

Here's how I make my chili...

Turkey and Chick-Pea Chili:

1 pound ground turkey, seasoned with garlic and pepper, cooked and drained

1 large can tomato soup + 3/4 can water

1 (or 2) can(s) Garbanzo beans, drained (chick-peas)

2 cans chili beans in sauce (or two cans beans of your choice, drained)

1 small can mushrooms, drained, or 1/4 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced or chopped

1 can diced tomatoes (I used tomatoes with peppers)

Chili powder (or seasoning), to taste (I use enough to make it "almost very spicy" so my husband will still eat it)

Cayenne pepper, to taste

1 tsp. (or so) minced garlic

• I brown my turkey, adding garlic and pepper, and drain it (if necessary).
• Then I dump it in the crock pot.
• I add the soup and the almost full can of water and mix it.
• I add my chili powder, pepper, and garlic now, stir it, and taste it. If I don't think it's spicy enough, I add more. I suggest using small amounts if you don't know how to guesstimate to your liking.
• Then, I drain the beans and the mushrooms and add those.
• I dump the tomatoes in, but I don't drain them, usually.
• I put the lid on the crock pot, and turn it on low.

When it's hot, dish it up and enjoy! It's also good with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded cheese. Or crackers, but we don't generally have crackers on hand.

I love having garbanzo beans in my chili. They add a fun texture (as in, I'm super odd and I like to eat them individually and bite them in half before actually chewing them... and I have no idea why).

This chili freezes pretty nicely. I think I made it five times last winter.

"Experimental Soup" (My husband says it's like Borscht...)

This recipe is all Nik. Yup, it's mine. (And that photo is the leftovers after being in the fridge. It tastes much better than the photo would lead you to believe...)

On Facebook, I made a quip about my husband being so awesome that he was about to get lucky with supper, as I was making him some "experimental soup."

What does that mean, exactly? It means I had no set plan and I was just going to experiment with what I had in the kitchen and hope for the best (which, when it comes to making soup, I must say, usually ends pretty well).

Much to my delight (and possibly Jake's relief), it was fantastic soup! In fact, when I had told my cousin about it via text message, she thought it sounded superb (I could have done a pun there, or a play on words, or whatever... you know.. "souperb" or "souper" (and I did it anyway...)) and she wanted to have some the next day for lunch.

Well, she loved it. And took extras for later.

I had some more last night, because it was stored perfectly well and was STILL tasty. Yum!

I decided I would share my "experimental soup" recipe (if it can be called that(I thought about calling it something else, like Nik's Borscht, but I think that the title I gave it originally is funny, as questionable as it may sound)). It's not exact measurements, so I hope you're not a person who hates that sort of cooking.

Here goes...

Experimental Soup:

1 can condensed tomato soup

6 c. chicken broth (I made mine from bouillon cubes)

1-2 large chicken breasts, diced and cooked (and seasoned with pepper and garlic and Mrs. Dash if you're me)

1 large zucchini, peeled (if you wish), sliced, and steamed

1 can whole potatoes (or five small ones), cut into cubes

1 can/cup cooked asparagus

1 cup cubed, cooked sweet potatoes

1 can whole kernel corn

2-4 cups cooked pasta of your choice (I used a random bag of multi-colored and multi-shaped stuff I found in the cupboard and just dumped some in a pan and cooked it)

1 can diced tomatoes (or a few tomatoes you diced on your own)

minced garlic to taste (I added a lot)

cayenne pepper to taste (I added a fair amount)

Italian seasoning to taste (I added a little)

• Dice and cook the chicken.
• Throw it (nicely) in the crock pot.
• Add the tomato soup and chicken broth.
• Prepare noodles (cook to your desire, mine were a bit over-done but it didn't much matter) and pour gently into the crock pot.
• Prepare vegetables (whether fresh or in the can (as in drain)) and dump (slowly, so as to not splash) in the crock pot.
• Stir.
• Add seasonings of your choice, or of my suggestion.
• Stir again. Taste.
• Cook until it's hot and serve.

If I had them on hand, I probably would have added carrots and celery too. But, I didn't. Like I said, this was a smorgasbord soup of random kitchen ingredients.

:)