Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

 Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 cups water

2 tbsp plus 2 tsps beef bouillon granules

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 tsp pepper

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

2 tbsp butter

5 cups milk, divided

6 tbsp all purpose flour
1 package (16 oz) Velveeta cheese, cubed
crumbled cooked bacon

1.  In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add to soup.  Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.

3.  In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted.  Garnish with bacon.

Makes 14 servings (about 3 1/2 quarts)

What is a soup kettle?!?  I put the potatoes in a large stockpot.  I had to add more water than the 3 cups to cover my potatoes.  I either had more than they did (the soup was perfect) or they didn't completely cover theirs with water.  I had planned on scooping out some of the water when my potatoes were done, but I forgot and did not do that.  The soup wasn't watery either.  Probably not as thick as they had in mind, but it was still soup consistency. 

I seasoned my meat with a some gourmet burger seasoning.  You could leave it plain, but I didn't want the meat bland.  The soup tastes great, yet, it is still a little bland.  So I would taste it, and adjust accordingly.  I also didn't dump all the stuff in with the potatoes.  I browned the ground turkey (beef) and when it was about halfway to 3/4 done I added all the vegetables and cooked it in with the meat.  Once the potatoes were done I just dumped it all in with the potatoes.

Chili Verde Stew

Chili Verde Stew

3/4 pound boneless pork roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1 cup diced canned tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup salsa
2 tbsp canned chopped green chilies, divided
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp sugar
dash ground cloves
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1.  In a large saucepan, cook the pork in oil over medium heat until no longer pink; remove and set aside.  In the same pan, saute the green pepper, onion, and garlic for 1-2 minutes or until tender.  Stir in the pork, wine or broth, tomatoes, salsa, 1 tbsp chilies, cumin, sugar, and cloves.  Cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Stir in the parsley, jalapeno and remaining chilies.  Cover and cook 20-25 minutes longer or until meat is tender.

Makes 2 servings; 1 1/2 cups each
Cal 385; fat 17; fiber 4

This stuff was amazing.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I was afraid that there was going to be a little more spicy than it turned out.  It had the perfect amount of spice.  My only complaint was that it was awfully tomatoey.  My only suggestions or adjustments would include using only part of the salsa and substituting it for Verde salsa.  It would cut down on the tomatoes being quite so overwhelming.  We made cornbread and a salad, and fought over who got the leftovers.

Sausage and Rice Stew

Sausage and Rice Stew


1 pkg. (16 oz) smoked turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno slices
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz each) white kidney or cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups fresh baby spinach

1. In a Dutch oven, saute the kielbasa, onion, shallots, jalapeno and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Add the water, broth, beans, rice and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in spinach. Cook 5 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted.

Makes 6 servings; 1 2/3 cups each
Cal 369; fat 7; fiber 7


This stuff sounds a little weird, but it is really, really good. I made a few substitutions. I used the Johnsonville turkey sausage links.  It isn't as many oz as the kielbasa, but there was plenty of sausage. I didn't put the shallots in, because frankly I wasn't going to buy a bag of shallots for two of them, when it already had a large onion in it. The sweet onion was sufficient. I chopped the jalapenos very fine, and probably ended up with closer to two tablespoons, but we like things a little spicy. I didn't use long grain rice, because I wasn't going to buy a box and just use a cup and end up throwing the rest away in a few months when the critters made a home in it. I just used brown rice, and I was a little worried about that, because brown rice has a distinct flavor. I also, didn't put the spinach in. I'm not sure why. We like spinach, but I think that we were going to have a salad with it, and decided that it was just too much green leafy stuff in one meal. I made this on a Sunday cooking fest and it sat in the fridge for a week before we got around to eating it. We fought over who got to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. It's really good. We had a salad and breadsticks with it and it was very filling, and very good.