Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 t olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 red bell peppers
4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped (I used canned tomatoes and it turned out great)
1 1/2 t dried thyme
2 t paprika
1/8 t white sugar
6 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
2 T butter
1 1/2 T all-purpose flour
6 T sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Roast peppers: rub oil on peppers and put them under the broiler until blackened, turn to get all sides. Put into paper bag and seal. Let rest for 15 minutes, then the peel will come right off and core and seeds will fall out. Peel, core and chop peppers. Reserve one chopped pepper; set aside.

Heat olive oil over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, bell peppers (except reserved), thyme, paprika, and sugar. Cook over medium-low heat until all the tomato juices have evaporated, about 25 minutes.

Stir in chicken stock, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper. Bring to boil, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Strain soup, reserving broth. Place solids in food processor or blender, and process until fairly smooth. Add puree back into broth.

Melt butter and stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute. Stirring slowly, add the broth/vegetable mixture. Add reserved chopped pepper and bring to boiling. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and add 1 tablespoon of sour cream to each bowl. For a lighter soup, this is also delicious without the sour cream.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

I used 2 frozen chicken breasts and two chicken bouillon cubes, which cut down on the cooking time.

INGREDIENTS:
1 4-5 pound stewing chicken, cut up
12 C water
1/2 C chopped Onion (1 medium)
2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 C dried medium noodles (I use rotini noodles)
1 C chopped carrots (2 medium)
1 C chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 T parsley
4 chicken bouillon cubes

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot combine chicken, water, onion, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 2 hours or until chicken in tender.

Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Discard bones. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; set aside. Discard bay leaf. Skim fat from broth.

Bring broth to boiling. Stir in chicken, bouillon cubes, carrots and celery. Simmer, covered, about 5-7 minutes or until veggies are tender but still firm. Stir in noodles and parsley; heat through until noodles are firm, but cooked (5-7 minutes).

Lobster Bisque

INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 to 8 lobster bodies, cooked or uncooked. Or imitation lobster (Sold near imitation crab)
1 cup white grape juice
1 cup cored, peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (canned are fine, don't bother to drain)
6 cups chicken or fish stock, or strained liquid reserved from boiling lobsters
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, deep saucepan or casserole over medium heat. When it melts, add the onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaf, and thyme and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the lobster bodies and, if they are uncooked, cook, stirring, until they turn red, about 10 minutes (if they are already cooked, cook, stirring, about 5 minutes).

Add the white grape juice and tomatoes and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the stock, turn the heat to high, and bring back to a boil. Once again, turn the heat to low and cover; cook 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Remove the lobster shells, crack them if necessary, and pick off any meat you find. Return the bits of meat to the soup (reserve any large pieces of meat you have for the final addition, below).

Pass the soup through a food mill or puree it in a blender. (You may prepare the soup in advance up to this point. Cover, refrigerate for up to 2 days, and reheat before proceeding.) Return the soup to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the remaining butter, in bits, until it melts. Add the cream and any bits of lobster meat and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, garnish, and serve.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain, and set aside.
Place the ground beef, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green chile peppers and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours.

Clam Chowder

INGREDIENTS:
3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.

Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.