Philly Cheesesteak Soup

Hi everybody. How’s the weather in your area? It’s seriously cold here today. The temperature is below freezing and the wind is blowing like crazy. It feels more like mid winter than fall. So I thought I’d make some soup for lunch to chase the chill away. And this recipe for Philly Cheesesteak soup that I found in the Foot Network Magazine fit the bill perfectly–after I tweaked the ingredients to improve the flavor and eliminated a few unnecessary steps to speed preparation.

If you love Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, then you’ll love this rich, cheesy soup. I served it with a tossed salad, crusty bread, and iced tea.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
8 cups chicken broth
2 hoagie rolls, cut into cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces provolone cheese, shredded
1 pound shaved beef steak or roast beef (I used Steak-Umm frozen sliced beef)
1/4 cup jarred sliced pepperoncini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery seeds, and garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add the flour, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cheddar and provolone cheese and slowly whisk into the soup until melted. Pour the soup in batches into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour back into the pot and simmer on low.

Meanwhile, toss the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, about 7 minutes; set aside.

While the croutons are baking, cook the frozen beef slices in a large skillet until browned. Stir in the pepperoncini and parsley then season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls; top with the beef, croutons, and more parsley.

Amish Onion Bread

Hi, everybody, how’s your weekend going? It’s been cold and rainy here for the last four days so I’ve been occupying myself by trying some new recipes. I made Amish onion bread and served it with my almost home-made vegetable soup. It was so delicious that I have to share the recipe. It makes a huge loaf so serve it when you have a big crowd or cut the recipe in half. Get the recipes for Amish onion bread and almost homemade vegetable soup here and here.

Mom’s Best Pot Roast

Who doesn’t love a good pot roast? It’s comfort food at its best. And when it’s cooked with love and served by your mother in the aftermath of the worst storm to hit the east coast in over a century, it’s truly a memorable dish.

I was lucky to have weathered Hurricane Sandy with no damage to my home. I was even luckier to have weathered it with my mom, who happened to be visiting me when the storm passed through the area. I’m so grateful she was able to keep me company during the storm and so blessed that she’s my mom.

Doesn’t this look amazing? Here’s what you’ll need to make this dish.

Ingredients

3 lb. bottom rump roast or chuck roast
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled and diced
1 10-oz. can French onion soup
1 10-oz. can beef bouillon
1 10-oz. can beef consomme
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut in half
8 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf

Combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Coat the beef with the seasoning mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. When hot add the beef and brown on all sides. Add the quartered onion and garlic. When the onions are browned, add the soups and bay leaf. Add the carrots and bake at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Add the potatoes and bake for an additional 1 1/2 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

Serve with a salad and some crusty bread to soak up all the good juice.

Slow-Cooked Chicken with Coconut-Pineapple Curry Sauce

Here is the final recipe we sampled during our Columbus Day family watercolor/food fest. I don’t know which was more fun–painting the day away with my mother, daughter, and sister or sampling three new recipes in one day. I’ll call it a tie. This slow-cooked chicken with coconut-pineapple curry sauce was the perfect choice for a cold, rainy fall day. Its stick-to-your ribs goodness warmed our bodies and the wonderful aroma filled the air as we worked on our paintings. This recipe was originally featured in Betty Crocker’s ipad cookbook, but my mother adapted it to suit our tastes. Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious chicken curry:

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 red or green bell pepper, cubed
1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
1  can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks with juice
2 cans (4.5 oz.) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup chicken broth
4-6 teaspoons curry powder (we used 6 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large, firm banana, cubed
2 cups cooked rice (we used jasmine rice)

Spray a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except banana and rice. Cover and cook over low heat for 6-7 hours. Spoon over hot cooked rice.

Almost Home-made Beef Vegetable Soup

I love the fall–the turning of leaves, fall fairs, the crisp air, and hearty one-pot meals. And this almost home-made beef vegetable soup really hit the spot. Preparation was a snap; I threw this dish together in less than 10 minutes. And, boy, was it good. The secret to this speedy soup is to use ready-to-eat beef. Normally I use Hormel Roast Beef au jus–it tastes great and can be used to speed up lots of dishes, but it wasn’t available so I chose this Jack Daniel’s fully cooked beef brisket instead.

Since it was sliced and not cut into chunks, I cut it into bite-sized pieces and threw it in the pot–sauce and all. The whiskey based sauce was slightly sweet and made a wonderful addition to the soup. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this soup:

Ingredients:

1 16-oz pkg Jack Daniel’s Beef Brisket (or other ready-to-eat, fully cooked beef), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes (or two 14-oz. cans)
2 14-oz. cans beef broth
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 large onion, peeled and diced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 cups of mini potatoes, unpeeled and cut in half
1 cup frozen peas (canned peas are too mushy)
1 can green beans, drained (fresh or frozen are better but I didn’t have any on hand)
1 can corn, drained (I used fresh corn on the cob)
Seasoning salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Now here’s the easy part. Throw all these ingredients into a large soup pot. Stir, cover, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender–about an hour. While that’s cooking grab a magazine and a cup of tea and relax until dinner is ready. Nice! I served this soup with home-made buttermilk biscuits and topped them with unsalted butter and honey. Perfecto!