Zuppa Toscana- Olive Garden Soup Replica

Hello friends!

I know it has been forever since I have blogged and that is mostly in part to me being super busy with my day job and photography! I can't complain about that one bit! My photography business has been growing and it seems to be continuing (knock on wood!)
Therefore, this blog has taken a back seat, but I am hoping to get back into it.
I have a couple of house DIYs I plan on working on soon so I'll be sure to tell y'all about it!

All that to say, here is a new recipe we tried this week and LOVED it.
I used to get this soup at Olive Garden all the time! We haven't been in forever and rarely go there so I thought I could make this delicious soup at home!

I know it isn't really soup weather, but I wanted it anyways :)

Here is what you'll need:
-1 lb. Italian sausage (I used hot and probably will use mild next time)
-1 large onion, chopped
-3-4 cloves garlic, minced
-½ cup white wine
-½ tsp. red pepper flakes
-2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
-2 cups fresh kale, chopped
-3 cups chicken broth
-2.5 cups water
-1 cup heavy cream
-Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Place a large pot (I used my Dutch oven) on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage (remove the casing) into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.


My husband loved this and so did I!
He said he thought Cheetos would be good with...um, okay haha.


Original recipe: Annie Eats

Mushroom Soup

I love mushrooms. Absolutely love them. I love them raw, cooked, stuffed, sauteed, etc. I feel like Bubba on Forest Gump talking about all the different ways to have shrimp.

My dad makes a really good mushroom soup, but I found this one and while it is similar to how he makes it, I liked the addition of thyme and Worcestershire.

Here is what you'll need: Serves 2, I will double it next time
-2 cups fresh mushrooms - cleaned and chopped finely (I used portabello and white)
-1 tbsp olive oil
-3 cloves garlic - chopped
-1 tbsp butter
-1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
-1 - 2 bay leaf
-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
-1 tbsp flour dissolved in 1 tbsp water
-Salt to taste
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1/2 cup milk
-Dash of nutmeg
-Freshly ground black pepper to taste
-Fresh parsley or thyme for garnish

Preparation:
Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add butter and lightly sauté garlic on medium heat.
2. Add in mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the moisture from the mushrooms disappears.
3. Add in chicken broth. Stir occasionally until broth boils, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4 Add diluted flour in, and stir constantly (while simmering) until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Finally, add milk and heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. Turn heat off.
6. Serve hot in your soup bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme if you have them on hand. And warm up this holiday season!

Notes from owner of the recipe:
- You can thicken the soup by adding in another tablespoon of flour or cut down on the broth, for use in pasta or your Christmas casserole dishes.
There are mushrooms in there....I should have showed you a spoonful of the soup...oh well!
Sidenote: I can't wait for summer when it is not dark at dinner time so I can use natural light for pictures!

I wouldn't say this is a healthy soup (especially when served with tasty French bread like I served it), but if it makes you feel better- it has a vegetable in the name.
Always works for me!

Crock Pot Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese

Who doesn't love tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich? Actually, if you were to ask my 7 year old self you would find out that I don't...but, I have learned to love tomatoes and so a soup full of them sounds delightful to my 25 year old self.

I found a recipe for a crock pot tomato soup and I knew it was a winner in my book.

Here is what you'll need for the soup:
-2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
-1 cup finely diced celery
-1 cup finely diced carrots
-1 cup finely diced onions
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 T dried basil
-4 cups chicken broth
-½ bay leaf
-½ cup flour
-1 cup Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup butter
-2 cups half and half, warmed
-1 tsp salt
-¼ tsp black pepper

Preparation:
Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Here is what you'll need for the grilled cheese:
-sourdough bread
-provolone
-olive oil (I used the olive oil because I used all of the butter I had in the soup, but I liked the olive oil mixture just as well.)
-basil

Preparation:
Mix the basil in a small bowl with the olive oil. Brush the bread with the olive oil mixture and put 2 slices (the provolone I bought was small) on the bread and "grill" in a pan on medium heat until golden on one side. Flip the bread and brown the other side.


This soup was so good and the husband was making noises the whole time he ate it, so that's always a good sign...at least I think so :)

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Original recipe: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

I love chicken noodle soup. I am not talking about that Campbell's stuff. The chicken in there grosses me out so bad and the noodles are so slimy. Bleck!

I am talking about a good, homemade chicken noodle soup.
Since it has been a little cooler here in ol' Texas, I decided soup would be the perfect meal to eat on for a few days!

This is my favorite recipe (you know it's good since it's a Paula Deen recipe) and with some modifications, it is really easy to make and can be ready in less than an hour.

Here is what you'll need:

and forgot to put these in the picture...
-3 quarts chicken stock
-1 rotisserie chicken, shredded and de-boned
-2 cups sliced carrots
-2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
-2 1/2 cups uncooked whole grain egg noodles
-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
-3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
-1/3 cup cooking sherry
-1 cup sliced mushrooms
-salt
-freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring stock to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, and sherry. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

**The original recipe calls for buying a whole chicken and making your own chicken stock, but I find it much easier to buy a rotisserie chicken and then buy some good chicken stock to use. The Kitchen Basics brand is my favorite and the only kind I have used for this soup. It never disappoints! Much better than Swanson in my opinion.

The best part is dipping the french bread in the delicious broth. Of course the heavy cream gives it a wonderful creaminess. I suppose if you wanted to be healthy you could do without the cream and the bread, but I don't know why anyone would want to do that. Just go run a mile or two after eating it. It's worth it!

Make this for your family or make it to take to a friend! It makes enough to feed you and some friends!

Original recipe: The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup