Comfort in a Bowl :: Tomato Potato Soup

Now that February has come to a close, and spring is upon us we will slowly stop cooking our comfort dishes and turn to bikini ready foods right? Salads filled with freshly picked fruits and veggies.

More time outdoors less time cuddled up with a blanket.

It's not quite spring yet, and we have a few cold days left- so I have another comfort food left to post.

>>See, just around thanksgiving I truely came to know the real meaning and feeling of comfort food.

Thanksgiving day Aubrey and I sat with Steph and some family eating a delicious meal when mid turkey we got a text saying our Grandma, who we so admire and love, unexpectedly was going to pass away, probably that day.
I didn't really process what all that meant. I think I just had too much going on, or maybe I tucked it away so not to have to deal with what really was happening in the middle of my dinner, and have an emotional break down. ??
After dinner we said goodbye to our guests and quite literally as I walked into the kitchen to start cleaning up *ding* went my phone.
She was gone, passed from this life to the next and that was when it hit me like a ton of bricks and i cried and cried, to joined byAubrey a few minutes later we just cried together.

Our Grandma was one special lady. She was one special cook, we had just eaten several dishes for thanksgiving that were her recipes.

Two days later Aubrey and I were packed up with 6 kids driving a 12 hour drive in one day in one car.
talk about torture.
We are wrestling kids, and eating greazzy food, tired out of our minds, missing our Grandma, heart sick for my Grandpa. Bleh.

We pulled into our other Grandparents house, ready to keel over. I was completely depleted of everything... energy, emotion, you name it... And I walked into Grandma H's house I smelled the smell of comfort. How had she known? that's just her, she's pretty perfect herself. :)
Love my Grandma H. so so much.

I ate two hearty bowls and felt filled. (But not in a filled food way) in a -
I had a little more strength to buck up and get bed set up, put kids to bed, and wake up to a funeral of my precious Grandma Doxey.

Since our lil' trip I've had cravings for this soup when I've had a long hard week, or I've been sick. It's defintly clicked with my emotions. this soup, my stomach and my heart have all got some crazy chemistry goin on.
From this whole experience I definitly view "comfort foods" in a new light. There are comfort foods and are tastey filling goodness, and then there are comfort foods that remind you of grandma's cooking in your darkest hour. Or your mom's homemade dinner after a lonely day in junior high (ewe jr high)
so, here is my comfort dish from this winter, I hope it brings you some too.

Here is a picture of my Sassy, Beautiful Grandma Doxey- she is to the left.
you can read & see more about her here
(and my Sweet Beautiful Grandma Harding in the middle)

Also, at the bottom are some links a few of Grandma Doxey's wonderful recipes featured on our blog :)

Tomato Potato Soup

Ingredients

6 large red potatoes

6 raw carrots

1 onion

3 celery stalks

1/4 head of shredded cabbage (this is what makes it taste so good)

1 lb hamburger

2 cans of diced tomatoes.

1 (32oz) carton of vegetable broth

2 tsp salt (divided)

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

Fry hamburger, onion together 1/2 tsp salt. drain fat.

In large pot, add remaining ingredients.

Bring all to a boil, add hamburger and onion.

Simmer until until tender.

If needed add more salt to taste.

ENJOY!!

other Doxey recipes

Her caramel corn + Jazz game = heaven

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Roasted Tomato Soup with Pesto Grilled Cheese

Healthy, easy, organic, fresh, satisfying.

During my last semester of nursing school, I kinda went on this tomato bisque kick. It was winter (in Texas. HA! It actually does get cold there and yes, snows at least once a year), I was studying for finals and then boards, so I was cooped up inside a lot. I had this sudden urge for some fatty, creamy tomato goodness. I googled the best place and immediately went to go pick some up.

Cue tomato bisque kick.

I ordered it everywhere I went. Every other couple of days, while studying my scheduled body system of the day, I'd count down the hours until I'd let myself run and pick up a cup. I'd thrown in an occasional grilled cheese sandwich or goldfish crackers and do a little happy dance in my room.

T.B. (not like the tuberculosis you're thinking of) + S.M.A. (that's me) = BFF

Then, it happened.

I looked up the caloric content.

Did you know that by the end of nursing school, I had high cholesterol?

True story.

It might have had something to do with the McDonald's breakfasts I had every morning of a test (it was a good luck superstition I had created and was afraid to ditch...my brain needed the protein), the Taco Bueno (and Cabbanna) and Sonic I had during my dinner breaks at work, and 1 am second dinners out with friends after watching our favorite local band perform.

Oh, and said tomato bisques.

Today, I did it healthy. So if you're looking for a rich, indulgent, creamy tomato soup recipe, this one is not for you. If you're feeling a tasty, organic, fresh tomato soup.....please, read on.

First, can we talk about this cheese? I got it at Trader Joe's (what do I not get at TJ?). It's actually called 'unexpected cheddar cheese', and truly, it's a white cheddar cheese that tastes like it's mixed with parmesan. It's delicious. I couldn't stop eating it, and the intermittent 'Wow!' 'Man!' kept coming from my mouth. Any white cheese would work, but go for something indulgent here. Sourdough is also a must with grilled cheese. It toasts and crunches so well, and the taste is just perfect.

Then, we're gonna throw a pesto in there with all that perfectness.

Sound good? Thought so.

This is so easy. Roast your veggies (inhale.....exhale......), blend them up, add some broth and cream, season to taste. The amount of cream is obviously a bargaining point, be as liberal or conservative as you'd like. And half-and-half or whole milk is actually a great substitute for cream.

Make your grilled cheese with pesto. I do mine on my husband's old George Foreman grill. He used to live off of that thing. You know what his meals were before we got married? He'd grill a plain chicken breast on that thing, microwave some frozen veggies, and have a plain slice of bread.

Ugh, it's like he was a prisoner of bachelorhood or dried, nasty chicken breast or something.

He did win in the cholesterol category I suppose...

Anyway, I fought to throw the dang George Foreman away when we merged living spaces but lost the battle. That, and the battle for the Rocky figurine that yelled, 'Adrienne!', played 'Eye of The Tiger', and started boxing when you pushed his button.

That was parked in our living room, next to the TV the entire two years we were in that apartment.

I do bust out the George Foreman for paninis and grilled cheese, it makes a mean grilled sandwich.

So please, make this soup today.

Your cholesterol will thank you.

Roasted Tomato Soup & Pesto Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

3 pounds tomatoes

1/2 yellow onion

4 cloves garlic

EVOO

salt

1 c broth

1/2 c cream
red pepper flakes

sourdough bread

pesto

{1 bunch basil, handful pinenuts, 3/4 c fresh parmesan, 1-2 T EVOO, 3 cloves garlic}

white cheddar cheese

butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Chop tomatoes and onions in half. Place tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves on jellyroll pan covered with foil. Drizzle veggies with EVOO and salt, combine well.

3. Roast 20 minutes, or until tomatoes have darkened.

4. Blend veggies in blender until smooth (being careful to allow for venting of the hot liquid).

5. Pour mixture into large pot, simmer on low. Add broth and cream.

6. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

7. If not using pre-made pesto, make your pesto by pulsing a handful of basil, handful of pinenuts, fresh parmesan, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1-2 T EVOO in a food processor until smooth.

8. Spread pesto onto insides of sourdough slices. Butter the outsides. Place slices of white cheddar cheese inside with pesto. Grill until cheese melted.

9. Dice part of sandwich and use for croutons in soup. Garnish soup with basil and cream. Serve grilled pesto cheese alongside soup.

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Corn Chowder

I just made this recipe up.

"My life is good. Really good. I get to wake up at 5:00 in the morning and make some soup. It's the best. I love it. I get to lay in a bed by myself all of my life. It's fantastic."

-Nacho Libre. Duh.

 It's SOUPer tasty, easy, and pretty healthy. You chop veggies, throw it all in the crock pot, come back and blend half of it, and you got yourself some simple corn chowder.

I chopped four ears of corn, a red bell pepper, half of an onion, about eight little golden potatoes, and a couple cloves of garlic. The potatoes I only chopped in half for time's sake. I was in a rush to get out the door to church, and was only wearing a slip, half of my hair was curled, and still needed to put my eyes on. I threw that all in my crockpot, poured in a box of chicken stock, broke up a bar of low-fat cream cheese (feel free to use regular, but it was seriously full of flavor with the low-fat), and topped it off with a couple slices of leftover bacon I had, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Set on low.

Three hours later, bump the crockpot up to high because you're starving and ready to get your grub on within the hour (or set on low in the morning and it'll be ready within 6-7 hours).

I took out about half of the potatoes and corn and set them aside.

This is where an immersion blender would be handy, but I lack. Sigh.

Pour the remaining soup in a blender (depending on the size, you'll probably need to do it in two different batches, making sure to allow room for expansion) and blend.

Mix the whole veggies back into the blended soup and top with more bacon.

This would taste amazing with the green chilies in our Green Chili Cheese Bread.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients

4 ears corn

1 red bell pepper

1/2 onion

8 gold potatoes

2 cloves garlic

32 oz (1 box) chicken broth

8 oz low-fat cream cheese

6 slices bacon

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Chop corn, bell pepper, onion, potatoes, and garlic.

2. Place in crock pot on low, add broth, cream cheese, 3 slices bacon, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

3. Three hours later, increase crock pot to high (or keep on low for about 6-7 hours).

4. Take out about 3-4 potatoes and some of the corn and bell pepper, set aside.

5. Blend remaining soup. Add whole veggies back in, top with remaining bacon, season to taste.

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Turkey Tortilla Soup {Thanksgiving Leftover Idea}

If you are like me, you like Thanksgiving leftovers...but you don't like eating turkey sandwiches for a week.  The last few years I have whipped up this soup and it has always been gobbled (pun intended) up!  I adapted this recipe from a chicken taco soup recipe that a friend from San Diego created.

Turkey Tortilla Soup {Thanksgiving Leftover Idea}

Ingredients

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBSP olive oil

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 jalapeno, diced

1 zucchini, cubed

1 carrot, cubed

1 TBSP cumin

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 LB cooked turkey, shredded (If it isn't the day after Thanksgiving and you're craving this soup - try using a rotisserie chicken)

2 cups chicken broth

juice from 1 lime

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Directions

In a stock pot, heat oil and add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil until carrots are tender, then reduce heat to simmer. Serve with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

Homemade Tortilla Strips

Ingredients

3 corn tortillas

olive oil

kosher salt

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Brush tortillas with olive oil using a pastry brush and cut into strips. The easiest and fastest way is to cut them with a pizza cutter. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam and bake for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Give them a toss halfway through.

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Grandma's Chili

October and Halloween always make me crave chili.  My Grandma always made this at Halloween time and now we make it every year on Halloween.  My Grandma's chili was always the best...so 7 years ago I called her up and asked her for the recipe.  She was very matter of fact in her response - "always double your meat, and always use tomato juice instead of tomato sauce, the sauce is too sweet."  I did just that and came up with this EASY tasty chili.  This is a cinch to whip up, and the results are fool proof.  I've even won chili cook offs with this chili.

Whip up a pot of this and watch a game, or serve it on Halloween like we do.  Try it with these breadsticks or with these cornbread muffins.

Grandma's Chili

Ingredients

2 LB lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

4 15 oz cans of chili beans in mild sauce

1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained

1 chili seasoning packet (I like the chili kit)

1 cup (give or take) tomato juice - more or less depending on how thick you prefer your chili

salt to taste

Instructions

Brown your beef along with the onion until cooked through.  Drain the fat and transfer to a 5 qt crock pot.  Add chili beans, kidney beans, seasoning packet, and tomato juice.  Cook on high for 1 hour and then turn to low for 4 hours.  Taste and add salt as needed.

*If you are using the Chili Kit like I do, I discard the thickening packet, use the entire seasoning packet, about 1/4 of the cayenne pepper, and about half of the salt.

Serve with saltine crackers, cheese, sour cream, onions, bacon or whatever else you like on your chili.

ALSO goes perfectly with these Cheesy Cornbread Muffins

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Cheese Soup

My little boy doesn't like broccoli. No bribery to eat cute little trees will get him to choke it down. Some times, sometimes whole dessert trick works. and for some reason, when I put this bad boy infront of his face he didn't get scared away by the green things floating around. Instead he and my other children all ate 2-3 bowls. 

and the next day for lunch they all ate bowlfuls again! 

I grew up on this broccoli cheese soup! 

 I want to do my best to convince you to make it, because I PROMISE you will not be disappointed. its smooth and creamy...when you read the ingredients and the instructions you might be a little weary. I know. I have been there. In fact the first time I made this, I didn't follow instructions (lack of faith, too much weariness) and it turned out so bad. SOO bad. So bad that it took me years to try it again. years of craving my mom's soup and too scared to do it incase I failed again. 

but I did! triumphantly. 

This recipe makes enough to feed an army. 

take half to your sick neighbor, or best friend. ORRRR eat it the next two days. It's not like you won't be craving it or anything hehe

This soup recipe is really just a cheese soup base.
You can add whatever veggies you like to it!

Cheese Soup

Ingredients

3 carrots

3 celery

2 small-med potatoes

1 cup broccoli

1 small/med onion

1 T salt

OR if just doing broccoli

3+ cup chopped broccoli

1 small/med onion

Soup Base:

1 16oz jar of cheese whiz

1 1/2 cups butter (3 cubes)

1 1/2 cup flour

3 quarts boiling water (12 cups)

4 cubes of chicken or veggie bullion

Instructions

In a small pan steam veg with onion in a small amount of water and salt.

do not drain water.

Place cheese whiz in a bowl of SUPER hot water to help it start warming and melting away from the sides.

Heat 3 quarts of water to boiling. (I just heat it in my microwave)

In a Large stock pot melt butter and wisk in the flour. (making a roux) Cook on med-low heat for a few minutes (cooking out the flour-y taste out) and stirring till smooth.

slowly add 1.5 quarts of water to the roux. wisk till smooth.

In remaining 1.5 quarts of hot water, dissolve bullion. When dissolved add water to stock pot, stiring till smooth.

Keep low heat, and let thicken.

Now, add cheese whiz and stir. from here on out you must stir until you take off heat.

you can bring the heat up to medium heat if cheese whiz is not melting.

add veggies. If the soup consistency is too thick add some of veggie water till it reaches your desiered consistency. (I never have to do this... but just incase I wanted to add it)

Remove from heat and serve immediatly.

Serve with yummy bread!

Try this easy yummy french bread.

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New England Clam Chowder with Homemade Bread Bowls

The high here in Orange County actually hit below 70 degrees.

Fahrenheit.

I saw it on my weather app on my phone a couple days ago and excitedly declared the day to the husband soup day! I asked him his most favoritest soup ever, and after a few moments of deep pondering, he decided on clam chowder in a bread bowl.

Done.

 I was feeling extra romantical today and felt that hearts were a necessary part of dinner.

For the bread bowls, I used a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I can do bread, but I am by no means an expert, so I was not about to get creative or innovative with this aspect of the meal.

Bread Bowls (makes 8 bread bowls)

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (use 1 tablespoon instant yeast)
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal

In your KitchenAid, dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit about ten minutes until frothy.

Add to the frothy mixture the salt, oil, and 4 c flour on a low speed. Slowly add in the remaining flour a 1/2 c at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. You do want this dough to be a bit firmer than other dough you may have made for rolls, as you want this to be more dense.

Knead for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic.

Spray inside of large bowl with oil and roll dough in oil so it is coated. Cover bowl with a light tea towel and place in warm, draft-free place until it has doubled in bulk, almost 1 hour.

 I forgot to take a picture of the doubled dough before I punched it down.

So pretend you have a bowl of bulging dough that you collapse and punch down, and then form into 8 dough balls. Sprinkle two cookie sheets with cornmeal, and place 4  dough balls on each cookie sheet. Slit top of each ball with a sharp knife. Place cookie sheets back into warm place to rise again until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

 Bake 18 minutes, until lightly browned. Set on cooling racks to cool.

Now for the creamy, soul-warming comfort of this comfort meal...
I've always loved my Grandma Packard's recipe (an English woman herself), as well as every other chowder I've tasted. I thought I'd venture out and create my own!

New England Clam Chowder

2 T EVOO
4 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 leek
4 red potatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 can clam broth (or 'juice')
2 cans chopped clams (with juice)
1/2 c butter
1/2 c flour
1 quart half-and-half
2 t salt
1/2 t red pepper flakes
fresh-cracked black pepper

Chop all the veggies.

Leek? What's a leek you say?

It's basically a green onion (or scallion) on steroids. BUT leeks soften and kinda melt into whatever you cook them with, which is why I like them in soups.

What the heck do you do with the thing?

Leeks usually have a lot of dirt all up in them, so you have to peel back the layers and rinse them off individually. Most of the green is tougher than the white, so I usually discard those. Flatten out the layers and chop them up.

Saute the carrots in the olive oil until slightly softened. Add in the rest of the veggies, the clams and the clam broth. Simmer until potatoes have softened.

 In separate saucepan, melt butter, then whisk in flour to make a roux.

Slowly whisk in the half-and-half until mixed thoroughly.

Add this mixture to the veggies, heat on low without simmering or bubbling, as you want to keep the half-and-half from curdling. Add spices.

Now get creative and cut your best heart out of the bread bowls.

Ladle the soup into the bowls and serve.

You know the best part is dunking the extra bread.

Especially when it's a cute little heart...

Bread Bowls

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (use 1 tablespoon instant yeast)

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornmeal

Instructions

In your KitchenAid, dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit about ten minutes until frothy.

Add to the frothy mixture the salt, oil, and 4 c flour on a low speed. Slowly add in the remaining flour a 1/2 c at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. You do want this dough to be a bit firmer than other dough you may have made for rolls, as you want this to be more dense.

Knead for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic.

Spray inside of large bowl with oil and roll dough in oil so it is coated. Cover bowl with a light tea towel and place in warm, draft-free place until it has doubled in bulk, almost 1 hour.

 I forgot to take a picture of the doubled dough before I punched it down.

So pretend you have a bowl of bulging dough that you collapse and punch down, and then form into 8 dough balls. Sprinkle two cookie sheets with cornmeal, and place 4  dough balls on each cookie sheet. Slit top of each ball with a sharp knife. Place cookie sheets back into warm place to rise again until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

 Bake 18 minutes, until lightly browned. Set on cooling racks to cool.

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients

2 T EVOO

4 carrots

3 celery stalks

1 leek

4 red potatoes

3 cloves garlic

1 can clam broth (or 'juice')

2 cans chopped clams (with juice)

1/2 c butter

1/2 c flour

1 quart half-and-half

2 t salt

1/2 t red pepper flakes

fresh-cracked black pepper

Instructions

Chop all the veggies.

Saute the carrots in the olive oil until slightly softened. Add in the rest of the veggies, the clams and the clam broth. Simmer until potatoes have softened.

In separate saucepan, melt butter, then whisk in flour to make a roux.

Slowly whisk in the half-and-half until mixed thoroughly.

Add this mixture to the veggies, heat on low without simmering or bubbling, as you want to keep the half-and-half from curdling. Add spices.

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