Wild Mushroom Bisque

One of my absolute favorite places to eat is Zupa's - especially when I'm in the mood for soup. They have a wonderful selection of soups, but I always tend to order the same thing - their Wild Mushroom Bisque. Sadly, I have moved outside of the radius of any Zupa's locations… so I had to come up with my own replacement. I used Season with Spice's Homemade Mushroom Soup recipe as a base, and I have to say, it turned out quite splendidly. It is definitely helping with my Zupa's separation anxiety.

Wild Mushroom Bisque

Ingredients:
-1 lb mushrooms (I used Cremini) - I diced half of the mushrooms, then cut the rest in half (I like my soup chunky)
-1 tbsp olive oil
-3-4 cloves fresh garlic, diced
-1 tbsp butter
-1/2 tsp thyme
-2 bay leaves
-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-3 cups chicken stock
-3 tbsp flour dissolved in 4 tbsp water
-1/2 pint whipping cream
-dash of nutmeg
-salt & pepper to taste
-green onions or fresh parsley to garnish

1. Heat olive oil in pan - add butter & garlic and sauté over medium heat (be careful not to burn).
2. Add mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce to pan. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock & let boil - then turn down heat to simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Whisk in diluted flour, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Add cream, bring back to a simmer, then remove from heat.
5. Serve warm & garnish with green onions or fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Coconut Curry

Okay, two things: I love pumpkin, and I love curry. Every time I go to a Thai restaurant and pumpkin curry is an option, I order it. And it's always an amazing experience. However, it's not always an option at every Thai restaurant... so I decided to give it a try myself.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry
2 small sugar pumpkins
3 chicken breasts, sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cans coconut milk

2 tbsp. red curry paste

1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar (I used Splenda)

2-3 cups chicken broth

2 red peppers, sliced into strips

1 onion, sliced into strips

1 tsp. ginger

1 tbsp. lemon (or lime) juice

1 cup cashews
garlic salt

salt & pepper

Ground red pepper

Fresh basil

You will first want to tackle the pumpkin. Use a vegetable peeler to peel both pumpkins, then cut them into bite-sized chunks. Put the chunks from one of the pumpkins into a bowl and set aside for later. Put the others in a saucepan with about one inch of water, salt, and cover. Let steam for about 15 minutes, then drain & mash. You will also set this aside for later.

Start by cooking the chicken in the olive oil until it starts to turn just slightly white. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, red curry paste, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and add the peppers, onions, ginger, cashews, lemon juice, pumpkin chunks, and mashed pumpkin. Add garlic salt, salt & pepper, and ground red pepper, to taste. The more red pepper, the spicier it will be. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender & the chicken is thoroughly cooked. You will especially want to check the pumpkin; make sure it is still somewhat firm on the outside but soft on the inside (like a cooked potato). Serve with basmati rice. Enjoy!

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup [with HOMEMADE noodles]

There's nothing like good ol' homemade chicken noodle soup on a cold fall day. The homemade noodles in this recipe are my grandma's recipe... and they are what really bring this soup home. They are also surprisingly easy to make!

[Scroll to bottom for complete recipe.]

I have the recipe in my grandma's handwriting... doesn't get more authentic than that!



Using a rotisserie chicken is also the secret to this recipe... the meat is just so yummy!



Chicken Noodle Soup 
Soup
Carcass & meat of 1 rotisserie chicken
(You can also use a whole uncooked chicken)
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch dried basil
1 pinch dried parsley
Poultry seasoning, to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
flour

Start with the soup portion of the recipe. If you are cooking the whole chicken, put it in a pot of boiling water (enough to cover the chicken), turn down heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through--about 30-40 minutes. If you are using rotisserie chicken (which I recommend), remove the meat from the carcass and put the chicken carcass in the pot of water. You will want to cook the carcass for about 30 minutes as well to start the chicken base. Remove the carcass, and add the broth, celery, carrots, seasonings, and chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.



To make the noodles, mix the eggs, salt, and milk together in a medium mixing bowl. Add flour until the dough is thick enough to roll out (you will want it to not be sticky any more). Roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut the noodles lengthwise. They don't have to be perfect--it gives them more character that way. Add the noodles to the soup and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until noodles are cooked through. Yum!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Okay, this is the BEST tomato soup I have ever had - and that includes Zupa's, Paradise Bakery, etc. It is just REALLY delicious, and it is actually a SUPER easy recipe. 

[Scroll to bottom for complete recipe]

Start with the onions - dice them well!

Sautee the onions until they are translucent.

The sherry is optional... but I think it makes the soup extra delicious.

It's not a good soup without cream!

Use fresh parsley & basil - much better than dried! 

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup*

• 6 T butter
• 1 whole medium onion, diced
• 1 bottle (64 oz.) tomato juice 
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes (or more to taste)
• 3 T sugar (or more to taste)
• 1 pinch salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry (optional)
• 1-1/2 cup heavy cream
• fresh parsley, chopped
• fresh basil, chopped

Sautee onions in the butter until they are translucent. Add the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, chicken bouillon, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a slight boil, and then turn down low to simmer. You can add the cream, basil, & parsley at this point and serve it - or, if you are adding the sherry, cook for another 30 minutes without adding the cream, basil, or parsley. For best results, cook for 2 hours. I like to let it simmer while I'm watching a movie or something - it just gets better the longer it simmers. Once you are satisfied with the amount of time the soup has cooked, add the cream, basil, parsley, & serve. You will never need another recipe for tomato soup, I promise!

*This recipe is a slightly modified version of The Pioneer Woman's Sherried Tomato Soup.

Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup

SOooo... since it's November, I kind of feel like seeing how many things I can make with PUMPKIN.

First I did the classic Grandma's Pumpkin Bread recipe. It was delish. Then I had this superb pumpkin soup at Zupa's, and tonight I attempted to re-create it. This blog is really inspiring me and is making me want to cook EVERY DAY. It's pretty exciting. The soup turned out amazing, by the way.

Anna's Version of Delicious Black Bean Pumpkin Soup
1 tsp. cumin
1 pumpkin, about 4 lbs. (or 1 med. can of pumpkin)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cup frozen corn (or 1 can corn, drained)
1 4 oz. can pineapple tidbits (with juice)
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 red onion
2 tsp. lime juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 bunch cilantro
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

1. If you are preparing the pumpkin yourself, make sure you set aside at least 30 minutes to do so. I figured this out the hard way :) I used the microwave to cook my pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into four pieces, discard stringy insides (keep seeds to roast later if you want!), and put each piece in for 7 minutes, turning every few minutes. It is recommended to cook the pumpkin in the microwave 7 minutes for every pound. Just make sure the pumpkin is tender enough to poke with a fork when you take it out of the microwave. Peel the skin off and dump into a blender. I blended the broth with the pumpkin to make it super smooth.

2. In a large pot, sautee the onions with the butter and cumin. Cook onions until they are slightly browned. Add the pumpkin/broth mixture, corn, black beans, tomatoes, coconut milk, pineapple, chicken, 4 tbsp. chopped cilantro, and heavy cream (if desired). I had some cream left over from the butterscotch I made for the party yesterday, and so I just dumped it in. It really did the trick with this soup. You can choose to opt out if you're going for a little bit healthier soup, though, and it still tastes great.

3. Bring the soup to a boil. Turn down to medium-high heat, and cook for about 10 minutes (make sure the chicken is done). Add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with extra cilantro. It's also supposed to be really delicious with macademia nuts. YummmmmmmmmmmmmmmYYY!

P.S. I took the picture of the soup with my camera phone because my camera is still dead. I am actually looking for a good camera if anyone hears of anything... like someone selling their camera or whatever. Can't wait til I have a REAL camera!!!