Cheese Dippers and Spicy Tomato-Cheese Soup

Cheese Dippers and Spicy Tomato-Cheese Soup (GilliMax)
(Sandra Lee on Food Network)

1 can condensed Southwest-style pepper jack soup
8 ounces Mexican-style shredded cheese
1 baguette French bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 stick butter, softened

Spicy Tomato-Cheese Soup, recipe follows
In a bowl, combine condensed cheese soup and the shredded cheese. Spread mixture on baguette slices. Butter the outside of the sandwiches.

Heat large frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Place sandwiches in the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. Flip sandwiches and cook second side. Cover frying pan to ensure that the cheese melts. Serve as "dunkers" with mugs of Spicy Tomato-Cheese Soup.

Spicy Tomato-Cheese Soup:
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
3 cups spicy tomato juice
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat thoroughly, over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Serve in mugs with Grilled Cheese Dippers.

Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger Soup (Nicole624)
(My Husband)

2 Carrots
1 Onion
2 Stalks Celery
8 Cups Potatoes diced
3 Cans Chicken Broth
1/4 c Flour
1/2 c Butter
1/2 lb Hamburger meat
1/2 c Milk
1/4 c Sour Cream
1/2 lb Velveeta Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown the meat and drain. Set Aside. Chop the potatoes up into small chunks and set aside. Grate the carrots and chop the celery and the onion. Melt 1/4 c of the butter in a large 5 qt pot and sauté the onions and the celery until clear. Add cooked hamburger meat, and potatoes along with the chicken broth. Simmer until the potatoes are tender. While this is cooking, take the remaining butter and add the flour over low heat. Stir until thick then set aside. Once the potatoes are done to your liking, add the flour mixture to thicken the soup. Stir well, then add the cheese cut into blocks along with the milk. Stir occasionally until the cheese is melted. Right before serving take the soup off of the heat and add the sour cream. Stir until incorporated and then serve. Goes great along with some French bread!

You will find as you cook this you will adjust the amounts of broth and cheese for your own liking. You can also play with the amount of potatoes and meat to make it a more filling soup.

Carrot Soup with Dill Pesto

Carrot Soup with Dill Pesto (wrysmyguy)
(Bon Appétit August 1993)

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons dill seeds
4 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth

1 cup packed coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and dill seeds and sauté until onion is translucent and tender, about 10 minutes. Add 4 cups broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 35 minutes. Transfer soup to blender in batches and puree. Thin with more broth if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine fresh dill and pine nuts in processor and chop finely using on/off turns. With processor running, slowly add oil and process until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup and pesto can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)

Rewarm soup. Ladle into bowls. Divided dill pesto among bowls. Using knife, swirl pesto into soup.

Serves 4

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree (wrysmyguy)
(Gourmet November 2003)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 2 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups (or more) vegetable broth
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

**Roasted Red Pepper Puree (see below)


Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add squash and 5 1/2 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until squash is soft, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add 1 teaspoon thyme and orange peel. Thin soup with more broth if desired. Simmer 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and chill. Rewarm before serving, thinning with more broth if desired.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl 1 tablespoon Roasted Red Pepper Puree into soup in each bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and serve.

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**Roasted Red Pepper Puree

Makes about 3/4 cup.

1 cup coarsely chopped drained roasted red peppers from jar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Puree all ingredients in processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Butternut Squash Soup III

Butternut Squash Soup III (Wrysmyguy)


Sauté 1 small onion in 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven type pot

Peel butternut squash and dice into small pieces (add to pot)

Add 3 cans of College Inn chicken broth to pot

Peel and dice 2 carrots and 2 apples and put in pot

Cook the above about 30 minutes (or longer) or until the veggies are soft

Place in food processor and puree

Add salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg

Add 1 pint of heavy cream and stir

Cook a few more minutes or until well blended

Butternut Squash Soup II

Butternut Squash Soup II (05novbride)
(MH Jay's recipe)

Ingredients:
1 finely chopped onion
1-3 tablespoons of fresh minced ginger (depending on taste for ginger)
1/4-1/2 cup canola or other plain vegetable oil (olive oil not recommended)
2 frozen packages butternut squash
1-2 cans of chicken stock (the amount of chicken stock depends on how thick/thin you want the soup)
1/2 cup OJ
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sauté the onion first for a few minutes (with small pinch of salt) until almost translucent in oil (about 3-5 minutes)

2. Add ginger and sauté with onion for another 2-3 minutes

3. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil

4. Defrost frozen squash in the stock and bring to a simmer/boil again and cook for another 5 minutes once it has simmered

5. Add OJ and simmer for another couple of minutes

6. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

7. Blend the soup to make smooth if desired (but not necessary)

Cooking note:
1. The ginger is the only ingredient that can effect the taste of the soup drastically if you use too much or too little, so you may want to start small and taste as you go along

2. You can use fresh butternut squash if you prefer, but it must be roasted first and is somewhat of a pain - the frozen tastes the same!

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup (3Guys&AMomma & Lishie0729)

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cups Rich Chicken Stock or other stock
1 1/4 cups sour cream, crème fraiche or heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons butter
about 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
several chives, cut into 1-inch pieces


Directions:
1. Combine the squash and stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.

2. Cool a bit for safety's sake, then puree the mixture in a blender. (You may prepare the recipe in advance up to this point; refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 days.)

3. Return the puree to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Stir in the sour cream, crème fraiche, or cream, along with the butter, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until heated through (do not boil), then taste and add sugar and more seasoning, if necessary. Keep warm over low heat.