Continue reading Cheddar Broccoli Soup →

Continue reading Judy’s Chili →

Ingredients

2-3  Pounds red or white potatoes (not russets), peeled and cut into bite size pieces.

Salt and pepper to taste

Milk as needed

1 large onion diced

1 stick of butter

6-8 slices of bacon chopped(or bacon bits)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Spatzle (recipe below)

Directions

In large soup pot or dutch oven pot, fry chopped bacon. Remove and drain.  Add butter to same pot and saute onions. Remove onions to bowl for garnish later (they can also be fried later and served in the pan in which you fry them).

If you did the frying in the stock pot, wipe out pot and place cut-up potatoes in pot with enough water to almost cover.  Cook potatoes until fork tender 15-20 min. While the potatoes are cooking, make the spatzle. Remove potatoes to bowl with slotted spoon. Drop spatzle into broth and cook until they float.  Return potatoes to pot and add milk and heat through. I usually only have skim milk so some cream enriches it.

Garnish with bacon bits, sauted onions and cheddar cheese. Skip the bacon or use artificial bacon bits during Lent.

This saves a lot on dishes. You end up with one dirty bowl and one large pot.  Not too bad for such a heart warming meal.

The recipe for the spatzle is below and you can adjust it to make as many noodles as you want.  I usually use 3 eggs and 2-3 cups flour because we love these noodles.

Spatzle

Ingredients:

2-3 Eggs

Flour to make stiff dough

Directions:

Beat eggs, then add flour a little at a time until you have a stiff dough. You don’t want it too sticky or it’s too hard to handle. I pull off small pieces (it really blows up in the broth) and drop them into the broth left after removing the potatoes with a slotted spoon. The noodles will float when done.

Continue reading Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup →

Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound sliced bacon, diced
2. 1 large onion, chopped
3. 2 ribs celery, sliced
4. 1 pound dried green split peas
5. 2 quarts water
6. 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
7. 2 cups diced fully cooked ham
8. 2 teaspoons salt
9. 1 bay leaf
10. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
11. 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels; drain, reserving drippings. Add onion and celery to drippings. Saute until vegetables are tender; drain. Add the peas, water, potatoes, ham, salt, bay leaf and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until peas are very tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf.
2. Cool slightly. Process in small batches in a blender until smooth. Return to Dutch oven; stir in cream. Heat through (do not boil). Garnish with reserved bacon. Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts).