I love Paula Dean. She is such a cutie and her accent is so fun to listen to. My sister mentioned this stew that PD made so I thought I'd try 'er out. It is called Old-Time Beef Stew. Stew is such a great comfort food. This one is flavored nicely...I knew Paula would pull through for us. I just wish I had some of this bread.

Old-Time Beef Stew
*Paula Deen

2 pound stew beef
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 c. water
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 Tbs. cornstarch

Directions:
Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, and paprika. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly. Printable recipe.

Raise your hand if you have a little leftover ham from the holiday. I had some ham and a ham bone that I heard was good for flavoring soup. It has been cold here in the Treasure Valley so I thought a nice ham and bean soup would warm us up.

Add all ingredients and stir.

See all the water on the top? Let the soup simmer for a few hours until it looks more like this:


Ham and Bean soup
*Jodi Jenson

1 bag (2 lbs) great northern beans
3 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs; diced
2 dried bay leaves
1 cup diced ham
1 ham bone; optional
1 can vegetable broth

Rinse beans and pour into dutch oven or stock pot. Cover with water. Cook on med-high until boiling. Once boiling, place lid on pan and turn off heat. Let stand for 1 hour.

Rinse beans again and put in dutch oven or stock pot. Cover with water. Add bay leaves, ham bone, diced carrots and celery.

Let simmer 2 -21/2 hour. Remove ham bone and cut meat from it. Add ham to soup (add more ham as needed; 1-2 cups) and vegetable broth. Let simmer 20 min to incorporate.

Serve with crackers or crusty bread. Enjoy! Printable recipe

Ever since I saw the movie Julie and Julia, I have been enticed by Boeuf Bourguignon. I think they said "Boeuf Bourguignon" in the movie at least 100 times. Not only is it fun to say, but it is even more fun to eat. In the movie, Julie burned Boeuf Bourguignon the first time she tried to make it (from Julia Child's cookbook) and had to make it again. I think I may have been hungry when I saw the movie because it looked absolutely delicious... I could almost smell it. I saw Julie and Julia a long time ago but when I came across this recipe last month in the Martha Stewart Living magazine all of those feelings of wanting to taste Boeuf Bourguignon came rushing back. Let me tell you, this soup did not disappoint!

On a side note, I took some of this soup to my neighbor across the street and she said this recipe is a keeper.


Boeuf Bourguignon Soup
*adapted from Martha Stewart Living

1 lb extra-lean stew meat
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
3 carrots, 2 finely shopped and 1 cut into 3/4 inch cubes
3 shallots, minced
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 strips bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 thyme sprigs
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup burgundy cooking wine
8 cups beef stock
2 cups water

Season meat with 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper. Coat with cornstarch. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Lightly brown meat on all sides. Transfer to a plate.

Add mushrooms to pot. Cook until browned,about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; add cubed carrot.

Add shallots, celery, bacon, and chopped carrots to pot. Cook until caramelize, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.

Return stew meat with plate juices to pot. Add thyme and bay leaf. Raise heat to high. Add cooking wine. cook, scraping p brown bits with a wooden spoon, until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add stock and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Add reserved mushroom-carrot mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until cubed carrots are tender. Season with salt. Printable recipe

I love Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup. I crave it. I dream about it. I went to Chili's with my friend a few nights ago salivating for a delicious bowl of their soup. The waiter came back and told us there was no more Chicken Enchilada soup. We were so bummed out we ordered and ate a large platter of cheese fries between the two of us but that is a story for another day. You can imagine my surprise when I was looking through a few of my favorite blogs and this one had a copycat recipe for...get this...CHILI'S CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP. I made it the same day. I loved it. It was everything I craved and more. It takes a little time but it is well worth the wait.

Clawson's Chicken Enchilada Soup

3 carrots chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
1 onion chopped
2 Tbs. oil
Saute veggies until clear. Add the following:

8 cups chicken broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes (a must! Regular tomatoes don't cut it)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
10 small corn tortillas, torn
Bring all ingredients to a boil and boil gently for 20 minutes. Puree the mixture in batches in blender or use a wand blender. Then add:

2 Tbs. corn starch stirred into 1 cup cold water.
Bring soup to a boil and add:

1 cup cream or half and half
1 lb Velveeta cheese cut in cubes (don't skimp on the brand. Other brands don't melt as well)

Don't boil the soup again once you add the cream and cheese. It will curdle. Then add your mix ins. I added 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
1 can black beans rinsed
1 can corn rinsed
Top with tortilla strips, fresh salsa or tomatoes, sour cream, avocado and chopped cilantro. Delicioso. Printable recipe