Soups for the cold weatherrrr...mmm

Alright everyone, here are a few soups that I would like to share. Thanks to Joe Mattei who cooked up a storm this weekend, I'll be sharing my recipe for escarole and bean soup. Another thanks to Katie and Olivia for giving me this great recipe for taco soup! Now how about that, tacos but in a soup!! All I have to say is YUMMMY.


So here we go, first the escarole and bean soup. My mother has ALWAYS made this since I was young .  This is one dish she taught me how to make as I got older.


Escarole and Bean Soup


Tip: My mother always keeps the rind from provolone cheese (this is the outside part of the cheese that is not enjoyable to eat because it is very hard ). She puts this into the soup and takes it out at the very end and it gives the soup a fabulous cheezy, salty, creamy taste that is amazing. Save one next time  You can add it to almost any soup!


Ingredients:
2 large cans of chicken broth
2 small cans of chicken broth
2 large heads of escarole, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
2 cans of white beans
1 stick of pepperoni
oil
grated cheese
salt/pepper to taste
rind of provolone cheese


Directions:


First add oil to a large pot and sautee the slice pepperoni in the oil for about 3-4 mins. Add the washed, chopped escarole and the garlic to the pot and let all come together for about 5-10 minutes. Next pour the broth and the beans (this is when you would add the provolone cheese rind). Simmer and cover the pot until the escarole is tender. Then add the salt and pepper to taste and let cook for 50 mins. Finally serve and top with grated cheese. HEY you CANNOTT forget the crusty bread!!!!


Now that's a nice dish to serve on a cold winter night!
.......


Next is the taco soup, now what is better than that!
Olivia and Katie makes this every once in a while and say it is absolutely delicious, well I made it today and they were right!!!!


***This is a perfect crock pot recipe. I have been receiving many requests to post crock pot recipes, so here is a good one, there will be more to come. I'll simply label it CROCKPOT : ).


Here's how I made it:

Taco Soup


Ingredients:
2 pds of Beef (You can also use turkey, very healthy!)
2 diced onions
2 cans of pinto beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 can of Mex-style stewed tomatoes (this is found usually in the sauce aisle)
1 can od diced tomatoes
1 can of tomatoes with chiles (from here up, it is a mild spice)
1 can of green chiles (and this is where it gets spicy! You can use it or go with out it. It does give a great taste, but very spicy!)
1 can of black olives (You can do 2 cans if you do not like green olives)
1/2 cup of green olives
1 pkge of taco season mix (make sure you look to see whether it is hot or mild, I prefer mild)
1 pkge of ranch salad dressing mix


For serving: Corn chips, sour cream, cheese, green onions...whatever you like!


Directions:


Tip: You can use any beans you want, just make sure it adds up to how many it asks in the recipe. ALSO you may make it as hot n spicy you would like, I love spicy so I make it spicy : ).


First brown the beef/turkey in a pan with onions until thoroughly cooked. Drain excess fat, then transfer to the crock pot or stove pot. Now add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, olives, taco seasoning and ranch mix to the pot. Cook on the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours (it was ready in 5 hrs too) or for about an hour on a simmer in the stove pot. To serve you know what to do, ADD YOU FAVS! Chips, sour cream, etc. and MANGIA!!! : )


Make this tonight for dinner! It makes so much so you will have leftovers for lunch, etc. Let me know how it is on Facebook, twitter or blogger, ENJOY!! : )