Week 4-Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 Tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 cups water
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp beef bouillon granules
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp pepper (I substituted white pepper)
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 pkg (16 oz) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
Crumbled cooked bacon

In a stockpot, combine the vegetables, jalapeno, water, bouillon, garlic and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.

Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with the bacon.

The recipe says it makes 14 servings (about 3 1/2 cups). That is quite wrong!!! I used a 5 quart pan and it was about a half inch from the top! I left out the green pepper and mushrooms.

This soup was amazing!! James liked it as well. It has a little kick to it, probably because I used some white pepper in it too. I like a little spice in my life, so I was OK with it. We have a lot left over so we will be serving it to our parents tomorrow, at my mom's request.

We are going to try to complete a fairly large project tomorrow, replacing our corner shower in our tiny bathroom with a whirlpool tub! We also have to take out the little window near the shower. I'm super excited to finally have a bathtub!! I could have used one about 4 months ago...but what do you do? I'll try to post before and after pics.

On a quick side note...my sister-in-law made the salmon bundles for her family. I don't know about the kids, but her husband really liked them! Also, I made the taco lasagna for a friend to freeze, I'm hoping she will let me know how that turns out as well.

Week One - Kielbasa Cabbage Soup

Ingredients

3 cups coleslaw mix (I used cabbage)

2 medium carrots, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons butter

1- 32 ounce carton chicken broth

3/4 to 1 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used kielbasa)

2 medium, unpeeled Golden Delicious apples, chopped

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a large saucepan, saute the coleslaw mix, carrots, onion, celery and caraway seeds in butter for 5-8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes; stir occasionally.

I had to purchase all the ingredients except butter, salt and pepper. My grocery bill for this dish was $13.18. Also, this recipe is from the Taste of Home Winning Recipes Volume 2 Cookbook and makes a 6 serving meal.

Our Assessment
This was pretty easy to make. Chop veggies, saute, add other stuff and boil....easy! I have a pretty small food comfort zone and the apples made me nervous, but they were great! The soup wasn't the party in my mouth I expected it to be, but it was good. I think it may have needed pork kielbasa or a little more salt. Overall, James said I could make it again. Stay tuned...possibly a better recipe next week!!