A friend of mine traveled to Minnesota this summer and brought back some yummy wild rice for me.  This recipe has been my favorite way to use it and as a plus its super easy to make.  We found it on cookingclassy.com.


 3/4 c uncooked wild rice blend - cook according to directions
1 c chopped yellow onion
1 c chopped carrots
1 c chopped celery
7 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic minced
4 1/2 c chicken broth
1/4 tsp of each dried thyme, marjoram, sage and rosemary
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c cream
1 tsp lemon zest (yes you really do need this)

This recipe is from my friend Karen who got it from her friend Bonnie.  This year I planted butternut squash in my garden and have been working my way though my 10 beauties that grew.  None of my kids like this recipe but my niece Kayla had two bowls of it and Jeremy and I love it so I told them too bad, their taste buds will adapt!


1 large white onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
5 Tbsp butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 c chicken broth
3 medium zucchini, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c half and half
1/2 c milk
parmesan cheese and croutons for garnish

Saute onions and carrots in butter for 5 minutes in a large coup pot.  All all but the half and half, milk and cheese.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes covered.  Either using an immersion blender (easiest way as you can leave the soup in the pot) or doing small scoops at a time puree with a blender.  Return to pot.  Add half and half and milk.  Re-heat if necessary but do not boil.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese and croutons.  Does not freeze but keeps in the fridge well.  Serves 6.

I loved baked potatoes loaded with all the good stuff on top.  I think my first two years of college I had a baked potato for dinner at least weekly.  I got this recipe in our Relief Society Bulletin and we all unanimously agreed that it was a keeper.

2/3 c butter
2/3 c flour
7 c milk
4 large or 6 medium baking potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed - about 4 cups
4 green onions, sliced
12 bacon strip, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c (8 oz) sour cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a large pot, melt the butter.  Stir in flour, heat and stir until smooth.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add potatoes and onions.  Bring to a boil; stirring constantly.  Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted.  Serve with salt and pepper.  This will keep but you have to reheat it slowly and not bring it to a boil.  It separates in the fridge so you will need to stir in well when reheating it.
Makes 8 to 10 servings

• 7 C Chicken Broth
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 small onion, diced, sauteed
• 1/2 pkg. bacon cut into small pieces
• 4-5 cups chopped kale
• 1 lb  mild Italian ground sausage cut into pieces
• 3 to 4 potatoes scrubbed and cut into small chunks (skins left on)

• Heat a fry pan to about medium heat. Cook the sausages, bacon and onion till browned. Then remove to a plate lined with paper towels to de-grease.  If you skip this step you will have a small layer of grease on top of your soup like in my picture.  Tastes great, but doesn't look so nice.
• Put everything in a large pot and bring to a boil and then simmer till potatoes are tender, around 1 hour.

I have been looking for a good white chili recipe for awhile and am so glad to have found one.  This is easy, healthy and is perfect for warming you up on a cold evening.  I will keep bags of cooked, chopped up chicken in our freezer to make this meal even easier.


2 c choped onions
2 Tbsp oil
1 4.5 oz can diced green chiles
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 15 oz can white kidney beans or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
4 c chicken broth
5 c cooked, cubed turkey or chicken
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, shredded
tortilla chips

1. In a large pot cook onions in oil over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes till tender.  Stir in spices and cook for 1 minute till fragrent.  Stir in beans and broth.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in chicken and simmer till heated through.  Stir in cheese.
3. Put a handful of tortilla chips in a bowl.  Top with soup.  Can top with sour cream, extra cheese or hot sauce as you like.

This is your basic traditional chili.  You can turn down the heat by doing less jalapenos or not leaving the seeds in.  This is the kind of chili Jeremy likes.  Perfect to serve with corn chips, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese or on top of fry bread.

1-2 lb ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2-4 jalapenos, de-seed half of them and chopped
1 anaheim pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 c water
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 15 oz can white kidney or great northern beans, rinsed & drained
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/3 c milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt

1. Brown ground beef in large pot.  Add onions and peppers and cook till almost tender, around 5 minutes.
2.  Add chili powder and cumin, cook 1 minutes until fragrant.  Add tomato sauce and water, bring to boiling.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
4. Add all of the beans and return to simmer.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and salt.
5. Top each bowl with corn chips, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Allison and Robyn eat this soup while pinching their noses but the rest of us gobble it down.  Especially if there is homemade bread or a warm toasted cheese sandwich - nothing tastes better on a cold rainy day.  Jeremy and I used to go for a cheap date to a local restaurant and order their tomato soup and eat their free bread basket.  One of the best meals around.


4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
2 onions, chopped into thin slices and then quartered
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can pureed tomatoes
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp flour
1 3/4 c chicken broth
1/2 c whipping cream
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add the chopped onions and cook over medium high heat until the onions are a dark golden color, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and brown sugar and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the broth and cook until bubbling.
5. Reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer.  Stir in cream, salt and pepper and cayenne pepper.  I season to taste which is usually a half teaspoon of each spice.

Serves 10 or 8 generously

This is a favorite of all but Allison who we have decided doesn't get to vote anymore on what recipes make it into our collection.  It is perfect for a cold day.  I make it with skim milk instead of whole unless I have company over than I go for the gusto.  You can taste the difference but it is still super yummy even with skim milk.  You can make it with fresh corn but I am way too lazy to go that route.  Serve it with lots of pepper sprinkled on the top.  (I have several recipes that only use a few pieces of bacon.  So I cook up a whole package of bacon and then freeze it into smaller portions.)


2 lbs frozen corn
4 slices bacon (4 oz) chopped fine
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp flour
3 c chicken broth or 3 c water and 3 tsp chicken bouillon
2 c skim milk (or whole)
4 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 c whipping cream
salt and pepper

1. Saute the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minutes, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in the broth, milk, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and frozen corn.  Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir in the cream and simmer till soup is hot but NOT boiling.  Stir in salt and pepper to taste.



Corn Chowder

This is Italian wedding soup only made with sausages rather than small meatballs to make it easier.  My kids don't seem to notice the veggies in it as they all agreed it was a keeper.  This soup keeps for several days but does not freeze. You can half the recipe though.  You can also make it up to adding the pasta and spinach earlier and then bring the soup back up to boiling a half hour before dinner.


2 lbs mild Italian sausages, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 carrots peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 quarts chicken broth (or 12 c of water with 12 tsp chicken bouillon)
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp dried basil
2 c dried shell-shaped pasta (I like big shells, kids like small)
1 box frozen chopped spinach, 10 oz or one bunch of fresh spinach chopped
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese

1. Cook sausage pieces, breaking them up with a spoon in a pan over high heat, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add carrots, onion and garlic, stirring often till onion is limp, 5-7 minutes.
3. Add broth, tomatoes (including juice), beans and basil and bring to a boil.
4. Add pasta, reduce heat and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is just tender to bite, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with cheese.

Part of growing up in California is having clam chowder with sourdough bread on the various piers along the coast.  There is something about the salt air, the sea gulls and seals barking that makes it taste delicious.  But my favorite clam chowder recipe is from a restaurant in Utah, Market Street Grill.  They hand out the recipe at their restaurants and it tastes exactly the same when you make it at home.  Of course to get that exact taste you have to make it with half-and-half which I only do for company and special occasions.  Otherwise my family has to live with a mixture of skim and whole milk instead.


1 c potatoes, diced 1/2 inch
1 c celery, diced 1/2 inch
1 c onion, diced 1/2 inch
1 c leeks, diced 1/2 inch
1 c green pepper, diced 1/2 inch
3/4 c chopped calms (save the clam juice or buy bottled clam juice)
3/4 Tbsp coarse ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
3/4 Tbsp whole thyme
6 bay leaves
1 tsp Tabasco
3/4 c sherry wine (optional - if you want to leave it out or substitute cranberry juice)
2 c water
3/4 c clam juice
3/4 c butter, melted
1 c flour
2 quarts half and half which is 8 c (or do 4 c skim and 4 c whole milk)

1. Combine melted butter and flour in a 9x9 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients except half-and-half.  Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
3. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick.  Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough.  Remove chowder from heat.
4. Stir in half-and-half until blended.  heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally.  Serve immediately.

My kids used to call this "hot-dog soup" now they call it "sausage soup".  But whatever they call it, it is one of my favorite rainy, cold day type soups.  I use an immersion blender so I can just blend the potatoes together in the pot which makes it slightly easier.  Then I cook the meat and vegetables in a separate skillet and then just add that mixture to the potatoes when ready.


4 large potatoes (or 6 regular sized ones), peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 lb bratwurst cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 small cabbage thinly chopped
2 tsp chicken bouillon
2 tsp marjoram leaves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c half and half (or whole or even skim milk - depending on your taste)
1 8 oz sour cream

1. Heat potatoes and 3 c water to boiling.  Water should barely cover potatoes, add a little more if necessary.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until tender.
2. If you have an immersion blender, simply blend up the potatoes and water in the pot.  Otherwise pour 1/3 of the potato mixture into a blender and blend at low speed until smooth.  Repeat with remaining mixture.  Set aside.
3. In sauce pot, cook sausage till cooked half way.  Add the oil, celery, carrots, onion and cabbage and cook stirring occasionally until tender.
4. Add potato mixture to vegetables and meat.  Stir in bouillon, marjoram, salt, pepper and 3 1/2 c water.
5. Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
6. Stir in half and half and sour cream and heat through.  Do not boil!

This is from my friend Soni although I use chunky vegetables and she likes everything minced smaller or shredded/julienned.  It is one of my favorite ways to use my fall vegetables.  My kids grumble when I make it, but they eat it.  I told them this is a keeper despite their objections!


3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped white onion
1 small zucchini chopped
1/2 c cut up green beans
1 stalk celery diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 c vegetable broth (do not use chicken broth!  I have vegetable bouillon base that I use to make broth from)
1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can small white beans or Great northern beans, drained
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 carrots (1/2 c) chopped
2 Tbsp cut up fresh parsley (opt)
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
3 c hot water
4 c fresh baby spinach (pieces torn in half if they are big)
1/2 c small shell pasta

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.  Add broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, carrots, hot water and spices.  Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes.
Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes.  Makes about eight 1-1/2 c servings.  Serve with shredded parmesan cheese on top.

*This soup keeps for several days but does not freeze well.

This is a cross between a mild chili and a soup. It is great for a food storage recipe as you can leave out the hamburger.

1 or 2 lbs ground beef
2 onions, chopped
2 cans pinto beans (15 oz each), drained
1 can kidney beans (15 oz), drained
1 can corn (15 oz), drained
1 can stewed tomatoes (15 oz)
2 cans tomatoes with chiles (15 oz)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg ranch salad dressing mix

Brown beef and onions in skillet. Drain excess oil. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, chips, avocados, grated cheese etc.

This recipe is from my neighbor Elaine. Perfect for cold evenings it is definitely not a healthy soup but one everyone likes (except for Allison, no surprise there).

Broccoli Cheese Soup - Makes 6 servings

1 c chopped onion
1 c finely diced celery
1 bunch broccoli, cut into pieces (about 3 cups)
1/2 c flour
1 pint half and half
1 pint milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 oz cheese whiz
3/4 c butter

Barely cover vegetables with water and bring to boil. Simmer 20 minutes or until tender. In another large pan, melt butter and stir in flour. Boil one minute stirring constantly. Stir in milk, half and half and cook until smooth. Bring to a boil and stir well. Add undrained vegetables and cheese whiz. Stir until blended but do not let it come to a boil again.

This is my favorite chili. It is served over rice with cheese, avacado, sour cream, green onions etc on top if you want. It is more of a stew than a chili and is extremely spicy. This recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart magazine. You can skip the chiles step by just adding 1/2 c chili powder to the onion mixture and cooking for one minute. The chile step though is pretty easy and makes it taste so much better.

Texas Red Chili - Makes 8 cups, serves 8
8 whole dried chiles (5 ancho and 3 guajillo or all ancho)
3 Tbsp oil
3 lbs beef chuck cut into small pieces, 1/2 inch or smaller
salt and pepper
2 large onions, chopped, about 4 cups
7 to 8 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeno or serrano chiles, seeded if desired (I always seed), minced
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, pureed with their juice
4 c water plus more if needed
2-3 Tbsp white vinegar, to taste

1. Toast dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and blistered, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove stem and seeds; discard. Put chiles in a large bowl and cover with hot water and soak for 30 minutes. Remove from water and puree in a blender with 1/2 soaking liquid.
2. In a large pot heat 2 Tbsp. oil. Season beef with 2 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Brown beef in batches, about 10 minutes for each batch. Transfer to a plate.
3. In pot with the remaining 1 Tbsp oil, brown onions, garlic and minced chiles for about 5 minutes. Add spices. Stir in beef and chile puree. Add tomatoes, water and 1/2 tsp salt. Reduce heat and simmer gently, partially covered until meat is very tender and chile is thick, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add water if it gets too dry. Season with salt and vinegar. Serve or freeze for up to 3 months.