Spicy Beef and Macaroni Tomato Soup

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I have been freezing all winter long...

We certainly are having very cold weather for living in Los Angeles.  I just can't seem to get warm enough.  I'm doing what everyone says which is to "layer, layer, layer" but I'm still cold.  So I'm filling our tummies with comfort food that warms the soul.  One of the ways to do that is make a great soup!  Nothing beats a pot of steaming soup on a cold winter night.

This year I think I make a hearty soup at least once a week, maybe twice!  To me it is one of the only dishes that warms me up on these cold winter days, and nights.  

SPICY BEEF AND MACARONI TOMATO SOUP

There are a lot of versions of a beef and macaroni soup out there to choose from.  My fresh twist on a classic recipe zips it up with a little spice to give you that little extra something.  Hearty and filing, this seriously comforting soup of beef, macaroni, and tomatoes will soothe your soul any day of the week!

This soup is easy to pull together and quick enough for a weeknight meal.  Dinner will be on the table in minutes and you'll be warming yourself up so thoroughly that you won't even mind the cold!

What do I need to make this soup?  A good Dutch oven such as this one, is the perfect vessel for this soup.  I just love my Hamburger Meat Chopper.  I think it is the best purchase in a long time.  I chops your hamburger meat into small pieces with little effort.  You will also need a good knife, (I use this one) wooden spoons, and a nice ladle.  Most of the ingredients are staples, but make sure to use a nice flavorful ground sirloin and a jar of marinara sauce that you enjoy.  

This soup will serve four people but you can easily double the recipe and serve a larger family or have leftovers that you can freeze in storage containers for a quick lunch along with a sandwich.  This will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.  Note: Due to the pasta soaking up some liquid you may need to add some chicken broth while re-heating.  

Serve this soup with some hot crusty bread, or homemade biscuits and you are all set!
I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did and stay warm during the cold months.

Enjoy!





Spicy Beef and Macaroni Tomato Soup
serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 24 oz jar marinara sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 Tbls fresh basil, chopped
1 cup elbow macaroni

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the ground beef and onion and cook until the beef is no longer pink.  Add in garlic and cook for a minute more.  Add salt, pepper, pepper flakes, and oregano to the beef and stir to combine.

Add in the chicken broth, marinara sauce, and diced tomatoes.  Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Add  in the pasta, and cook covered, for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

Spoon into bowls and garnish with the basil. 

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you. I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you

Fall/Winter Picnic: Wraps, Salad Two Ways, and Ginger Lemonade

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A series of wonderful vegetarian dishes pair perfectly together for a Fall/Winter Picnic, indoors or out!

So all week long I've been bringing you recipes that are simple in nature, vegetarian, and oh so tasty! 

If you've missed my posts for Orzo Black Bean Salad, Feta Chopped Salad, or Pesto Cucumber Wraps take a moment to check them out.  They are all wonderfully light and delicious vegetarian dishes that I found in a new cookbook I got called,  "Forest Feast Gatherings: Simple Vegetarian Menus for Hosting Friends & Family", by Erin Gleeson.  What a fabulous book!

So let pull all these dishes together and go on a picnic.  I want to show you how easy it is to pull a picnic together if the weather is nice enough to go to a park and eat outdoors.  If it isn't cooperating this would be perfect as an indoor picnic in your living room on the floor with a blanket and a bunch of pillow.  

So grab your plaid throw and let's create a picnic.

The perfect thing about this is that both the salads can be made ahead of time and stored until time to serve.  The Pesto Cucumber Wraps are what I call the main entree, while the salads compliment them as side dishes.  

Don't be fooled by the fourth of July plates, this was held on a blustery day in the park.  I just happened to grab what paper plates we had on hand.  To pull this off I grabbed a navy blue plaid throw to use as the base for the food.  Put both the Feta Chopped Salad, and the Orzo Black Bean Salad in bowls that have lids and transfer well.

To round off the food I made a wonderful Ginger Lemonade (recipe is below) and packed it in a nice jar.  Some fruit such as pears and grapes along store bought cookies for dessert finish off this menu.  

Make sure to take along some entertainment.  MGG likes to fly his drone, while I like to read a good book on my kindle while we rest in the afternoon.

Having a picnic, inside or outside really allows you to do something a little different.  It breaks up the routine, makes the meal special, plus it's fun!

Enjoy some picnic time this season!




Ginger Lemonade

1 liter Store bought lemonade
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1/2 fresh mint leaves

Mix all ingredients in a blender, then strain into a jar.  Can be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator.  Serve chilled or over ice if possible. Shake or stir prior to serving.

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you. I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew

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Whenever the weather change to fall then toward winter I love, love, love making soups.  

There's something about a comforting homey meal when you get home from work after a long day that gets me right there. (Pointing toward heart)  It soothes the soul, if you know what I mean.  

So to make these wonderfully tasting soups and stews during the week I turn to my slow cooker for help.  It gives you that cooked all day flavor without the effort.  So what to make?  I'm feeling like a comforting chicken stew is in order.  I have a French chicken stew that I make but I'm actually in the mood for Italian flavors.  Something with a tomato base.  So a Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew was in order.

Wonderfully simple ingredients such as onion, celery, and carrots are the base of the recipes as with many soups and stews.  What makes this special are the addition of Italian ingredients such as tomatoes and Cannellini beans along with Italian spices such as basil, oregano, add the zest this Italian stew deserves.  

What equipment do I need to make this?  I have several slow cookers but my favorite is this one.  It has a sauté feature that I love along with it being a multi-functional cooker.  Another standard slow cooker I have is this one.  It has a good price point but doesn't have timer functions.  Other items you might like are some wonderful spices such as this one, or this one. Staples such as these long lasting measuring spoons and this necessary ladle for soups and stews are great to have as well.

Warm and inviting, this thick and hearty stew will have you rubbing your tummy and going back for more!  The spices blend together beautifully throughout the day and give this a wonderful flavor. This is a stew that you will want on rotation throughout the winter this year.

Enjoy! 





Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs.
28 oz crushed tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 14.5 oz cans of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups celery, sliced
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
4 Tbls. Italian seasoning

2 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 parsley, chopped

1 tsp. kosher salt 

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Add all of the ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker placing the chicken on the bottom with the other ingredients over the chicken.  Stir to combine seasonings. 

Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred or chop chicken.  Place the chicken back in the slow cooker.  Stir to combine.  Serve immediately.

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you.  I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

10 Comfort Food Soups

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A mix of 10 comforting, healthy, and satisfying soups to enjoy this winter.

Winter is for enjoying comfort food.  There something so satisfying about a hot bowl soup and piece of crusty bread for your lunch or dinner, sitting in front of a fireplace or in candlelight!

Both MGG and I LOVE a good bowl of soup.  We also like variety in our soups with various flavors from Italian, Mexican to good 'ole American.  We also like to protein in our soups and often use beef or chicken, but we also love a good vegetarian soup as well.  Today I'm bringing you 10 delicious soups to make this winter.

Most of them are very healthy with a few splurges thrown in for an occasional treat!

Enjoy!

10 COMFORT FOOD SOUPS

Italian Style Roasted Chicken and Orzo Soup

Greek Style Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup

Slow Cooker: Mexican Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

Easy Minestrone 

Chicken Enchiladas Soup 

Chicken Tortilla Verde Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup

Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Beef Burgundy Stew

Rustic Beef Stew

Eggnog Muffins

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

I just love that song don't you?  It is a such a beautiful seasonal song.

Not likely that it is going to snow anytime soon in Los Angeles, but a girl can dream can't she?

This time of year screams holidays and holidays scream winter food.  Like eggnog.  We have eggnog every year cause MGG loves, loves, loves it!  Me...ehhh.  It's okay and I'll have a glass here and there but it's not on my top 10 list of holiday treats, like say....FUDGE!

But we do enjoy some and I enjoy using the leftovers even more.  Last year I brought you Eggnog Waffles which are spectacular!  This year I used my leftover eggnog to flavor up some wonderful Eggnog Muffins.  You know how I love my muffins!  I have tons and tons of recipes out there for you.  

But...these Eggnog Muffins are special.  They are spiced just right with a moist and fluffy inside and a sweet crunchy outside!  I really can't think of a better use for eggnog.  I'm sure that MGG can, but for now, these are at the top of my list!

Enjoy the season!


Eggnog Muffins

makes 6 muffins

2 T melted butter
3 T splenda bake sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 2 T lite eggnog
Topping
Splenda brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 6 serving muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl add butter and sugar and mix well until fluffy. Add the egg and blend. Add the baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla, flour and eggnog. Mix until just incorporated. Batter will be a little thick.

Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top of each muffin.

Bake 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan and then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Taco Soup

It's still been cold here in LA and with weather like this I always turn to soups to warm my soul. (Or at least my tummy!)  Do you feel that way?

They are easy to make, and soooo good for you.

This is a great dish, taking the flavors of one of my favorite food, tacos, and putting them in a soup.  It comes together quickly, so you can certainly make this up during the week when time is short.

Hope you enjoy this, the flavors blend nicely.

To make, you will need:  Ground Sirloin, onion, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of red kidney beans, tomato juice, cumin, garlic powder, taco seasoning (use my homemade seasoning here:  Homemade Taco Seasoning) and beef stock. 

In a large pot add oil and heat on medium.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes to soften. 

Add ground sirloin and cook 8-10 minutes until cooked through.  Break up meat in to pieces while cooking.

Add the tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, spices, and stock.

Bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.

Look how yummy!

Serve with your favorite garnishes!  Enjoy!

Taco Soup

1 T oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

½ lb. ground sirloin

salt and pepper

14 oz can of diced tomatoes

14 oz can red kidney beans

1 c tomato juice

1/4 t. cumin

1 ¼ t. chili powder

1 t. taco seasoning

½ t. garlic powder

1 ½ c beef stock

Garnishes:

Sour cream

Shredded cheese

Tortilla Chips

Avocado

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.   Add onion and cook 5 minutes.  Add ground sirloin and cook, breaking up meat in to pieces, for 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes, kidney beans (including their juices), tomato juice, spices, and stock.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally. 

Serve with garnishes of your choice such as sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips or avocado pieces.


Linked To: Hammock Tracks: Ground Beef Blog Hop