I heart soup

I am a soup person. Jordan is not. I think I'm getting close to converting him. Anytime I tell him I'm making soup for dinner, I have to remind him not to turn his nose up. (PS He loves all the recipes below ... he just has a strange aversion to the word soup, I guess.)

Zuppa Tuscana
I am obsessed with this soup. I got the recipe from my friend Lexy (who has since totally revamped the way she eats - her awesome blog is here), so I like to joke that she probably never makes this soup anymore. But put bacon in anything and I'm totally there. And I've made a few tweaks to lighten it up a bit. Which in no way shape or form means removing the bacon.
1 lb sausage (I use lean sausage)
6 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped (I probably use half)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 quart chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (with or without skins)
2 C shredded kale (this recipe began my love affair with kale)
1/8-1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/3 C heavy whipping cream (I use soy milk instead)
Brown sausage, drain fat, remove from pan. Fry bacon until crisp (really crisp), remove and drain all but 1 T bacon fat. Crumble the bacon. Add onions and cook until soft; add garlic and cook for one minute. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes or till potatoes are tender. Return the cooked sausage and bacon to the pot. Add the kale and crushed red pepper and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir in the cream (or soy milk!) till heated through.
If you have extra kale, PLEASE do yourself a favor and bake it. Shred and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, till crispy. I love this as a side to pretty much anything, but it's especially great with soups of any kind, burgers or hot dogs (instead of chips) or tuna cakes.

Baked Potato Soup
I LOVE this soup. Thanks to my friend Sara Crawford for introducing it to me several years ago. It took me several times of making it to perfect my seasonings and the cut of my potatoes, but now it's seriously perfect. For those who know Charleston's baked potato soup, this is very similar.
3-4 potatoes, cubed (think bite size) with/without skins (I remove skins because Jordan has an aversion to those, too)
28 oz chicken broth
2 T minced onion (I used probably double)
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t parsley
1/2 t garlic (I mince 2-3 cloves of fresh instead)
1 t salt
1 t pepper
6 T butter or margarine
1/2 C flour
3 C milk (I use soy and it's still fabulous)
In large pot, bring chicken broth, minced onions (and garlic if using), oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and buetter to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 10 minutes. In mixing bowl, slowing add milk to flour and whisk until smooth. Stir flour and milk mixture into pot. Cover and let simmer for 30 min over low heat, stirring occasionally. Check that potatoes are fork tender - if not, continue cooking and check in 3-5 minute increments.
*I at least double all the spices above and as noted use fresh garlic instead.
Garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon and chives.
I love this soup with broccoli (plain steamed or like this) and garlic cheddar biscuits.

My Dad's Chili
I love that my dad makes chili. And I love this chili.
1 lb ground beef, browned (ground turkey is great, too)
1 can pinto beans (I've been using the Grillin' Beans pinto beans with jalepenos here - highly recommend)
1 can rotel tomatoes
Diced onion (I used about a quarter to a half of a small onion)
Chili powder to taste
1 can tomato paste
Brown the meat and when almost done, throw in the onions and cook till tender. Add the pinto beans, rotel, tomato paste and chili powder. Simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes.
I sometimes add sliced jalepeno sausage, too. You know, if you need a little more kick. I buy them at Sam's (they're already cooked), slice and add when I've got about 10-15 minutes left on the chili - just so they warm all the way through.
Jordan loves this chili with Fritos and diced red onion on top, I love with cornbread.

Taco Soup
I know, everyone makes this. And I love it. Had it for dinner tonight in fact. It's so easy and filling.
1 lb ground beef, browned (I actually prefer ground turkey in mine)
1 can pinto beans, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can corn (or equivalent frozen)
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 package taco seasoning mix
Other than browning the beef, this is literally just opening cans and dumping everything into a pot. Makes me so happy. I usually simmer on low for about 30 minutes and serve with crushed tortilla chips, cilantro and avocado slices.

Two of my other go-to soups are from my friend Sara Crawford's blog - both are crockpot recipes with makes me very happy. Here is her blog with both the Chicken and Dumplings and Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice recipes.