Happy New Year!

The new year is a great time for fresh starts and new goals. Our family is particularly anxious to put 2018 behind us and we're fervently praying for 2019 to be filled with family adventures, health, and nothing exciting at all. I've had my fill of surprises in 2018 and appreciate the growth that all of the unexpected activity has brought into my life. 2018 has been a year of tremendous emotional, spiritual, and marital growth. We have been blessed. 

Keeping with tradition, we will be scarfing down our black eyed peas tomorrow in the form of a yummy pork based soup. In an attempt to combine the northern tradition of pork and sauerkraut (cabbage) with the southern tradition of black eyed peas and cornbread, this soup was born.

Black Eyed Pea Soup

2 lbs ground pork

1 large onion chopped 

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups beef broth

1 28oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup roughly chopped cabbage

3 cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 4oz can chopped green chilies

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cumin

In a large pot, stir together pork and onion and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat and return meat/onion mixture to pot. Stir in garlic and heat for just a couple of minutes then add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes allowing flavors to combine. Serve with cornbread and top with sour cream, if desired. 

May your 2019 be merry and bright! 

Old Man Winter {Red Bean & Bacon Soup}

Baby, it's cold outside. Maybe not so much for my northern friends and Ohio family, but for Oklahoma and for this thin-blooded girl in particular, I'm a freezin'. I can't seem to get enough soup. This version of red bean and bacon soup is particularly yummy as it's gently pureed - making all the ingredients that my sometimes picky offspring might turn their nose up to (celery, etc) unidentifiable. With bacon sprinkled on top, who can resist? Sneak the good stuff in under the bacon, ha. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

Red Bean & Bacon Soup

1 lb. dried red beans, soaked according to package directions

1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 1/2 cup chopped onions (about 2 onions)

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped celery (about three stalks)

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

6 cups chicken broth 

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes

Cook chopped bacon in the bottom of a heavy post over medium heat until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add to your pot the onions, garlic, bay leaves, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Cook and stir about five minutes until onions are soft.  Add the celery, carrots, beans, and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until beans are tender. Add the canned tomatoes and their juice, roughly breaking up the tomatoes - if you choose not to puree the soup, go ahead and chop the tomatoes. Since I pulse it in the food processor, it is unnecessary to chop the tomatoes. Stir to combine the tomatoes and their juice into the soup. Discard the bay leaves. In small batches, pulse the soup in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Just a few pulses to keep it with some rough texture, not completely pureed. Return to pot and heat through. Serve topped with sour cream and chopped bacon. Sprinkle a little parsley fro good measure.  Enjoy!

xox, 

A

Gimme Goulash

We recently had the opportunity to travel to Austria for a week-long adventure in performing arts and while there partaking of authentic cuisine topped my to-do list. We managed to find  dining experiences off of the beaten path and especially enjoyed restaurants where no one spoke a word of English. Since our German linguistic skills were limited to mostly enunciation ability with little knowledge of actual meaning, we  were able to clearly state what we wanted from the menu without actually knowing what we were going to get. Thank you, UCO, for German diction class. A few times the "surprise" meal was a little questionable, but after assuring myself the restaurant would not be in business if people were dying, I ate what arrived at my table with only slight hesitation. I'm still not sure what all I consumed in Austria, but I didn't die. So there's that. 

One thing we particularly enjoyed was authentic goulash. Typically made with an egg noodle accompaniment, my american-ized version sports potatoes - you could easily substitute 8-10 oz of  radiatore pasta or if you're feeling really adventurous, whip up some egg noodles from scratch. 

As most good things begin, cook half a pound of diced bacon in the bottom of a heavy pot. Nice and crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Keep the meat coming, and add 2.5 pounds of cubed chuck roast to the piping hot bacon grease and brown. You do not need to cook the meat through at this point, just brown it and remove, again with a slotted spoon. Add it to your bowl of bacon and set aside.

Next, add 4 onions (chopped) and four cloves of minced garlic. Every since reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, I hesitate to mince garlic in a garlic press as this is a big no-no in the Bourdain world.  Nonetheless, I press, mince, and ask forgiveness from the fowl-mouthed celebrity chef. Cook and stir onion/garlic mixture in meat drippings until nearly translucent. 

Stir into the onion mixture 1/3 cup flour and 3 Tbs paprika. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. The longer you cook flour, the more starchiness cooks out.

Add to the pot a 6 oz can of tomato past that has been mixed with 1/4 cup red wine vinegar...

Cook and stir together for about 2 minutes. This mixture will be very thick an goo-like. Stick with me, it gets better. 

Now add two red bell peppers (chopped) along with 5 cups of beef broth and 4 cups of water. You could use straight beef broth for the entire liquid portion, but as beef broth is a bit stronger than other broth (and since there are so many other strong flavors in this dish) mix the beef broth with water to tame it a bit.

Also add about 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed. At this point, you could substitute 8-10 oz. uncooked small pasta in place of the potatoes. 

Return the bacon and beef to the pot. Stir together well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 45 minutes.

Serve it up with your favorite vino on a cold winters night.

Hearty Goulash

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
2.5 lbs boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBS paprika
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
6 oz. can tomato paste
5 cups beef broth
4 cups water
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed

Cook bacon in the bottom of a heavy pot until crispy; remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add meat to pot and cook until browned. Remove with slotted spoon and add bacon. Set aside. Add onions and garlic to pot and cook until tender. Stir in flour and paprika; cook for about 2 minutes. Add tomato mixed with the red wine vinegar and stir/cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Whisk in broth and water; add red pepper and potatoes, return meat to the pot as well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes. Enjoy!

xox,
A

Meatball Veggie Soup

The end of winter is finally near and I've never been happier. While I've spent my fair share of years north of the Mason Dixon (including my birth if we're being honest), my heart sings happy tunes in warmer weather. That's not so say you won't hear me complain when we consistently top over 100 degrees this summer. Let's just say I don't like extremes - clearly,  I need to live in Hawaii. At any rate, a couple of weekends ago our temps dropped rather low again and I couldn't resist another go-round with a steaming pot of soup. We actually eat soup year round, but with exceptional frequency in the colder months. You can find additional soup recipes here, here, here, and here. 

For this meatball-veggie-pot-o'-crazy, I started with lots of good things....In the bottom of a heavy pot place:

4 TBS butter

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 jalapeno's seeded and chopped

4 medium sized potatoes, cubed

Saute and stir often until onions are transparent and veggies begin to wilt.

In the meantime, assemble your mini meatballs. In a mixing bowl combine:

1 lb. lean ground beef
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. peper
Dash of Worcestershire

Mix well with your hands and roll into quarter-size meatballs.

Place meatballs on sheet pan and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until no loner pink in the center.

The meatballs will appear to be too dry - you want this. They are going into your soup and need to be slightly dry so they can absorb the liquid in the soup without falling apart.

As soon as your root veggies begin to soften add to your pot:

2 cartons of beef broth (approximately 28-32 oz. each)

1 can of tomato sauce

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen green beans

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

Bring to a simmer and gently stir in your meatballs.

Top with fresh grated parmesan and parsley. Enjoy and stay warm - summer is almost here!!

xox,
A

Goddess of Gumbo

I've gone thru quite a transformation in the past few years. After relocating to Texas from Michigan, this Ohio-born girl had quite a bit of adjusting to do....and not just because the heat index in southeast Texas reminds a girl why she needs Jesus and just how hot hell must be, but also because every region inside the land of the free and the home of the brave has a plethora of its own distinct lifestyle characteristics. Going form a politically correct blue state to a gunshot totin' red state brings a bit of adjustment to a persons manner of thinking. Trying to move from the fast-paced northeast to the take-your-time southern Midwest did at one time try my patience to the max. After residing in Oklahoma for over a decade, I assumed the life of a Texan would be somewhat similar to that of an Okie and was thoroughly surprised at the differences between the two states. I'll stop there before I offend anyone. Anyway, I have largely claimed the northeast as home more than any other region so just imagine the humor I felt when I caught myself making southern gumbo and pecan pralines in the same weekend. 

Well I'll be.

Goddess Gumbo

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. flour
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped bell peppers
1 lb. kielbasa cut into bite size pieces
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
2 lbs. boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces
File powder

Creole Seasoning (recipe makes a lot - just use enough to coat chicken as needed and store remainder in air tight container)

Mix together:
2 1/2 Tbs. paprika
2 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. cayenne
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried thyme

For gumbo:
Combine oil and flour over medium heat to make a roux. The longer you cook it the darker it gets. I don't like it too dark, though I think true southern gumbo is supposed to be quite dark and you can cook this until it is a chocolate color if you like. I cook mine until it is more of a caramel color. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers - cook for a couple of minutes and then add sausage, bay leaves, and chicken broth. Stir well making sure the roux is mixed with the broth. Coat the chicken with about two tablespoons of creole seasoning, enough to coat but be cautious as the creole seasoning will determine the heat and the more you put on the hotter the gumbo. You can always add more creole seasoning at the end if you want more heat.  I'm a wimp when it comes to heat. My yankee is showing...guess I need to tuck that back in. Add the chicken and simmer for at least one hour or up to two. The flavor is better the longer you simmer. Remove the bay leaves, sprinkle with file powder. Serve over rice.

Zuppa Toscana

In just a few short weeks spring will be in the air here in East Texas and that means I have a small window of opportunity remaining in which to savour my favorite soups and dream up a few new ones too. Spring is the most beautiful time of year here, even if it does arrive waayyy to early for my taste. Last week I whipped up a standard favorite, Chicken Tortilla Soup, and attempted a new one - my version of this Zuppa Toscana. Sometimes found on the menu at Italian restaurants, this spicy sausage soup is sure to have a reoccurring spot on our menu, despite the fact it's a little too spicy for my little guys - resulting in a need for a second option to satisfy their appetites - but Zuppa Toscana is worth it nonetheless.

Zuppa Toscana

2 lbs. ground italian sausage (I used 1 lb. hot and 1 lb. mild)

1 Tbs. olive oil

4 white onions diced

6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

5 cans chicken broth

3 cups heavy cream

8 cups potatoes, cubed with skins left on

1-2 bunches kale, chopped (greens only, discard center stalks)

1 bunch italian parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh grated parmesan

Saute sausage in the bottom of a large stock pot. Drain the fat and set aside. In the bottom of the same pot, add 1 Tbs. olive oil and sauté onions, garlic and potatoes until onions are soft. Add chicken stock and chopped bacon; bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and immediately add kale, sausage, heavy cream, parmesan, and parsley. Stir together - serve hot with some with thick slices of toasted italian bread. Enjoy!

I spy a foodie photog - can you see me?

Black Beauty

If you follow me on twitter or facebook, then you know I've been on a mission to lose baby weight. Well, actually, I had the weight before the last two babies...I typically call it "doctorate weight" as I gained the majority of it slowly over three years while my hubs was in graduate school. I tried to embrace my abundance and think of it as "just more of me to love", while reminding myself that "fat people are happy people"...but we all know that no one really wants to carry around extra poundage. The time has come to bid the superfluous me "good-bye". After downloading the "my fitness pal" app and diligently attempting to count calories, I became painfully aware of just how much extra I was taking in on a daily basis. OUCH. With that realization, I decided it was time to change up some of our typical meals - the old standards - and trade them in for lighter, healthier, and lower calorie editions that are more likely to fit in to my daily caloric boundaries. So...if you're stopping in to find another baked goods recipe or a delicious buttery snack...you won't find one here for a while. Such things have been put on the back burner (no pun intended). This black bean soup is roughly 150 calories a serving and full of flavor, not to mention extremely quick and easy to prepare. My new fast food.

Black Bean Beauty

1 Tbs. olive oil
4 onions (yes - FOUR!) chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cup water
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; add onions and garlic; cook, stirring, until onions are softened - about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, broth water, cumin and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Puree soup, (in batches) in a food processor or blender. It should look something like this before pureeing...

 Be careful not to fill the processor too full (as I did) or messiness will quickly follow. Return pureed soup to saucepan and reheat over medium heat. Sprinkle with cilantro and scallions just before serving. Enjoy!

xox,
A

Little Italy

I long for the days when I can once again give you step by step photo's for each of my recipes as I did with Shrimp Carbonara and Beef Stroganof. Then there was Black Cherry Forest Trifle - boy did I enjoy creating that one - lots of finger-lickin'-goodness leftover from that post.  But alas, I have these four adorable offspring who bring me so much joy (is there anything more rewarding than motherhood?) and yet, consume so much of my time...

Even now, at 10:30 in the evening on my second glass of chardonnay (or is it third? ...it must be third as I just submitted headshots of my 2 year old to a modeling agency in The Woodlands, something I'm certain I would have thought twice about if I had my complete wits about me), I know there is no hope of step by step photo's in the forseeable future. It really is a bummer given my recent acquisition of a beautiful SLR camera - Canon Rebel T3i - 32 GB of nonstop creativity and so little time to experiment. However, I highly recommend this camera...my recommendation coming to you via my lack of experimentation, yet enough to know that I LOVE THIS CAMERA! It really is the bomb-diggety. I do hope within the next year life will settle down despite all of the indicators that everything good and glorious is just beginning.

With that I give to you a warm winter soup to thaw your chilly bones. My husband has been asking for this soup for quite some time and his incessant requests spurred me on to use the snazzy KitchenAid grinder attachment he gave to me two + years ago, undoubtedly as a birthday or Valentine's gift (yes, it takes me a while to use new things, the grinder, the camera - I'm a creature of habit and will be the first to admit my learning curve...good thing I married a professor). I finally did open the box for the very first time to christen my grinder as it produced for me the best ground chicken known to man...or at least known to me. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did...bear with me as I search for it, scribbled out on multiple post-it notes beneath the rubble on my desk...

xox,
A

Italian Wedding Soup

1/2 pound ground beef

1 pound ground chicken

2 eggs

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top the soup)

1 tsp. garlic powser

1 tsp. dried basil

7 cans chicken broth

3/4 cup orzo pasta, uncooked

3/4 cup finely grated carrots

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1 Tbs. dried oregeno

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

In a large bowl combine meat, eggs, parmesan cheese, basil and garlic powder; shape into 1 inch balls and set aside. In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, heat broth to boiling, stir in spinach, carrots, orzo, meatballs, salt, pepper, and oregeno. Cook at a simmer for about 10 minutes or until orzo is tender. Serve topped with fresh grated parmesan and a thick crusty bread. Enjoy!

Minestrone Madness

In keeping with my love of all things fall, I am so excited to have re-entered soup weather! Soup is one of my favorite things and the flavor combinations are endless. As I write this post, a heavy rain is pouring down outside, the sky is dark at merely 4pm and my house is filled with the warm, slurpy, fragrant happiness of soup. This hearty minestrone is fairly simple, the most difficult facet being found in the ingredient list. I live in a very small town and can't always lay my hands on swiss chard. I have attempted to make the soup without the chard, but the result is definitely lacking in flavor. So on a recent sprint through Kroger (doesn't every mom 'sprint' through the grocery store? who has time to meander?) I spotted some swiss chard and quickly snatched up the best looking bunch I could find. In retrospect, I should have bought more, doubled the recipe and filled my deep freeze for later...cause I know that swiss chard won't be there next time. Live and learn. 

Minestrone Soup

4-6 slices bacon, chopped

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large yellow onion

1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped

2-3 large leaves of swiss chard, washed and chopped

3 large carrots

2 stalks celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained, rinsed and 1/2 of them mashed

5-6 cans chicken broth (about 10 cups)

1 sprig fresh rosemary

3 Tbs. dried parsley

2 Tbs. dried basil

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. salt 

1//2 cup orzo

In the bottom of a large, heavy stock pot, brown chopped bacon in olive oil. While the bacon is cooking, place onion, carrots and celery in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside. On a cutting board, coarsely chop the cabbage and swiss chard. I have attempted placing the cabbage and chard in the food processor, but the result is not the same - impossible to obtain a coarse enough chop as the food processor is best for fine chopping and the soup has a much better flavor and texture when the cabbage and chard are coarsely chopped. When the bacon pieces are crispy and brown, stir in all of the vegetables - onions, carrots, celery, garlic, cabbage and swiss chard - as well as all of the seasonings - parsley, basil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the veggies become tender. Then add the coarsely chopped whole tomatoes, the pinto beans and the chicken broth. Stir well and bring to a simmer, then add the orzo and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes - serve it up piping hot with some panini sandwiches or crusty bread - Enjoy!

Not-At-All-Famous Chicken Soup

My sweet husband, unfortunately, is sick. This, by itself, is not anything catastrophic, but throw in his commitment to sing three French songs as part of a university faculty recital on October 25th and a head cold can become a major concern. We're proactive around here and taking the bull-by-the-horns sometimes often leads me to trouble at a faster rate than normal; however, this time, I knew my preemptive measures would be, in the words of Martha Stewart, "a good thing". Lucky for me, I was prepared, as always big surprise, with several whole chickens tucked away in the deep freeze and quickly thawing one to produce what has now been dubbed the "best chicken soup you've ever made" elevated me to the place of heroine for the evening. A girl does what she can. *sigh* After observing our 20-month-old son devour three full servings, I believed it must be pretty good (kids are, after all, brutally honest) and good things are meant to be shared...

Here's what you'll need:

1 whole chicken, rinsed

1 large onion

2 stalks celery

2 large carrots

1 Tbs. minced garlic

2 Bay leaves

2 Tbs. kosher salt

2 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbs. dried basil

2 sprigs rosemary

1 12oz. package fettuccine

First, cut the skin off of the chicken. Don't skip this step - it seems simple enough to cook the chicken with the skin on, but you want to really maximize your broth with juices from the meat and bones - not the fatty skin! It only takes a minute or two longer to cut/peel off the skin. Place the chicken breast side down in a large pot and cover almost completely with water. Turn the heat on to medium-high.

Now place the onion, celery, and carrots in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until finely chopped. I left a little onion out to coarsely chop by hand just to add texture, but you could easily pulse it all. Add vegetable mixture to your pot with the chicken. Now stir in salt, pepper, garlic, basil, bay leaves and rosemary. After you've compiled everything together in the pot, it should look something like this:

When mixture reaches a low boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for approximately 1 hour. Remove the chicken from your broth, cool and remove meat from the bones. While you are waiting for the chicken to cool enough to handle, add an additional 4 cups of water to your broth, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Break the fettuccine into 2-inch pieces and stir into boiling broth; cook until noodles are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Then turn the heat off and return the chicken to the pot, stirring well to combine. Serve and enjoy!

Souper Simple

Can I tell you my favorite thing about this post? It isn't the simplicity of ingredients or the fact that the warming nature of soup is appealing during times such as these when I'm so cold I can hardly feel my nose or toes (okay, I'll admit it's my continued use of flip-flops in 40 degree weather that prohibits me from feeling my toes). Anyway, none of these things matter as I am simply thrilled that the above photo came straight from my camera...unedited. UNEDITED! Those of you who blog or simply enjoy playing around with photography will understand how rare it is to shoot the perfect photo on the first try. Especially when capturing food. Nearly all of my photo's get a little editing, from color balance to contrast adjustment or if nothing else, a little crop around the corners. But not this photo...ah, such a small thing to make my day complete. Now, for the truly important part - the recipe...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cans chicken broth
2 (14oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a heavy pot. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and green pepper, sauteing over medium-high heat until vegetables become tender. Add the remaining ingredients...yes, put the chicken breasts in whole. Bring to a simmer and after about 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and shred with a fork (or use two forks, the chicken will be hot!). Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips and shredded monterey jack cheese.

Baked Potato Goodness

The warm goodness of soup hits the spot on a chilly day. Chilly weather is rare here in Texas, so when I find myself in the midst of a nippy day, I quickly reach for my favorite soup recipes. I've been making this potato soup for over 10 years and it remains a hit every time. Yummy enough to be devoured by kiddo's and hearty enough to leave adults content (i.e. the husband!) we find it to be truly scrumptious!

Baked Potato Soup

6 average size potatoes baked, cooled, peeled and cubed

8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2/3 cup flour

8 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pepper*

In the bottom of a stock pot, cook bacon until crisp, remove and drain on paper towels. Leave the bacon drippings in the bottom of the pot and, over medium-high heat, add the chopped onion and saute until tender. Add flour, cooking and stirring until well combined and beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, whisking well to prevent lumps. Allow to thicken, cooking about 5 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients: chopped potatoes, milk, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon. Once milk has been added, do not allow soup to boil as this will break down the milk proteins and produce a watery soup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until cheese had melted. Dish some up and top with additional shredded cheese and parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

*Live-It-Up Variation: For more kick in your soup, add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce.