Hippo Soup

Inspired by http://www.handmadecharlotte.com/healthy-hungry-hippo-soup-recipe/
Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

I saw this online and went out the same day to make little hippos because I though they were so cute. I am excited to try other animals like an octopus perhaps!

Ingredients:
1 package of frozen bread rolls (I used a generic brand that had 12 rolls)
Black eyed peas
Black beans
Butter
Soup of your choice

Directions:
1. Allow the dough to thaw.  I let mine thaw in the bag, but the link above shows another method

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

3. Make the hippos!  Basically, as I made each piece I would stick it onto the paper.  You could forma  complete hippo or do all the bodies, then all the heads, etc.

In general you want, 1 larger elongated shape for the body, a round ball for the head, 2 smaller round balls for the face, and 2 tiny balls for the ears.  I didn't measure anything exactly, I just tried to make them look somewhat proportional. You could decide to make small hippos or big hippos, mine were about 3 inches long from back to front.

If it gets sticky, use some flour.

4. Let the dough rise to able double it's size. I took a while making my hippos so some were on the rise while I was making the rest, but that is ok.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. At this point, I brushed them with butter but the original directions have you brush them after they bake.

and bake the hippos for about 15-20 minutes.  I ended up using 2 baking sheets because I wanted to have room and I was worried they would rise and stick together.

6. Allow them to cool and then cut slits for the eyes and nostrils.  Add the beans and voila!

Notes:
*I used La Madeleine's tomato basil soup because it is so tasty.

*I didn't feel like cooking the beans so I just used uncooked beans, and then we just took them out when we ate.

*If you decide to store them in the freezer or fridge, just don't set them on top of each other because they might come apart.

Pus ‘n Chunks

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp from Jayne Carlton
(see my notes at the bottom)

Ingredients: 1 lb. Link Sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ cups celery, sliced
½ lb. Mushrooms, sliced
2 med. Potatoes (already cooked and cut into pieces)
2 cans Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Milk (to think soup if needed)

Directions: Brown in a Large Pot:
1 lb. Link Sausage, cut into 1” pieces, remove from pot
Sauté in the drippings until barely soft:
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ cups celery, sliced
½ lb. Mushrooms, sliced

Add:
2 med. Potatoes (already cooked and cut into pieces),
or 1 can potatoes, cut into ½” pieces
2 cans Cream of Celery Soup
Heat through, but do not boil

Add:
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or can be served on the side)
Thin with milk as needed

Notes: Marcia = I usually use 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of cream of celery soup...I usually don't add onions but I always put in chopped carrots!

I also really like to have biscuits of some sort served to soak in the soupy goodness...especially Puff Biscuits!

Butternut Squash Soup

Submitted by Alisha Stamper

I tried this recipe from Our Best Bites and have loved it ever since. I look forward to the fall and winter because I know I can make this soup in abundance. The original is here, but here are my notes for what I do:

I use a whole lotta butternut squash. Probably double what they say. And therefore more chicken stock. I also use the biggest potato I can find, which translates to about 3 medium potatoes.

Sigh. This stuff is the BEST.

Puss ‘n Chunks

Submitted by Marcia Brisson from Jayne Carlton

Brown in a Large Pot:
1 lb. Link Sausage, cut into 1” pieces, remove from pot
Sauté in the drippings until barely soft:
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ cups celery, sliced
½ lb. Mushrooms, sliced

Add:
2 med. Potatoes (already cooked and cut into pieces),
or 1 can potatoes, cut into ½” pieces
2 cans Cream of Celery Soup (Marcia does Cream of Mushroom)
Heat through, but do not boil

Add:
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or can be served on the side)
Thin with milk as needed


**The great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever vegetables you have...but the sausage is the most important part!

Irish Stew

Submitted by Marcia Brisson from Jared Gillins
From The Irish Heritage Cookbook, ed. Margaret M. Johnson

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless stewing lamb, cut into chunks and trimmed
2 to 3 onions, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small turnip, peeled and sliced (optional) [I did not include this in our stew]
2 to 3 large baking potatoes, thickly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
1 1/2 cups water, homemade lamb stock, or canned low-salt beef or vegetable stock

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or flameproof casserole over medium heat, heat the oil. Cook the lamb in batches on all sides until all the meat is browned. In the same pan, alternate layers of meat, onions, carrots, and potatoes, ending with potatoes. (If using turnip, add it with the carrots.) Sprinkle each layer with salt, pepper, thyme, and some of the parsley. Add the water, stock, or broth and cover tightly with a lid. Cook until the meat is tender 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (Alternatively, bake the stew in a preheated 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for the same amount of time.)

Check the pan occasionally and add more water or stock, if necessary, to make sure you have a thick gravy. Before serving, brown the potatoes under the broiler for a few minutes and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Alisha's Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Idea given by a nice lady in the grocery aisle, perfected by Alisha Brisson Stamper

this is a basic recipe, so you can add, tinker or build off of it as you want, but this is the main structure:

tyson frozen chicken tenderloins (about 5)
2 cans western family chipotle chili diced tomatoes (these make all the difference! If you're in another region of the country, try a few out, find one you love and make it your own version!)
1 cup pace mild salsa
2 packages frozen corn (the smaller bag, not a big one. normally buy the sweet kind for this soup but any kind will do)
2 cans great northern beans
6 or so cans chicken broth (depending on how soup-like you want it)
white corn tortilla chips
mixed shredded cheese
sour cream

boil chicken in 1 can chicken broth (add water to cover if needed). after cooked thoroughly (about 15-20 minutes from putting on burner), shred and chop.

add tomatoes, salsa, beans (rinse them from can to get off sediment and sodium), corn and chicken. Add chicken broth to cover approximately 5 cans for this amount of other ingredients).

heat until pipping hot and corn is cooked.

serve with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese.

Ghanaian Peanut Butter Soup

Provided by Jun Yanagishita & submitted by Marcia Brisson

Ingredients:
3 cooked & shredded chicken breasts
1 chopped onion
2-3 cups chicken broth
1 minced or crushed garlic clove
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or however spicy you want it)
1 cup grated carrots
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cup peanut butter (I like crunchy, but creamy is fine too)
1-3 cups of water
**White rice! This is what you serve the soup over but you don't cook them together. I can't tell you how much to make but I would say at least 2 cups of uncooked = 4 cups cooked rice to start

Directions:
In pot, put in 1 Tbsp of butter and slightly cook onions and garlic. Add chicken broth and water. Put in pepper and peanut butter. Cook for 5 minutes until everything is blended together. Add carrots, tomatoes and chicken. Cook until vegetables are soft. If the soup looks too thin, add a mixture of 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is so yummy, after Jun made it once I begged her for the recipe immediately!