Some Souper Soups!

I love soup. All kinds, no matter the weather. I have found some great recipes online that are definitely worth sharing.

CREAMY CHICKEN & WILD RICE-A-RONI SOUP

Everything I've seen on the blog It's Always Autumn looks fantastic. More of her recipes are on my "To Make" list right now. Check out the soup recipe here, and give the rest of her blog a gander while you're there.

I've made this twice now, and I could make it again right now. It is easy, hearty, and quick to make, although I wouldn't file this under "Recipes to Help Your Diet." ;) It also reheats well as leftovers!

My suggestions:

• I made this exactly as explained in the recipe, and it was fantastic. I wouldn't change a thing. 
• The cream cheese melts more nicely into the soup if you let it come to room temperature first. 

Coleman LOVED this soup. I just fed him tiny bites of rice and chicken, and he yelled for more!

FINAL REVIEW: We have had a Chicken & Wild Rice soup recipe in our family cookbook for years. This is infinitely easier to make and tastes just as good. An excellent creamy soup for a cold night!

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CROCKPOT BEEF STEW

Find the recipe here.

Last Sunday we had pot roast for dinner, and I had lots of leftover roast. I found this crockpot recipe online, and it turned out quite well.

My adaptations:

• I cubed up my already-cooked pot roast rather than adding raw stew meat. It worked perfectly, and the beef became so much more tender as it cooked! 
• I didn't have any onion around and I like mushrooms with beef, so I decided to add a packet of Lipton's Onion Mushroom dry soup mix. 
• I wanted the soup to be thick and a bit more "beefy," so I also added a packet of dry beef gravy mix. 
• I left out the celery since I didn't have any, and I used regular Idaho potatoes. 

FINAL REVIEW: I liked it. It was actually a little bit spicy (maybe not quite the right word) and more tomato-y than I'm used to for beef stew. It turned out thick and hearty like a good stew should, but I think I will keep tweaking the next time I make it.