Soup - Stew - Chili

Soup Mix Sharing Jars

146 · Nov 9, 2018 · 5 Comments

This post is brought to you by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands

Not all holiday gifts need to be ooey gooey sweet. Savory holiday gifts are just as lovely, sometimes even more so. I personally have been off sugar for 3 months now and I’m really nervous for the holiday season to arrive. Having the house fill up with sweets is NOT what I’m wishing for this Christmas. I would LOVE to get one of these Ball® Sharing Jar soup mixes as a gift. Not only is the soup mix soothing to the soul, but they are also good for you as well.

You can go as crazy wild as you want, adding all kinds of savory dried ingredients that are perfectly hand-picked by you, or keep it super simple and dress-up a store bought soup mix. My favorite Ball® Sharing Jars are the inspiration for my Sharing Jar Soup quartet.

I love the simplicity and earthiness of these soup mixes paired with a simple label & ribbon. As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Sharing Jar Soup Mix Labels

Before we get into the soup, I want to chat about the labels. I selected some classic soup recipes and created home wintery labels that are not only good throughout the holidays, but all through the winter. You can download and use these free printable label s HERE.

They are designed to be printed on card stock paper and then, using double-sided tape, taped onto one of the sections of the beautiful quart sized Sharing Jars. It’s a stunning way to highlight the character of the unique BALL® COLLECTION ELITE® WIDE MOUTH QUART SHARING JARS, which are perfect for gifting.

The Sharing Jar Soup Mix Collection

Here are three soup mixes along with their recipes that work perfectly for gifting and are typically real crowd pleasers.

SPLIT PEA SOUP, a classic, and one of my family’s favorites! You can download the recipe cards for this concoction HERE.

This spicy gem, BLACK BEAN SOUP, is a staple at many houses and will for sure be appreciated by whomever you gift this soup too. HERE are the recipe and mixing directions.

Lentils have become a favorite of mine and this soup does not disappoint! You can download the recipe for this treat HERE.

Now, last but not least is a little cheater method… If you are in a super hurry, grab a packet of a Tomato Based Soup with Pasta and an extra bag of Mexican style noodles to add to the mix and dump it into your Sharing Jar. This simple but heartwarming soup is fabulous during those winter months. Plus, it’s SUPER easy to throw together this gift!

You can download the mixing directions HERE.

Now you need to go stock up on some of the giftable Ball® Sharing Jars and get busy, those holidays wait for no one! Surprise your friends and neighbors with this thoughtful gift this season.

Easy Weeknight White Chicken Chili

14 · Dec 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Love white chicken chili but don’t always have time to make a complicated recipe? This simple weeknight White Chicken Chili recipe is 30 minutes start to finish and the whole family will love it.

When the temperature dips our family loves to break out all of our favorite soup recipes. This one just happens to be my daughters all-time favorite. It’s one of those perfect pantry soups that takes minimal time to prepare and the whole family loves. It’s simple to make a small recipe or double or triple for larger crowds. Here a quick video showing how to make it…

EASY WEEKNIGHT CHICKEN CHILI RECIPE from Heather Thoming on Vimeo.

Short on time? Grab a rotisserie chicken at the market and shred one of the breast for the chili and save the rest of the bird for dinner tomorrow night.

This is an easy pantry dinner. Keep your pantry stocked with your Old El Paso ingredients, beans, hominy, chicken stock, evaporated milk and all you need to add is chicken. It’s perfect for a last minute dinner.

Run on over to Old El Paso for the full recipe and let us know what you think!

Roasted Poblano and Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe + Chopped At Home Challenge

12 · May 17, 2016 ·

+ This Roasted Poblano and Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe brought to you by Food Networks Chopped & Sargento +

What I have for you today is, a Roasted Poblano and Chicken Tortilla Soup topped with a fresh avocado, tomato and lime salsa and Sargento® Fine Cut Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Blend…

Do those words sound familiar?

If they do, you must be a fan of the Food Network and the fan favorite show, Chopped. I’ve been a Food Network fan for years and have dreamed of saying those words. The thrill of opening that basket full of crazy ingredients. The panic of trying to figure out what to create and the nail biter at the end… Who’s plate is on the chopping block?

You can forget extreme sports or bungee jumping for me, my thrill seeking experience would be on the set of Chopped! When the folks at Chopped and Sargento came to me and asked if I would participate in Round Two of the At Home Chopped Challenge… You know I was thrilled to participate!

This round, the theme is Mexican. What’s in the basket you ask?

When I saw those ingredients, Sargento® 4 Cheese Mexican Blend, chicken thighs, Poblano peppers and corn tortillas, my first thought was tortilla soup. One of my favorite soups of all times is Tortilla Soup. However, that can mean a million different things to different people. I have had at least 25 different variations on Tortilla Soup. Some have a tomato broth base while others have a lovely chicken broth base full of spices. It can be packed full of veggies or just broth, chicken and tortillas. Some have been topped with all kinds of great garnishes like avocados, tomatoes, sour cream and the like. I decided it was high time for me to try my hand at creating my very own tortilla soup recipe and this was the perfect opportunity!

My soup was going to have a deep rich chicken broth full of cumin, Mexican oregano, chili flakes & Harissa. I was going to brown my chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet and then finish in the oven for a flavorful chicken and I was going to roast the Poblano peppers to deepen the pepper flavor. This was going to be my idea of the perfect Tortilla Soup… Roasted Poblano and Chicken Tortilla Soup! Here’s the recipe…

Roasted Poblano and Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

A beautiful take on the classic Tortilla Soup perfect for any occasion.

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Cuisine: Soup

Serves: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

6 skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 Poblano peppers
1 large onion chopped
4 cloves of minced garlic
3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2-3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Harissa
12 cups chicken broth
2 15.5 oz cans of white hominy
salt to taste
+ GARNISH +
10 corn tortillas
1 cup vegetable oil
salt
Sargento® Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Blend
2 avocados
2 cups of quartered grape or cherry tomatoes
2 green onions chopped
1 lime - juiced
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400˚
In a large heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan. Turn down the heat to medium.
Cook the chicken on one side for 4-5 minutes or until nicely browned.
Turn and place in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and set-aside.
In a dry cast-iron or heavy pan, place the Poblano pepper over high heat. Let the skin blister and blacken on all sides.
Remove the peppers from the pan and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, let cool for 10 minutes then gently pull the charred skin off and discard. Cut peppers into large bite-sized pieces and set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the chopped onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes and add garlic cook for another minute.
Add the cumin, oregano, chili flakes and Harissa powder and cook for another minute.
Add chicken stock and bring the up the temperature to medium high and let stock simmer for 20 minutes.
Clean-up the chicken thighs by removing from bones and remove any remaining fat. Chop or shred into bite-size pieces.
Add the chicken, hominy & pepper to the pot. Cook for 1-2 more minutes and then remove from the heat.
+ Tortilla Strips +
In a medium cast iron or heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat, add your vegetable oil.
Cut corn tortillas into thin strips and add to the hot oil in small batches.
Cook for 1-2 minutes until they start to turn a light brown.
Remove from heat and place on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt
Set aside until ready to serve the soup.
+ Tomato & Avocado Salsa +
In a small bowl, add quartered tomatoes, diced avocado, green onion, salt & pepper and the juice from one lime. Stir until combined.
Serve soup hot with a nice layer of Sargento® shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Blend topped with tortilla strips and the tomato & avocado salsa.

Chicken Tortilla Soup from WhipperBerry-1

Now of course you can add all kinds of cilantro if you’d like as well. We aren’t big cilantro fans at our house so I tend to leave that out, but it’s totally up to you and your taste.

You know what’s super cool!

YOU can enter the Chopped At Home Challenge for a chance to WIN $10,000 + a Trip to New York to have a private cooking lesson at the Food Network Kitchens.

Ummmm, sign me up! That’s the coolest prize EVER!!

All you need to do is Submit your recipe to FoodNetwork.com/ChoppedChallenge for the chance to win $5,000 and a trip to New York City to compete in a televised Chopped cooking challenge for a $10,000 grand prize.

You don’t want to delay… Phase 2 Entry 4/25/16 at 9am – 5/23/16 at 9am with voting 5/23/16 at 9am – 6/13/16 at 5pm

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sargento. The opinions and text are all mine.

Chicken Stock 101 – How to Make the Best Chicken Stock Recipe

3 · Jan 20, 2016 · 1 Comment

+ Chicken Stock 101 – Come learn how to make liquid gold +

I am not sure if there is anything better in these cold winter months than a good pot of Chicken Noodle Soup or any of it’s chicken stock based cousins. I’m mean really… YUM!

It’s like a bowl full of love right there.

The issue is that commercially prepared chicken stock is good, BUT… It’s not GREAT.

If you’re really wanting a good chicken stock based soup, stew or gravy. You need to make your own chicken stock.

The good news is… It’s SUPER EASY!!

Here is what you’ll need…

Chicken Stock Ingredients

Chicken

Carrots

Celery

Garlic

Rosemary

Sage

Thyme

Lemon

Onion

Salt

Whole Pepper Corns

That’s it! Not a crazy list of obscure ingredients. The hardest thing to come by is the chicken carcass if you don’t typically roast your own chicken, but I’ve solved that issue as well.

We’re all running to the market to grab those rotisserie chickens for a quick weeknight dinner, why not put it to work making some stock for your next soup adventure as well! Yep, PROBLEM SOLVED!

First thing you need to do is to remove the meat from the bones if you have not already done so. DO NOT THROW THE BONES AWAY! That’s the star of the stock show.

Place the carcass into a large stock pot and then add the remaining ingredients…

I don’t really even bother to chop up my veggies or anything. I wash them for sure, but I don’t even bother to peel the carrots or onions. I cut off the ends, give the onion a rough chop and throw them into the pot.

Why do I leave the onion skin on you ask? I’ve learned from several stock experts that leaving the onion skin in the pot is what will give your stock a lovely color.

Using a vegetable peeler, I carefully peal the skin of my lemon and add that to the pot. Make sure to grab as little of the white pith as possible. That white part is bitter and you don’t want to add that to your pot. I prefer the peel method rather than adding lemon zest. It allows me to easily remove the spent lemon peels when finished.

I tie-up my herbs with a little baker’s twine to keep them contained then I add my salt & whole pepper corns. DON’T be stingy with the salt. This is what will help your stock come to life! Cover the pot with water and set it to boil.

Once you’ve brought your pot to boil, turn down the heat to medium or medium low and let it simmer, uncovered for several hours. I generally let mine simmer for 6-7 hours, checking every once in a while to see if I need to add more water to the pot.

After several hours, remove your stock from the heat and then strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the used chunky bits and place your liquid gold (chicken stock) in an air tight container and place in the refrigerator. Once your stock is fully chilled, you can go back and using a spoon, remove the fat that has come to the surface and solidified. That way, your chicken stock will be almost fat free. Another benefit from making your own stock. YOU control the salt and fat content.

Now you can store this in the refrigerator for a couple of days or in the freezer for 3-6 months. Pull it out when you need a little stock and you’re good to go! Here’s the full recipe…

Chicken Stock Recipe

Chicken Stock 101

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

7 hours

Total time

7 hours 10 mins

You will never want to use boxed stocks ever again after you try this recipe!