Olive Garden Sausage Soup

OLIVE GARDEN SAUSAGE SOUP- from Dayna Checketts (Sister-in-law)

1 pound hot sausage
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 quart of water
4 cups chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup heavy cream

In skillet over Medium/high heat, brown sausage, breaking
into small pieces as you cook it; drain, set aside.

Meanwhile, place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion
in pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.

Add sausage & bacon to pot; simmer 10 minutes.

Add cream and fresh spinach to soup; season w/salt and
pepper; heat through.

"My sister and my mom love this recipe so I gave it a try and it was great! Good for those cold winter days!"

Thick N' Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup

Thick N' Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup- Jessica Swendsen (sister-in-law)

Ingredients:
1 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
3 tablesoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 (250ml - 10 3/5oz) can chicken broth
1 (350g - 12.5oz) can Kirkland Signature Chunk Breast of Chicken
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, cook carrots and green onion in hot margarine or butter about 10 minutes or until tender but not browned. Stir in flour. Slowly add milk, chicken broth, Worchestershire sauce and black pepper. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and cheese. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese melts. Serve hot.

The Story:
I made this with my friend at her house and fell in love with the soup. It is so yummy - and again - best of all - its super easy to make. I asked her for the recipe and she just said go buy yourself some chicken from Costco and you'll have it - plus a few other good recipes. (I usually throw that card away without looking at it so was happy to have someone point out the golden recipes I was throwing away.) I made this for Brian as a surprise. Usually on soup night I make taco soup. I LOVE it. The kids eat it so well, and it freezes nicely so I always make lots of extra. But - poor Brian gets heart burn and taco seasoning isn't the nicest thing for it. So when he sat down to this lovely little surprise he was very delighted. He oohed and aahed all through dinner and hummed with every bite. I was very happy to see him loving his dinner. He told me it tasted like restaurant quality soup! And the kids ate this very well too. (Is it just my kids - or do all kids LOVE soup?) Brian also said that this needs to be put into the bi-weekly rotation that we've got going on. Sounds great to me. Its nice to have a few easy soup recipes on hand. Brian had a fantastic idea that we will try next time I make this - Buy sour dough bread bowls and hollow them out and eat the soup out of those. MMMMMmmmm. Try it - you'll love it!- Jessica Swendsen

Jennifer's Yellow Chilli

"Yellow" Chili

"I have brought this recipe anytime someone needs chili, and this year it won second place in our ward chili cook-off. It is nontraditional chili because the sauce isn't tomato-based, but it's different from white chili too. The sauce turns out yellow from the cheese so I just now decided to name it "yellow" chili. Maybe you can come up with a better name for it? :)" Jennifer Swendsen

2 lb ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
2 c. medium-heat salsa
2 c. frozen corn
3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 14-oz cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz shredded cheese (cheddar or a Mexican blend) - can't remember if I use the whole bag or not

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, brown the meat and cook the onions until they are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the cheese and simmer for awhile. Add the cheese until it melts, then remove from heat.