Pumpkin Soup with (Turkey) Italian Sausage

I have officially made the best pumpkin soup!  I've never had another pumpkin soup, but this one is sooo incredibly delicious, I'm sure it's the best!  Problem is, we ate it all up before I had a chance to shoot a photo of it.  I intended to make the soup again today because I need pictures it was so delicious, but with the recent pumpkin shortage, I'm having a hard time find more pie pumpkins!  Luckily this recipe was adapted from A Mom Not a Pro, so here is a picture of her soup.  Mine looked identical, though the ingredients and methods were slightly altered by yours truly.

Pumpkin Soup with Turkey Italian Sausage (SOURCE)

I kid you not, this soup is fantastic.  I was shared this recipe with a friend and her husband; he loved it so much he said that if I opened a soup kitchen, he'd eat there every day (he's also had my homemade chicken noodle soup, which is coming soon).  Open a soup kitchen?  Gladly!!  Just provide the financial backing and the health insurance to replace my current job and I'M ON IT!  No seriously, someone please pay me to cook all day Just kidding!!

Here's what you'll need:

Pumpkin Soup with (Turkey) Italian Sausage

1 3-pound Pie Pumpkin

Yellow Onion

Carrots

1 Golden Delicious Apple

Dried Sage

Flour

Honey

Nutmeg

Chicken Stock

Buttermilk

Fresh Romano cheese

Turkey Italian Sausage

Salt & Pepper

PRINTABLE RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS!!

In the printable recipe you'll see that I have suggested using Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, casing removed.  I chose this because it's healthier than regular pork sausage, but also because the seasonings in the sausage transfer to the soup very well, providing a lot of heat and flavor.  In hindsight, the soup was also probably thick enough to omit the flour and milk to save calories.  So, use your best judgment when making this.
I was also surprised how hard it was to cut through the pie pumpkin, so if you have your mister around, take full advantage of his muscles if he is handy in the kitchen.

Happy Sunday Funday!!

Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup {Slowcooker Recipe}

Fact:  It is very hard to take a nice photo of a creamy, colorless soup when using a point and shoot camera.

With that being said, I present to you my very first self-created soup!!

 

Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup

Whew!  That was hard.  (Not the soup, the photo!)  I know it could have been better, but hey, I'm no pro.

This recipe came about because this weekend found itself to be a little rainy and chilly, which made me hungry for some comfort food.  Checking my refrigerator, I discovered some chicken breasts that needed to be used up quickly.  I found rice and chicken broth in the cabinet, which inspired me to make one of my favorite soups.  Problem was, I had NO CLUE how to make it, nor did I have the time to stand over the stove all day.

So, in the slow cooker went onion, garlic, chicken broth, rice and lemon juice.  I set my cooker on high.

Three hours later, I had a funny looking gel-like soup inside my cooker.  Then I remembered that starchy foods can be used to thicken soups, so I scooped out some soup and stuck in my immersion blender.

Voila!  Creamy soup without all the fat!!

My friend, Colleen, soup lover extraordinaire, came over to test my soup.  We both agreed that the taste was great, but the soup needed more texture.  So today I browned some mini bella mushrooms and cooked some rice, added both to the soup and discovered that I am not so bad at creating my own concoctions!!

Here's what you'll need:

Creamy Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time:  3-4 hours

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced or grated
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8oz each)
6-8 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup uncooked rice, plus 1/2 cup cooked
black pepper to taste
mini bella mushrooms (optional)

PRINTABLE RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS!

 

A Better Shot of the 'Shrooms

Happy Sunday Funday!!

Bananas Foster Banana Bread

I love bananas.  Especially when they are baked in bread.

After 15 weeks of intense diet and exercise a few years ago, I was eager to get back into the kitchen and bake something that I hadn't had in a long time!  I decided on banana bread after stumbling across this incredible recipe.  It's a little more time consuming than a typical quick bread because of the streusel and rum sauce, but it's totally worth it.

 

Bananas Foster Banana Bread

Are you drooling yet?  You should be.  Here's what you'll need:

Bananas Foster Banana Bread

For the Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 medium bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

For the Streusel Topping:
1½ cups chopped walnuts
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter

For the Rum Glaze:
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons water
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup dark rum

Printable Recipe & Instructions!!

This recipe is full of so many flavors, but is LOADED in sugar.  I made it for a family event, which I recommend you do this Fall.  It's so good, one slice will satisfy your dessert craving!

 Happy Sunday Funday!

xo