Guinness Beef Stew with Puff Pastry Topper

I’m not really Irish, but I love holiday food. Also, my man is Irish, so I figured I would try to give him some of his favorite foods this weekend. Read: potatoes (mashed for me, please!), beef, and beer. This beef stew is hands down the best beef stew I’ve had/made. Mix in some of the crunchy buttery pastry topper, and it. is. heaven. Really.

Thai Butternut Soup

I whipped this soup up in about 15-20 minutes and it has so. much. flavor. The original recipe (cooking light) called for red curry paste, but I since I have a big tub of a green curry paste in the fridge that I love, I used that instead – use whatever you like.

Another note about the curry paste. I have to insist that it really is worth seeking out an asian market for some authentic stuff. That little jar of thai kitchen curry paste isn’t doing you any favors in the flavor department. I really love the tub of curry I found at my local Super 88 which is Maesri brand, but I’ve also heard that Mae Ploy is really good too.

Chicken Sausage and Kale Soup with Cannellini Beans

I would like to start this whole shebang by saying this type of dish is my favorite kind. One, it’s loosely inspired by a recipe, but really much more based on ingredients you already have in the fridge that you didn’t have a plan for. Two, it comes together in about 20 minutes. Three, it’s freaking delicious. And finally, it’s healthy! Made with flavorful andouille chicken sausage (Trader Joe’s), a bunch of chopped kale, and some other pantry staples, this is a weeknight winner.

Guinness French Onion Soup

This is my go-to french onion soup recipe. I’ve made it countless times but have never been able to get a decent picture. Melted cheese in a bowl, while in theory is AWESOME, isn’t the most appetizing thing to look at on a website. This french onion soup has a nice sharpness due to the sherry vinegar and guinness, which I just love. The original recipe calls for irish cheddar, but I add in a little gruyere for it’s melty-ness.

Roasted Tomato Soup

My mom recently gave me a ton of tomatoes, all shapes and sizes, from her garden. I wanted to make sure I put them to good use because this is really the only time of year when tomatoes are worth eating.  I followed Tyler Florence’s recipe for roasted tomato soup and it was delicious. Perfect for a rainy fall day like today!

Lentil Soup in August

It’s the end of August and I made the best veggie lentil soup for you. Actually, I made the best veggie lentil soup for you and ten of your friends. This recipe makes a TON of soup. I plan on eating it everyday for lunch this week and freezing the other half. I love Ina, but I did change the recipe a wee bit. I added some curry powder and chopped kale to the recipe to veg it up a bit – other than that, it’s pretty close to the original. And it’s awesome.

Corn Chowder with Shrimp and Chorizo

I almost titled this dish “OMG Corn Chowder with Shrimp and Chorizo”, because it’s SO. DAMN. GOOD. I took the leftovers to work today and I was literally splashing it around my desk because I was eating so enthusiastically. That’s normal, right?

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Brian and I are both feeling a bit under the weather so I thought soup was in order. I sifted through dozens of tomato soup recipes and I finally just threw my hands up and winged it. It turned out perfect and I’ll definitely be making this again.

Ina’s Chicken Chili

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with foodnetwork.com. First, the website is generally awful and it’s often impossible to actually locate a recipe you might have seen on any given show. They have a knack for naming them something totally different than that on the show itself. Am I right? Second, and I admit that this is largely my own fault, I am often convinced into changing the recipe from how it was originally written based on user comments. Which is kind of dumb, since I don’t know these people and virtually any person can write a comment. After reading lots of reviews that said this chili was super bland as written, and that many people tripled the spices, etc., etc., I caved and decided to double the spices and take it from there. Let’s just say I should have trusted Ina (who I love anyway), because it was way too spicy! I can only assume that those commenters have really old, weak spices because I think it would be very flavorful as written (and that’s how I’ll write it below, except for my addition of white beans, which I really liked).

Overall, the recipe is very tasty and light, but just be careful not to overcook the chicken during the roasting process as it will continue to cook in the stew.

Bean, Sausage, and Spinach Soup

I’m a big fan of a veggie (and usually sausage) filled soup — especially for a weekend lunch. Make a big batch on Saturday or Sunday and then have the leftovers in the fridge when you need a little snack or an impromptu lunch to bring to work. This soup is creamy and oh-so-healthy.

Clean Eating Pulled Pork Chili Verde

I’m sure I join many people in starting the new year with healthy, real food after so much holiday junk. This chili is definitely different from the chilis I’ve made before, but it might be my new favorite. Essentially it’s a big bowl of delicious limey pulled pork with beans and it’s absolutely awesome. Serve it with a nice big salad and you’re good to go.

Cheeseburger Soup

Ever have a cheeseburger craving that just won’t quit? MAKE THIS SOUP. It tastes EXACTLY like a cheeseburger, but is much better for you. This recipe makes a ton, but it you freeze some leftovers, you can have a cheeseburger whenever you like.

Tortellini sausage soup

This soup is so delicious. The broth has a wonderful rich flavor, but overall the dish is very light and easy– using cooked chicken sausage and lots of veggies. I will definitely making this soup over and over again.

Wonton Soup

This soup is super light and totally hit the spot for my chinese food craving. I always order wonton soup at chinese food restaurants, but it’s really easy to make on your own, too. Use whatever veggies you have on hand — next time I will definitely throw in some pea pods and maybe some steamed broccoli.

Savory Pear Soup with Pancetta and Blue Cheese

I love fall soups and this was a great one. This is the first time I had seen a soup with pears as a base, but I knew I could trust any recipe from Five and Spice, one of my favorite blogs. Whatever you do, don’t skip the blue cheese and pancetta garnishes. YUM.

Mild Turkey Chili

I feel like I say this after every chili recipe, but I mean it this time: This is my new favorite  go-to chili. This chili has some unusual ingredients for me (salsa…canned green chiles…taco seasoning), but I also love all the veg and it has TONS of flavor without being really spicy at all. Also, I made corn muffins out of jiffy cornbread mix with a half cup of sour cream mixed in. Best corn muffins EVER!

Chicken & Dumplings

We’re in the middle of a snowstorm here in Boston and this is some perfect comfort food for such an event. While this recipe uses some shortcuts (which I’m happy to use), it is still a super wholesome and delicious chicken soup. This base soup would be great with noodles instead of the dumplings too, if you want to mix it up.

Vegetable Barley Soup with Poached Egg

If you haven’t noticed, I pretty much love anything with an egg involved.  While totally optional in this case (this soup is delicious with just a little parmesan sprinkled on top too), the poached egg adds a luxury to this dish, which is a nice quality in a basic veggie soup.

All together, this soup comes together in about an hour. You can use quick-cooking barley if you’re short on time, but I like to use the legit hulled barley (aka barley groats) because it is the least processed and better for you.

Shout out to my Dad for teaching me how to make a his “perfect” poached egg! Keep reading for Vito’s egg poaching technique…

Escarole Soup with Mini Meatballs

This soup was exactly what I needed on this cool, gray Sunday. Comfort in a bowl — and couldn’t be easier to make, to boot.

Beef Chili

My former roommate called this chili “the best chili yet”. While I still plan on switching it up from time to time, it is a pretty yummy classic chili recipe.  Serve with sweet potato biscuits.