One of the best things about Fall is making my favorite fall soups. I love them all, tomato, taco, chili, and gumbo, oh how I love gumbo. One of my favorite reasons to go to New Orleans is to get some amazing gumbo. I’ve never tried making gumbo from scratch, I’ve either bought it at a restaurant, or used a packaged mix where all you had to do is add meat. I hope you love my gumbo recipe. All of my recipes are made for 4 people, you can certainly double, triple or even make the recipe smaller.

Taco Soup

This is a favorite of my family. It’s usually the first soup I make when the cooler weather starts to arrive. I have been known to occasionally make it during the summertime.

Items Needed

• 1 lb Ground Sirloin
• Pkg McCormick Taco Seasoning
• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
• Pkg Ranch Dressing Mix
• 1 Can Tomato Sauce
• Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Can Pinto Beans (I prefer Bush’s Chili Flavored)
• Tortilla Chips
• 1 Can Kidney Beans (I prefer Bush’s Chili Flavored)
• 2 Cans Water
• Sour Cream

Directions

1. Brown ground sirloin, cook it really well done.
2. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
3. Pour both taco seasoning and ranch dressing mixes in and stir until mixed.
4. Add both cans of beans and 2 cans of water.
5. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally.
6. This next part depends on what you like.
7. Crush tortilla chips and place in bowl (my husband doesn’t do this).
8. Add a spoonful of cheese to the bottom of the bowl (my husband doesn’t do this either).
9. Spoon soup into the bowl and add chips and cheese to the top.
10. Add sour cream if you desire.

Tomato Soup

Tomato soup brings back some of the best memories as a kid. My grandma would make us homemade tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and one a bunch of her homemade pickles. My grandma made the best homemade pickles.

Items Needed

• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Garlic Clove (crushed)
• 2 Pounds Of Tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 2 ½ Cups Chicken Stock
• 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
• 2 teaspoons Sugar
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 – 4 Tablespoons Whipping Cream
• Fresh Basil
• Sour Cream

Directions

1. Melt the butter and fry the onion for 10 mins or until softened.
2. Mix in the garlic and paprika and cook on low to medium for about 1 minute.
3. Add the tomato purée and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
4. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf and chicken stock.
5. Bring to a boil and then simmer for the soup for 20 minutes.
6. After the soup is cooked, remove the bay leaf.
7. Blend the soup in a blender or food processer, you could also use a hand mixer, but do it on a slow speed.
8. Mix until smooth.
9. Push through a strainer to remove any skins or seeds and then return the soup to the pan, you may want to rinse it out first.
10. Stir in two-thirds of the whipping cream and reheat the soup on low to medium.
11. Once the soup is hot, dish it out and serve immediately.
12. Add a dollop of sour cream and garnish with a basil leaf.

Chili

Earlier this year my husband and I decided to do a chili taste off. We loved our local grocery stores version of chili, but there were a few other’s that were great.

Related – The Best Chili Taste Off

Gumbo

Ok, so bare with me on this one. I love gumbo, and finding a good one is not as easy as you think. My nephew, shout out Jimmy, makes an amazing gumbo, but I wanted to try and make my own. I did cheat on a few things to make it easy, but boy was it good.

Items Needed

• 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• ½ – ¾ Cup Bacon Grease
• 4 Celery Sticks, Chopped
• 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 4 Bay Leaves
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Beef Consummate
• ½ – 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 4 – 6 Cans of Beef Broth
• 1 Teaspoon Cajun Seasoning (I love    )
• ¼ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1 Can Stewed Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Small Can Tomato Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease
• 4 Teaspoons file’ Gumbo Powder
• 1 Pound Fresh Or Canned Lump Crabmeat
• ½ Pound Sliced Andouille Sausage
• 3 Pounds Cooked Small Or Medium Shrimp (The Frozen Works Great)

Directions

1. Create a roux by whisking the flour and ½ – ¾ cup bacon grease in a large saucepan over low to medium-low heat.
2. Whisk it continuously until the roux is smooth, this could take around 20 minutes.
3. Place the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic the roux, and mix.
4. Add the sausage and bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat.
5. Cook over medium low until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and set it aside.
7. Add the beef broth and beef consummate to the roux mixture.
8. Reduce heat to a simmer, and add in the sugar, salt, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
9. Simmer the gumbo over low heat for 1 hour.
10. Mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder about 45-minute into the simmer process.
11. Finally, add the crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and cook on low until flavors have blended, around 45 minutes.
12. Stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder before serving.
13. Add a heaping spoonful of cooked rice to the top of each bowl of gumbo.

Related – 10 Ways To Stay Warm In The Winter Cold

Chicken N’ Dumplings

One of the first things my husband made me when we first started dating was chicken n’ dumplings. It was a recipe his former boss taught him, and it was cheap to make. We were in college, and the ingredients for this recipe would feed us for 4 days. I have since created an amazing chicken n’ dumplings recipe, but every once in a while, we will make his poor mans chicken n’ dumplings.

Items Needed

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 3 Cups Chicken Broth
• Basil
• Paprika
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Italian Seasoning
• Poultry Seasoning
• Biscuit Mixture (See Recipe)

Directions

1. Cook the chicken in either an Instapot, Crock Pot, or pot on the stove. Cooking Times will vary depending on how you cook it. 
2. I like to us my Crock Pot to make this.
3. Add the chicken broth, chicken, and seasonings to the crock pot.
4. Cook the chicken on high for an hour, then low for 3 more hours. But as soon as the chicken is cooked, you can start making the dumplings.
5. Once the chicken is done, shred it in the crock pot.
6. Mix the biscuit mixture and drop small tablespoons of the mixture into the cooked chicken and broth in the pot.
7. Let cook until the biscuits are done, around 25 – 35 minutes.

Biscuit Mixture

1. I use the recipe on the Bisquick box, it works great.
2. Add poultry seasoning, about 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Poor Mans Chicken N’ Dumplings

Here it is, in case you want it. This is the perfect recipe for a college student, or a family that wants a quick yummy meal.

Items Needed

• 1 Can Refrigerator Biscuit’s
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 Large Can Of Swanson Chicken
• Seasonal Salt To Taste
• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Cooking Spray
• Bread Pan

Directions

1. Bake biscuits as directed, but cook 3 minutes less then the directions say.
2. Cut the biscuits into 4ths.
3. Spray the bread pan.
4. Mix the chicken and soup in a the bread pan.
5. Follow the same temperature as the biscuits and bake the dish for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are brown.

Beef And Noodles (Grandma’s Recipe)

My grandma made the best beef and noodles. She passed the recipe to my mom, who passed it to my granny. Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, it was the best. I have carried on the tradition of making beef and noodles, though I may take a short cut from time to time with frozen noodles. But if you have the time, I highly suggest you make the noodles from scratch, trust me, it’s worth it.

Items Needed

• 1 lb Stew Meat
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• Seasoning Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 4 Cans Beef Broth
• 1 Tablespoon Beef Consummate
• 1 – 2 Pkg’s Of Reames Frozen Noodles (These Are The Best If You Don’t Have Time To Make Them)

Directions

Beef Stew

This is another great stew or soup that can be made in the crock pot, instapot, or on the stove top. You can also add or take away whatever vegetables you like. My husband is not a fan of peas, but I love them, so I wait until the end and poor his bowl before I add the peas. But if there are leftovers, he’s getting peas, haha.

Items Needed

• 1 lb Stew Meat Or Ground Sirloin
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• Seasoning Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 4 Cans Beef Broth
• 1 Tablespoon Beef Consummate
• 4 – 6 Carrots, Chopped
• 5 – 7 Potatoes, Chopped
• 2 – 3 Celery Sticks, Chopped
• 1 Can Peas
• 1 Can Beans

Directions