Toasted Orzo Chicken Soup - Rachel

Since winter decided it wasn't quite finished with us, here's a delicious soup to warm up with.

Toasted Orzo Chicken Soup

Ingredients

32 oz chicken stock

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken

2 T butter

3/4 c orzo pasta

2 T EVOO

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c frozen peas

1/4 c parsley

2 t grated lemon peel

salt & pepper

Directions

1. In a medium-sized pot, bring chicken stock and chicken to simmer. Lower heat and poach chicken about 12 minutes.

2. In a second medium-sized pot, melt butter. Add orzo and cook until toasted (about 3-5 minutes). Plate.

3. Add EVOO to pot #2. Add zucchini, carrot, pepper, onion and garlic; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes. Return orzo.

4. Remove chicken from stock. Skim and discard fat from stock, and transfer stock to pot #2. Chop chicken, add to soup with 2 c. water. Bring to boil and cook until orzo is tender, about 5-8 minutes.

5. Add peas during the last minute. Turn off heat. Stir in parsley and lemon peel. Serve immediately & enjoy!

Source: Um. I copied this down... I'm fairly sure it was from a Rachael Ray magazine...

Mom's Chili - Rachel

On a blustery winter day in Michigan, you can't beat hot chili!

Mom's Chili

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: approx. 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef

2 large onions

2 bell peppers

2 14.5oz cans tomatoes

1 8oz can tomato sauce

2 T chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t ground cumin

1 t cinnamon

1 t salt

1/4 t ground red pepper

dash black pepper

1/2 t paprika

1 T red wine vinegar

1 t Worcestershire sauce

2 cans kidney beans, drained

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and onions.

2. Add rest of ingredients, except for beans.

3. Cover and simmer 1-2 hours.

4. Stir in beans and heat through.

5. Enjoy!

My modifications:

I didn't realize until I started making the chili that I didn't have tomato sauce. Whoops. Just improvised with pasta sauce! Also, didn't have red wine vinegar, so I just used 1/2 T of cider vinegar. Finally, I didn't simmer for an hour. Mixed everything together, brought it to a boil, let it cool for a couple minutes and served it right away.

Source: A Christine Bannister original. My mother whipped together this recipe during her college days!