Warm up with savory soups and chilis

This time of year can be hit or miss weatherwise, and when temperatures drop, there’s nothing better than an easy soup or chili to help keep my family and me warm. These cozy recipes can be made on the stovetop in a hurry, or you can fix it and forget it in the crockpot. No matter how you make them and get them on the table, they’re sure to be a hit.

BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI WITH BLEU CHEESE MUG TOPPERS

Buffalo chicken chili

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 2 carrots
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 yellow onion
• Minced garlic (as much or little as you like)
• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ to 1 cup hot wing buffalo sauce
• 1 29-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Finely dice carrots, onions and celery.
2. In a soup pot, add in your ground chicken and diced vegetables. Chop up chicken and cook the mixture until the vegetables start to get soft and the chicken is no longer pink.
3. Add minced garlic and cook about three minutes more.
4. Add beer and cook until alcohol is cooked off, about four minutes. If you don’t like beer, you can substitute for more chicken broth.
5. Add in chicken broth, tomato sauce and petite diced tomatoes and combine well.
6. Add hot wing buffalo sauce. This measurement is going to depend on how spicy you want it. I add a cup.
7. Add in garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Combine well, taste and add more seasoning if needed.
8. Bring to a low simmer for 45 minutes to an hour uncovered.
9. Serve with bleu cheese mug toppers, cornbread and crumbled bleu cheese on top if desired.

Bleu cheese mug toppers

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 4 ounces bleu cheese
• ½ stick butter

Directions:

1. Mix jiffy cornbread according to the box’s directions. Let sit for 15 minutes after combining well.
2. Fold four ounces of bleu cheese into your cornbread mixture.
3. On a flat griddle, melt half of a stick of butter.
4. Drop cornbread mixture onto griddle and gently press it out a little to help it form pancakes.
5. When the edges of your cornbread start to look dry, flip them and cook on the other side. It normally takes approximately three minutes on each side to fully cook, but poke a little hole in the middle before removing from heat to ensure they’re done.

*For crockpots: cook ground chicken and vegetables on stove before adding to crockpot with all listed ingredients and seasonings. Cook on high for three hours or on low for five.

CHEESEBURGER SOUP

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 pounds yellow or russet potatoes
• 24 ounces bacon
• Minced garlic — as much or as little as you like
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups shredded mild cheddar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Finely dice your carrot, celery and onion.
2. Shred cheddar cheese, or you can use pre-shredded cheese; either one will work.
3. Dice potatoes into bite-sized pieces. I leave the skin on, but you can peel them if you’d like.
4. Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces and cook until crispy in the pot where you will make your soup. The bacon is to top the soup, so microwave bacon also works if you don’t feel like cooking it.
5. When bacon is done cooking, remove from pot and set it to the side. Leave grease in the pot.
6. Add in your ground beef and chopped vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain grease and return mixture to pot.
7. Add in minced garlic and cook with meat mixture for three minutes.
8. Add in chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, potatoes and cheddar cheese. Bring to a low simmer and stir until cheese melts.
9. Add in onion powder, garlic powder, Tony’s, dried basil, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to your liking.
10. Simmer on low for 30 minutes uncovered or until your potatoes are fork tender. Stir often so your bottom doesn’t scorch.
11. It is important not to let this mixture rapidly boil, as it can cause it to separate.
12. Top with crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions.

* For crockpots: Cook meat and vegetables on the stove before adding to crockpot with all listed ingredients and seasonings. Cook on high for four hours or low for six.

CORN AND CRAB BISQUE

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces lump blue crab meat
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 heaping tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 15-ounce-can fire-roasted corn
• 1 cup frozen corn
• Minced garlic — as much or as little as you like
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Finely dice yellow onion.
2. In a soup pot, melt down butter. Add in onion and cook until it becomes translucent.
3. Add in minced garlic and cook for about three minutes.
4. Add in two heaping tablespoons of flour and mix it into butter. This is the roux that will thicken your bisque. Stir very frequently for about four minutes.
5. Add in chicken broth and mix quickly to combine flour mixture with broth.
6. Add in heavy whipping cream and mix or whisk to combine well.
7. Add in onion powder, garlic powder, Tony’s and salt to taste.
8. Add in canned and frozen corn. Bring to a low simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.
9. After 15 minutes, fold in your lump crab meat. Cover and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
10. Serve with crispy garlic bread and a salad on the side.

* I sometimes save some lump crab to the side to serve on top. I have also used imitation crab meat or canned crab meat for this recipe before.