Jacque Made: a place to share my creative side.

My twin sis told me about this recipe. A friend of hers had made it for her while she was sick and pregnant, and she said it made her whole week! I am not sick or pregnant, but this soup tastes good no matter what you are! It's satisfying and versatile and so great this time of year. You can add a number of things if you want to like cheddar cheese, turkey, bacon, or eat it without meat. It was really easy and fast to throw together as well. Winner, winner, ham and potato dinner! Ingredients : 3 1/2 Cups peeled and diced potatoes (I like Yukon Gold potatoes best. I don't peel mine, because the skin is so thin it isn't bothersome to eat at all.) 1/3 Cup diced celery 1/3 Cup finely chopped onion 3/4 Cup cooked ham, diced (I used turkey kielbasa in my soup and added it at the end to warm. But I will try it with ham next time. I think I like turkey kielbasa cold better than warm.) 3 1/4 Cups water 2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste 1 ...

So, my family has all been under the weather lately. It's been no fun at all. The only thing that sounded good for dinner yesterday was this: Tyler Florence's Chicken Noodle Soup . It was heaven sent. I even got Jason to eat it! Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 medium carrots, cut diagonaly into 1/2 inch thick slices 3 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf (I used dried, since I didn't have fresh) 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock (I used Rachael Ray's store bought chicken stock -- it was YUMMO, as Rachael would say) 8 ounces dried wide egg noodles 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped Directions:  If you don't already have shredded cooked chicken on hand, I either cook some boneless skinless breasts on low in the crockpot wi...

This is one of my very favorite soups from my friend Elizabeth's blog . The flavors are so bright and so yummy. You'll be wanting to eat it all winter long.  Here's the recipe .  1/2 pound bacon, chopped 1 medium onion, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick 1 red pepper, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon thyme 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced small 6 cups chicken stock 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 1 pound fresh green beans 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper 2 teaspoons kosher salt In a large pot, cook bacon over medium high heat. Remove from pot and drain on paper towels. Set aside (do not drain bacon fat). Add the onion, celery, carrots and red pepper and saute, scrapping the bacon drippings, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and potato and saute another 2 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil,...