Zuppa Faux Toscana

Faux Zuppa Toscana

Soup in the style of Tuscany this is not...but it's a close resemblance of the chain restaurant soup you can purchase.

Tall Cool ☺ne is not much for milk based chowder or soup, so I did have to alter it a little bit.  I like it. Hope you like it too! 

4 potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. hot Italian sausage, scrambled and drained

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 Tbsp. Herbs de Provence

1 can beef broth

1 can chicken broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups chopped fresh kale

Combine first 8 ingredients in crock pot and stir. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours.  Add soup and kale, stir, cover cook two more hours on low. 

© Crackerberries 2016

Turkey Soup

Turkey Rice Soup

7 cups turkey broth*

11 oz. chopped turkey meat

½ cup white rice

2 cups frozen vegetable soup blend

1 cup frozen green beans

¾ cup frozen peas

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

½ tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 onion, chopped

In Dutch oven or large kettle, sauté onions in 2 tbsp. turkey broth until opaque and tender. Add remaining broth, celery salt, kosher salt, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary to the pot. Simmer for one hour. Remove thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Add carrots, cover and cook for 30-45 minutes. Add green beans, vegetable soup blend, peas and rice. Cover and cook 30-45 minutes.  Stir in turkey and cook just until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

*To make turkey broth, combine the following ingredients in large stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 1½-2 hours.

4 quarts water

1 turkey carcass

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 onion

3 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

2 bay leaves

½ tbsp. black peppercorns, slightly cracked

½ tbsp. mélange peppercorns, slightly cracked

Cool broth 1 hour. Discard turkey carcass. Strain through a colander; discard vegetables and herbs. Refrigerate overnight, and remove fat from surface. Broth is ready to use or freeze for later use.

© Crackerberries 2015

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Crock Pot Potato Soup

4 medium potatoes (1½ lbs.)

1 lg. onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tbsp. olive oil

2 cups chicken broth

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. celery salt

1 can cream of mushroom soup

5 oz. cooked bulk sausage (optional)

Wash, peel, and dice potatoes. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for five minutes, or just until onions start to brown. Add everything but the mushroom soup to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add mushroom soup and turn heat to high for one hour. Add bulk sausage just before serving.

Yield: 6 one cup servings

© Crackerberries 2015

Sausage Potato Soup

Sausage Potato Soup

4 large russet baking potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ lb. bulk sausage

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ cup milk

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

1 tsp. thyme leaves

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. red hot pepper flakes

In Dutch oven or large kettle, cook potatoes in chicken broth until tender (15 minutes or so). While potatoes cook, brown the sausage in a medium skillet. (I made little meatballs with the sausage.) Remove from skillet and set aside. Sauté onion and garlic in sausage grease for about 5 minutes. Once potatoes are tender, using a slotted spoon, scoop out 1-1½ cups of potatoes and place in large bowl to mash.  Add cream of chicken soup, milk, spices, mashed potatoes, and sausage to Dutch oven and bring to a gentle boil, stirring often. Sprinkle spinach over top and cover. Simmer just long enough to heat up the spinach. Stir gently and serve.

© Crackerberries 2014

Corn Chowder

Specialty Corn Chowder

1 Small hunk of salt pork, chopped

2 medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 lbs red potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

1½ cups frozen kernel corn

1 can cream style corn

1 small sweet red pepper chopped

1 cup half and half

½ cup milk

3 tbsp butter

½ tsp celery salt

Fresh ground pepper

Sauté salt pork and onion together in Dutch oven while peeling potatoes or until onions are golden.  Add to onion and pork and barely cover with water.  Cook 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender. 

Drain off most of the water and add remaining ingredients and cook until hot and slightly bubbly.  Serve with Saltine crackers.  This gets thicker as it matures in the fridge the next day.  Some meals just taste better after they sit for a day, this is one of them. 

© Crackerberries 2012

Potato Soup

It doesn’t look as good as it tastes, but trust me when I tell you it is some good on a cold wet day.  It just warms up your insides.

2 slices bacon coated with fresh cracked peppercorns

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups shredded green cabbage

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 cup cooked mashed potatoes

2 cups beef broth

1 cup German Riesling wine

1 tsp nutmeg

1 cup dry non fat milk (fill to 1¾ line with water)

Cook bacon in Dutch oven; remove and place bacon on paper towel to drain.  Add onion and celery to bacon grease and cook until opaque.  Add cabbage, potatoes, beef broth, wine and nutmeg; bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until potatoes are tender.  Combine dry milk and water and mix well, pour into soup and cook just until well mixed and heated thoroughly.

© Crackerberries 2011

Swedish Onion Soup

It doesn't make any sense...you use Swedish onions, yet the "infamous they" call it French Onion Soup. Seeing how my husband is a good middle-aged American Swedish country boy, we call it Swedish Onion Soup.

3 large Swedish onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp butter or margarine
32 oz beef broth
1 cup merlot wine
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese
2 slices Swiss cheese
2 large slices of French Baguette, cut on an angle and toasted


Peel and thinly slice onions; sauté with garlic in butter or margarine, over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, until they start to brown. Add beef broth, wine, soup mix, Dijon mustard and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into crocks and top with baguette slices. Sprinkle shredded cheese and top with slices of Swiss cheese. Place crocks on baking sheet and broil 1-2 minutes just until cheese has browned. YUM!

© Crackerberries 2009