Colcannon Soup

Classic colcannon flavors of cabbage, cheddar, and potatoes in a tasty soup!

We enjoy our weekly soup nights and have begun to run out of new soup recipes to try, so it's always nice to find something different. I was somewhat aware of colcannon because I've made colcannon mashed potatoes before and loved them so dang much. I don't really get to make a lot of foods with cabbage or leeks, so I really was excited and looking forward to this one and was not disappointed at all. It's also made in one pot and takes less than 30 minutes.

German Pea Soup with Egg Dumplings

This wonderful soup is classic in so many ways but has the addition of egg dumplings to really set it apart.

I've never been a big fan of dumplings, but I like to try new things and since we've been trying a lot of German food lately, I thought this soup would be the perfect recipe to try. The egg dumplings made me a little nervous, but they ended up being relatively easy to make and they tasted a lot like gnocchi. In fact, I think the consistency is almost dead on for gnocchi and I really enjoyed that a lot. I also used a ham hock for the very first time, which was really interesting to say the least. I wanted to stay as close to the original recipe as possible when I first made it and I didn't change anything the second time I made it. This soup reminds me a lot of beef stew but also vegetable soup. It's like the two had a baby together and this was result. So definitely give it a try! I haven't yet asked my sister-in-law (who is German) if this is an authentic recipe that is eaten in Germany, but I thought I'd share the name of the soup in German for fun: Erbsensuppe mit Eierschwämmchen.

French Onion Burgers

This gourmet burger has sauteed leeks, crispy fried onions, and a thick slice of Gruyere on top!

I was a little skeptical of this recipe because I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of French onion soup. However, I didn't see anything in the ingredients lists that made me bat an eye. I did have to look up what the heck a cornichon was because I had no idea - it's a French pickle. Thankfully, my grocery store had them in the little international food section (with the German foods).

This burger is seriously such a gourmet recipe. The "fry sauce" with cornichon was great. The sauteed leeks are one of my favorite burger toppings of all time. And the gruyere and crispy onions MAKE. THE. BURGER. All these components together almost pushed this burger into my favorite burger of all-time. Almost. It is my number two favorite burger and that's saying something...because I have made a ton of burgers I really love.

Three Quick & Easy Recipes

I'm a contributor over at Knoxville Moms Blog and have recently started a "Quick & Easy Recipe" series of posts. Today I wanted to share the last three posts I've done here on my own blog and urge you to check them out. All three are fantastic dishes!

Chicken Alfredo Baked Penne

Pesto Tortellini with Chicken

Penne with Turkey Ragu

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Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

 This delicious potato soup is paired with leeks and peas...and bacon!

Although not my first recipe I've made with leeks, they are still a pretty new-to-me food. I am fairly certain I like them and really want to use them more. I know it sounds weird, but this soup tastes so fresh and simple and it's truly wonderful. I prefer soups like this for days where it is a little warmer. Of course, bacon is just the icing on the cake here!

IPA Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I've posted a few potato soups here and there over the last 4 years of blogging...including Crockpot Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Cheddar Baked Potato Soup, Kale Soup, and Pepperjack Potato Soup to name a few. Potato soup is one of my favorite types of soup - it's so filling and they almost always include bacon and cheese. You can never go wrong with bacon and cheese. I've also really started to love the addition of beer in savory dishes. Fortunately, we always seem to have some Sam Adams on hand. Nick LOVES Sam Adams beer. Most packs will come with their Boston Lager and their Latitude 48 IPA. They aren't Nick's most favorite beers of the Sam Adams, so he doesn't mind if I snatch one up and use it for cooking. This soup also contains leeks and carrots which I also adore.