Yum--

I love making soup.  I don't really know why, but it has always been one of the things that I like the make most of all.  Noah has inherited my love of the stuff and says hopefully, "houp?" when he sees me making something on the stove and makes a stirring motion.  My kid will someday be a gourmet chef, of just make good stuff for his own little ones.  Recently I made a new winner, which I thought I would share. 

For this recipe we used leftover chicken breasts we had from a previous dinner, as well as leftover Velveeta cheese, which normally I don't like to use, but we had it on hand from pizza burgers-- a recipe my mom used to cook.  Yum!  All of my amounts are approximate, as I cook to taste, rather than by rote. 

2 Chicken Breasts
3 TB butter/Margarine
6 oz Velveeta
4 Pequillo peppers (these are sweet red peppers you can find in a jar at Costco and most grocery stores)
1 small bunch Spinach leaves
4 oz Kielbasa or other sausage
6 cups whole milk
Pepper
Chili Powder
Paprika
Cumin
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Onion Salt (or fresh onion)
1/4 cup white rice



Chop chicken breasts, peppers, sausage and spinach and set aside. 

Melt butter in a skillet.  Add flour to butter and cook for approximately 5 minutes, until the color of the butter reaches a rich golden brown. Add a bit of milk and whisk.  Slowly add the rest of the milk and reduce heat to a simmer.

Cube the Velveeta (I simply pinched off pieces and put it in the pan) and whisk regularly for a good melt.  Be sure to not heat the pan too hot and scald the milk or burn the bottom.  As the soup begins to thicken, add first the rice, then the chicken, sausage, peppers and spinach. *

Season to taste. Be careful while seasoning that you don't over-salt with the sausage as well as the spices. 

Serve with tortilla chips and a nice glass of white wine.


* The next time I think I will cook the spinach slightly and drain the excess water from the spinach, or use frozen instead of fresh.  The water in the spinach caused me some problems while cooking.