Our Soup Contributors and Judges:

Winning Soups Sponsored by LifeSpring Covenant Women’s Ministry

From left to right: Gaea Milway, Steve Morris (judge), Sandi Buness, Georgene Greff, Lynn Suess, Cathy Sipes, Tom Dierenfeld (judge), Alice Conner, Patty Lamfers

All proceeds for the Bake Sale/Soup Luncheon benefit Women Helping Women Scholarship Fund. This fund provides scholarships (up to 50% of the cost) to the women in our church to encourage them to attend retreats, conferences, classes, or anything that will help strengthen their walk with Jesus Christ.

Women’s Ministry LifeSpring Covenant Church Phone (970) 667-4730 www.lifespringchurch.org/women/

Chicken Tortilla Soup From the kitchen of: Patty Lamfers Serves: 20-25

Winner of Cream Soup

This recipe makes a very large pot and serves 20-25 people when served as a large bowl entrée. The amounts of ingredients approximate and are very forgiving to changes based on availability. Most of the work can be done the day before with a quick final assembly the morning of. Day Before Roast 12-15 chicken thighs with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, thyme, and “kitchen chicken” season mix for about 45 minutes. Remove skin and bone. Cut into small bite size cubes. Put in container till ready for assembly. Finely chop 2 onions and put in container till ready for assembly. Day Two-Quick Assemble In large pot or roaster melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Add 2 teaspoon minced garlic, and the onion chopped from the day before. Saute for 5 minutes till the onion caramelizes and gets soft. Add 4 Tablespoons of flour and stir till mixed. Add 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cheddar cheese soup, 8 cups whole milk. Cook on med till blended. Add 2 cans black beans, drained 2 cans red beans (not kidney beans), drained 6 cans chicken broth 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained 5 teaspoons ground cumin 2 packages of fajita mix (not chicken flavor) Chicken thighs from the day before Simmer till hot and ready to serve Serving suggestions: This soup is better when served over tortilla chips, topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

Chicken Dumpling Soup From the kitchen of Lynn Suess Serves: 10-12 Ingredients: 2-3 Pound Roasting or Stewing Chicken 3-4 Quarts Water 1 Medium Onion 1 Cup Chopped Celery 1 Cup Chopped Carrot ¼ Cup Rice (if a thicker soup is desired) 2 tablespoon Parsley Flakes 1 teaspoon Basil 2 Bay Leaves Pinch Garlic Powder Salt and Pepper to taste 3 teaspoons/cubes chicken bouillon Cook chicken in water with onion, parsley flakes, and salt. Bring to boil, skim and simmer, covered, for 3 hours. Remove and cut up chicken, return to broth with vegetables. Add rice, if desired, and other seasonings. Bring to boil.

Dumplings 2 Eggs 1 ½ Cup Flour Mix together and drop dumpling mixture from teaspoon into boiling soup mixture. Simmer for 1 hour. Add chicken bouillon and additional seasonings as needed.

Multi Vegetable Soup From the kitchen of Eileen Maelzer Serves: 12-16 Ingredients: 2 tablespoons margarine 2 tablespoons oil A little raw diced beef 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced 1 cup zucchini, thinly sliced 1 cup cabbage, finely shredded I cup celery, thinly sliced 1 large onion, chopped 2 beef bouillon cubes 8 cups boiling water 2 teaspoon salt I-16 ounce can stewed tomatoes 1/2 cup broken spaghetti 1/2 teaspoon thyme Shredded parmesan cheese, optional Heat butter and oil in large saucepan. Add vegetables and beef. Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Add bouillon, water, salt and Accent. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, spaghetti, and thyme. Cook 20 minutes. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese if desired.

Vegetable Beef Barley From the kitchen of: Cathy Sipes 1-1/2 pounds beef chuck 4 cups water 4 teaspoons beef base*

Winner of Broth Soup

Cook in crockpot for 4-5 hours on high. Transfer to large pot. Break meat into small pieces and add: 2 quarts water 5 potatoes 6 carrots 1-2 onion, finely chopped 28 ounce can diced tomatoes 3 teaspoons beef base* 1/2 cup barley Slow boil for one hour or until tender. Season to taste; garlic powder, salt, pepper *Use Tones Beef Base (from Sam’s)

Tortilla and Bean Soup From the kitchen of: Nancy Lubinski Serves: 12 Ingredients:

Winner of Chili Soup

6 cups water 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 onion, chopped 1-15 ounce can kidney beans 1-15 ounce can ranch style beans 1-15 ounce can pinto beans 1-15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 1-15 ounce can white hominy 2-10 ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chili peppers (Rotel) 1-1.25 ounce package taco seasoning mix 1-1 ounce package ranch dressing mix

Directions: Combine the chicken and water in a large pot over high heat. Cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from the pot, and cut into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the broth pot. Add the onion, kidney beans, ranch style beans, pinto beans, black beans, hominy, tomatoes, taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix. Mix well. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until heated through. Top with tortilla chips and other garnishes to your taste (shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole)

Farmer’s Cheesy Corn Chowder From the kitchen of: Patty Lamfers Serves: 8-10 The amounts of ingredients approximate and are very forgiving to changes based on availability. Most of the work can be done the day before with a quick final assembly the morning of. Day BeforeIngredients: 1/3 package bacon, cut into small pieces (can also use turkey bacon and oil for moisture) 1/2 pound ham, cut into small pieces 4 tablespoons butter or margarine 8 ounces mini carrots, sliced 4-5 stalks finely chopped celery 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 3 potatoes, cubed 3 cups chicken broth Dash of pepper, no need to salt Saute bacon and ham until bacon is cooked. Put in zip bag or container till ready to assemble soup. In the same pot as used for bacon, saute carrots, celery, onion and green pepper until carrots in butter till the carrots start to soften. Add broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are almost soft. Add pepper. Put in container till ready to assemble. Day TwoIngredients: 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup flour 2 cans creamed corn 1/3 block Velveeta, cubed Fresh parsley, snipped Mix milk with flour and heat till it starts to thicken. Add previous day’s soup mixture, along with bacon and ham, and heat through. Add corn, cheese and parsley and heat through till cheese is melted. *If soup gets too thick, can add more milk if desired.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

Lemony Lentils

From the kitchen of Sue Bell Serves: 12

From the kitchen of Gaea Milway

Ingredients: 1 large can chicken broth 2-15 ounce cans Italian stewed tomatoes 1-10 ounce package frozen spinach, not thawed 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon sweet basil 1 package 3 cheese tortellini, dried Add all ingredients in a large pot or soup kettle and bring to a boil and simmer until tortellini is done, about 45 minutes total. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese to serve. If too thick, may add V-8 juice or chicken broth after first day to thin.

Serves: 6 Ingredients: 1 package lentils (1-1/2 cups) 8 cups vegetarian stock or chicken stock 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1-1/2 pounds Swiss chard 1 onion, chopped 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 coarsely chopped coriander or parsley plus 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander 3 cloves garlic 1/4 teaspoon pepper Salt to taste 1/2 teaspoon cumin 3 tablespoon lemon juice and lemon slices

Directions: Rinse lentils; combine with stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes and simmer 20 more minutes. Slice Chard leaves and stems into 1/2 inch strips, add to soup. In small frying pan, over medium heat, cook onion in oil until soft; add coriander or parsley and garlic. Add to soup. Stir in salt, pepper, cumin and lemon juice. Garnish with lemon slices. Cook time: approximately 40-60 minutes.

Cream of Cheddar Cheese Soup From the kitchen of Faye Davis Serves: 12-16 Ingredients: 4 cups chicken broth 1 pound grated carrots 1-1/2 cups celery, chopped 1/2 cup onion, chopped Salt and pepper to taste *Cook 20-25 minutes 1 cup cream 2 cups milk *Bring to boil Mix 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup water and add to boiling milk to thicken. Add 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated. Simmer till cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Garnish with bacon.

Knoephla Soup From the kitchen of Georgene Greff Serves: 20 Ingredients: 1 cup onion, chopped 1 cup carrots, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 4 tablespoons butter 2 pounds cubed potatoes 18 cups (3 large cans) Chicken Broth *dumplings (recipe below) 2 cups heavy whipping cream Parsley flakes, dried Saute onions, celery, and carrots in butter over medium heat until onions are translucent and other vegetables are tender. Add chicken broth and dumplings and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Add potatoes and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes and dumplings are done. Remove from heat, add heavy whipping cream, and dried parsley flakes. *Can substitute half and half for cream, or omit is all together for a healthier version. Using low sodium/fat chicken broth is another healthy alternative. Recipe can be halved if needed.

Dumplings 3 cups flour 2 eggs 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk Mix; makes a stiff dough. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to pan of boiling water. Cut small pieces of dough and drop into the water. Kneophla is done when it floats to the top. Remove from water with kitchen spider and set aside for use in soup recipe. *dough is much easier to work with if you allow it to rest 10-15 minutes before boiling. **For best results, continue simmering 3-4 hours to allow the flavors to meld. This is the original recipe brought to the United States by my great-great grandparents.