Souper Sunday

Brunswick Stew

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 19:41:00 +0000

Growing up in the South I have always had a love for Brunswick Stew. The mix of barbecued chicken, pork, & beef mixed with corn, tomatoes, and lima beans just can't be beat. If you've never had Brunswick Stew from a deep south BBQ joint you are truly missing out. This recipe is my attempt to match come as close as possible to the Brunswick Stew at your favorite BBQ joint. It's easy and delicious!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 - 6 hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 can BBQ pork
1 can BBQ beef
2 (16 oz) packages of Lloyds BBQ (pork, chicken, or beef; use any combination you please).
1 can creamed corn
1 can white shoepeg corn
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cups lima beans
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Turn the heat to low and cook for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally. (Yes that is all the instructions... incredibly easy right?!?)

Serve with corn bread and a large glass of sweet tea! And there you have it, a true southern classic!

'Til next time,
Caroline

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:40:00 +0000

Can you believe it? God's most loving food-gift to mankind was celebrated all across the world yesterday. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Surely one of life's greatest and simplest treasures.

Isn't it funny how particular we are about our pb&j's? For example, do you prefer creamy or crunchy, store-bought or organic peanut butter? And jelly. Are you grape only or do you venture out to other flavors? My personal peculiarity is the assembly of the pb&j. Crust or no crust, more peanut butter than jelly or vice versa? And don't even get me started on all the pb&j knockoffs out there.

In honor of this precious holiday, I searched for an awesome pb&j feast. In doing so I came across an article titled "55 Peanut Butter and Jelly Recipes." To my shock and awe, there was a pb&j soup. Yes!

Here is the recipe from buzzfeed.com:

2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Onion, grated
1 Stalk Celery, diced
2 Tbsp Flour
3 cups Chicken broth (try low sodium)
1/2 cup Creamy peanut butter (try reduced fat for fewer calories)
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Light cream
2 Tbsp Roasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup Grape jelly (can use low sugar or fruit preserves instead)

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add flour and mix until well blended. Slowly stir in chicken broth and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain broth to remove the celery and onions. Next, stir the peanut butter, salt and cream into the strained broth until mixed well. Serve hot. Garnish each serving with a teaspoon of chopped peanuts and a dollop of your favorite jelly.

Make 4 servings.

"Till next time,
Natalie

National Grilled Cheese Month!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:29:00 +0000

Photo credit: Martha Stewart

I bet you didn't know that April is "National Grilled Cheese Month!" You won't have to twist my arm twice to celebrate. Grilled Cheese sandwiches are a classic pairing to any soup from tomato to split pea. Martha Stewart has collected several variations on the basic grilled cheese. Click the link below to go directly to her recipes:

Classic Grilled Cheese

Grilled Ham and Cheese with Pears

Cheddar-Scallion Panini

Grilled Cheese with Grainy Mustard

Fresh-Fig Grilled Cheese

Grilled Cheese and Apple

Monte Cristo

Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich

Grilled Cheese with Pulled Short Ribs

Grilled Ham and Cheese with Pineapple

Croque Monsieur

Prosciutto and Pesto Panini

'Till next time,

Matthew

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

I found this little gem for your Easter amusement. Souper Sunday hopes you enjoy a wonderful day with your friends and family. Happy egg hunting!

'Till next time,

Natalie

Easter Soup Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:10:00 +0000

Easter in the United States, particularly the south, looks pretty predictable: plastic eggs, the Easter bunny, pastel-colored outfits, candy and church. Soup is not something that I would associate with Easter and I don't imagine many of you are running out to your grocery store buying soup ingredients.

This sad soup reality posed an interesting Google search on "traditional Easter soups". I repeatedly found two soups that I thought may be of interest for you history buffs and/or you adventurous cooks.

Poland: In Poland many of the ingredients of the świéconka basket that were blessed on holy Saturday are used to make white borscht on Easter morning. The most important ingredient in this soup is the sour called zur which is made with rye flour.

Greece: Magiritsa is a Greek soup associated the Greek Orthodox Church. The most important and religiously significant ingredient in this soup is lamb. This soup is traditionally prepared on holy Saturday and eaten after midnight to break the fast.

'Till next time,
Natalie

Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:44:00 +0000

I found this recipe on A Family Feast's blog. Rather than being called Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup, it should be called Everything but Your Kitchen Sink Beef and Vegetable Soup. If you haven't noticed by the list of ingredients it has almost every vegetable you can imagine. The fun part of this soup was that you can definitely get creative with the ingredients. If you don't like one vegetable then leave it out. If you prefer kale instead of spinach, then substitute it or add it to the recipe. The wine gave the broth a deeper flavor but if your taste buds dislike wine (I can't imagine why they would) then just leave it out and add more V-8 juice and beef stock. You can really make it your own which I loved. It was delicious and definitely hearty. It made for great leftovers and would freeze pretty well.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 12-14 servings

Ingredients:

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 lb. chuck beef, cut into small pieces

1 cup onions, diced

1/2 cup celery, died

1 cup carrots, diced

1/2 cup leeks, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

12 oz V-8 juice

1/2 cup red wine

2 quarts beef stock

2 cups water

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatos

1 cup cabbage, chopped

1 white turnip, diced

1/2 cup green beans, roughly chopped

3 oz baby spinach

1 (11 oz) can corn, drained

1 (14 oz) can white beans, drained & rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat.

Place beef in oil and sear on all sides. Be sure not to crowd the pot so cook the beef in batches.

Add onion, celery, carrots, and leeks and saute fore 5 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly tender.

Add garlic and cook an additional minute.

Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the dried thyme.

Add the V-8 juice and red wine to deglaze the pot. Cook for one more minute while scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the beef stock and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes.

Stir in the green beans and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Stir i the cabbage, turnip, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, spinach, corn, and white beans and bring back to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes or until the potato is cooked.

Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

I hope you enjoy this hearty beef and vegetable soup!

'Till next time,

Caroline

Southwestern Turkey Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:53:00 +0000

Recently I have been under the weather with some bug that has been going around. With that, there is nothing like a good soup and sandwich to get you back on track. I decided to make a Southwestern Turkey Sandwich and paired it with a traditional chicken noodle soup - partly cause that's all I had in the pantry, and secondly who doesn't like chicken noodle soup when you're sick?

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup salsa
Turkey
Pepper jack cheese
Bread

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Place bread onto skillet and add one slice of pepper jack cheese. Mix the mayonnaise and salsa. Add turkey and sauce mixture. Grill until lightly browned and flip over; continue grilling until cheese is melted.

'Till next time,
Matthew

Kale and Kielbasa Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:44:00 +0000

The broth and flavor of this soup never gets old. It is great leftover and perfect for any cold night. It is quick and easy to make with only a few ingredients to purchase (which is always a plus in my book). The base of this soup is similar to the Tuscan Ribollita soup that I made earlier.

Servings: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb. kielbasa sausage
2 large carrots
2 yellow onions (or 1 large yellow onion)
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups chopped kale
1 bay leaf
2 (14 oz) cans cannellini beans
7 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Chop 2 whole carrots into small pieces and set aside.

Chop 1 large or 2 small yellow onions and set aside.

Mince 4 cloves of garlic and set aside.

Slice kielbasa into 1/4 inch rounds.

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, cook kielbasa slices until slightly brown, about 5 minutes.

Remove kielbasa and set aside.

Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the stock pot with the kielbasa drippings over medium heat. Stir in onions and carrots and cook until tender for about 5-8 minutes.

Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.

Remove stems of kale and chop into thin strips.

Stir the kale into the stock pot and cover with a lid and steam the kale for 4 minutes.

Season sautéed vegetables with salt and pepper.

Drain cannellini beans in a colander over the sink.

Stir in cannellini beans, bay leaf, and kielbasa.

Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!

'Til next time,

Caroline

Tomato-Avocado Grilled Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:31:00 +0000

Photo Credit: Better Homes & Garden

Recently, somehow, I have been bitten by the "health bug". I eat healthier, walk to work, and even run! Who am I? This past weekend on my trip to Mississippi my friend Shane got me to eat bell peppers and a piece of a mushroom (baby steps right!?!). For my friends and family, this is a huge shock. I usually stick to the four major food groups: chicken nuggets, fries, macaroni and cheese and ketchup. But these past few weeks I have been on an avocado/guacamole kick. I really like it as a topping for a burger!

When I came across this Tomato-Avocado Grilled Cheese recipe from Better Homes & Garden I thought it would make a great addition to a nice tomato soup and provide twist on the traditional, and sometimes boring grilled cheese.

Stay tuned as I discover more sandwich/soup combos!

'Till next time,

Matthew

Bean and Bacon Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:40:00 +0000

Photo Credit: Real Simple

We all have those weeks where work, life and everything else piles on top to keep us very busy. For me this is one of those weeks. Thankfully Real Simple is a great resource for providing easy, simple and quick soups - among many other helpful tips for a real simple life. Check out the recipe for Bean and Bacon Soup:

Prep time: 10

Cook time: 15

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

4 strips of bacon

1 large carrot

2 celery stalks

1 medium onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 15 1/2 oz cans great Northern beans

2 cups water

2 Tbsp. parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 6-8 minutes. When cool, break into pieces. Chop the carrot and add to the sauce pan cooking for 5 minutes. Add the chopped celery, onion and garlic stirring and cooking for 3 more minutes. Drain beans, and add to the sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and slightly mash the bean mixture with a potato masher until it thickens slightly. Stir in the chopped parsley, salt, pepper and bacon.

'Till next time,

Matthew

Homemade Chicken Broth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Photo Credit: A Food Centric Life

This statement may come as a surprise to some of you but I have had a series of failures when it comes to making chicken broth. My first attempt was downright awful. The broth tasted like dirty water and had me skeptical that I would ever find a recipe that met my standards. I stumbled upon this recipe from the blog A Food Centric Life. If anyone was going to prove my negative experiences with homemade chicken broth wrong it was going to be this recipe. So I loaded up on the ingredients and got to work and it quickly proved to exceed my expectations. The broth was delicious, full of flavor, and easy to make even considering the long cooking time that it calls for.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Servings: 10 cups of chicken broth

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (~4 lbs.)
3 large celery ribs, roughly chopped
2 - 3 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 dried bay leaf
1 handful of parsley leaves and stems
1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
4 quarts of water

Rinse and pat the whole chicken dry. With a sharp knife, remove the leg and thigh pieces and cut them in half. Next cut off the wings. Cut through the center breast bone of the chicken. You should have two halves of the body now. Cut the breasts free and cut them in half. Cut the remaining part of the body in half. You will want to remove as much skin as possible after you have cut apart the chicken.

Add the chicken into a large stock pot and fill with 8 to 10 quarts of water. Bring the chicken and water to a simmer. Impurities and grey foam will begin to rise to the surface at this stage of the cooking process. Do not be alarmed, this is what is supposed to happen. Skim the foam and impurities off the surface and discard it until it is gone or almost gone.

Once the impurities and foam have been removed, add the vegetables, herbs, and whole peppercorns to the stock pot. Keep the pot at a low simmer and simmer for 6-8 hours. Add hot water to the pot if the water level gets low.

Strain the vegetables, meat, and bones through a fine wire colander. Strain the broth into a large stainless bowl that is floating in ice water. I filled up my sink with ice water and rested the bowl in the ice water. Stir the broth to help speed up the cooling process.

The broth will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

I hope that this broth exceeds your expectations like it did mine!
'Till next time,
Caroline

Square Table Cookbook

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:04:00 +0000

There is no better place for food on this earth than in Oxford, MS. If you haven't been, it needs to be on your bucket list! I know that I may be a little biased since I am an Ole Miss alumus, but Business Insider just ranked tailgating in The Grove #10 on "50 Trips To Take In The US." There are so many great restaurants in Oxford including Ajax, City Grocery, Bottletree Bakery and Boure to just name a few.

Photo credit: Amazon.com

One of my favorite things to come out of Oxford is the Square Table cookbook. It is a collection of recipes from some of the best restaurants in town. "Square Table" has great recipes for traditionally southern soups, stews, chowders and bisques among other southern staples. My favorite non-soup recipe is the sour cream cookies! You can purchase "Square Table" from just about anywhere online including B&N and Amazon. This has become one of my typical Christmas gifts I'll give friends and family. Brie Soup from this cookbook is on my list to make - so check back soon for the recipe!

Hotty Toddy!

'Till next time,

Matthew

Smoky Black Bean Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:27:00 +0000

If I had to pick a favorite type of bean, black beans are definitely up there. They are great in dips, soups, burritos, or on their own. In this soup, they pair perfectly with the smokiness of the bacon and paprika as well as the full bodied flavor that the chili powder brings to the soup. The lime and cilantro also bring a unique acidity and flavor to this soup that takes it from ordinary to unique and delicious.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
10 slices of smoked bacon
2 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 3/4 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
2 (26.5 oz) cans black beans, drained
1 lime
1 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream, garnish
green onions, garnish

On a cutting board, chop 2 1/2 cups of onions and dice 6 garlic cloves.

Cut 10 slices of bacon into small 1/2 inch pieces.

In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add bacon and cook for 4-7 minutes until bacon begins to release its fat and cook down.

Stir in the onions and cook an additional 4-6 minutes until onions become translucent.

Add in the garlic and cook an additional minute.

Once the garlic has cooked and is fragrant, stir in the chicken broth, chili powder, paprika, worcestershire sauce, and tomatoes.

Stir together, bring to a boil over medium to medium-high heat, and cook for 5 minutes.

While cooking, drain the black beans in a colander over the sink. Drain but do not rinse the beans.

After the soup has cook for 5 minutes, stir in the drained black beans and simmer at a gentle bubble for 10 minuts.

While the soup is cooking, wash and dry the cilantro. Remove the thick stems and roughly chop the cilantro leaves.

Stir in the cilantro and the juice from 1/2 a lime to the soup. If you are like me and like all things citrus, feel free to use the whole lime.

Cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with sour cream and sliced green onions.

'Till next time,
Caroline

Magic Mineral Broth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 13:17:00 +0000

Photo Credit: Rebecca Katz

Magic Mineral Broth in the foundation to any cancer-fighting soup or stew. This recipe comes from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery. Rebecca Katz, co-author, describes it as a "rejuvenating liquid, chock-full of magnesium, potassium, and sodium, which allows the body to refresh and restore itself. I think of it as a tonic, designed to keep you in tip-top shape". This broth was used in the previous post Cancer Fighting Minestrone.

Ingredients:
6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
2 unpeeled yellow onions, cut into chunks
1 leek, white and green parts, cut into thirds
1 bunch celery, including the heart, cut into thirds
4 unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
2 unpeeled Japanese or regular sweet potatoes, quartered
1 unpeeled garnet yam, quartered
5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 8-inch strip of kombu
12 black peppercorns
4 whole allspice or juniper berries
2 bay leaves
8 quarts cold, filtered water
1 teaspoon sea salt

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2-4 hours

Rinse all of the vegetables well, including the kombu. In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine the carrots, onions, leek, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, garlic, parsley, kombu, peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Fill the pot with the water to 2 inches below the rim, cover, and bring to a boil.

Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 hours. As the broth simmers, some of the water will evaporate; add more if the vegetables begin to peek out. Simmer until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted.
Strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh sieve (remember to use a heat-resistant container underneath), then add salt to taste.

Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.

*Makes 6 quarts.

'Till next time,
Natalie

Slow Cooker Black Bean Chili with Lime and Cilantro

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:06:00 +0000

Photo credit: Kalyn's Kitchen

The wind and rain is getting crazy outside right now! When nasty weather come's along, what makes you feel better? Chili. I came across this Slow Cooker Black Bean Chili recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen cooking blog.

She gives great step-by-step instructions and photos. For this recipe, she provided the instructions for both slow cooker and stove top methods for cooking the soup. Her blog has become really popular with those that are looking for a lower-glycemic index way of eating. At the end of most of her recipes, she includes alterations or recommendations to the recipe for those that are on the South Beach diet. Give her blog a look and check out her other delicious recipes!

'Till next time,

Matthew

Irish Stew

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 02:30:00 +0000

Since I am the red-headed, fair skinned of the group, I felt it was my obligation to cook and write about one of my favorites: Irish Stew.

This stew originated as a hearty, flavorful peasant dish made with the cheapest and often, most left-over ingredients. This recipe belongs to my aunt Cathy and it has become a favorite over the years. She cooks hers in a crockpot and I cook mine on the stove top but it is just as yummy either way!

Ingredients:

5 potatoes

1 onion

1-2 cups of frozen corn

1 bell pepper

3 carrots

1 stick of butter

1 can of roast beef

16 oz can of chopped tomatos

16 oz can of tomato sauce

1.5 cups of water

Serves: 4

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes stove top or 7-8 hours in crockpot

Finely dice your onions.

Chop your potatoes in 1 inch cubes.

Add potatoes and corn to water.

Add carrots, bell pepper, onion and butter. Boil until tender.

Add roast beef, canned tomatoes, canned sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve with pita chips or corn bread. Enjoy!

'Till next time,

Natalie

Chicken Tortilla Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:43:00 +0000

Whenever I go to a Mexican restaurant, one of my favorite things to order is Chicken Tortilla Soup. The main ingredients usually involve chicken, fried tortilla strips, a hearty broth, avocados, cilantro, lime, and onion. After that there are a ton of different spins on the recipe ranging from adding corn, black beans, rice, and so on. Here is my spin on this popular Mexican soup.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

6 corn tortillas

vegetable cooking spray

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper (optional)

1 yellow onion

3/4 cup diced carrots

3 garlic cloves

1/3 cup cilantro

1 Tbls. ground cumin

2 Tbls. chili powder

2 bay leaves

6 cups chicken broth

1 rotisserie chicken

1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles

2 avocados

2 limes

1 small red onion

Queso Fresco, crumbled for serving

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the 6 corn tortillas into very thin strips.

Spread the tortilla strips on a cookie sheet and spray them lightly with vegetable oil cooking spray. Bake the tortilla strips on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes. About every 5 minutes, give the strips a stir to ensure even baking.

While the tortilla are getting crispy, slice your carrots, yellow onion, and garlic into a small dice.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil has heated up, add your chopped onion, carrots and garlic to the stockpot. Remove the the seeds, chop, and add 1/2 to 1 jalapeno at this point if you like a little extra heat. I used 1/2 jalapeno and it was just enough heat. Saute the vegetables for 5 minutes.

After about 5 minutes and the vegetables have started to get soft, stir in the cumin, chili powder, and bay leaves. Allow the spices to cook with the vegetables for about 1 minute.

After you have cooked in the spices for 1 minute, stir in 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and cook for an additional minute.

After the spices and cilantro have become incorporated into the vegetables, stir in the whole can of diced tomatoes with green chiles.

Stir and cook the tomatoes in for an additional minute.

Once everything has been incorporated, stir in 6 cups of chicken broth.

Bring soup up to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, remove and discard the skin from the rotisserie chicken. Shred the meat and set it aside.

After simmering the soup for 5-10 minutes, stir in the chicken and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

After the soup has finished cooking, stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish soup with diced red onion, cilantro, avocado, a squeeze of lime, crumbled queso fresco, and the toasted tortilla strips.

Enjoy!!

'Till next time,
Caroline

Kid-Friendly Tomato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:33:00 +0000

A step up from canned soup, this easy tomato soup is easy and yes, m'm! m'm! good! Throw in some goldfish, a fun decoration with sour cream and you're in the lead for best parent award. I found this recipe in the Taste of Home Soup Magazine.

Prep time & Cooking time: 25 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

1 14.5 can of chicken broth

2 teaspoons of dried oregano

2 teaspoons of dried basil

1-2 Tablespoons of sugar

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup of sour cream for garnish

In a blender, process tomatoes, one can at a time, until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in the broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the oregano, basil and sugar. Add a small amount of hot tomato mixture to whipping cream; return all to the saucepan. Cook until slightly thickened (do not boil).

Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; fill with sour cream. Pipe a decoration on each bowl of soup.

'Till next time,

Natalie

Cancer Fighting Minestrone

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 03:40:00 +0000

Cancer is an ugly, heart-breaking disease that knows no boundary to race, sex or age. Even though loss is a product that cannot be dismissed; joy, victory, progress and health can also be part of the cancer journey. At 23 years old, newly married and fresh out of college, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid leukemia. It more than rocked my world. It forever changed me. Here I am five years later from that diagnoses and I have experienced the loss of the naivety of my twenties, the joy of a remission, the appreciation of my body, the kindness of strangers, the love of my family and the pure joy of my adopted baby girl. I've also experienced the disappointment of a relapse.

This December my routine test results showed a small percentage of leukemia present in my labs. Heart-break? Yes. But this time a much stronger woman was there to cope. As I have navigated a new treatment plan, I've had support in a variety of ways and one of my favorite, of course, is with food. A friend and co-worker of mine brought me two soups made from her cancer-fighting cookbook: lemon chicken and minestrone. I love that she purchased this cookbook and utilizes it to love on people like myself. What a wonderful gift.

I wanted to share my story and this tasty recipe with you.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely diced yellow onion

1 cup of peeled finely diced carrot

1 cup finely diced zucchini

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon of fennel seeds, crushed

Pinch of red pepper flakes

8 cups of Magic Mineral Broth (see future post) or store-bought organic stock

1 14 oz. can of tomato- crushed

2 cups of cooked kidney beans

2 cups stemmed and finely chopped Swiss chard

4 ounces of whole grain pasta, cooked

1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley

Grated organic Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until golden brown.

Add the carrots, zucchini, celery, garlic, oregano, thyme, fennel, red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and sauté about 4 minutes. Pour half a cup of broth to deglaze the pot and let cook until broth reduces by half.

Add the remaining broth, the tomatoes, and the beans and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the chard and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the pasta and the parsley.

Served topped with basil and a sprinkling of the Parmesan.

* Recipe from The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz

'Till next time,

Natalie

Cauliflower Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:20:00 +0000

Photo credit: Real Simple

I appreciate nothing more then getting straight down to business and cutting the fluff. Sweet Brown says it best..."ain't nobody got time for that." That's my philosphy for cooking, make it as easy and quick (and painless) as possible. Real Simple does just that. They posted this easy recipe for Cauliflower Soup that seems so good and easy to make.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small head cauliflower

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 Tbsp. thyme leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the sliced garlic in the oil in a large pot over medium heat, stirring until golden (2-3 minutes). Remove and reserve the garlic. Add the chopped cauliflower, chicken broth, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot. Simmer until tender (15-20 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Top with the garlic, and drizzle with olive oil. Add additional thyme if desired before serving.

'Till next time,

Matthew

Pinto Beans and Ham

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:58:00 +0000

This recipe dates way back in my family. It has been passed down at least three generations if not more than that and is by far one of my favorite family meals. My Grandfather, who had a rough childhood, used to eat this growing up. It was super inexpensive to make and only has three ingredients. All you need is a ham bone, dried beans, and some water. Some very basic ingredients that make a spectacular dish. It may not be the prettiest thing you've ever eaten but it will be the tastiest.

Ingredients:

1 ham bone

1 (16 oz) package of dried pinto or cranberry beans

water (between 8-12 cups water)

In a large bowl or pot, add beans and about 6-8 cups of water. Cover and allow the beans soak overnight, at least 6-8 hours.

We always get our ham bone from Honey Baked Ham and usually buy 2 or 3 and put the extras in the freezer. Usually there is almost too much meat on the bone and we always cut some off and make ham sandwiches before we make this soup.

Place the ham bone in a large stock pot. You will want to fill the pot with enough water so that the water goes halfway up the ham (about 8-12 cups).

Below is how much water we usually use. Our family has been making this so long we just eyeball it. You can always add more water later in the process if you need to.

Bring the water to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1-2 hours or until it starts to fall off the bone. You will want to turn the ham bone over 2 to 3 times during the cooking process. This will ensure that all of the meat get boiled and falls off the bone.

Once the ham is falling off the bone and the liquid is a golden color, turn off the heat and remove the ham and bone from the stockpot and set it aside. Your house will start to smell heavenly at this point!

When the ham and bone have cooled down, pick through the ham and remove all the bones and fatty pieces.

Drain the soaked beans and rinse them in cold water.

Add the drained beans to the to the stockpot with the reduced down ham liquid (aka liquid gold). Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat.

Once the beans have started to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir back in the ham to the stockpot.

Stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, cook the ham and beans covered for about 1 & 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender.

Once the beans are tender, remove the pot from the heat and serve with cornbread and chow chow.

I hope that you enjoy this Southern comfort dish!

'Till next time,
Caroline

Pork Chile Verde

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:19:00 +0000

For quite some time I have been wanting to make some Pork Chile Verde. It's a dish that originally stems from New Mexico and is quite delicious if I must say so. It can be served on it's own, over herbed rice, in a taco, on top of enchiladas... and the list goes on and on. Much like traditional chili, it is extremely versatile. I found this recipe on Food Network. After reading over the reviews and making a couple changes of my own, this is the resulting recipe.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 1/2 hours
Serves: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
4 lb. pork butt or shoulder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
flour for dredging
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 yellow onions
2 green bell peppers
3 poblano peppers
3 jalapeños
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400°F. On a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, place 3 onions chopped into 1 inch pieces, garlic cloves, green bell peppers cut in half, jalapeños, poblano peppers, and whole peeled tomatillos (Note: I used about 3 roasting pans for this). Once the oven has preheated, place vegetables and peppers in the oven for 30 - 45 minutes. Stir and rotate the peppers and vegetables every 10 - 15 minutes to ensure that they are evenly roasted. Set vegetables and peppers aside once roasted.

While the vegetables and peppers are roasting, cut the pork into 1-inch bite-sized pieces, making sure that you are removing as much fat as possible. This is the slightly tedious step of the recipe. The more fat you remove here though, the less likely you are to get a fatty piece of pork when you eat the Pork Chile Verde. And nobody wants that!

After the pork is cut, season it with salt and pepper and lightly dredge it with flour. You will probably use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour depending on the amount of pork you end up with.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Brown pork on all sides in skillet, cooking them in small batches. Set aside once pork has browned.

While pork is cooking, place onions and garlic in a food processor and pulse them 4-5 times. You want them to be a small dice but not a puree. Set onions and garlic aside. Remove the skin from the tomatillos and place them in the food processor. Puree until smooth.

Chop roasted bell peppers and poblano peppers into 1 inch bite-sized pieces. Dice roasted jalapeños into a fine dice.

Combine roasted onions, garlic, tomatillos, and peppers in a large stock pot and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Next, add the pork, chicken broth, and spices into the stock-pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer Pork Chile Verde uncovered for 2-3 hours until the pork is fork tender, stirring occasionally. Note: If the Pork Chile Verde starts to get too thick, cover it for the last hour of cooking.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe!

'Till next time,
Caroline

An Ode to Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:10:00 +0000

Happy Valentine’s Day soup lovers!

We here at Souper Sunday are celebrating Valentine’s day/Singles Awareness Day by doing the same thing we always do. Work.

So with that in mind, I thought I would share one of my many talents with all of you: bad poetry writing. Matt has been the recipient (victim) of many of my poetry sessions. Let’s just put it this way, if soup blogging doesn’t work out then bad poetry blogging may be another option. Notice I didn’t say good option. So here you go.

A Valentine’s Poem Just For You

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Every bad poem starts with these two

St. Valentino’s got swag

He’s quite the stud

His favorite soup is called ‘Italian Rosebud’

Matt is single

Caroline is too

Natalie’s off the market, boo hoo hoo

The wine is chilled

The soup’s a stewing

Food- it’s the only thing we got going

This poem sucks

We know it’s true

But we wanted to share our first love with you

Cheers to soup making!

'Till next time,

Natalie

Slow Cooker Cajun Stew

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:01:00 +0000


Photo cred: Martha Stewart

There have been too many Facebook posts about Mardi Gras recently. It seems that most of my friends have skipped their obligations for a few days and have headed down south to New Orleans. My stomach has been craving some Cajun food and king cake.

I came across this Slow Cooker Cajun Stew on Martha Stewart's website. It seems simple enough, and would definitely make you think you were in "the big easy."

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
3/4 lb andouille or kielbasa sausage
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
2 celery stalks
1 red or green bell pepper
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
1/2 lb large shrimp
2 cups frozen cut okra

Slice the sausage into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Cut the onion into wedges. Coarsely chop the celery stalks and pepper. Place all ingredients into the slow cooker. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Add tomatoes and their liquid. Pour in 1/2 cup of water and add the cayenne. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender (3 1/2 hours on high or 7 hours on low).

Peel and devein the shrimp. Add shrimp and okra to slow cooker. Cover and cook until shrimp are opaque throughout (30 minutes on higher or 1 hour on low).

Season with salt.

Let the good times roll, or as they say in New Orleans "Laissez les bons temps rouler."

'Till next time,
Matthew

Chicken and Rice Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:31:00 +0000

This is one of my family's favorite go to soups. It is one of the easiest recipes that I know. You more or less throw it all in one pot, let it cook, and it is done. Serve it with a warm piece of buttered bread and there you have it; a delicious meal in under an hour. This recipe comes from one of the numerous cookbooks that I have, Grandma's Best-Loved Recipes.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
10 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups chicken, cubed (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups cooked rice
2 Tablespoons lime juice

Combine chicken broth, onion, celery, carrots, parsley, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil; stirring once or twice. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Add raw chicken cubes and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove and throw out the bay leaf. Stir in rice and lime juice just before serving. I like my soup with a lot of lime in it so I always serve the soup with extra lime wedges on the table.

'Till next time,
Caroline