Winter is fading in New England, but the days still can be cold, so my season of soup making is not done yet. However, as soup season has been in place for several months, I was ready to try something new last week.

My husband suggested making a soup with an Asian flair, and thus, Hot & Sour Soup was created.  Although not quite something the kids wanted, it was a perfect soup for the two of us.

With different kid-dinners planned, we were free to add exotic ingredients that would be considered repulsive by our younger diners.  While tofu, chicken, and mushrooms are acceptable, I wasn’t sure what sort of reception bamboo shoots or red curry paste would receive.  For us, they were excellent additions.

This soup definitely had a little bit of a kick to it, though admittedly I don’t eat foods that are crazily spicy.  A batch of homemade spring roll chips made a delicious contrast to the soup, offering a bit of crunch and no heat.

Hot & Sour Soup

1 Tb. canola oil
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms
1 small piece ginger (about 1 inch), peeled and grated
1 Tb. red curry paste
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, chopped
1 cooked chicken breast, diced
1/4 soy sauce, low sodium preferably
1/4 cup rice vinegar
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups + 2 Tb. water
7 oz. firm tofu, cubed
1-1/2 Tb. cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
3-4 scallions, chopped

Heat oil in a medium soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms, ginger, curry paste, bamboo, and chicken, stirring for 1 minute.  Add soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, and sugar, and stir well.  Add chicken broth and 2 cups water, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Once at a full boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add tofu, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 2 Tb. water.  Add mixture to soup, and increase heat to medium.  Stir occasionally until soup thickens.  Stir soup to create a “current”, and add beaten egg slowly.  (The egg should cook almost immediately.)

Ladle soup into bowls, and garnish with chopped scallions.

This weekend we had a request for homemade chicken noodle soup.  While it holds little appeal for myself or  my husband, it is a favorite for three of our four children.  As we hadn’t made this simple soup in quite a while, I didn’t feel the need to have the kids choose a more creative soup.

However, that didn’t mean that my husband and I needed to eat this same soup.  I planned on making homemade broth on Sunday morning, which could be divided between two pots to make two different chicken-based soups.

In the past, we have used chicken broth as a base for vegetable soup and for Asian Chicken Noodle Soup.  This week I wanted to try something new and with different flavors.  The idea of using sun-dried tomatoes, instead of canned or fresh sounded like a nice twist on our typical soups.  Plus, as only adults would be eating this soup, I thought we could add some more interesting vegetables, such as mushrooms and artichokes.

Which brings us to this soup and its unique name.  There are so many different flavors, it seemed they all deserved to be in the recipe’s title.  To avoid a long title, it has been simplified to an abbreviation.  CATMO Soup is merely: Chicken, Artichoke, (sun-dried) Tomato, Mushroom,  & Onion Soup.

CATMO Soup

1 cup water

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1-1/2 oz. sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil or liquid)

7 cups chicken broth

3 Tb. tomato paste

1 Tb. olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz. can artichoke hearts, not marinated

1 cup white wine, divided

pepper

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 cups cooked chicken, diced

Place water in a small pot over high heat until boiling.  Add mushrooms, remove from heat, and cover.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Remove cover.  When cool, squeeze mushrooms to remove liquid, saving liquid in pot.  Chop and set mushrooms aside for later.

Dice sun-dried tomatoes.  In a large pot, combine broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, and reserved mushroom liquid.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add onion and saute for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and heat for 1 minute.  Add 1/2 cup white wine, pepper, and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add mushroom and artichoke mixture to soup pot.  Add chicken and remaining 1/2 cup wine, and allow to heat through, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

With soup typically served once a week during the cool months, it is easy to become bored with this dish.  However, to reduce repetition, a different family member gets to choose the soup each week.  With several different taste preferences, this helps to encourage creativity and new flavors.

This week, our 12 year old was tasked with choosing our soup.  He started to fall back upon one of his favorites, corn chowder.  However, I have made that soup already this winter and wanted him to think a little more.  To help him with his decision, I told him to choose an ingredient that he wanted in the soup.  He suggested beans, preferably kidney.  I then asked if he wanted a thin or thick soup.  He said he wanted something with a broth base.

Taking those two suggestions, I flipped through my mental Rolodex of soups I have eaten, made, or seen.  At that point, I soup I never had made but had seen on many menus came to mind: tortilla soup.  It seemed like a simple soup with minimal preparation or ingredients needed.  My soup chooser liked this idea, even with 2 changes. 1.  I would use black beans instead of kidney.  2. I would add some canned tomatoes to the broth to give it more of a Mexican feel.  He thought these two changes would be fine.

When making this soup I decided it was more of a Mexican Soup than a tortilla soup, as we used the tortilla strips as a garnish and not as a prime ingredient.  Everyone enjoyed this slightly spicy soup, which now can be categorized as a “has been made” soup in my Rolodex.

Mexican Soup

4 corn tortillas

32 ounces chicken broth

3/4 tsp. cumin*

2 tsp. chili powder*

2 tsp. Italian seasoning*

1/2 tsp. dried cilantro*

salt

pepper

1 pound chicken, cut into cubes

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cup frozen corn

8 oz. can diced tomatoes

Slice tortillas into thin 2-inch strips.  Heat a small nonstick frying pan, and cook strips in small batches until crispy.  Set aside.

Place a medium soup pot over medium-high heat, and add broth, cumin, chili powder, Italian seasoning, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, and add chicken, beans, corn, and tomatoes.  Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes.  *Taste soup, and add more seasoning, if desired.

Ladle soup into individual mugs or bowls.  Garnish with tortilla strips.

This winter has felt very long, and we’re not even a month into it, officially.  We have had a major ice storm, multiple snowstorms, and many days of cold and blustery weather.  Winter has begun with much excitement.

With nasty weather such as this, I am prone to staying inside and keeping warm.  One of my favorite ways to make the house feel warmer is by letting soup simmer on the stove for most of the day.  Between the soup and baking a loaf of homemade bread, if I have the time, the house is filled with a cornucopia of delicious aromas and an additional layer of warmth.

This past weekend we had another storm forecast for overnight Saturday into Sunday morning.  With that in mind, I bought ingredients for Sunday dinner on Saturday with the intention of not leaving the house until Monday.

To make the most out of my soup making I decided to buy a roast large enough that it could be used for the soup and another recipe.  My thinking was that I would make my own broth with the roast, using half of the meat in the soup and the other half for sandwiches.  I was hopeful that after simmering for several hours the meat would be tender and well flavored.

My plan worked well.  The broth simmered all morning and then cooled for several hours in the refrigerator, so that excess fat could be removed.  The meat that was not used for the soup was stored in the refrigerator and will be used for tonight’s supper of roast beef sandwiches.  Each of us will choose the way in which we want to make our subs or wraps, which may lead to more recipes and posts!

Vegetable Beef Soup

4 pound eye round roast

water

2 yellow onions, quartered

5 celery stalks, chopped

4 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 Tb. dried Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup diced baby carrots

1 cup dried pasta, cooked separately

Trim fat from roast, and cut into large chunks.  Place in a large soup pot, and cover with water.  Add onion, celery, garlic, seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Place over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil.  Once water begins to boil reduce heat to lowest setting, and allow to simmer for 3-4 hours.

Remove meat from broth, and divide equally between two storage containers.  (Half of the meat can be used for another meal, such as roast beef sandwiches.)  Place meat in refrigerator.  Using a sieve, strain broth into a large storage container.  Allow to cool for an hour on counter, then cover and place in refrigerator for 2 or 3 hours.

Skim any fat from broth and discard.  Add broth to a soup pot, and place over low heat.  Using one container of meat, cut meat into bite-sized cubes, and add to broth.  Add peas, corn, and carrots.  Allow soup to simmer for 1-2 hours.  Add seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste.

If desired, cook pasta in a separate pot, and add to individual soup bowls when serving.

I have a very dear friend that I have known for almost 20 years.  We worked together for about half of that time, so we had the luxury of seeing other daily and eating lunch together.  However, in the spring I decided to change careers, which has been great, but I don’t get to see my friend as frequently.

With two busy schedules, it can be difficult to find an evening to sit and chat.  Last week, luckily, we found a couple evening hours free of meetings, parenting responsibilities, etc.  As my new career is home-based, I offered to make a soup and bring it to her house.  I figured if dinner were ready, we could focus on conversation for two hours.  Plus, eating at a house meant no interruptions from waitstaff.

I wanted to bring a soup that was unique, but as I do have to accomplish work at home, I needed a soup that would be quick to prepare.  Having eaten many meals with my friend, I knew that she liked vegetables, which made this soup an obvious choice.

Arriving at her house with a pot full of warm soup and leftover Cheddar Cheese Biscuit Crackers, we immediately sat at her counter and began sharing stories.  Unfortunately, the time flew, and before we knew it, life’s commitments dictated that our evening together was done.  However, we did have a wonderful time, enjoying good food and each other’s company.  It was a terrific, albeit short, evening.

Butternut and Broccoli Soup

1-1/2 Tb. canola oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 Tb. soy sauce

1 tomato, diced

4 cups chicken broth

1 butternut squash, cooked*

1 Tb. maple syrup

salt and pepper

2 bunches broccoli florets

1/4 cup whole milk, warmed

Heat the oil in a medium stock pot over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until tender.  Add soy sauce and tomato, and cook until all juice has evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, and add broth, squash, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.  Mix well, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally.

While soup is simmering, cook broccoli to crisp-tender, either by steaming or boiling.  Using a whisk or immersion blender (depending on how chunky or not you like your soup), blend soup.  When soup has reached the desired consistency, add broccoli.  Add milk, and stir well.  Allow to cook for another 5 minutes without boiling.

*Butternut squash

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut squash in half lengthwise, and place each half cut side down in a 13×9 baking pan.  Add 1/2 inch water, and cover tightly with foil.  Allow to bake for 1 hour or until very tender when pierced with a fork.  Let squash cool, then remove and discard seeds and peel.  Squash can be mashed in a bowl or added to the soup as is.

As the cold weather has arrived, and is staying, soup night has returned to our house.  So, each week, one person in the house gets to choose the soup du jour.  This week was our twelve year old son’s turn to choose.

JP is the biggest foodie of our four kids, so you never know what he might request.  This week he kept his choice simple and asked for corn chowder.  However, he did have a request.  He asked that I make the soup like my grandmother and add bacon to it.

I honored his request, though I did it with a twist.  The bacon was offered as a garnish, so it could be added or not and in the amount that each person desired.  Also, although he requested my grandmother’s version, I used skim milk, keeping the soup lighter.

As a fun addition to this meal, we tried our hands at homemade crackers.  For our first attempt, they were pretty good.  I’ll be posting that recipe tomorrow.

Hot soup, homemade crackers, good company.  What more could anyone want on a cold fall night?

Grandma’s Corn Chowder

1 Tb. canola oil

1 small onion, diced

1 potato, peeled and diced

2 cups hot water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

3 cups frozen corn

1-1/2 Tb. flour

1-1/2 cups skim milk

salt and pepper

cooked bacon

Put oil in medium-sized stockpot over medium heat.  Add onions, and saute until tender.  Add potato, and stir for 1 minute.  While potato is cooking, combine hot water and bouillon, stirring to dissolve.  Add chicken bouillon to pot, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add corn, and stir occasionally for 5 minutes, allowing corn to heat through.  Combine milk and flour by whisking, and add immediately to soup.  Stir continuously while soup comes to a boil.  Stir for a minute while soup thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish soup with crumbled bacon, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

With the arrival of September in New Hampshire, the feel of fall is omnipresent.  Although the days can be warm, the nights are cold, with temperatures dipping into the 40s.  Thus, our menu begins its transformation from salads and fresh produce to soups and homemade bread.

Earlier in the week, the sky was overcast, rain showers were predicted for the majority of the day, and the temperature hovered in the low 60s.  With weather such as this, it seemed like the perfect day to allow a pot of soup to simmer on the stove for the day.

While a chicken broth-based soup sounded perfect, I didn’t want to make traditional chicken noodle soup.  Knowing that I had ground turkey in the freezer, turkey meatballs seemed like a great ingredient for the soup.  With such a hearty element to this soup, I decided not to add pasta or rice.  Instead, a few vegetables added to the soup would give it a variety of colors, flavors, and textures.

When the kids arrived home from school, they could smell the soup and excitedly asked how long it was until dinner.  Sadly, dinner was 3 hours away, but happily they were looking forward to that night’s meal!  To help pass the time until dinner, the kids helped by making homemade breadsticks to accompany the soup.

There were rave reviews about the soup, though our ten year old did question the presence of spinach in her soup.  However, with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the soup, the meal was enjoyed by all.

Turkey Meatball Soup

8 - 10 cups chicken broth

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1-1/2 cups baby carrots, diced

30 turkey meatballs*

1 Tb. Italian seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

6 - 10 oz. baby spinach, chopped

Combine broth, onion, carrots, meatballs, Italian seasoning, and black pepper in a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.  (The soup can simmer for hours at this point.  Check every hour, adding more broth, if needed.)

Thirty minutes before serving add spinach.  Stir occasionally.

*Turkey Meatballs

1 pound 93% lean ground turkey

1/3 cup egg whites

1 Tb. water

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 Tb. dried parsley

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 375.  Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.  Form mixture into small meatballs, approximately 3/4 inch in diameter.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

With an unexpected snow day on Friday, our scheduled events for the evening were cancelled. So, when the snow stopped early in the afternoon, I decided to make a trek to the grocery store.

With all 4 kids at home and a quiet evening on tap, there was no need to make a quick dinner. However, as the roads weren’t great for driving until mid-afternoon, a slow-cooking meal also wasn’t an option. A request for chili was made, and it seemed like an excellent plan. If we served chili with honey cornbread as a side dish, all 4 kids would eat the chili.

Typically, I make chili with ground beef or turkey, unless I make it vegetarian style. I wanted to give this chili a slightly different flavor, so I opted to use ground beef and pork. To offer some taste and texture diversity, I added two kinds of beans.

As dinner was being served, the lure of cornbread seemed to be the only reason 3 of the 4 kids would eat the chili. However, by the time the bowls were half-empty, they all had become chili converts, with one of the picky eaters even requesting seconds! It seems that this dish should become a requested dinner in our home.

Two-Meat, Two-Bean Chili

1 Tb. extra virgin olive oil                     2 Tb. chipotle chili powder

1 medium yellow onion, diced               2 tsp. oregano

4 cloves garlic                                          salt and pepper to taste

1 green pepper, chopped                       2-16 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 pound ground beef                              1-16 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 pound ground pork                             2-16 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tb. chili powder                                  1-16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

Heat a stock pot over medium heat, and coat bottom with olive oil. Place onion and garlic in pan and saute for a few minutes. Add pepper and cook a minute or two longer. Add beef and pork, cooking until no longer pink, seasoning with chili powders, oregano, salt, and pepper. Drain grease from pan, and return to heat. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, and bring to boiling. Reduce heat to low, and add beans. Partially cover with a lid, and allow to simmer. After 30 minutes, taste chili, adding additional spices, if needed. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce. Click here for Honey Cornbread recipe, if desired.

The holidays have ended, and the real world has beckoned. This means getting dinners together for the family. Unfortunately, time is of a premium these days, so the planning, cooking, and shopping for meals are difficult.

In the midst of getting the car fixed and a trip to the bank, I made a quick stop to the local grocery store. As I entered the store, I had no plan of what I was going to make, and just started walking up and down the aisles. After a quick perusal of the meat section and seeing that stew beef was on sale, I decided to make a soup/stew.

Just Put It Together Stew
1.5 lbs. beef stew meat2 medium onions, chopped Pinch of Salt 3 carrots, chopped 3 stalks of celery, chopped 1 habanero pepper, chopped	1 large can of beef broth (64 oz) 1 cup of flour 1 T . of dried oregano .5 Tb. of cayenne pepper 1 tsp of sage black pepper to taste
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Brown the stew meat in a frying pan. Cooking it to about medium (pink in the middle).Combine the browned meat and all of the other ingredients in a crock pot. Set the crock pot on high and allow it to simmer at least 4 hours.Serve piping hot! Serves 4.

Last week on the way home from the dentist where I had Invisalign braces put on my teeth, we decidedto start a new tradition.

A new tradition has been started. With the arrival of chilly nights, there is a once a week soup night. One of the fun parts of this new dinner plan is that each week the soup is chosen by a different family member. The choices have allowed us to experiment with ingredients and new tastes.

Recently, the soup was chosen by our oldest. He wanted chowder, which for me is a fast soup. No need to simmer all day, it is made in 30 minutes. Besides being a last minute meal, it is also quite tasty and can be made more or less healthy depending on your preference.

So, on a recent night a pot of corn chowder was prepared and a store-bought loaf of crusty bread was sliced for our dinner. This meal was wonderful: simple, filling, warm, tasty. What more could I ask for on a cold winter’s night?

Quick Corn Chowder
2 Tb. canola oil1 yellow onion3 potatoes, peeled 1 16 oz. bag frozer corn 1 15 oz. can chicken broth	3 - 4 cups whole milk2 Tb. flour2 chicken bouillon cubes salt & pepper, to taste 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
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Dice onion. Peel and cut potato into small cubes. Heat canola oil in large saucepot over medium heat. Add onions, and saute for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add corn and chicken broth. Raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to a simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When potatoes are tender, add 2-1/2 cups milk. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk, and add to soup. (The additional cup of milk can be added to make a less dense soup.) Add bouillon cubes, salt, and pepper. Raise heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. When soup reaches boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and add bacon. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve hot.*This recipe can be made with less fat by using skim milk and omitting the bacon.