Kitchen

[sktchy]

Oh mercy ! It is cold where I am located and all of these soups look delicious !!! I need to start making at least one of them.

[Annabellethecat66]

If you want more good recipes (many are free). Go to www.topsecretrecipes.com.

I own all of his books (give them out as gifts) and they are right on. I especially like the (excuse the spelling)

Pasta fagiolli (from the Olive Garden). I've made it (following his recipe) and it is exactly like the restaurant.

My favorite recipe from my recipe is Home made vegetable soup, using filet mignon, vegetables, seasoning.

The secret to most of my recipes is Spatinni Spaghetti sauce mix. It makes everything wonderful.

[gkelly]

On 2/4/2015 JeanLouiseFinch said:

I like making soups this time of year, usually once every 7-10 days. I like a lot of soups myself; split pea, lemon rice, cream of mushroom, minestrone, black bean, tortilla, but many in my family don't so I usually stick to what they like. A few of them are:

Baked Potato Soup

4 Lg. Baking Potatoes (about 2 ¾ lbs)

2/3 C. Butter (I always use the real thing – think it makes a difference)

2/3 C. All-purpose Flour

¼ tsp. White Pepper

¾ tsp. Salt

6 C. Milk

1 C. Sour Cream

Thinly sliced Green Onions (I snip w/a kitchen scissors)

Crumbled Bacon (I snip before frying – easy & faster, or better yet, buy the premade real bacon crumbles at Costco)

Shredded Cheddar Cheese – reg. or fancy shred, doesn’t matter

Bake potatoes in a 350° F oven for about 65-75 minutes, or until tender (I find it is usually longer). Cool completely. Peel and dice potatoes (some will fall apart, but that’s fine). In a small Dutch oven (or lg. for double batch), melt butter; stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add the milk while stirring continuously. Bring to a boil; cook while stirring for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the sour cream. Add the potatoes back to the pot. Stir to heat through. Use the shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and slivered green onions for garnishing after serving in individual soup bowls.

Note: The continuous stirring and controlling your heat is important so the cream base doesn’t burn. If you scorch the bottom of the pan and it gets scraped and mixed into your soup, it will be ruined.

*Rather than peeling and cutting the potatoes up, I've started slicking them lengthwise and just scooping out the pulp. Since it falls apart when dicing anyway, it saves time and you don't have to be so careful. Once the pulp is collected in a bowl, run a knife randomly through it to break up big pieces. Save the shells to make baked potato skins later in the week.

Easy to increase for a crowd.

Cheese-Broccoli Soup

1 potato, peeled and shredded

1 C. broccoli finely cut

2 carrots, grated/shredded (or buy pre-shredded in the produce department)

4 cubes or tsps. chicken boullion

1 tsp. finely chopped onion

1/2 C. butter (real thing)

1/2 C. flour

4 C. milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, cut up

Cook potato, broccoli, carrot, onion in bouillon and 3 cups of water. In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Quickly add flour to make a roux. Cook over low/med. heat a couple of minutes to get ride of the flour taste, but watch so it doesn't burn. While whisking, pour in half of the milk and whisk to eliminate the lumps. Add the rest of the milk and salt, and cook to make a white sauce. Stir in the Velveeta, a little at a time. Combine both mixture and heat through. Serve hot.

I love both of these soups and going to try your recipes for them! MMMMMMM

[lolakimono]

This is my favorite cold weather soup:

Shorba bi Djaj

(Iraqi Creamy Chicken Soup with Rice)

1/2 cup long-grain rice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1-1/2 lb chicken wings

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1-1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

10 cups water

1/2 cup red lentils, well washed

Wash the rice well. Place it in a large bowl of cold water and soak for 2 hours, then drain and set aside. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent. Add the chicken, turmeric, cardamom, salt, pepper and water. Cover and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and add the rice and lentils. Gently simmer until the rice has softened and the soup has become thick and creamy, about 2 hours. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the surface, and stir occasionally to make sure that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot.)

When the soup is creamy, remove the chicken wings from the pot. Discard the skin and bones, shred the meat, and return it to the pot. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot.

[lovesrecess]

Green chile chicken soup

[shamalamadingdong4]

Sausage Kale Soup Directions Original recipe makes 8 servings 1 pounds sweet Italian sausage 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 small onions, chopped 2 (16 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes 1 1/4 cups dry red wine 5 cups beef broth 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 bunch kale 1/2 package pasta salt and pepper to taste Directions In a large pot, cook sausage over medium heat until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Drain fat from pan, reserving 3 tablespoons. Sauté kale in same pan. Remove. Cook garlic and onion in reserved fat for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, broth, basil, and oregano. Transfer to a slow cooker, and stir in sausage and kale. Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain water, and add pasta to the slow cooker. Simmer for a few minutes, and season with salt and pepper before serving.

[shamalamadingdong4]

Sorry for the lousy formatting. You can thank my iPad for that.

[Eliana]

MUSHROOM BEEF BARLEY SOUP

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cups finely chopped onions

1 cup diced carrots

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced'

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth

2 cups water

1/2 cup medium pearl barley

1 teaspoon salt, optional

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or stockpot, cook meat in oil over medium heat until no longer pink. Remove meat with a slotted spoon; keep warm and set aside.

2. Saute onions, carrots and celery in drippings over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic and thyme; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in broths, water, barley, salt if desired and pepper.

3. Return meat to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until barley and meat are tender. Add parsley. Yield: about 11 servings (2-3/4 quarts).

[stevieb]

Pedestrian though it might be, my favorite always has been homemade vegetable soup served with some good crusty bread.

[stevieb]

On 2/4/2015 Chi-town girl said:

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

This sounds yummy, Chi... I just got a new slow cooker and this might well be its maiden voyage...