Everything but the Kitchen Sink Soup

Last night we made a really delicious soup by throwing together just about anything we could find in our refrigerator and pantry. We were trying to get rid of some veggies that were on the brink. This soup turned out really fabulous. You can make it with just veggies, or we actually added a couple of chopped up hot dogs and some cubed ham (because we wanted to get rid them too!!). This soup literally does have everything but the kitchen sink in it!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (seeds removed)
5 stalks celery, chopped
5 carrots, cut in ½” slices
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into cubes
1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans
1 cup leftover rice (we happened to have it around, but you can also dump about ½ cup of raw rice into the pot of soup to cook up while the soup simmers)
1 bottle beer (any kind…we used our last pale ale)
1 cup dry vermouth (or white wine)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can enchilada sauce (we used “medium” heat)
2 hot dogs, cut into ½” pieces (optional)
A few thick cut, pre-cooked pieces of ham, cut into cubes (optional)
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt, to taste (we used about 1 teaspoon, but didn’t add it until the end)
Olive oil
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, and a pinch of salt and saute for about ten minutes then add garlic.

3. Add vermouth and beer to the pot and stir. Then add potatoes, pinto beans and rice. Allow to cook for 5 minutes or so.

4. Next, add the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, hot dog, ham, and spices.

5. Allow soup to come to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes (or until potatoes are tender and rice is cooked).

6. Stir in cilantro and simmer for another 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

To serve: Scoop warm soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Note: We froze some of our leftovers in quart containers so that we could easily pull it out for a future dinner in the next few months. Love that!

Cheers! 🙂

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Cyber Tuesday! – 2/2/10 – Super Bowl CHILI

It’s almost the Super Bowl! The time has come to celebrate two really fantastic football teams and enjoy a great game. I cannot wait! We will be heading over for a small get-together at our friend Angela’s house. I am going to be cooking and bringing my homemade chili. It is supposed to be rainy (according to the weather person…) so I figured chili would be a great choice to keep everybody warm and happy! For today’s edition of Cyber Tuesday! I decided to include my chili recipe as well as some neat options that I found online. Remember to cook up a batch of our Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins to serve alongside your chili of choice! Yummm.

** Remember that for any good chili you need a delicious and fresh chili powder. Check out our Homemade Chili Powder. It will take your chili to the next level of flavor…guaranteed!

1. Soyrizo & Veggie Chili – Our homemade chili. Yummm! If you have never used soyrizo you should really check it out. It is a fabulous product! Less greasy but similar flavor to regular chorizo.

2. Turkey Chili with White Beans – A healthier option than your average chili, this recipe uses lean ground turkey and plenty of other wonderful flavors. I am very intrigued by the use of unsweetened cocoa powder and cinnamon with a kick of chili powder!!

3. Halftime Chili – Loved the name of this chili so I had to include it! Oh, and the recipe looks great too! 🙂

4. Chipotle Chili – Ok YUM! We love chipotle peppers. This recipe also uses flavors such as tequila, orange juice, and cumin. It looks absolutely delicious!

5. The Best Chili You Will Ever Taste – The name of this chili gives it a lot to live up to! I’m curious and will probably have to try this recipe out…I consider my own chili to be pretty darn good so we shall see! 🙂

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Tomorrow is National Soup Swap Day!!

REMINDER: National Soup Swap Day is Saturday, January 23rd this year… a.k.a. TOMORROW!! There will be swaps going on all over the country!! I recently did a soup swap with my girlfriends at our Book Club. It was so neat! I made a Cream of Artichoke Soup and walked away with a quart of: Pumpkin Soup, Gazpacho, Chicken Noodle, and Chicken Taco! I encourage you to swap!! We put our soups in the freezer so we have some quick dinners stored away! It’s great.

Here is our guide to throwing a Soup Swap Party!

Does anyone have any Soup Swapping plans? Share them with us!

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Cyber Tuesday! – January 5, 2010

With this being official Soup Swap month I figured I’d surf the web for some cool soup ideas. Also, the ladies in my book club and I will be swapping soups at our meeting next week so I guess I’d better try to figure out the recipe that I want to use!! I love soup. I hope you enjoy these recipes!

** More information on a Soup Swap

1. Chipotle Corn Chowder – Ok yummmm. We love the smoky flavor that chipotle peppers add to any meal.  This recipe looks simple to follow and quick to make.

2. Broccoli Potato Leek Soup – A wonderful combination of flavors! This soup also has mushrooms in it for an added earthy tone and taste. Plus, you can’t forget about the cheese (which makes everything taste better)!!

3. Spicy Black Bean Soup – This looks to be a simple recipe to follow using easy-to-find ingredients and kitchen tools. I love black beans too. They are so hearty and good for you!!

4. Chicken Soup for the Soul – New in the Kitchen’s wonderful chicken soup!! It is so tasty and comforting. 🙂

5. Easy Mexican Shrimp Stew – Oh wow! Only five ingredients needed for this great looking soup! Gotta love that!

SOUP TIPS & TRICKS:
– Great Soup Tips
– Broth is Beautiful
– Tips on Freezing, Storing & Reheating Soup

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Soup Swap Party

National Soup Swap Day is January 23, 2010 (the date changes each year).

Everyone brings six quarts of their own homemade soup (plus the recipe) to swap with other party goers, competing for the title of Best Soup! Interestingly, no guests will sample any other soups until they are at home after the party.  The soup that is voted “The Winning Soup” will be the one who’s chef can tell the greatest story about it and therefore be the first soup chosen during the swap; the more funny, serious, sarcastic, or outlandish, the better!  There are other winning titles in this party as well, for full instructions, see “The Fun” section of this guide.  The wonderful thing about this party is that every couple that brings soup also walks away with soup…six quarts of it! For more information about soup swapping click here.

The Food: Keep the appetizers simple…cheese, crackers, and fruit will do the trick.  You as the host will actually make two different types of soup, one to serve during dinner and one to put in 1-quart containers to have as your “contestant” in the Soup Swap.  Therefore, check out the Soups section of this book for many great options.

The Drinks: Red and white wines are wonderful with soup; as is a straight up martini with a lemon twist (see Cocktails section for the “Super Twister-tinis” recipe).

The Décor: Elegant but casual will have guests relaxed and loose enough to tell hilarious soup stories!  Try candles and other warm/dim lighting or start up your fire place!  Other casual decorations are nice as well but keep it simple!  Remember to setup a table where guests can line up their soups.  Leave small tent cards out for guests to label their soup.  Also instruct guests to bring plenty of copies of their recipe so that other party-goers can take it home and try making the soup!

The Fun:  Each couple should be given a number (pick numbers out of a hat or a bowl).  There should be one number for each couple who has brought soup to swap.  Starting with the couple who chose the number 1, go around sharing soup stories, this is called the “Telling of the Soup”.  After all stories have been shared, the couple with the number 1 picks the first 1-quart container of soup that they would like to take home based on the stories they have just heard.

This party is a GREAT chance to try lots of different types of soup!

The Food: Keep the appetizers simple…cheese, crackers, and fruit will do the trick.  You as the host will actually make two different types of soup, one to serve during dinner and one to put in 1-quart containers to have as your “contestant” in the Soup Swap.  Therefore, check out the Soups & Stews section of this site for many great options.

The Drinks: Red and white wines are wonderful with soup; as is a straight up martini with a lemon twist.

The Décor: Elegant but casual will have guests relaxed and loose enough to tell hilarious soup stories!  Try candles and other warm/dim lighting or start up your fire place! Other casual decorations are nice as well but keep it simple!  Remember to setup a table where guests can line up their soups.  Leave small tent cards out for guests to label their soup.  Also instruct guests to bring plenty of copies of their recipe so that other party-goers can take it home and try making the soup!

The Fun: Each couple should be given a number (pick numbers out of a hat or a bowl).  There should be one number for each couple who has brought soup to swap.  Starting with the couple who chose the number 1, go around sharing soup stories, this is called the “Telling of the Soup”. After all stories have been shared, the couple with the number 1 picks the first 1-quart container of soup that they would like to take home based on the stories they have just heard.

The soup that is chosen is the first winner of a prize (see prize guidelines below), they are the Winning Soup.  Next, the number 2 couple chooses their first 1-quart container of soup.  This goes on in a rotation through the numbers until soups have been taken and each couple who brought six quarts of soup then has six quarts of soups.

– Prizes should be given to liven up the party (if there are not enough prizes for each couple attending your party, plan on having a few “runner up” type prizes as well so that everyone walks away with something):

o Winning Soup – the first soup chosen after the Telling of the Soups.

o Most Popular Soup – as determined by the first soup to have all six quarts selected by other couples.

o Last but not Least Soup – the last soup standing after the soups have all been taken.

o Most Original Soup – based on the story about the soup; as determined by hosting couple.

o The Best Story – based on the story about the soup; as determined by hosting couple

o Most Appetizing – based on the story about the soup; as determined by hosting couple

o Most Intimidating – based on the story about the soup; as determined by hosting couple

o Most Accessorized – meaning, the soup that came with little toppings (such as croutons or cheese, etc); as determined by hosting couple

10 Great Soup Swap Prize Ideas:

1. Large wooden spoons (you could even use a permanent marker to write “Soup Swap” with the year on it to personalize it)

2. A soup cookbook

3. Soups ladles

4. A pepper mill and whole peppercorns

5. Potholders

6. Loaves of French bread (to be enjoyed later with soup, of course!)

7. Trivets (used to protect surfaces from hot dishes, such as a soup pot)

8. Ceramic soup spoon bowl (to avoid the a soupy counter while cooking)

9. An Emersion Blender (“stick blender”); used for pureeing soup

10. An interesting spice blend

Absentee Soup Swappers: Guests who are not able to attend the party but are still want to participate in the soup swap are welcome to do so! They must bring 6 quarts of soup to the party location and then select someone to tell about their soup and pick their soups. Guests participating in this manner will automatically be given the last number and therefore last choice of soups.

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Edible Gift: North Pole Bean Soup

Who doesn’t love a homemade gift!?! I love to make them and love to receive them. This year, we are planning to give almost entirely homemade gifts to our friends and family so we have really been getting creative. This soup mix is easy to put together and will keep whoever you give it to warm and jolly over the Holiday season.  Use a pretty glass jar (approximately 24 oz) to layer the various ingredients and then tie a Holiday ribbon around it with a print out of the instructions. We created a cute little tag with the instructions on it, but that is optional! Check it out: North Pole Soup

Ingredients:
½ cup dried kidney beans
½ cup dried split yellow peas
½ cup dried black beans
½ cup dried red lentils
½ cup dried small red beans
½ cup dried split green peas

Layer each type of bean in your gift jar.

Seasoning Mix:
1 teaspoon dried pepper flakes
2 teaspoons ground paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine ingredients. Store in a resealable plastic bag. We put the seasoning mix in a small jewelery sized bag and placed it on top of the bean mix in the jar.

Attach these instructions to the jar:
North Pole Bean Soup:
Dried Bean Mix (included)
Seasoning Mix (included)
1 (28-ounce) cans tomatoes
8 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock

1. Rinse beans and place in a large pot. Pour boiling water over beans; cover and let soak overnight.

2. Drain beans and return to pot. Add chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce heat to low and simmer about one hour, until beans are almost tender.

4. Add tomatoes (with liquid) and seasoning mix. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

5. Uncover and continue to simmer about 1 hour longer, until soup thickens.

Yields about 10 cups soup.

OPTIONAL: When making this soup, feel free to add in any type of vegetables that you want!

GIFT JAR: We ordered our gift jars here. We got the #743 jars.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Day!

If you feel so moved, try using cooked rice in this soup instead of noodles! This subtle change makes for a very different flavor and texture.

* Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, cut in ½ inch-thick rounds
4 celery ribs, cut into ½ inch-thick slices
1 cup frozen sweet peas
7-10 fresh thyme sprigs
1 ½ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
8-12 cups chicken stock
1 pound wide egg noodles
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, shallot, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook until onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.

3. Add garlic and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

4. Pour in white wine, stir, and reduce for 5 minutes.

5. Pour in chicken stock, chicken, and paprika; bring to a boil. Simmer, adjusting seasoning as you go, for approximately 2 hours.  If you need to add more stock, do so in 1/2 cup increments.

6. Add noodles and peas and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Serve warm.

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Butternut Squash Soup

We had some friends over recently and I heard one of them talking about a soup that I had made last Fall…Butternut Squash Soup.  He was saying how delicious it was and how much he enjoyed it.  Music to my ears!!!  Thank you Nate for the compliments. 🙂  One unique thing about this soup that probably helps to make it so delicious is that I always add store-bought cheese ravioli.  This is optional of course, but I highly recommend it.  Yum!

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Another thought I had was that this soup would be a delicious starter to a Thanksgiving meal.  It is warm, packed with veggies, and you could skip the raviolis so that no one gets overly stuffed before the main course. 🙂

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Now for the recipe…

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 whole butternut squash, roasted for approximately 30 minutes at 350˚, then cooled, peeled and cubed
2 large red bell peppers, roasted and diced, peeled, and cubed
1 ½ cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pound cheese filled ravioli (optional, but recommended)
¾ cup half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add in olive oil and butter. Then add and sauté the onions, leeks, and shallots until tender.

2. Add cumin and nutmeg and continue to cook for several minutes on medium.

3. Add in the squash, red bell pepper, and garlic; cook for 10-15 minutes.

4. Deglaze pot with white wine then mix in chicken broth. Season with cinnamon and ginger.

5. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.

6. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ravioli, and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

7. With a hand mixer(immersion blender), puree the soup mixture. Blend in half and half, and season with salt and pepper.

8. Give the soup one more mix with the immersion blender.

9. Mix in cooked ravioli just before serving.  Top with grated parmesan cheese.

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

4 shallots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 whole butternut squash, roasted for

approximately 30 minutes at 350˚, then cooled,

2 large red bell peppers, roasted and diced

peeled, and cubed

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5 Easy Ways to Thicken Soup

Yes, there are many ways.

Here are a few:

1. Cook your soup with the lid off to let excess water evaporate.

2. Stir mashed potato flakes or heavy cream into the soup.

3. Add a roux (a mixture of butter and flour that has been

sautéed for several minutes over medium-high heat)

4. Add a cornstarch mixture (equal parts cold water and

cornstarch whisked together)

It can be a real bummer when you have worked hard on making a soup but it turns out with the wrong consistency.  Here are five easy ways to thicken just about any soup.

1. Cook your soup with the lid off to let excess water evaporate.

2. Stir mashed potato flakes into the soup.

3. Add heavy cream or half & half into the soup.

4. Add a roux (a mixture of butter and flour that has been sautéed for several minutes over medium-high heat).

5. Add a cornstarch mixture (equal parts cold water and cornstarch whisked together).

**Do you have any other thickening suggestions?  Share them with us!

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National Gumbo Day!: Andouille Sausage and Chicken Gumbo

This recipe is truly at its best when prepared 24 hours ahead of serving time. Simply reheat the gumbo on the stove for several hours on the day of serving.  This technique allows for all of the flavors to combine and marry together – a true gift to your taste buds!

Wouldn’t this gumbo be great to serve during Monday night football tonight!?! Hearty and warm, it is the perfect meal for a mid-October day!

* This recipe will make 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:
1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken
3/4 pound Andouille sausage, sliced
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 bunch celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup of your favorite beer
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning mix (available at most grocery stores)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons hot sauce (your choice, we love Cholula)
1 teaspoon Olive oil
1 cup white flour
1/2 stick salted butter
6 cups chicken stock
White rice, cooked, for serving
Green onions, chopped, for garnish

Directions:
1. De-bone the chicken and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces; then set aside.

2. Saute onions, celery, and bell pepper in butter and olive oil until they start to brown and caramelize, about 20 minutes on medium heat.

3. Next, in a large soup pot make a roux by heating 3/4 cup of olive oil and slowly whisking in 1 cup of flour; cook  stirring constantly for about 10 minutes, or until roux is brown.  Add the onion mixture, minced garlic, parsley, thyme, basil, ground cloves, ground allspice, cayenne, Cajun seasoning, salt, white pepper, and hot sauce. Stir to combine then add beer.

4. After allowing the gumbo to cook for a few minutes with the beer in it, add in the chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-60 minutes on low.

5. Add chicken and Andouille sausage and simmer for another 30-60 minutes.

Serve in a bowl over cooked white rice.  Garnish with green onions.

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