Friday, September 27, 2013

Friday Five powers, activate! Form of: Sunday Soups

Via
What? I know. I'm mixing days of the week and I'm using the Wonder Twins to activate this post. September is but a fart in the wind, my friends. POOF. Gone. It's getting chillier. I'm excited. Sweaters, scarves, candles in my favorite fall scents, and soup. Soup is crucial to my life. I make a pot of Sunday soup most weeks in winter to take for lunch. I grew up coming home from school to my Mom Mom's house and she'd have a pot of soup on the stove, just about done. I'd eat saltines with butter and my bowl of soup. To me, soup is Mom Mom. Childhood. Home. Comfort. Love.

I like to try new soups every year, but I have some tried and trues that are always on the menu.

1. Veggie Beef Barley Soup

1/2 Cup chopped onion (you can cheat and use frozen chopped onions)
1 Cup frozen green beans
Up to 8 oz mushrooms (optional)
2/3Cup uncooked barley
1 Cup corn
1.5 Cups water
1TSP salt
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
S&P to taste
1 lb ground beef
1 lb beef stew meat (optional)
4 14.5 oz cans beef broth (or two cartons)
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes 
8 oz can tomato sauce

Stovetop: Brown ground beef and onions, drain and put aside. If you are using mushrooms, saute for about seven or eight minutes, put aside. If you are using stew meat, toss in a bit of flour and sear. Add broth, water, and the rest of the ingredients in or back in. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Crock: Brown ground beef and onions, drain and put in crock. If you are using mushrooms, saute for about seven or eight minutes. If you are using stew meat, toss in a bit of flour and sear. Add to crock with all other ingredients and cook on low 7 hours or high 3 hours. 


2. Hungarian Mushroom Soup
12 oz mushrooms, sliced (I usually use 8 oz carton of baby bellas and 1/2 carton of white)
2 cups chopped onions
2 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
1 cup milk (I use 1%)
1 tsp dill weed
1 TBS paprika
1 TBS soy sauce
2 C stock (beef, veggie, or chicken)
2 tsp lemon juice
dried parsley
salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream

Saute onions in 2 TBS of stock for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 tsp dill, 1/2 cup stock, soy sauce and paprika. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes

Melt butter in large saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, constantly whisking, for about 2 minutes. Add milk and cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes over low heat. It should be thick.

Stir in mushroom mix and remaining stock. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, sour cream, stir well to combine.

I often double this recipe so we have enough for the week. I only add one additional cup of onions though, not two.

3. Stuffed pepper soup a la Skinny Taste.
1 lb ground meat (I've used turkey, beef, chicken - all good)
1.5 cups chopped pepper (I like to use two different ones. Green and red or orange or yellow)
1 cup onion, diced fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce
4-5 cups broth (I've used chicken, veggie, beef - all good)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of marjoram (if you're like WTF is marjorum, use 1/2 tsp oregano or thyme)
3 cups cooked rice (use brown - it's healthy and you really can't tell in this soup)

Brown meat and drain, reduce heat. Add peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook for about five minutes on low.

Add tomatoes, sauce, broth, marjoram and S&P. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add rice.

This makes a lot, and it's very freezable. I allow it to cool and freeze in quart size freezer safe bags - lay flat and flash freeze, then stack in the freezer.

4. Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup from Annie's Eats. Click the link and follow her directions - the only thing I do differently is sometimes I use onion for the shallots, and I don't do the croutons.

5. Potato soup
10 medium potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into cubes (I use red or gold and I do not peel them - peel if it's your preference)
3 TBS flour
6 slices bacon, chopped and cooked (optional)
2 TBS bouillon/base (I normally use chicken but have also used veggie)
1 TBS ranch dressing mix
Dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, ground black pepper to taste
3 Cups of water
1 Cup half & half or milk (I've used half & half and 2% milk, both were fine)
shredded cheddar and green onion for topping (optional)

Put the potatoes in the bottom of the crock, top with flour and toss to coat. Throw bacon bits, bouillon and all spices over. Add water.

Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 3-4. Pour half and half in, cook another 15 minutes. Dunzo.

Sometimes I put my immersion blender in and make it a little smoother.

You can also do this on the stove top, just bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are tender, add in the half and half and cook for another 10 minutes.



18 comments:

  1. You make me hungry. Can't wait to see what you cook this weekend. It will probably be two pots. I bow down to your housefrauing skills!

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  2. Okay, I've got to try your potato soup recipe. Because you KNOW how much I love potato soup!!! Happy Friday, and thanks for linking up today and always. You know I appreciate it, and you! Y'all have a wonderful weekend!!

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  3. Yes! Soup! That is what I am talking about. Even if it is 80+ degrees still down here in the deep south you better bet your ass I am going to try one of these next week :)

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  4. Love a good soup! These all sounds so delicious!

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  5. Love this. A beautiful tribute to Mom Mom. Beef barley and potato were her go to soups. She taught me how to make my first roux for the potato soup and to use the turkey carcass for soup! She cultivated your love of vegetables!!!
    You were lucky to have so many grandparents that you knew, but that was only because I had you when I was almost 21. Today, women have children much later. Good thing we know the grandparents on the other side are always with us.

    love your MOMMA

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  6. Mmmm soups. Spencer loves potato soup and yours sounds delicious. Lots more flavor than the one I normally make. I'll try it!

    personally, I think the cauliflower one sounds great too. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. I am definitely going to give the potato and cauliflower a shot. Creamy soups usually intimidate me.

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  8. Mmmmm...soup...

    Aaron used to make this Italian sausage soup with zucchini and tomatoes and pasta. He hasn't made it in a long time. He needs to get on that.

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  9. The beef barley soup sounds SO good! Definitely adding it to my rotation.

    My go-to soups are black bean, tortellini, baked potato (with bacon AND cheese) and a taco soup that I invented.

    I am pretty sure that soup is the perfect food.

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  10. I'm hungry now!
    Stuffed pepper soup? YUM

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  11. The pepper soup look awesome!

    And Marjoram - I only know about it because of the pizza sauce!! Good to know there is an alternate though!

    Happy Friday!

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  12. A fart in the wind???? I love you more and more every single day! Now make the weather be soup appropriate here in Texas!

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  13. These soups with your homemade bread?!? I AM COMING OVER.

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  14. Oh I do love some good soup! It takes way too much time to make and I'm impatient so I just go to Panera. Haha

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  15. Love soups! Can't wait to try one or all of these.

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  16. I'm just reading this post! I love how on your chicken soup post, I said it reminded me of my Mom-Mom, and on this post, you mentioned your Mom-Mom! <3

    Delicious recipes, can't wait to try them!!!! <3

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  17. bookmarking this shit, pronto. also, i was the one who said WTF is Marjoram? LOL

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