Cauliflower Soup with Sausage and Cheddar

                This is a wonderful soup that can be made thin or thick.  Or maybe in between.  I wanted the cauliflower to be chunky so I did not puree. If you want a smooth thick soup, then once the cauliflower is tender remove it and puree with a small amount of liquid.  REMEMBER that you should only puree about a cup at a time if you are using a blender.  This keeps the extremely hot liquid from splashing onto you!  You can also use a stick blender that goes directly into the pot.  You can only puree part of the cauliflower, if you desire, too.   I served this with a lovely salad and a slice of toasted Oatmeal Walnut bread.  It was a wonderful dinner for a chilly evening.

Gazpacho with Spanish Style Bread

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This is my version of two Spanish classics.  We enjoyed both.  I cooked the onions and bell peppers and then processed everything to a coarse consistency.  Otherwise, this just tastes like less salty V-8 and that is not what I wanted.

You can process this as much as you like, it is up to you, but you will need to allow time for everything to chill, which is at least 2 hours.  Wait to grill the bread until just before serving the soup, unless you are eating it as an appetizer.

I love bread prepared in this manner.  It was part of the first meal that I had when I visited Spain.  It took me a while to realize that the bread had been rubbed with tomato.  The amount of juice from the tomato did not make the bread soggy, it was just lightly rubbed and added a hint of flavor.  Reserve a couple of slices of tomato to rub the bread.

Vegan or Not-Red Pepper and Potato Soup with Oatmeal, Black Pepper and Rosemary Crackers

Most of you who follow my blog have probably figured out that I cook what is in the pantry and refrigerator. Rarely, do I make an extra trip to the grocery store for ingredients.  That is how this soup came to be. This is a classic red pepper and this soup was made with chicken stock but it can be made with vegetable stock and the entire meal will be vegan.  Adding the potato just gives this soup a little extra deliciousness. Sometimes I add cooked, chopped chicken.  This is a soup that is always good.
The crackers are made with oatmeal and are hard to resist.  You might consider making a double batch.  These are baked on a pizza stone but you can use a cookie sheet, also. You need to bake them to make them crispy.  Some of these type breads that I make can be cooked on a griddle, but these will not crisp up when cooked that way.  Previously, my son had suggested cracked black pepper and fresh rosemary, so that was added to the crackers.
I hope that you enjoy this meal as much as we do!

Soup
6 cups of Stock, reserve 1 cup
3 Red Bell Peppers, chopped small
1 large Sweet Onion, chopped small
1 large Potato, cut into 1/4 " cubes
Sepay Groves Olive Oil
Salt

In a deep skillet, heat olive oil and add peppers and onions.  Cook on low-medium. Allow the juices to sweat out and reduce.  When all of the liquid is gone, transfer peppers and onions to a large stock pot. Add 5 cups of stock.  Bring to a boil and let cook until peppers and onion are tender.  Then set aside to cool.
While that is boiling, add more olive oil to the skillet and heat.  Add the potatoes and season with salt.  Let the potatoes start to brown.  Once the potatoes start to stick, use a spatula to release them from the pan and then add the other cup of stock.  The reason for this is so that the potatoes with be flavored with the stock. Cook until the potatoes are tender.  If the pan gets dry, add a little water.
When the pepper, onions and stock are cooled, add no more than 2 cups at a time to a standard 8 cup blender.  Right here, let me tell you this from my personal experience, let the soup cool and do not add more than 2 cups at a time to the blender. Hot soup is very painful and more than 2 cups will go out of the top of the blender, no matter how much you try to stop it. Blend in batches until smooth. Then return to the stock pot when all the peppers and onion have been blended smooth. Add the potato and stock to the rest of the soup.  Reheat and serve.

Oatmeal Crackers with Black Pepper and Rosemary
Preheat the oven to 525 degrees

2 cups of Oatmeal
1 cup of Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 salt
1/2 sugar
3 Tablespoons of Fresh Rosemary Leaves
Cracked Black Pepper, I used about 1 Tablespoon, but use the amount that you prefer
1 cup of Hot Water
Sepay Groves Olive Oil
Coarse Salt

Mix all of the dry ingredients, except coarse salt,  together and then make a well.  Add the hot water and mix thoroughly.  The dough will be sticky.  Make 8 even dough balls.  Use a pastry sheet or wax paper to roll out the dough. Pour  a splash of olive oil on to the rolling surface.  Coat the dough ball in the olive oil. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough very thin.  Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 525 degrees on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Cooking the first side until the edges browned. Flip the cracker over and cook on the other side until it is crisp.  Repeat until all of the dough balls are cooked.

Enjoy!

Deloris

Printable Recipe: https://sites.google.com/site/basilandrosemarys/red-pepper-and-potato-soup-with-oatmeal-black-pepper-and-rosemary-crackers

Greek Chicken Lemon Soup

The texture of this soup is reminiscent of Egg Drop Soup.  I made it with a combination of homemade chicken stock and bouillion with water. It is an easy soup to make and a wonderful addition to your recipe file.

If you follow my blog, you have probably realized that I will shamelessly plug any item that I truly love.  So I am going to tell you about the H.E.B. Specialty Shop French Baguettes.  I first found these at an H.E.B. in San Antonio last year.  Every H.E.B. Grocery store I have found these in has place them on a wooden end cap around the freezer section and meat market. I purchase these on sale with a coupon and freeze the entire package for later use.  Once thawed, these take about 18 minutes to bake. The photo is of the packaged product so it will be easy for you to locate.

Here is the recipe for the soup.

2 cups of Chicken Stock

8 cups of Water

9 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

1 cup of Cooked Chicken, boned, skinned, and shredded

1 cup of uncooked Rice

2/3 cup of Corn Starch

2/3 of Water

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 cup of Lemon Juice, more or less to taste

In a large stock pot, combine chicken stock, 8 cups of water, bouillon cubes, chicken and rice.  Simmer over low heat until rice is cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. 

Combine corn starch and 2/3 cup of water to make a slurry.  Mix until corn starch is smooth.  Remove soup from heat and add slurry. Place back on heat and bring the soup back to a simmer.  Let cook 10 minutes. 

 In a bowl, temper beaten egg with a cup of hot soup.  Add the hot soup by dribbles, beating egg constantly.  This keeps the egg from curdling in the heat.  Slowly add the tempered egg and soup back into the big pot of soup.  Stir and remove the soup from the heat. Add the lemon juice and taste. Add more if needed. Place the lid on the pot.  Let the soup rest for 5 minutes.  This allows the egg to cook.

Serve with crusty French bread and Enjoy!

Deloris

Printable Recipe: https://sites.google.com/site/basilandrosemarys/greek-lemon-chicken-soup

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

Instead of serving chili for your Super Bowl Party, consider some taco soup.  It is easy and has a little crunch to it.

1 pound of Lean Ground Beef
1 medium Onion, chopped
1/2 large Green Bell Pepper, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil, I used Sepay Groves, of course
1 package of McCormick's Taco Seasoning
1 14.5 ounce can of Diced Tomatoes
1 11 ounce can of Corn
1 4 ounce can of Chopped Green Chilies
Salt
2 cups of water
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

Serve with:
crushed Tortilla Chips
grated Cheese
Sour Cream

In a deep stock pot, heat olive oil over low-medium heat. Then add onion and bell pepper.  Cook until onion becomes transparent.  Add Beef and cook until done.  Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the Ranch dressing mix.  Lower heat and cook until water is reduced by half and soup starts to thicken, about 30 minutes.  Add the Ranch Dressing Mix and remove from heat.

To serve, place tortilla chips in the bottom of bowl, top with cheese and pour hot soup over cheese.  Add a spoon of sour cream and Enjoy!

Deloris

Printable Recipe: https://sites.google.com/site/basilandrosemarys/taco-soup

Sopa de Repollo

Sopa de Repollo

This is one of my favorite soups.  It is simple to make and wonderful!  The hot soup is poured over the fresh vegetables to heat them.  It has a crunchy and delicious flavor. 
The ingredients are minimal and if the meat is fresh or thawed it does not take long to prepare.  It takes longer to cook if the meat is frozen, but that is the only difference.
You can put the soup in the slow cooker in the morning and have it that evening, just add extra of water so that it does not cook dry.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

1 pound of Boneless Pork, Chicken or Turkey
1/4 cup of Chili Powder
6 cups of Water
Salt
4 cups of Cabbage, washed and very thinly sliced
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1 bunch of Cilantro, finely chopped
2 Limes, sliced

In a deep stock pot, place meat, chili powder, and water.  Bring to boil and cook until meat is tender and falling apart.  Add more water as needed.  Break meat up into small pieces with a fork. Taste and add salt to your liking.
While the soup is cooking. Wash and prepare the vegetables. 
When ready to serve, put 1/2 cup of cabbage, a Tablespoon of onion, and a pinch of Cilantro in a soup plate.  Pour hot soup over the top and squeeze lime juice over all.

Enjoy!

Deloris

Chicken Stuffed Dumplins



Chicken Stuffed Dumplings



Chicken and Dumplings sounded so good on a cold, rainy Texas afternoon, but as the afternoon wore on, I decided to stuff the dumplings instead of the traditional recipe.  This turned out so delicious, I am serving it to some friends next week. 

I had boiled the chicken the day before but you can use any cooked chicken.  If you wanted to purchase a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store that would work. I would not use canned or frozen biscuits for the dough.  The recipe for the dumplings is simple and does not take long to prepare.  The amounts of the seasonings are a reference.  That is the amount I used, however, taste the cooked chicken as you season it. You may want more or less than I used.  Just remember that it needs  more seasoning than usual because it will be inside the dumpling.

The recipe makes about 3 dozen dumplings and enough soup for six servings.

2 cups of Cooked Chicken, chopped

1 teaspoon of Lawry's Perfect Blend Chicken Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of Flour

1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/3 cup of Shortening

3/4 cup of milk

8 cups of Chicken Broth

4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

In a large bowl, mash or shred the chicken.  I used my very clean hands to mash the chicken, finely.  Add the chicken seasoning, garlic powder, and the first half teaspoon of salt.  Set aside

In a second bowl, combine flour, baking powdered, and second half teaspoon of salt, mixing with a fork.  Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until flour is "pea sized".  Make a well in the middle of the flour and shortening and add milk.  Mix with a fork until combined.  Transfer to a pastry sheet and roll out very thin, about 1/8 inch.  Using a 3 inch cookie cutter, cut circles.  Remove the excess dough. Place 1 teaspoon of prepared chicken in the middle of each dough circle.  Dampen edges of the dough with water and press closed.  Repeat until those have all been filled and set aside on a plate.  With the excess dough, repeat rolling, cutting and filling until all of the dough is used.  You will have chicken leftover.

In a large stock pot, add the chicken broth and leftover chicken. Heat the chicken broth to boiling and reduce the heat so that the broth will simmer.  Add the chicken bouillon cubes and allow those to dissolve.  Once the bouillon cubes have dissolved and the broth is slowly simmering, add the dumplings carefully, so as not to break the dough.  Allow to simmer slowly, 12 minutes.  Once the dumplings have thoroughly cooked, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. 



These are the dumplings, Yum!



Enjoy and try not to hurt yourself!

Deloris 

Delicious Onion Soup

Onion Soup

I can not call this French Onion Soup. The only similarities are the onions and beef stock.  It is delicious and makes a very simple meal on a rainy Texas evening.  This particular batch of soup was made a day ahead of time and when tasting, I realized something was missing but could not determine the missing flavor.
So the next day, my friend, Trudy, asked if I had added a Bay Leaf. I knew then the bay leaf and a splash of lemon juice were the missing ingredients.
So here is the recipe, I hope that you try this!

3 pounds of onions, cut in half and sliced to medium thickness
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, I used Sepay Groves, of course
8 cups of Beef Stock
6 Beef Bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon of Thyme
1 teaspoon of Tarragon
1 Bay Leaf
1 teaspoon of chopped Garlic
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
Rolls for croutons
1/2 cup of grated White Cheddar Cheese

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot, on low and add onions.  Stir often and allow the onions to sweat.  This will take about 20 minutes. The onions should not brown.  Add the beef stock, bouillon cubes, thyme, tarragon,  bay leaf and garlic.  Allow the soup to simmer about 30 to 45 minutes.  Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and add lemon juice.
While the soup is simmering, slice rolls about an 1 inch thick and slowly toast in the oven so that the bread dries out.

To assemble:
Heat broiler.  Place a crouton in the bottom of an oven proof soup bowl and ladle hot soup over it. Top with cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts. Let the soup and bowl cool down before serving.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Homemade Noodle Soup

 This recipe was originally posted December 11,2011 but I am cooking it today and decided to share, again.  There is nothing better on a cool, rainy day than Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles.
Enjoy!  Deloris

Debbie's Spiced Pumpkin and Ginger Soup

Debbie, my wine girl, gave me a pumpkin and this recipe.  I felt like Linus and could not bring myself to cut up my cute little pumpkin, so I substituted a can of  pumpkin.  If you use canned pumpkin, make sure it is NOT pumpkin pie filling. This is very delicious.  She recommends serving it with Wine Shop at Home Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

1 leek, chopped
1 ounce of ginger root, scraped and chopped fine
1 onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1 teaspoon of Cumin
few sprigs of fresh Thyme
2 Tablespoons of toasted Pumpkin Seeds or sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 Chili, chopped
6 1/2 cups of Vegetable Broth
2 1/4 pounds of Pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and chopped

Cook the onion, leek, cumin, chili, ginger, and thyme in the butter in a big pan until they are soft.  Add the broth and pumpkin and bring the mixture to a boil and season to taste.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Let the soup cool down and then blend the soup, one quarter at a time, in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Reheat and serve with roasted seeds sprinkled on top or do what I did and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Thanks Debbie!  This recipe is a keeper.

You can order Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from Debbie at www.wineshopathome.com/debbierobinson

Enjoy!

Deloris

Easy Homemade Tomato Soup



Homemade Tomato Soup
with Bella Vitano Cheese
and a ripe Bartlett Pear


This is a very nice lunch to eat when you are having a stressful workday.  Throw in a piece of fruit and an wedge of your favorite cheese.  You will have a lunch that makes all of your coworkers envious. This needs to be made the day before you are taking it for lunch.  It takes about 25 minutes to prepare. If you like the Tupperware brand lunch takealongs, contact Nancy at www. nancywulff@gmail.com.  She supplied mine and I love them.

1/2 of a small Onion, finely chopped
1/2 of a Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 cup Cilantro Leaves
1 can of Diced Tomatoes
1 can of French Cut Green Beans
a sprinkle of Fennel Seeds
a sprinkle of Dried Basil Leaves
1/4 teaspoon of Curry Powder
1 Lemon, halved

Spray a saucepan with vegetable cooking spray, heat over low and add Onions, Bell Pepper and Cilantro.  Cook slowly until just before the onion caramelizes.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the lemon.  Juice 1/2 of the lemon over the tomato mixture and cook about 10 minutes until all the flavors combine.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Once cooled, working in batches of 1 cup, ladle the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. (I have made the mistake both of blending a hot mixture and using too much of the mixture at a time. I got burned with the first misstep and the soup did not get totally blended with the second. Therefore let it cool and then work in small batches.) Pour into a separate bowl and continue this process until all of the mixture has been blended. Once that is done stir in the juice from the other lemon half.  Pour into 4 microwaveable, sealable soup bowls.  Refrigerate until you are ready to pack lunches.   Microwave soup on high for approximately 20 seconds or until soup is heated through. Makes approximately 4 one cup servings.

Have a real lunch that you can truly Enjoy!

Deloris

Stuffed Potato Soup

 This is a wonderful and easy autumn treat.  Add some cornbread and you will have a lovely meal.
Peel and cube 3 cups of potatoes.  In a large stock pot, cook 2 pieces of bacon.  Remove the bacon and reserve for garnish later. Add the potatoes and almost cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook potatoes until tender.   Once the potatoes are tender when testing with a fork.  Add 1/2 cup of butter or margarine and 2 cups of milk. Cook about 20 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup of shredded Cheese and 4 ounces of Sour Cream. Remove from heat and garnish with reserved bacon.

Enjoy!

Deloris

Pork and Cauliflower Soup

"Leftovers" is an ugly word to me.  I have never liked to eat the same thing again, just to keep from throwing it away.  This recipe is a wonderful, easy dinner that uses food that might find the fate of the garbage can. 
You  could use any type of leftover, cooked meat but I use pork because when I purchase it, it is usually as a loin roast.  I slice it into the cuts that I want, roasts, chops, or stew meat.  This was the rest of a roast that was grilled on the pit.  If you decided to make it from raw meat,  simmer the meat in a little stock until it is tender and cooked.

At this point, I would like to address cooking pork.  I know that there are a lot of theories on how done pork can and should be.  I was raised on a farm with brothers, who won blue ribbons on swine, at live stock shows. I have been a meat cutter for many years, so I have to say this about pork:  Cook it until it is WELL DONE.  Please resist the urge to cook it to medium.  Just because it is well done, does not mean that it is tough. Swine farming has changed over the past fifty years and the feed for hogs has changed, as well. Pork is safe, delicious, lean, and fairly inexpensive compared to other lean meats.  Please remember to handle it properly and cook it thoroughly.

Okay, enough of the soap box.  Here is the recipe:

Pork and Cauliflower Soup

Leftover, cooked pork, cut into small pieces
1 onion, chopped
1/2 of a small cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1 Cup of Chicken Stock
1 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes with olive oil and garlic
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, tarragon, and basil
2 Tablespoons oil
Water

In a large stock pot, heat oil and saute' onion until clear. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer, adding water as needed.  Cook until cauliflower is tender.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed

This dish only takes a few minutes to cook and for the flavors to blend.

Yummy and Easy.  What more could you ask for.

Enjoy!

Deloris