soup - Around My Family Table

A Love Affair with my Soup Pot

August 24, 2012 · by amft · 17 Comments

Do you remember last winter when my favorite soup pot’s lid was broken by my son. It was such a sad, sad day. I loved that pot; it made the best soup! And I missed it dearly during soup season last winter. Why is it that we become so attached to things, like a soup pot?

Even though it’s still 110 outside, soup season is coming and my family members are soup-oholics! Yes, I could make soup every day and it would make hubbyman and kids so excited. For me a great soup pot is one that is

well seasoned,
enameled cast iron,
heats evenly,
stylish,
easy clean-up,
oven safe, and
big enough for a large batch of soup or a big pot roast.

Luckily, I found that in my new Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron Casserole Pot. It has a beautiful modern design with all the features of a classic casserole pot such as condensation rings, oven safe to 500F, works on any type of stove top (gas, electric, induction), and is pre-seasoned with easy clean-up! It comes in 3 sizes, but I have the biggest..the 8qt! It is perfect for my family of 4 with plenty of room for larger meals or double batches of soup (perfect for freezing).

I am in love with my new pot. It is awesome and I am so excited for all the soups I will be making this winter. I have to admit…I might even love this pot more than my old one. It’s probably twice the size of my last one, which is good since my family has grown since I bought my last one. I think it’s time I let go and retire the old pot, the one without the lid, to the kitchen graveyard.

Disclaimer: GigaSavvy provided me with a pot for review purposes. I was not compensated for my review; all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: kitchen gadgets, review, soups · Tagged: cookware, review, soup

Soup Rewind

February 23, 2012 · by amft · 15 Comments

My family is sad since soup seasoning is quickly coming to an end. It’s been in the 70′s and I’m not big on soup when it’s hot. I will still make it for them, but not as much. However, I realize that for many of you it’s still really cold and wintery…..maybe you should move to AZ. Anyway, I thought I would do a recap of some of my favorite soups today.

Chicken and Corn Soup

Turkey Noodle Soup

Posole

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slow Cooker Potato Chowder

Tortilla Soup and Taco Twists

8 Can Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Clam Chowder

Split Pea Soup

Spinach & Tortellini Soup

Black Eyed Pea Soup

Filed Under: soups · Tagged: pressure cooker, slow cooker, soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

February 9, 2012 · by amft · 18 Comments

So I married a soup lover! He loves soup! And wouldn’t ya know it…he passed his love for soup down to our kids. My daughter is a soup connoisseur…she can tell a good soup from a bad one and is very picky about what kinds she will eat. I find it amusing when my 7 year old orders soup for supper at a restaurant or instead of french fries. We always get that one eyebrow up look from the waitress.

In fact, she also does this with some veggies. If there is broccoli on the menu in any way then it better be on her plate. She has one little friend, the 8yo son of Janice over at Celebrating Family, that they will fight for each other’s broccoli. They will both order it and then eat their own as fast as possible so that the winner can eat the rest from the other plate. It never ends well. Someone is upset because the other got more. Seriously?!?! You’d think they were fighting over the world’s finest chocolate or something. Strange Kids!!! Kaylynn even asked Santa for steamed broccoli with butter. Santa forgot, so we never heard the end of it until I made some.

Do you see where this post is going? To my broccoli cheese soup, that’s where!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

4-5 bowls

Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 tbls butter

½ onion, roughly chopped

2 1/2 tbls flour

2 cups whole milk

1 cup chicken/vegetable stock

1 large head broccoli, roughly chopped

1 ½ cups grated cheese

additional milk and cheese may be needed

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 4 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for a minute or two. Pour in the milk and broth. Add the broccoli. Season with a dash of salt and black pepper.

Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer on low until the broccoli is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Puree soup using a blender (in two batches), immersion blender, or even a potato masher. Stir in the cheese and allow to melt. Taste the seasonings and adjust if needed. Thin with additional milk to desired consistency.

To make it a little heartier, stir in some diced ham or leftover chicken/turkey. Serve with extra cheese and crackers.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/02/broccoli-cheese-soup/

Filed Under: main dishes, soups, vegetarian · Tagged: broccoli, cheese, soup

Tortilla Soup and Taco Twists

December 27, 2011 · by amft · 15 Comments

Do you have a Blendtecor Vitamix? I love mine, we use is for smoothies all the time. When I bought it I knew I could make a hot soup with it, but I never tried until Kaylynn begged me to. The soup is very similar to the one found in one of the cookbooks and what is made at the displays at the in-store demos.

If you don’t have one of these blenders then you can still make the soup. I will give directions for both, I promise. And for an extra special treat, try making your own taco seasoning.

Nothing beats an easy hot, homemade soup on a cold winter’s day. This Tortilla Soup comes together very fast and the Taco Twists couldn’t be any easier. I think I made enough for for 6 people and my family of 4 (which includes two small kiddos) ate the whole thing. There weren’t any leftovers…which I know John was hoping for. He just loves taking homemade leftovers to work for lunch.

Tortilla Soup and Taco Twists

SOUP:

2 tbls taco seasoning

1 1oz cheese stick

3 baby carrots

4 sprigs cilantro

2 large ripe tomatoes (or 3 roma tomatoes)

1/2 avocado (peeled)

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 small onion

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups hot water

1/2 can black beans

2 handfuls tortilla chips, slightly crushed

shredded chicken, opt

TWISTS:

1-2 tbls taco seasoning

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can crescent rolls

Soup:

Place first 10 ingredients in blender. Blend on high speed for several minutes until soup is hot. Add in black beans and crushed tortilla chips. Blend on low speed for about 20-30 seconds. Serve hot with additional shredded cheese and chips and sour cream

*To make without blender, put first 10 ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree ingredients. Add in additional ingredients and lightly puree until desired texture.

Twists:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll can of crescent roll dough and lightly press seams together. Gently roll dough with a rolling pin, increasing the size of the rectangle just an inch or so all the way around. Sprinkle dough with taco seasoning and cheddar cheese.

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 8 long strips. Pick up each strip and carefully twist 4-5 times and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2011/12/tortilla-soup-and-taco-twists/

Filed Under: breads, soups · Tagged: breadsticks, soup, supper

Chicken and Corn Soup

November 21, 2011 · by amft · 18 Comments

John and Kaylynn are HUGE soup fans. It’s okay for me, but I try my best to please everyone during the week and a good soup will make them both happy. So, I’m always trying to make a new soup for supper and I always love a meal that is easily made from pantry staples. It makes it easy to keep everything on hand for a quick supper on busy nights.

I served this soup with those super yummy Cheddar Muffins that I shared with y’all last week. The two went together really well.

But we had a little mishap in the kitchen. I was letting Gavin (my 2yo) help me with supper and he decided that it would be funny to slide the lid of my favorite soup pot off the counter and onto the flour. Of course it shattered into a bazillion pieces. I’m so bummed….I loved my Emile Henry Flame Top Stew Pot.…probably more than I should have. I’ve had it for many years, so it was well seasoned and made the best soup. I told John he better figure out how to get me a replacement lid for Christmas. I’ll keep my fingers crossed….

Chicken & Corn Soup

2 cups (or 1 16oz can) chicken stock
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cans (~80z each) cream-style corn
1 can (12oz) evaporated skim milk
1 1/2 tbls flour
1 cup leftover cooked chicken (or 1 can of cooked chicken, drained)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper

In a large stock pot, combine stock, onion, and celery and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Filed Under: poultry, soups · Tagged: chicken, corn, soup, supper

Clam Chowder

October 5, 2011 · by amft · 13 Comments

This is hands down my all time favorite soup recipe. I have not had a clam chowder that tastes better than this…I won’t even order it at restaurants any more. However, I do realize that I don’t live any where were there are fresh clams so there might be a better clam chowder out there, but I haven’t had it. My 7yo daughter begs and begs for this as well, so despite the 120 degree temps outside, I made it for her.

Before you move down to the recipe, I’m warning you now that I make this in a pressure cooker (it can be made in a regular pot as well). Pressure cookers have come a long way and are really safe. My favorite brand is Kuhn Rikon, but there are a lot of other really good ones there too. Maybe one day I will do a whole pressure cooker post. I’m not going to tell y’all that I have 3 of them. Don’t judge me until you have one….they are AWESOME!

Also, I use a couple of specialty ingredients, but they are worth it! I love Ultra Gel…it is an instant thickener. I found another brand on Amazon. I also use clam base. It adds a wonderful flavor to the chowder. The brand I use is hard to find, but I’m sure any one would work. I have made the chowder without the clam base and it is still really good, but the clam base takes it over the top!

To serve, I usually set up a toppings bar and let everyone top their chowder how they want. The kids think it’s fun!

Clam Chowder

6 slices bacon, cut up
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans clams, with juice, 10-oz cans
2 Tbsp clam base
1 cup celery, chopped
4 potatoes, cubed (4 or 5)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups half and half, whipping cream, or any grade milk*
Ultra Gel (instant thickener) or 2 tbls corn starch & 1/4 cup broth

In 5 quart pressure cooker, fry bacon until tender. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels (reserve about 2 slices for topping). Deglaze pot with butter and onion. Add garlic and sauté until vegetables are tender.

Add clams, clam base, celery, potatoes, chicken broth, and spices. Bring to a boil. Put on pressure lid and bring to second red ring. Time for 3-5 minutes, then drop pressure immediately under cold water. (Or boil on the stove top until the potatoes are tender.)

Add half and half and heat through. Thicken with Ultra Gel to get desired consistency (or combine 2 tbls corn starch with 1/4 cup broth and add to the chowder; add more if needed). Adjust seasonings.

**I usually use a combination of whatever milk I have on hand and whatever (unflavored) half & half we have for our coffee.

Filed Under: pressure cooker, seafood, soups · Tagged: clam, pressure cooker, soup, supper

Spinach & Tortellini Soup

September 21, 2011 · by amft · 11 Comments

This soup is the result of me cleaning out the fridge and freezer. I had a bunch of odds and ends left over, not enough to keep, but too much to throw out. It’s not the prettiest of soups, but it actually turned out really good. The kids were super excited about the tortellini and so they gobbled up the soup. Of course, a nice crusty bread is a must to slurp up all the leftover broth.

I made this vegetarian, but you could certainly use a chicken or beef stock and any variety of frozen tortellini that you like. I just love simple recipes like this that can be easily changed to fit my family’s likes or what I have in the pantry.

Spinach and Tortellini Soup

8-10 cups water or stock
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups baby spinach, lightly packed
1-22 oz bag frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 salt
Parmesan cheese shavings and crushed red pepper flakes (opt)

In a large pot, combine stock, garlic, onion, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in tortellini and spinach. Continue boiling until the pasta is done. Garnish with Parmesan cheese shavings. Serve with crusty bread.

Filed Under: soups, vegetarian · Tagged: leftovers, pasta, soup, spinach, supper

8 Can Soup

May 25, 2011 · by amft · 11 Comments

We love this soup. The entire family just eats it up and it’s super easy to make. Again, this is another budget/pantry meal. It’s also a perfect meal to have around if you are a prepper as all the ingredients for this soup and cans of things, so all the items will store nicely in your stockpile.

Whatever your reason for having budget meals, pantry meals, etc this one is definitely a keeper at our house. We even decided that it is an easy one for taking on vacation up to the cabin we rent every year.