Turkey Wing and Red Lentil Soup
January 16, 2013 - Written by Diana
Turkey Wing Red Lentil Stew
Did you know that Turkey Wings have just enough meat for a soup or stew ? I buy whole turkeys portion the meat out into separate labeled containers or bags and use them for separate meals. The turkey wings were set aside together and tonight used in a really quick and delicious soup. I am a beef and lamb lover – I also love turkey and chicken, but I forget sometimes that poultry is my husband’s preference over red meat. He likes red meat a lot, but every so often he’ll whisper in my ear and let me know we haven’t had turkey or chicken lately. That happened this week, so I today I dug through the freezer found a couple of turkey wings and threw together a delicious stew. A little bit of meat, a bunch of veggies and red lentils that melt into a thick creamy broth.
Ever since my husband has been on a low sodium diet, we’ve given up the curry powder. We try to stay away from …
Spring Sorrel and Minty Pea Soup
June 7, 2012 - Written by Diana
I love Peas, though usually when we plant them they usher in the summer closer to the end of the month. We love fresh picked peas though they can be a chore, picking and shelling take a while. We usually pick during the day and in the evening shell as much as we can so it can go right into the freezer. Fresh picked peas are only fresh for so long.
The unshelled peas in our market bag made me smile at remembering the kids gathered around sitting on the floor with paper bags spread out to catch the pods as we shelled the peas, snatching up peas here and there and trying to catch the small round seeds as they tried to escape their snug little cases. I know someone who says she won’t buy peas from the store because two steps away from the garden they just weren’t as fresh as they were when picked. It’s true there’s …
Cream of Broccoli and Leek Soup
May 23, 2012 - Written by Diana
There was a president (George Herbert Walker Bush) who banned broccoli from the White House while he was in office. When I first started dating my husband, I made a lovely chicken and broccoli casserole for dinner and was told upon presentation that he didn’t eat broccoli. He was ill one time while eating it as a child and decided that he was never eating it again. I batted my eye lashes and pleaded with him to try it, since I worked so diligently to make a delicious meal just for him. He fell under my spell and warily tried the broccoli, eating mostly rice and chicken, but nibbling at the broccoli. Slowly, I incorporated one of my favorite vegetables into our dinner menus and now we’re all broccoli eaters.
Some days cooking dinner is a really good thing, unless it’s too good and you end up spooning out tastes over and over because it’s so delicious you can’t resist. I had trouble resisting this soup while waiting for my husband to come home for dinner. Leeks are so good with broccoli in soup, they’re …
A Tale of Two Soups
January 31, 2012 - Written by DianaCold season is here – and we were bit. Two soups this week. I made Chicken soup for my husband on Sunday and he returned the favor on Tuesday. I returned home from work feeling clogged and gunky. My handsome knight in shining armor, the one who is slowly adding to his cooking repetoire, made some chicken soup for me. We’re big believers in those natural remedies. What about you? What do you do when you are feeling all clogged?
Sunday’s Chicken Soup…
Tuesday’s Chicken Soup…
Albondigas (Mexican Meatball) Soup
January 28, 2012 - Written by DianaWe were supposed to go to our friends house for a potluck dinner last weekend. Then there was an ice storm, and the dog was ill and didn’t eat for days. The dog also injured her spine and had much difficulty sitting and walking. Plus I was had a rumbly tummy on Friday night, and by the time Saturday came around my stomach muscles were too sore and not into food too much. Before you ask – the dog is fine. She is on a little medicine for her spine and an infection, but many vet visits later, she is doing well. I’m fine too. But we were very sad to miss out on a friendly gathering.
Anyway, these really cool friends sent a batch of this incredible Albondigas meatball soup home from work with my husband. So for a few evenings we reheated the soup, plus I took some to work for lunch. What didn’t I do? I didn’t take any photos darn it. My friend was cool enough to share her recipe with us. I think this would make a great superbowl entree. It’s not finger food, but the meatball and the peppers make a hearty dish, …
Potato, Celery Root and Broccolini Soup
December 16, 2011 - Written by Diana
This is a great farm market soup using vegetables that are still growing in the area as the choices get smaller and smaller at the farm markets. The number of stalls at some of the farm markets are dwindling, but trying to buy and use local as long as possible also means trying to be seasonal in your recipes.
There are a lot of nice late fall veggies in this potato soup hopefully making it nutritionally filling as well as warming you up on a cold day. I cut the broccolini into thirds. The bottom third of the stalk, I put away in the freezer for when I am making vegetable broth. The middle third I used for the soup and the top third I stir into the pot after steaming in white whine vinegar. I love having the whole veggie to bite into a nice morsel in the mostly smashed potatoes and celeriac broth. The celeriac I peeled and diced into bite size pieces to fill about 2 cups. I rough peeled the potatoes – because I’m a fan of skin and had …
Easy Ground Beef Vegetable Soup in the Crockpot
November 10, 2011 - Written by Diana
Last Christmas, my sister in law Pam, gave me a copy of a church recipe book – Seasoned With Love that her church had created for a fundraiser. It’s a fun family recipe book, the recipes were donated by the congregation. When I was out east taking care of mom, my mother in law stayed with my son. He’s 19 and old enough to live alone, but we knew that boys with girlfriends who live nearby probably should be supervised. That, and he doesn’t always eat enough to sustain himself. So we asked mom to come.
Mom made my college son this soup (contributed by Kellie Loudin) and since there were enough leftovers, my husband and I had a bowl when we arrived home. The soup was delicious but the best part was my son. He told us his grandmother made this soup that was easy – just cook up the ground beef, dump it and the vegetables into a pot and let it cook.
Chicken & Fall Vegetable Soup
November 2, 2011 - Written by Diana
Staying with my mom while she recovers from her surgery, I made Chicken & Fall Vegetable soup for dinner. Soup makes you feel good when you are sluggish and don’t want something heavy, especially if your throat is a little sore too. My mom is a fan of almost all vegetables, and since the fall vegetables are in season, this is the perfect time to make this soup. It is easy to prepare but will take longer than 30 minutes because it takes a while for the carrots and butternut squash to soften. The soup was served in a bowl over warmed wild rice. The rice would absorb the stock from the soup so we precooked the rice separately and then put a couple of tablespoons in the bowl and ladle the soup over top. The leftovers were stored as single servings in the freezer for meals on busy evenings after I left to go back to my family and home.
Mom can’t eat onions or tomatoes; acidic vegetables and fruit upset her tummy. If you feel it could use a few more vegetables, feel free …
Chicken, Chard, Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
February 10, 2011 - Written by DianaI told you I was going healthy for the Superbowl. We brought this soup, plus some berries and greek yogurt with honey – plus vegan chocolate avocado cupcakes. We did splurge though because my sister in law made some awesome queso with sausage that was great with chips and they also had some Buffalo Wild Wings. It was a small gathering, but there was plenty of food and even though our favorite team disappointed, we had a good time (well most of us).
I bought my butternut squash last fall at the farmer’s market. We put them into baskets and stored them on shelves in the unheated basement. The food doesn’t freeze down there, but it does get rather nippy downstairs. Last year I tried storing them in a warmer spot, but some of my squash went bad. This year, they are in perfect condition and not even drying out. I’m thrilled that we put up a nice shelving unit to use for winter storage.
Anyway, I also have been trying to work with beans more, but not canned beans, dry beans, and so that was the start of this soup. I …
Birthday Tribute for Shirley Plus Her Italian Vegetable Soup Recipe
December 4, 2010 - Written by Diana
Happy Birthday Mom (Shirley). Today is my mother in law’s 80th birthday, which I think deserves a little bit of a tribute. Pam (my sister in law) wrote up a little bio and provided a recipe for me:
Shirley Virginia Cline was born at home in Martins Ferry, Ohio in 1930, the oldest of eight children. She graduated from high school and from the Ohio Valley School of Nursing becoming a Registered Nurse. Shirley married William Hayes in 1951 and chose to stay home to raise seven children. This year, 2010, Shirley is 80 years old and her large family includes her seven children and their families, 14 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
Mom and I have our differences over plenty of things, but there are many similarities also. We were both oldest daughters who helped keep things in line. We once discussed that we both went away to college and felt freedom from the family obligations without feeling guilty. We also agreed that being the oldest girls (I did have an older brother), and having to help out made us stronger and taught …
