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This one is tasty and easy to make.
Chop and add in sequence to hot oil in a Dutch oven - large onion, 3 ribs celery,
4 carrots, and 4 cloves garlic. Sweat these in hot oil until onions are transparent.
Add 1 heaping Tbsp of Patak's Madras Curry paste and small can of chopped tomatoes. Add 1 cup green lentils (dry) and 3 cans of chicken broth, plus 3 cans of water. bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 or so minutes until the lentils soften. Add chopped swiss chard leaves and stems and cook until soft.
Serve with dollops of natural yoghurt and a good multigrain bread. Yumm!
we call it The Melting Pot cookbook, because DH is Latvian, his sister-in-law is French Canadian and Native, I'm Irish, my cousin's husband is German, our neighbour (who used to be related to DH by marriage -- it's complicated) is Italian, and we have best friends who are sort of like relatives because we shared a dog at one point, who are African Canadian...so all those recipes are in our book, and we keep adding ones that we have tried and liked. Mel's bacon salad dressing springs to mind...
Our book is just a big looseleaf binder with the recipes in plastic sleeves, grouped by category. It is so handy when we are cooking something -- don't have to hunt around looking for whatever little slip of paper we wrote it on. With each recipe we put down who contributed it or where it came from (a restaurant or whatever). Our relatives are always browsing through it when they come to visit and I just email them any recipes that they want...
I don't like ketchup but love tomatoes, tomato soup, pizza sauce, spag. sauce etc...
and Yes to Vietnamese Soup. I make my own and add shrinp. yummy stuff.
I was in homesense (I think it was homesense) and they had a kit along the lines scrapbooking but for recipes. It was a really pretty book.
Another option....does your family do family reunions? Ours does a huuuuge one each year (a few hundred people) and one year they did a family cookbook...they asked people to send in their favourite recipes and the reunion committee made up a cookbook. It's great...ours is full of recipes like "how to cure 500 lbs of meat" (WHO DOES THAT??? :biglol: :biglol: ) of course there are regular day to day recipes in it as well.
either way I think you should put together a family recipe book. What would be great is if you could add little notes to the recipes so that when your kids are grown and have kids of their own they have a little story to share about where the recipe came from and a memory associated with that recipe.
i think that's a fabulous idea!!...it's amazing how many recipes get lost as we lose our older family....great idea...i'm sure they'll love it especially when they're older
OMG! Ladies! I can't thank you all enough!! I have so many to try now... I'm going to have to eat my way through them all, they sound so good LOL
Cheers!
p.s. I was thinking of starting my own collections of recipies that my family likes in a nice binder. Has anyone else done this? I'm thinking then I can pass it down to my 2 dd's......... kinda cheezy, but sometimes we forget about the simple recipies we really like! Just a thought to munch on.......
This is the best!
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
4 cups diced peeled potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash paprika
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Saute celery and onion in melted butter. Add potatoes and broth. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. In batches, puree potatoe mixture in blender. Return to saucepan. Stir in milk and seasonings. Add cheddar cheese and heat only until melted.
Serve with fresh bread..............YUM!
8 servings
Variations: add 1 sweet potato + potatoes to = 4 cups
add 1 - 2 carrots + potatoes to = 4 cups
The weird thing about me is, I don't like beets, but I love borscht!! I also don't like bananas, but I love banana bread, muffins, pancakes, chips..... but I digress!!
Here's the closest I can give you to a recipe for the kind of borscht I make. Sorry that I don't have accurate quantities for all the ingredients -- I just do it by taste.
Pot of beef broth -- I like to make homemade broth, and then I shred the beef that I made the broth with and put it in the soup.
1 bunch of beets, shredded (just the purple part, not the leaves)
Lemon juice and/or white vinegar
Salt & pepper
Sugar
I start off by adding the shredded beets to the broth. Then I add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and taste it to see what I need more of and adjust accordingly. Simmer it all for a while (maybe an hour), and then add the shredded beef. Spoon it into a bowl, and plop in a dollop of sour cream (I use low fat). That's it :) You can use chicken broth or turkey broth or vegetable broth as well, but I find beef broth has a better flavour.
[I]Edited to add.... I Googled "beet borscht" and found this recipe that's similar to mine:
[url]http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1627,152174-228200,00.html[/url]
Only I don't put in onions or garlic in the soup (I do put them into the broth, though), and I don't leave the bones in the broth. But it gives you a better idea of the quantities to use :)[/I]
Sorry I don't care for beet borscht. I like it without the beets. Traditional borscht has chunks of roast beef(not ground) and potato in it as well as the other ingred.posted. I love my Mommies...she makes the best borscht! She and her friends make it in huge batches for the local community sale....it sells out quickly!!!!!!! If I can get her to write up the recipe I will post it.
Beet borscht, I haven't had that in years, my mom used to make it.. I Love it. Great now I have a craving for it... LOL
In the fall and winter I could live on soup.... I am an addict, there is a Vietnamese place down town I go to called Pho Hungs, that makes the best pho soup i have ever had, we normally go about once a week... I have my whole family hooked on it now. But really I love any soup so this is a great thread for me I getting the best ideas.
from Canadian Living Mag. I make this one as it is easy. But I really prefer the beet borscht.
1 lb (500 g) extra-lean ground beef
•
2 onions, chopped
•
4 cloves garlic, minced
•
1 carrot, chopped
•
1 stalk celery, chopped
•
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped fresh dill
•
1/4 tsp (1 mL) caraway seeds, crushed
•
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
•
4 cups (1 L) thinly sliced cabbage
•
4 cups (1 L) beef stock
•
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
•
1/4 cup (50 mL) light sour cream
•
Dill sprigs
Preparation
In Dutch oven, brown beef over medium-high heat; drain off fat. Add onions, garlic, carrot, celery, dill, caraway seeds, salt and pepper; sauté until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add cabbage, stock and tomatoes; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until cabbage is tender but firm, about 25 minutes.
Ladle into warmed bowls; top each with dollop of sour cream and dill sprigs.
Time-saving tip
Cabbage Shortcut: Coleslaw mix in the produce section of your grocery store makes a quick substitution for the sliced cabbage.
hey Smoo...what is borscht?...i've never heard of that...post it anyways
My absolute favourite soup is borscht -- mmmmmm!!!!!! :P My mom and grandma used to make it, but I don't think either of them ever had a proper written recipe, because I've never been able to find one in their recipe boxes :(
It might be an acquired taste -- so if you're interested, let me know and I'll post as close to a recipe as I can.
My other fave soups are sorrel soup (it's just as good with spinach) and Thai coconut soup. Again, if you're interested, let me know and I'll post the recipes.
oh and for anyone with lil babies...this is a soup i used to make for my lil guys...
boil water with powdered chicken stock then add Pastina noodles...found in the ppasta aisle at the grocery store...it's tiny tiny star shaped pasta...bring it to a boil til the Pastina is cooked...then in a seperate bowl..scramble one egg and as water and pasta are simmering...slowly add egg and mix with a fork...my babies loved it...til this day they still do
oooh definately having soup for dinner this weekend. I'll have to check our grocery store again...the price of leeks hasn't budged for a while - 3.99 for a small bundle. I'm going to try the chicken soups....and I don't normally eat squash (because dh and ds don't like it) but that squash soup sounds too good to pass up. I'll eat the squash soup and make ds and dh the clam chowder...everyone will be happy :D
thanks for starting a great thread cheerio mom!
I agree with your Mom that a whole chicken makes the best chicken broth. Once you have that broth you are good to go and make so many variations of good 'ol home made chicken soup. I freeze the broth in portions so I can make enough soup for 4. I must remember your Mom's lemon juice/vinegar trick.
I just made potato leek soup, the leeks are reasonable now $2 for 6. I like to add some fresh dill and a dash of nutmeg and a bay leave.
my mommies homemade chicken and rice soup
boil chicken in pot of salted (to taste) water
then once chicken is cooked add 1 Tbsp of chicken broth powder
when it comes to a boil add rice and cook
if you're using instant rice turn off stove and let sit like normally would to cook it
serve with a squeeze of lemon...or a lil white vinegar...i prefer the vinegar
yumm...gonna have to try the Tortellini Soup...sounds yummy!!..
Mushroom Soup
1/2 lb mushrooms coarsely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1/2 small onion minced
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp tarragon
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt/pepper to taste
saute onion in melted butter till soft. add mushrooms and cook for 5 min or till browned. sprinkle with flour and let the flour cook for a few minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock so there's no lumps. bring to a boil whisking constantly. (it should thicken)
Reduce heat and add milk and spices. heat through and serve
Broccoli Soup with Cheddar
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 broccoli head chopped (stems peeled and chopped)
chicken broth (enough to cover the veg)
milk (1-2 cups)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt/pepper
grated cheddar cheese
saute onion and celery and garlic in butter until softened. add broccoli and enough chicken broth to cover . Cover and simmer for 20 min till broccoli is tender. Then either mash using potato masher or puree. add milk, nutmeg and salt/pepper. heat through.
put grated cheddar cheese in bottom of soup bowls, ladle broccoli soup over top.
we make a meal out of the f.o. soup, garlic bread and ceasar salad. with all that garlic other people probably can't stand to be around us afterwards :biglol:
French Onion Soup
2 tbspbutter
1small bag of onions peeled and sliced 1/4inch thick
2-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 bay leaf
6 cups beef broth (approx)
(red wine/white wine/sherry as much as you would like to add it's optional)
salt/pepper to taste
french stick toasted
mozza cheese or swiss or gruyere (the sliced cheese you get at the deli works well here because it lays over the top and side of the bowl and gets super crispy)
parmesan
saute onions and garlic in butter, stir frequently until nicely browned. Add bay leaf and wine, add stock and bring to boil. reduce to simmer. cook for 45min to 1 hour. you want it to reduce a bit and really concentrate the flavours. season with salt and pepper to taste.
ladle soup into french onion soup bowls, place a slice of french stick and top with the cheeses. broil until cheese is browned and bubbly.
We eat it with corn bread...
New England Clam Chowder
2 cans of clams
3 ounces of bacon
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, minced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups milk
salt and pepper
1 cup cream
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
splash of dry vermouth
Drain clams, reserving the juice.
Sauté bacon and remove from pan. Add butter and onions to bacon grease in pan and cook until onions are soft. Add potatoes, mils, clam juice, salt and pepper; cover and boil softly to 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add remaining ingredients and heat through without boiling. Ladle into soup bowls and add a splash of vermouth.
Serves 6.
This one is yummy but more time and expense. The local squash will be ready to buy soon.
1 large butternut squash
1 carrot
1 medium onion
1 leek, white portion only
2 Tbsp. butter
8 cups chicken stock
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper
8 oz. (250 g) Brie cheese
snipped chives
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place cut -side down on pan and bake at 350 F. until tender, about 45 minutes (or microwave cut-side down in a few tablespoons of water, covered, about 10 minutes).
Chop carrot, onion and leek into 1" pieces and place in large pot. Gently saute in butter. Do not brown. Scrape flesh from cooked squash and add to vegetables. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add apple, bay leaf and sugar to stock mixture. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Remove bay leaf and puree soup in batches. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Slice off outer skin of Brie and cut into 1/2" pieces. Place cheese in bottom of soup bowls and fill with hot soup. Garnish with chives.
I love home made soup of any kind and make this one often. It freezes well too.
I simmer a whole chicken in water (just enough to cover it) You can use bought chicken broth.)
Take the bird out and let the stock sit in the frig. over night. Skim off the fat.
Add to the broth, carrots, onions, zucchinni, garlic, celery (basil, parsley, dill spices I also add), and some small size pasta. Simmer until tender, then add a large can of tomatoes.
I also add some of the chicken cut up. Salt, pepper and more basil to taste. It is better eaten the next day, as most soups are.
A meal in a bowl with crusty bread.
another super easy one - suprisingly delicious and very filling
Tortellini Soup
chicken broth (for this recipe I use the Campbells broth in the tetra box)
fresh tortellini (my fav is the herbed cheese filled ones from olivieri)
pepper
parmesan cheese
Boil the chicken broth and some ground black pepper ( I like alot of pepper!) add the tortellini and cook according to package directions (8-10 min)
yummy topped with freshly grated parm cheese
dinner in 10 minutes! -
I'll get the other recipes to you today. I always seem to make too much chili and I've frozen it before no problem - the kidney beans might go a bit too soft when it's defrosted but that doesn't bother me.
You can actually freeze the potato leek mixture before you add the milk. Sometimes I'll make a big batch of the potato leek soup and when I puree it I put half aside to freeze and the other half goes back into the pot with the milk.
I had planned chicken and scalloped potatoes for dinner...now I'm thinking of soup :laugh:
ok you've sold me on the potato/leek soup! I will forget to mention to DH about the leeks (he's not aware of them anyhow LOL). I love potato soup and will try it this week-end. All of the others sound great also, if you don't mind sharing your secrets!! Have you ever tried freezing any of them? Curious? I think you can freeze chili? Yum! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.......
Thanks again :applaud:
I love to make homemade soup
Potato Leek Soup
great with crusty loaf and a salad.
use as much or as little of the ingredients as you want (or have)
butter (or oil)
bunch of leeks washed and thinly sliced (don't use the really tough green parts)
potatoes peeled and diced (3 or 4 large)
chicken broth (2-4 cups)
milk (1 cup)
salt/pepper
heat the butter (or oil) and saute the leeks until softened. Add the potatoes and cook for 5-10 min. Add enough broth to cover the leeks and potatoes. Bring to boil, then cover and gently boil or simmer until the potato has softened. At this point I like to puree the mixture until smooth, hubby prefers that I leave it chunky, it's good either way. Add the milk and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.
I like this recipe because it's super easy, you can't mess it up, if you only have a couple of potatoes on hand that's fine, if you want more broth to stretch the soup it's easy to just add the extra chicken stock and milk. Pureeing the mixture thickens the soup and leaving it chunky it's more like a broth. I've made this from start to finish in as little as 35-40 min.
when this recipe was given to me originally it also included shredded cabbage (to be cooked at the same time as the leeks) but hubby doesn't like cabbage so I don't add it in anymore.
I also have :
french onion soup
mushroom soup
broccoli soup
let me know if you would like these as well.