Well, tonight I'm going to serve fruit soup, of which the recipe is posted here in July 2007, but I was considering making a Potato Soup.
First, my husband made a fun potato soup recipe with our Vita Mix last week. The Recipe is:
(oops, gotta find it again)
Then at my request, my sister-in-law shared how she makes potato soup.
boil cubed potatoes, mash half the potatoes somewhat, add cream, run the other half of the potatoes in food processor, add bacon bits and green onions, salt and pepper.
And finally my Mother wants me to make "Idaho Baked Potato Soup" for her on the recommendation of a long time friend who sent her the recipe on a postcard.
Idaho Baked Potato Soup
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, peeled, and cubed (about 4 cups)
(When I make baked potatoes next, I'll just bake 4 extra ones in the oven and then make this.)
4 green onions, sliced
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (so nice to keep a bag of bacon bits on hand)
1 1/4 cups shredded cheese
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
"Stone" soup and soda bread
Do you remember the story of Stone Soup? Well, after church, I made "stone" soup and soda bread. At least I felt like I was making "Stone" soup, since I was just using what was on hand, without going to the store on Sunday. I started with a frozen ham bone (my stone) and started throwing in stuff. My neighbors in the story were the freezer and the cupboard, etc. My neighbor "food storage" added dehydrated onions, peas, carrots and corn, since they rehydrate nicely. My neighbor "canned goods" brought canned white beans and kidney beans since I didn't have time to soak beans. My neighbor "dried goods" added soup pasta, those tiny sized pasta bits used for soup. My neighbor "seasonings" garlic salt, paprika, pepper. My neighbor "refrigerator" add hot sauce. Sounds funny, but I like hot sauce in my soup. "Canned goods" also threw in some instant potato buds to thicken it from soup to stoup -- thicker than soup, but thinner than stew. I'm probably forgetting something, but since I had no recipe, just watching my Mother and others in the past, I concocted it from what my "neighbors" had on hand. We enjoyed it. Hope you do too. If you have a variation of "Stone Soup", please share it here.
I wanted hot home made bread to go with it, but didn't want to wait for bread to raise, so I remembered I had a recipe for Irish Soda Bread, which has no yeast. It makes one round loaf and we ate all but four slices of it in that sitting. The recipe:
4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 C butter
3 T honey
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c buttermilk
1. Blend together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar.
2. Cut in butter with pastry blender.
3. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add honey and buttermilk. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough.
4. Form with floured fingers into a round shape and place smooth side up on lightly foured baking sheet. Cut an X on top. This keeps the crust from splitting.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until a rich brown. Tap bottom of loaf. If it sounds hollow, the bread is done.
I wanted hot home made bread to go with it, but didn't want to wait for bread to raise, so I remembered I had a recipe for Irish Soda Bread, which has no yeast. It makes one round loaf and we ate all but four slices of it in that sitting. The recipe:
4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 C butter
3 T honey
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c buttermilk
1. Blend together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar.
2. Cut in butter with pastry blender.
3. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add honey and buttermilk. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough.
4. Form with floured fingers into a round shape and place smooth side up on lightly foured baking sheet. Cut an X on top. This keeps the crust from splitting.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until a rich brown. Tap bottom of loaf. If it sounds hollow, the bread is done.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
It's "Spud Harvest" so it's time to glean, bake or mash, etc. some potatoes.
The kids are out of school for "Spud Harvest"! That's the name given to the time to harvest and the vacation from school to help with the harvest.
The "Activity Days" girls are out today "gleaning" the Bishop's spud fields. Last time they made bags they'll put the potatoes in to give to local needy families.
I have fond memories of this time of year working in the spud fields. I also remember going to the high school football games and buying piping hot "baked potatoes" at the concession stand. I like baked not steamed potatoes! When you wrap the potatoes in foil, they become steamed.
I like to wash the skins well, poke a couple of fork holes in each (You must poke each potato whether you bake or microwave them or they'll explode out of their skin) and sometimes roll them in salt. To me, the best way to bake potatoes is to bake them in a 400-425 degree oven for about an hour for 6 medium sized potatoes. Where I live you can buy a box of potatoes based on their size, so you can buy a box of 90s, 80, 60s, 50s, etc. The higher the number refers to how many potatoes fit in the box. I just heard another tip about baking potatoes. Put your potatoes in muffin tins, so that you can remove all of them from the oven at once by taking out the tin. Great idea!!
Baked potatoes can be served so many ways. Growing up my brother would empty the potato out of its skin, mash it down on his plate and smear butter and corn on top of it. If I only ate half of my baked potato, he'd ask me if he could eat the other half with the rest of his meal. I like to keep bake potatoes in their skin and even eat some of the skin -- this is why you wash it well.
Names of potatoes:
spuds:
In Dec 2006, I discussed spudnuts, delicious doughnuts made with potatoes, on this blog.
taters:
I love to order tater tots vs. fries to eat, when they are available.
murphies:
I understand that my paternal Grandfather used to call potatoes this, since potatoes supposedly came to America with the Irish.
tatties:
When my husband lived in Scotland, they used to boil turnips with their potatoes and call it "nips and tatties". I really like the taste of these mashed together. I use about 2/3 potatoes to 1/3 turnips. Another variation is to add carrots. We were at a friend's house for Sunday dinner and the husband was making mashed potatoes, but he threw in some dehydrated carrots from their food storage. This combination also tasted great.
My Father tells us cream was often their gravy for mashed potatoes, since it was readily available growing up on the ranch. I like to combine red potatoes with yellow or other potatoes in the same mashed potatoes too. What do I add, whatever I have on hand -- anything from real butter to butter buds, minced garlic or garlic salt, cream cheese sometimes but always milk (if you warm it, your potatoes won't cool off as quickly). Smashed potatoes versus whipped potatoes seem more satisfying to me.
peruna:
This is the Finnish word based on the fact that potatoes came from Peru.
papas:
This is Spanish for potatoes of course, but we call my Dad's mashed potatoes Papa's papas.
"Massilan Pojat" The Massila Boys -- When my Mother was young, her Mother always read to them while they ate. Sometimes she had a hard time getting them to eat. It become a tradition to here this story about 2 magpies stealing shiny jewelry from the neighbors window as her parents got them to eat their boiled potatoes. My maternal grandfather liked his "Massilan Pojat" or boiled potatoes with just a little bit of butter on top of each bite her ate. We still call them this.
Share how you like your potatoes.
The "Activity Days" girls are out today "gleaning" the Bishop's spud fields. Last time they made bags they'll put the potatoes in to give to local needy families.
I have fond memories of this time of year working in the spud fields. I also remember going to the high school football games and buying piping hot "baked potatoes" at the concession stand. I like baked not steamed potatoes! When you wrap the potatoes in foil, they become steamed.
I like to wash the skins well, poke a couple of fork holes in each (You must poke each potato whether you bake or microwave them or they'll explode out of their skin) and sometimes roll them in salt. To me, the best way to bake potatoes is to bake them in a 400-425 degree oven for about an hour for 6 medium sized potatoes. Where I live you can buy a box of potatoes based on their size, so you can buy a box of 90s, 80, 60s, 50s, etc. The higher the number refers to how many potatoes fit in the box. I just heard another tip about baking potatoes. Put your potatoes in muffin tins, so that you can remove all of them from the oven at once by taking out the tin. Great idea!!
Baked potatoes can be served so many ways. Growing up my brother would empty the potato out of its skin, mash it down on his plate and smear butter and corn on top of it. If I only ate half of my baked potato, he'd ask me if he could eat the other half with the rest of his meal. I like to keep bake potatoes in their skin and even eat some of the skin -- this is why you wash it well.
Names of potatoes:
spuds:
In Dec 2006, I discussed spudnuts, delicious doughnuts made with potatoes, on this blog.
taters:
I love to order tater tots vs. fries to eat, when they are available.
murphies:
I understand that my paternal Grandfather used to call potatoes this, since potatoes supposedly came to America with the Irish.
tatties:
When my husband lived in Scotland, they used to boil turnips with their potatoes and call it "nips and tatties". I really like the taste of these mashed together. I use about 2/3 potatoes to 1/3 turnips. Another variation is to add carrots. We were at a friend's house for Sunday dinner and the husband was making mashed potatoes, but he threw in some dehydrated carrots from their food storage. This combination also tasted great.
My Father tells us cream was often their gravy for mashed potatoes, since it was readily available growing up on the ranch. I like to combine red potatoes with yellow or other potatoes in the same mashed potatoes too. What do I add, whatever I have on hand -- anything from real butter to butter buds, minced garlic or garlic salt, cream cheese sometimes but always milk (if you warm it, your potatoes won't cool off as quickly). Smashed potatoes versus whipped potatoes seem more satisfying to me.
peruna:
This is the Finnish word based on the fact that potatoes came from Peru.
papas:
This is Spanish for potatoes of course, but we call my Dad's mashed potatoes Papa's papas.
"Massilan Pojat" The Massila Boys -- When my Mother was young, her Mother always read to them while they ate. Sometimes she had a hard time getting them to eat. It become a tradition to here this story about 2 magpies stealing shiny jewelry from the neighbors window as her parents got them to eat their boiled potatoes. My maternal grandfather liked his "Massilan Pojat" or boiled potatoes with just a little bit of butter on top of each bite her ate. We still call them this.
Share how you like your potatoes.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
First frost calls for soup for dinner
Have you eaten Taco Soup? With our first frost on the windshield this morning and giving in to the need to turn the heater on last night, tonight seems like a great night for soup, so I'm fixing TACO SOUP and decided to share the recipe while it's cooking. My husband's cousin got me hooked on this. My Mother used to make it too, so I'll post hers below as well. I'll be trying a few different soups out the next 3 weeks trying to decide what "soup/stew" to take to a potluck with some girlfriends in October.
Also, I love the tortilla soup served at Robert Redford's Sundance Tree Restaurant.
Boy, I wish I had the recipe for the chicken, rice and salsa soup I had in the Phoenix airport a few years back when leaving a business trip with a nasty cold. It was so good and cleared my sinuses right up.
I enjoy Southwest and Mexican foods and flavors. Please share your recipes here from this genre.
Categories: Soups and Stews
Title: Taco Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb. cooked hamburger
onion
1 (l6 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 (l6 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 oz. ) can tomato sauce
1/2 pkg. or 1 T taco seasoning
Directions:
In a kettle, brown 1 lb hamburger (1/2 lb meat will do) with 1 chopped onion and drain fat if necessary.
Add: 1 (l6 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 (l6 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 oz. ) can tomato sauce
1/2 pkg. or 1 T taco seasoning
Do NOT drain any of the above!!
Stir and simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Serve in a bowl over Fritos corn chips. Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired. Very good and satisfying. I serve this plain as is, or with a green salad and sometimes also with potato salad. Corn bread or sour dough bread is very good with it. I ALWAYS double this recipe. If there is some leftovers, it keep well for days. You can even freeze it.
Number Of Servings:4-6 servings
Taco Soup
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 sliced or chopped onion
2 cloves, minced garlic
Brown together and drain.
1-2 Tbs. ground cumin
2-3 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 large cans chopped tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups salsa
1 can whole kernel c orn, drain
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro
Can add fresh avocado cubes in soup just before serving. Also a dollop of sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips of your choice.
Also, I love the tortilla soup served at Robert Redford's Sundance Tree Restaurant.
Boy, I wish I had the recipe for the chicken, rice and salsa soup I had in the Phoenix airport a few years back when leaving a business trip with a nasty cold. It was so good and cleared my sinuses right up.
I enjoy Southwest and Mexican foods and flavors. Please share your recipes here from this genre.
Categories: Soups and Stews
Title: Taco Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb. cooked hamburger
onion
1 (l6 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 (l6 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 oz. ) can tomato sauce
1/2 pkg. or 1 T taco seasoning
Directions:
In a kettle, brown 1 lb hamburger (1/2 lb meat will do) with 1 chopped onion and drain fat if necessary.
Add: 1 (l6 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 (l6 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 oz. ) can tomato sauce
1/2 pkg. or 1 T taco seasoning
Do NOT drain any of the above!!
Stir and simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Serve in a bowl over Fritos corn chips. Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired. Very good and satisfying. I serve this plain as is, or with a green salad and sometimes also with potato salad. Corn bread or sour dough bread is very good with it. I ALWAYS double this recipe. If there is some leftovers, it keep well for days. You can even freeze it.
Number Of Servings:4-6 servings
Taco Soup
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 sliced or chopped onion
2 cloves, minced garlic
Brown together and drain.
1-2 Tbs. ground cumin
2-3 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 large cans chopped tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups salsa
1 can whole kernel c orn, drain
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro
Can add fresh avocado cubes in soup just before serving. Also a dollop of sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips of your choice.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Something's fishy
Do you like to eat fish or have you heard you should be consuming more Omega -3? I just heard a butcher share his 3 favorite suggestions for cooking fish. Since my Mother grew up eating fish daily, our family likes fish, so I'm going to try all 3. Please add your comment if you have more ideas or like these fishy suggestions.
Salmon Fillet: Put skin side down on grill, cover top with honey butter. Cook about 8 minutes. Gently flip over and the skin will peel off. Add honey butter to this side as well. You'll have a crispy honey butter side and a moist honey butter side.
Halibut Fillet: Spread mayonnaise on top of it as it grills.
Tilapia Fillet: Melt lemon yogurt in a frying pan and spread it over the tilapia as it cooks.
When I lived in Finland, I got to go fishing for Pike. It was so fun to fishing because you are constantly casting and reeling in. I like that better than sitting and waiting. Anyway, if you caught a fish, you were given a fillet knife. The superstition is you must pay for a knife or it brings bad luck, so you give a quarter or something to the gifter. I still have my fillet knife and enjoy filleting trout, etc.
Our sons went fishing for scouts and caught Bass in a local private pond, in exchange for clearing up some logs for the owner. One son's bass was large enough to eat and the others needed to be returned. Dad fried it in lemon pepper.
When I cook salmon it's in tin foil in the oven with lemon pepper and butter buds.
When I cook trout I fillet it and coat it with flour, salt and pepper and fry it in butter, as my Mother did.
Salmon Fillet: Put skin side down on grill, cover top with honey butter. Cook about 8 minutes. Gently flip over and the skin will peel off. Add honey butter to this side as well. You'll have a crispy honey butter side and a moist honey butter side.
Halibut Fillet: Spread mayonnaise on top of it as it grills.
Tilapia Fillet: Melt lemon yogurt in a frying pan and spread it over the tilapia as it cooks.
When I lived in Finland, I got to go fishing for Pike. It was so fun to fishing because you are constantly casting and reeling in. I like that better than sitting and waiting. Anyway, if you caught a fish, you were given a fillet knife. The superstition is you must pay for a knife or it brings bad luck, so you give a quarter or something to the gifter. I still have my fillet knife and enjoy filleting trout, etc.
Our sons went fishing for scouts and caught Bass in a local private pond, in exchange for clearing up some logs for the owner. One son's bass was large enough to eat and the others needed to be returned. Dad fried it in lemon pepper.
When I cook salmon it's in tin foil in the oven with lemon pepper and butter buds.
When I cook trout I fillet it and coat it with flour, salt and pepper and fry it in butter, as my Mother did.
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