teacher by day - chef by night
Let me tell you – mom is right, this is not the same as hers, but it is a pretty gosh-darn good chicken soup (with perfect timing since I might be starting to come down with something!) So, look for those sales and then make a tasty roast chicken and turn the leftovers into an awesome soup!
We had an issue with hot peppers this year, and by “issue” I mean Rich grew habaneros & I evacuated the house while making hot sauce, burned my skin a few times, and also was overwhelmed with the amount of spice and had no idea what to …
Fall is in the air. We did our apple picking a few weeks ago and then last weekend we headed to the corn maze. After Fun Fall Frolicking we needed some tasty fall dishes.
This soup is so simple and highlights all the tasty fresh flavors of fall. Serve it along with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich of thin sliced apples, a bit of apple butter, and a sharp cheddar and your meal is complete!
Every time that I make a Butternut Squash Soup it seems to turn out a bit differently, but I love it every time! This soup has a definite sweetness to it from the apples. You can spice up your soup with some pepper flakes or leave it sweeter. Roasting the ingredients first allow the full flavors of the squash to really develop instead of just boiling them like I often do -yes, another step/dish but with some foil its totally worth it!
Flavor up your house with the delicious smells of fall! AND you could make this for Halloween with some roasted pumpkin seeds on top and a scary drizzle of something dark (dark BBQ sauce maybe) to give you that orange/black visual. Happy Fall 🙂
adapted from Verses from my Kitchen (check out the amazing photos)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash and remove the seeds. Roughly chop and spread out on a baking sheet. Add the quartered apples, 4 sage leaves and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, until squash is tender.
Using a large pot, add in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add in the onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft and then add in the garlic and bay leaf. Cook for another minute. Add in the squash, apple cider, apples, brown sugar, spices, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Using an immersion blender – make it smooth (OR blend in blender/food processor – be careful with hot soup) Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the heavy cream. Taste test & then serve and top with sour cream. Serves about 4
One Year Ago – my Scott’s Pizza Tour write-up (do it!)
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… what says “FALL” to you…
There are many ways to get inspired by food. Sometimes you are craving something. Or you could have an over-abundance of a certain ingredient and strive to use it. Other times you see a recipe or picture of something and know that you MUST make it …
To create this meal I litterally just threw tomatoes in the blender & thought about flavors. Then pureeded batches of tomato & friends went into the pot to be heated/reduced/tasted/enjoyed. Perfect with a quick quesadilla on the side to finish off the “Mexican Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Dinner” theme.
Yes – it is another installment of “We have lots of tomatoes around the house” Just because the nights are cooling down and fall is in the air it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a chilled soup… perfect starter for dinner or light lunch!
After making chilled cucumber soup, mom requested I try to make her Borsht (beet soup). We had a few beets – but obviously also an abundance of tomatoes so I decided I needed to do something that would combine them both! The Soup Chick (awesome name) had just the solution.
Survey says: Rich thought it was a little “earthy tasting” (but he hates beets). My Grandmother called me when she was eating the leftovers I gave her and was “Oohing & Aahhing” over it (love you Grandma). Mom & Dad were both very impressed & thought it was better than they were expecting!
Get in the kitchen, keep cool & use those summer fresh flavors.
as adapted from The Soup Chick, serves 4 – 6
Prepare fresh beets: preheat the oven to 375°F. Scrub the beets & trim stems. Wrap the beets individually in foil, place on a baking sheet, & cook for 15-20 minutes – until just tender when pierced with a knife tip. OR boil the beets for about 15 minutes & then peel/prepare. When the beets are cool enough to handle, cut them into large chunks.
In a large pot, heat the stock, when it is almost simmering – add the beets and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until tomatoes begin to collapse. Remove the pot from heat, and puree with an immersion blender (or let the soup cool a bit, and puree in a blender in batches).
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the soup in a covered container and refrigerate for at least two hours until well chilled. Just before serving, squeeze in the lemon juice, adjust with salt and pepper if needed, and ladle into soup bowls. Garnish each bowl with a small dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped chives or basil
And I leave you with Today’s Question of the Day…. What flavors do you like fresh & combined, and how would they go mixed into a soup – suggestions?