Search Results for: blog comfort food homemade soup and croutons

Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day Leftovers

St. Patrick’s Day is over, though you might have a hard time telling by looking in my refrigerator: No beer and lots of corned beef and cabbage leftovers. Blame it on the leprechauns or the fact that I overdid it on the corned beef. Regardless, I have my work cut out for me to try to breathe new life into all this leftover brine-cured beef. Fortunately, I have a few recipes that are perfect for leftover corned beef and cabbage. If you gorged on the traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare last night, and still have a hankering for the pickled … Continue reading →

Winter Warm Ups

After a string of days with above normal temps, winter has returned to the Upper Midwest. Our high today is supposed to be 6 degrees with windchills bottoming out at –25 degrees. In addition, a massive winter storm is affecting millions to the south and east of us, as heavy snow, ice and flooding rains make the season even more dreadful. In my opinion, there’s nothing positive about cold weather, save for the fact that it creates great soup making conditions. If you are trapped indoors because of the wicked weather, consider using the time to make huge pots of … Continue reading →

Tis the Season for Soup

Tis the season for frigid temperatures and family gatherings. If you’ve hosted meals for friends and family during the holiday season, then you know nothing feeds the masses like homemade soup. Not only is soup affordable, nutritious and tasty, it’s also very simple to make. What’s more, nearly all soup recipes can be prepared in advance, so you aren’t left chained to the stove in the kitchen while the rest of family is partying in the living room. The following are some of my family’s favorite winter soups: SIMPLE RAVIOLI SOUP Ingredients: 1 pound Italian sausage 1/2 cup diced onion … Continue reading →

Optifast

The Optifast weight loss program has helped thousands of people to lose weight on this meal replacement regimen. The Optifast program uses great tasting products of ready to drink shakes and powders, as well as soups and snack bars. This program has stated that it has proven results, which is apparent in its testimonials. The Optifast product is stated as a high quality drink that is completely nutritional. Every product is measured out to ensure portion control. This follows the easy to prepare, pre-packaged theory that is so successful when it comes to weight loss. When a product or a … Continue reading →

International Soup Recipes

Despite the fact that temperatures were in the 80s during our recent trip to Hawaii, I couldn’t help but indulge in some of my favorite soup recipes. I am very fortunate to have an extended family of wonderful cooks, who love to feed visiting foodies. The Chicken Jook and Sausage and Bean Soup can be made in slow cookers, making preparation and clean up a breeze. Meanwhile, the Roast Pork Kim Chee Soup is bursting with flavor and is just as fast and easy to make as the Chicken Jook and Sausage and Bean Soup. All three are ideal for … Continue reading →

Comfort Food: Homemade Soup and Croutons

A lazy Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to make a large pot of steaming hot soup. Not only will it help warm you up on cold winter’s day, but also if you plan ahead you can make enough to take to work the next day. This recipe for Classic Tuscan White Bean Soup will fill your kitchen with irresistible aromas, as will the homemade croutons, which give off an enticing scent of warm garlic: CLASSIC TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP Ingredients: 2 cups dried cannellini or other white beans, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained 6 cups water 1 teaspoon salt … Continue reading →