Soups

We recently had over these dear friends for dinner, and I made Jane Menendez's wonderful Herbed Tomato Soup. I love making this in winter time and pairing it with some good ole' fashioned grilled cheeses.

3/4 c unsalted butter, divided
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper
1 can tomatoes (35 oz) with liquid
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/3 c all-purpose flour
4 c chicken stock, divided
1 tsp sugar
1/2 pt (1 cup) heavy cream

Melt 1/2 c butter in large sauce pan and add olive oil.
Add onion, thyme, basil, s&p, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is wilted.
Add tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to blend. Simmer 10 min. Puree in food processor and gradually transfer back to pot.
Add flour in small bowl and 5 Tbsp chicken stock, stirring to blend.
Combine flour mixture w/tomato mixture. Add remaining stock and simmer 30 min, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
Add sugar and cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 min. Swirl in remaining butter (I usually don't do this last part).



Another delicious and very healthy soup is the Birmingham Junior League's:

Black Bean and Vegetable Chili

1 large onion, coarsely chpd
1 pound Kielbasa sausage, sliced (optional)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chpd
2/3 c picante sauce
1 1/2 tsp each: dried rosemary, oregano, chili powder, cumin
1 tsp dried basil
2 (16 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green and 1 red pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 large yellow squash and/or zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
Hot rice

Cook onion, and if desired, sausage in oil in large saucepan. Add tomatoes, picante sauce, and seasonings. Cover and simmer 5 min. Stir in beans, peppers, and squash. Cover and simmer 15 min or until veggies are crisp-tender. Serve over hot rice. Garnish each serving w/sour cream, chpd fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, hot picante sauce.

From "Food for Thought"

So easy, delicious, and a healthy way to add in all those veggies!

(And because I don't have pictures of these delicious soups, you get to view some fun and random pictures!) Below is a picture of my family skiing last December in Beaver Creek, Colorado.



And last but not least is Bronwyn Cardwell's Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

3 c chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
5-6 c broth (from water chicken was cooked in)
3 cubes chicken bouillon (added to water)
Uncle Ben's Wild Rice box
1 c cream chicken soup
1 c half and half
1 c whipping cream
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed

Cook chicken, remove from water. Boil water with bouillons and add Uncle Ben's rice and seasoning. Add rest of ingredients and simmer at least 30 minutes.
Serves: 6

Pair this with Bronwyn's Cornbread, and you have a set dinner! I make this pretty much every time I take a new mom dinner:

1/2 c butter, melted
1 c cream style corn
1 c sour cream
1 c self-rising cornmeal
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 med. onion, grated (optional)

Heat a cast iron skillet in the oven with a little bit of vegetable oil at 350. Melt butter and mix all ingredients together. Pour into hot cast iron and bake for 35-40 min.

(And because pictures make a blog more fun, here's a throwback picture from my sister-in-law's, Ashley, graduation from Auburn.)