Italian Soups

When it comes to a fine Italian meal it is not uncommon for someone to overlook the Italian soups as a course and appreciated food. Soup has been around since the beginning of civilized cooking, and the introduction of boiled foods allows people the luxury of eating things that they once could not. This is because there are many grains and roots that are simply too tough to eat when they are in their raw form. By boiling foods you make them softer to deal with, and this opens new possibilities up in the culinary world as we know it.

Soup Is A Meal

It is not uncommon to find Italian soups being enjoyed all on their own as a meal and this is something that can be seen in the early afternoon as a lunch just as much as you can see it as a meal at dinner time. There are literally thousands of types of soups that can be found and great chefs and home cooks alike are creating new ones every day. Originally soup was a part of a larger meal known as a course, this is something that was usually served before the main course and was usually light and served with bread or salad. This can still be the case if you are going to eat soup as the main course, and most likely you will be offered salad and or bread to go with the soup.

Boiling Makes It Possible

If you are trying to make Italian soups out of ingredients that are rather tough in nature, then you are most likely going to have to boil it longer than other ingredients. This is nothing new in regards to soup, as most of the ingredients that were first used for soups were rather tough to eat on their own. Marrow from bones was something that was very sought after, as it contains a great deal of calcium. The problem with that was that it was very difficult to get at and the marrow was firm. Once it was discovered that the marrow could be extracted by boiling the bones, this allowed for new possibilities in cooking. Hard grains and other nuts that were too firm to use in meals needed to be softened, and many times the great oils from said grains and nuts could be extracted by the boiling process.

A Regal Dish

It has long been thought that Italian soups are considered a regal dish, and royalty enjoyed various soups that were prepared for them and their dinner guests. Soup is easy to prepare, and is just as easy to eat which makes it very convenient for the chefs. This could also be said for the less fortunate as well, and you would find many of the lower to middle class citizens making boiled meals that were considered soups. The ingredients were easy to obtain, and the outcome was simple making soup a main staple in the Italian diet.

Homemade Soup - How to Make Split Pea Soup

bit.ly Visit Rouxbe Cooking School to view a wide selection of online cooking classes, video cooking tips and instructional video recipes. This video shows the home cook how to make a traditional Split Pea Soup with Ham Hock.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdvCK6ibGx8&hl=en

Ham and Bean Soup

LindySez cooks Navy Bean Soup using a ham bone and dried beans.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFyvWnAptDA&hl=en

Soup As Nutrition

Soup is nutritious for moms during pregnancy, after birth or for baby going to solid at six months. Soup can be taken as an appetizer to stimulate the appetite or as a main course if one is not feeling well.

Soup should be made attractive and delicious to appeal to our appetite. It should not be oily or insipid in taste. It should be served in an appropriate quantity, not too big a bowl.

Here are some recipes of nutritious soup:

BROTHS are thin soup made from clear stock. You may use chicken bones, fish bones or any other meat bones for the stock. You may add vegetables; grains; slices of fish or meat to have them as complete meals.

CREAM SOUPS have thin cream sauce added and are highly nutritious. You may use milk for the cream. We normally add vegetables, meat, fish or grains.

BISQUE are thick, rich soups made from shell fish, particularly shrimps, crabs, etc. Sometimes vegetables are used.

CHOWDERS are soups made from sea food. Vegetables and crackers are generally added to thicken the soup.

PUREES are soups made from boiling any food till soft and then straining it to form a pulp. You may add vegetables or potatoes. A puree should be as smooth as thick cream.

You may add cloves, pepper, basil leaf, sage, thyme, mint or rosemary as flavors.

To thicken soups you can add plain flour, browned flour, corn starch and arrowroot flour. You should add cold water and stir the mixture well before adding slowly to the hot boiling soup. Remember to keep stirring to prevent lumps occurring. Stop when the correct thickness is achieved.
You can use rice, barley, oatmeal, noodles, tapioca, sago and macaroni. Crush the macaroni to small pieces and cook till very soft and starchy.

Cooking With MamaLikey: MASHED POTATO SOUP

***LINKS BELOW*** WHAT YOU WILL NEED: * 1 box of instant potatoes * 1 bag or brick of cheese * Flour * 1 stick of margerine * 4 cups (approx) of milk Cutting Board * Whisk * Sharp knife, fork, spoon * Measuring cup * Large stockpot * Stove 1.On a low flame, slowly melt one stick of margarine in stockpot 2.Add flour until melted butter turns dry and pasty 3.Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk to dissolve paste 4.Dice up and/or make sure you have cheese on hand 5.Add additional 3 cups of milk, slowly whisking them in 6.Slowly whisk in cheese 7.Add instant potatoes to desired consistency 8.Add salt, pepper, bacon bits or ham cubes for flavor 9.Serve and enjoy! www.myspace.com www.twitter.com www.livevideo.com www.vloggerheads.com www.viralvideo2.ning.com www.imcooked.com MUSIC BY: Kevin McLeod www.incompetech.com



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZikKlQEq70&hl=en

Chicken Tortilla Soup - How is it Made?

Chicken tortilla soup can be prepared in many different ways. This article covers one recipe idea that you can consider. Spices like cumin and chili powder can be removed, or replaced by other ones, according to taste. Many chicken tortilla soup recipes include corn as an ingredient, however, it is not included in this particular one. Hominy is also a kind of corn that has been treated, and some recipes also mention it (sometimes along with regular corn). Chicken breast without bones or skin can be used for a version that is lower in fat and cholesterol, however, other kinds of chicken meat can be used.

Ingredients

1 onion, small, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lime
4 oz. chopped green chile peppers, not drained
21 oz. chicken broth (or 2 cans)
11 oz. beef broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
10 oz. cooked chicken, cut into small cubes
1 c. water
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
6 corn tortillas, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
12 oz. shredded cheese

Directions

On medium heat, warm up the olive oil in a large pot. Then add the garlic and onion and saute them until they are tender. Add the rest of the ingredients, other than the last two. Bring the soup to a boil, and then lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes. Finally, add the tortillas and cheese, and let it continue simmering without being covered. When the cheese has melted, remove the chicken tortilla soup and serve it hot.

Soup - A Delicious Crab & Corn Bisque

I still remember when my workmate told me she'd be bringing me a crab bisque soup the next day. She had gotten the recipe from her mother in law and it was one of her favorites. Once I tried the soup, I knew I wanted to take that recipe and alter it to my families taste.

In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. While the recipe says you can use either butter or margarine, there is a taste difference and I prefer the butter taste. Once melted, stir in two cups of milk and two cups of whipping cream. Add salt, white pepper and mace (a seasoning found in most grocery stores) to taste. Continue heating on medium heat until almost boiling. Stir as the soup heats. Next, add in 1/4 cup of finely chopped celery, one can of corn, drained and 1/4 cup of cracker crumbs. Reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes. Add in one pound of imitation crab meat and two tablespoons of sherry. Heat through and serve.

I'd like to share one more variation of this soup using chicken broth:

4 cups chicken broth
1 pound imitation crab meat
2 cans creamed corn
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrots
2 cups heavy cream
Salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste

Pour the chicken broth into a soup pot. Add in the vegetables and allow to cook until vegetables are soft. Allow soup to cool and puree in a blender. Strain back into the soup pot. Puree the corn and strain into the soup pot. Add in the cream, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Simmer until heated through. Add in crab and allow crab to warm. Spoon into bowls.

If you like the taste of potatoes, add in one can of potato soup and remove one can of the chicken broth.

Crab Bisque can also be made with a tomato based broth. I have a very simple crock-pot recipe for crab bisque.

Place one pound of imitation crab meat, one can of condensed tomato soup and one can of cream of asparagus soup in your crock-pot. Cook on high three hours. Uncover and add 1 cup of half and half. Re-cover and cook on high one more hour.

If you want vegetables in the soup, consider adding in carrots, celery and onions. Strain before serving to remove these vegetables.

I love serving this soup with homemade garlic bread. I use a French bread loaf. I melt the butter with garlic and onion and then brush onto the bread and toast under the broiler.

White Bean Soup Recipe With Ham Hocks : Mixing Wet Ingredients for Cornbread Recipe

Learn how to mix the wet ingredients to make cornbread for a ham hocks and white bean soup recipe in this free Southern food cooking video. Expert: David Postada Bio: David Postada is Chef and owner of the Big Easy Catering company in Santa Barbara, California. Filmmaker: Diana Bacon



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRgr9_97eg0&hl=en

Fast and Filling - 15 Minute Soup Recipes

Some soups take a long time to cook but there are delicious soup recipes that you can prepare in just fifteen minutes. The easiest way to make a fifteen minute soup is to dissolve a bouillon cube in some boiling water, then add some sliced or chopped vegetables. Simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender, and then serve it as it is or puree the soup in a conventional blender or with an immersion blender.

You can also add herbs, spices, or seasonings to this basic soup recipe. Add some curry powder and cumin for an Indian flavor, a pinch of Herbs de Provence for a classic French touch, some dried basil, and oregano for an Italian flavor or a squeeze of lime juice and some chili powder to give the soup a Mexican taste.

Quick Onion Soup

A classic recipe like French onion soup traditionally takes a long time to make because the onions need to caramelize slowly and that step alone can take forty five minutes.

If you are more concerned about making a quick onion soup than following the traditional French onion soup recipe though, it is possible to make this soup in fifteen minutes by sauteing the onions rather than caramelizing them.

There are various quick onion soup recipes you can follow if you are not too concerned about getting the caramelized onion flavor, or you can use onion as the main ingredient in your own speedy soup recipe.

Recipe for Bean and Tomato Soup

This soup serves four people and it transforms the items you probably already have in your pantry and refrigerator into the most nutritious, flavorful meal. It is easy to make substitutions, so just throw in any vegetables you have to use up, or leftover chicken or beef. This is a hearty and full-flavored soup recipe, which the family will enjoy.

What you will need:

15 oz can diced tomato
15 oz can cannellini beans
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 sliced zucchini
3 chopped cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup torn fresh basil
10 oz frozen green beans
2 peeled, thinly sliced carrots
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 chopped ribs celery
Grated parmesan, to serve
Crusty bread, to serve
Salt and black pepper, to taste

How to make it:

Heat the oil in a pot, and then add the red pepper flakes and garlic. Stir in the carrots, zucchini, onion, and celery and cook the mixture for ten minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring the soup to a boil, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the soup for five minutes, then take it off the heat and stir in the basil. Serve this speedy soup recipe with bread and grated parmesan.

Kids In The Hall - Ham of Truth

I can still taste the ham... of truth!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Ka2nkIi2I&hl=en

Benefits of Having Chinese Raw Ginger Soup to Start the Day

According of many reports and observation from doctors, many cancer patients after recovering from serious radiation therapy and chemotherapy, their body will have some sort of very weak signs like no appetite to eat, cannot take in cold dishes, scare of cold, stomachache, easy to get diarrhea. This all due to not healthy or week stomach and the "Yang" ingredients is not enough in the stomach.

There is a very good suggestion from ancient Chinese medicine mentioning drinking Raw Ginger Soup or Drink early in the morning once you get up from bed.

Why? As according to Chinese medication, raw ginger soup can help us to regenerate the "Yang Qi" inside our stomach and makes it stronger, just like drinking raw ginseng soup. Hence improving the weak cold stomach sickness that some of us might have.

The recipe is here:

Ingredients: 6 pieces of Raw ginger slice, 6 pieces of red dates, 30 gram of cane sugar

Method: Rinse all ingredients, remove the seeds from red dates. Put all ingredient into a stewing port, add in 1 bowl of water, stew for like 10-15 minutes. Serve it while it is still hot or warm.

Advice:

1. Drink it with empty stomach in the morning right after you wake up from bed.

2. Not recommended to drink at night.

3. Some people might have soar throat after taking this, you actually can add in 6 pcs of black dried sour plum as it has the effect of bringing down the heat cause by ginger.

Basic French Onion Soup

French onion soup is one of the most celebrated in the world, yet its full possibilities are often overlooked. It makes an excellent entree for a family supper or a fine conclusion to a late evening gathering. Embellished with freshly grated Gruyere and crusty sourdough bread, the rich beef broth and sweet onion rings make a substantial meal. All you need to add are a crisp green salad and a fresh fruit dessert. This recipe should be served casserole style. Let it brew unattended in an ovenware pot until ready for its last-minute garnish.

Ingredients

6 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups freshly made or canned beef broth
1/3 cup white or red port or dry red wine (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

o Use a heavy-bottomed 3 or 4-quart covered pan.
o Saute onions in butter and oil until limp.
o Cover and let simmer slowly for 15 minutes.
o Pour in beef broth or bouillon and wine (if desired) and simmer for 30 minutes.
o Or place in an ovenware casserole in a slow oven (300o) for 1 hour.
o Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
o Makes about 1 1/2quarts or 6 servings.

A serving suggestion:

o Serve soup from the ovenware casserole or pour into a soup tureen; then ladle into individual bowls.
o Top each serving with a slice of buttered, dry-toasted French bread.
o To prepare, slice French bread 1/2 inch thick, place on a baking sheet, and dry out in a moderately slow oven -325 degree- for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
o Sprinkle each toast round with shredded Gruyere or Parmesan cheese and pas additional shredded cheese at the table.

How to Make Daenjang Chigae (Bean Paste Soup)

Daenjang Chigae is another traditional soup from Korea that is widely eaten during the winter holiday. Of course, it's not limited to only the winter time; Daenjang Chigae is eaten any time Koreans feel like eating this delicious soup. Not only is it easy to prepare, but it easily satisfies the appetites of many people in one sitting because of the enormous quantities that is prepared. Here are the ways to make Daenjang Chigae.
Here are the list of ingredients that you will need to make this soup: broth (usually beef or anchovy), some soybean paste, tofu, potato, either pumpkin or zucchini (or both), onions, garlic, peppers, chili pepper paste, and scallions.

Before we start the cooking process, some preparations are in order. Cut the tofu into bite size cubes, roughly chop the peppers, onions, potatos, zucchini, and scallions, and finely dice the garlic.

Now it's time to start cooking. First put broth into a large pot and boil on high. While boiling the stock, add the potatos, zucchini, onions, garlic, and peppers. There is no specific order to adding the ingredients.

After boiling the ingredients for a bit, drop the heat to about medium and add the soybean paste, chili pepper paste, and the tofu. Raise the heat to high again.

After the soup has been boiling for at least five minutes, you'll notice that the vegetables will have gotten very soft. This is the sign to stop cooking and prepare to serve.

Daenjang Chigae is easy to prepare and delicious to eat. Share this new found knowledge with your friends and family!

SPILLING REESES PUFF CEREAL:[ (Blog 9)

hey so thanks for watching and pleasee check out my blog tmrw!! :]



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgepyjCZPFU&hl=en

Different Types of Noodles For Tasty Soup Recipes

There are lots of kinds of noodles and you could use any of them in a soup recipe, depending on what kind of soup are making and what other ingredients you are going to use. For a traditional chicken noodle soup recipe, for example, you might choose egg noodles but you could substitute another kind of noodles if you wanted to.

Noodles Made from Egg

Egg noodles are very popular and they feature in a lot of Asian recipes, as well as in soups like chicken noodle soup. Egg noodles can be dried or fresh, round or flat and thick, medium or thin. They have to be cooked in boiling water. If you are making a chicken noodle soup recipe or something similar, use fresh egg noodles rather than dried ones for the best results.

Hokkien noodles are made from wheat flour and egg and these are yellow and thick. You can find them vacuum-packed or fresh in Asian grocery stores. Ramen noodles are the Japanese equivalent to Chinese egg noodles. "Ramen" actually means Chinese noodle. Ramen noodles are thin and you need to keep them in the refrigerator until you use them.

Other Kinds

Rice stick noodles are flat and translucent. You can use them in salads or soup recipes and you have to soak them in warm water before using them. Fresh rice kinds can be thick or thin and they are steamed and oiled, then packaged. Do not refrigerate fresh rice or they will become hard. Dried rice vermicelli are thin and white. They are good at absorbing flavors from other foods.

Wheat flour noodles like udon noodles are Japanese in origin and these need to be boiled, and then added to soup recipes. Soba noodles can be made with buckwheat or wheat flour.

Mung bean thread vermicelli are also known as glass noodles or cellophane noodles and these are made from mung beans. They need to be soaked and drained before being added to recipes.

How to Make Easy Beef Noodle Soup

The following recipe makes enough beef soup to serve a family of four. For this soup, you can use beef-flavored ramen noodles, which come with a seasoning packet. If you prefer, you can use another type of noodles and add some extra soy sauce to the soup instead of the seasoning packet. For a chicken noodle soup, substitute three boneless chicken breasts for the beef and use chicken flavored pasta.

You will need:

1 lb ground beef
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 chopped onion
6 oz beef-flavored ramen noodles
1 head chopped Chinese cabbage
4 cups water
2 minced cloves garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

How to make it:

Brown the beef in a skillet, then drain off the fat. Put the browned beef in a big pan and add the garlic, ginger, and onion. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil.

Stir in the Chinese cabbage, turn the heat down, and simmer the beef soup for three minutes. Stir in the ramen noodles and simmer until the vegetables are al dente and the noodles are soft. Stir in the oil, seasoning packets and soy sauce, and serve the soup hot.

Fifteen Bean soup

Fifteen Bean Soup, 1 onion, 1 pepper, 3 tbdp garlic, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 ham steak, salt and pepper



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJj9m_H2t38&hl=en

White Bean Soup Recipe With Ham Hocks : Chopping Chiles for Cornbread Recipe

Learn how to chop chili peppers to make cornbread for a ham hocks and white bean soup recipe in this free Southern food cooking video. Expert: David Postada Bio: David Postada is Chef and owner of the Big Easy Catering company in Santa Barbara, California. Filmmaker: Diana Bacon



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLpOMfz-Ntk&hl=en

90's - Hormel vs. Campbell's soups - TV bartering (1990)

Here is a retro Hormel soups commercial that is from 1990. The commercial compares Hormel's microwave soups with Campbell's microwave soups. Guess who wins! Hormel has one thing that beats the competitor - they created Spam! (the "meat" not the junk email): en.wikipedia.org What a great TV commercial for people in the 90s!! This vintage commercial makes you want to eat many bowls of Hormel soups any time of the day! Commercials from the 1990s were so much better than the commercials today. RADICAL!!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-5nQy-WJbo&hl=en

How to Make Steamboat Soup

You need a good steamboat soup for an enjoyable steamboat feast. There are many ready-made soups that you can buy from the supermarkets, but there is nothing that beats the real thing. Here is a simple recipe that you can use to make a delicious steamboat soup.

This serves around 4-6 people.

You will need:

1. 10 garlic cloves, sliced
2. 1 tablespoon of tamarind pulp
3. 150 ml of boiling water
4. 1200 ml of water
5. 2 tablespoons of Thai fish sauce
6. 8 tablespoons of vegetable oil
7. 1 teaspoon of caster sugar
8. 1 small pineapple, cut into huge chunks
9. 170g of tomatoes, cut into 4 pieces each
10. 8 spring onions
11. 250g of prawns
12. 3 squids, cut into thick rings
13. 250g of fish fillets, preferably cod fish
14. some coriander leaves
15. 2 chillies, sliced thinly

Here are the directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan and when it is hot, deep-fry the garlic until it is golden-brown to bring out its fragrance. Drain the oil away and leave the garlic on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

2. Put the tamarind pulp into a mixer bowl with the boiling water and leave it to stand for 20 minutes. Allow the pulp to dissolve. Strain the liquid through a sieve and discard the residue. Put the liquid into a saucepan with the water and mix it with the sugar, pineapple, tomatoes, spring onions and fish sauce. Cook until
it boils.

3. Pour the mixture into the hot pan and add in the garlic, prawns, squid rings and fish fillets. Allow it to simmer for 6 minutes.

4. Serve the steamboat while it is hot.

This is a delicious soup base and you can add in all the seafood that you need for a fantastic family gathering. Top it up with coriander leaves and chillies for added flavour.

Preparing Taiwanese sausage and Korean doenjang banknote tofu soup - Peck the beak

Jason walking through an impromptu Asian meal we made at home. Included is Taiwanese sausage served with raw sliced garlic, sauteed watercress with garlic and Chinese cured ham, and Korean doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) soup with cabbage, tofu, and trumpet king mushrooms



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N2juhoN8EE&hl=en

How to accomplish a ham and cheese sandwich w/ Bea

Making a ham and cheese 'sammich' is very complicated but thanks to Beatrice, life is easier and sandwiches taste better. Beatrice D. Mariah L. Justin B. (c) miisunderstood



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoekRU9umHk&hl=en

Vegetarian Jerusalem Soup

My eldest is mainly vegetarian, and we make this soup when we have chicken soup for dinner. This soup is hearty and tasty, and it really warms a family winter get-together. It is an adaptation of my grandmother's chicken soup, an old Jerusalem recipe.

Boil water in a kettle. In a cooking pan on medium heat, use 2 cups (about 500 ml) of boiling water, a very cautious few specks of allspice, a bit of cinnamon stick, a quarter teaspoon each of thyme, marjoram, and sage, 1 vegetarian broth cube, and a quarter of a cup of rice. Ideally this is pudding rice, the round sort. However, any rice will do, but please avoid the pre-cooked rice, as you want it to be thickening for the soup. If you do not have rice, pearl barley will do. Add some dried peas too if you like - about half the volume of rice in split peas. Add salt to taste.

If you make your own fresh broth, that is perfect, even better. Use this instead of water and broth cube. If you are vegetarian, you probably are a caring and sensitive person. Make sure you use organic broth cubes if possible, and read the label - beware additives like MSG and colorants. There is too much controversy about these for us to be complacent putting them into our bodies.

Raise the heat whilst stirring till the mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the rice kernels are totally open, a bit like a popped bit of corn. If mixture is too runny, let some more water evaporate.

Then sprinkle parsley all over the surface and stir into the soup.

The soup is now cooked. Shave fresh nutmeg onto it, or place in bowls and then shave nutmeg (or sprinkle nutmeg) onto the surface. Give each person half to a whole fresh lemon to squeeze onto their soup. A good substitute for lemon is lime. The soup is not complete without the lemon, so make sure you add it. Now, sit together with loved ones and enjoy!

Ham and Split Pea Soup Recipe - A Great Soup

Visit foodwishes.com to get the ingredients, and watch over 200 free video recipes! Leave me a comment there.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaPQOwZXYAI&hl=en

Hangin with the Garcias! 03/18/10 day-20

Today was fun =) Hey I need some video ideas! I want to make little videos besides my vlogs like maybe challenges?! Whatever you want to see me do in a video please comment and let me know!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XznSS2fMK5Y&hl=en

Ideas For Simple Yet Delicious Soup

As you know, there are many kinds of soup. Soup ranges from the thick, warming comfort food that you make to warm you up at lunchtime or dinnertime to soup which looks elegant and is served to guests. Of course, you could serve your guests the first type of soup, but if you really want to impress them with your soup-making ability you will want to make a sophisticated-looking soup recipe.

Soup is not difficult to make and there are some soup recipes with only a few ingredients, making this a great dish to make when you have company coming over. You can make a lot of soup recipes ahead of time and then gently reheat them. Some of the best soup recipes are made from a few ingredients only because using too many ingredients can over-complicate the soup.

Think of a vegetable soup made simply with water, vegetables and herbs. The herbs add all the flavor and cooking the vegetables for a long time brings out their flavor. This is an incredibly simple idea for soup but a classic one and a flavorful one too.

You do not have to serve something ultra-modern like a chilled fruit soup or something with an extra fancy garnish to impress people. Actually, most of the time the simple garnishes are better and the same can be said for the soup itself. Keep the flavors fresh and clean. Too many flavorings detract from the soup taste.

French Onion Soup - The True Classic Soup

If you want to make a French onion soup recipe, choose a classic French onion soup. Use the traditional ingredients of beef broth, onions, bread and gruyere cheese. You can try a different onion soup recipe if you like but there is a reason why classic soups never go out of vogue and that is because the traditional recipes cannot be improved upon.

French onion soup is a great example of a perfectly balanced soup which works perfectly on every level and if you are stuck for ideas for dinner party appetizers what about making classic French onion soup for your guests? They are guaranteed to love it. Alternatively you could try something unusual like a veal soup recipe or even a cream of lettuce soup. These are simple but delicious.

Recipe for Lettuce Soup

Lettuce is not just for salads and this delicious soup recipe, which serves six to eight people, is simple to make. If you prefer to serve a chilled soup for a spring or summer dinner party, substitute four chopped scallions for the parmesan. You will need to chill it for at least a couple of hours before serving.

What you will need:

1 lb chopped lettuce leaves
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 cups Half & Half
2 finely diced stalks celery
1 grated white onion

How to make it:

Melt the butter in a big pot, and then saute the celery and onion until soft. Add the flour and cook, stirring all the time, until the vegetables are coated. Stir in the Half & Half gradually, using a wire whisk to blend. Add the lettuce, salt and pepper. Turn the heat down, cover the pot and let it cook until the lettuce wilts, stirring sometimes. Do not let the soup boil.

Let the soup cool, and then puree it in a food processor in batches. For a finer soup, use a food mill instead of a food processor. Reheat the soup and top it with the parmesan.

cabbage soup

How to make a simple, delicious vegetable soup with common ingredients.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu8fDKnl_mQ&hl=en

Autumn in a Soup Thermos

I am one of those people who anticipate with glee the clear crisp autumn mornings. Give me gloomy gray clouds with a slight rainy mist moving over the blooms of spring and two things will immediately happen: the closet will resemble an end-of-summer department store clearance rack as the fall wardrobe takes over, and the stove top will brim with comfort food. And of all the politically incorrect comfort dishes bursting from my flour-dusted and grease-stained mid-1950's edition Betty Crocker cookbook, my favorite fall cuisine would have to be soup.

Soup (the creamier, the better!) transports me to my grade school days, wearing my little red jumper dress, where upon twisting the plastic cap on my Partridge Family thermos I am rewarded with a whiff of mom's Slumgullion soup. To this day I'd lay bets that the smell of that soup wafting on a stiff fall afternoon breeze brought my test scores up at least twenty percent.

Once a week mom would magically create a soup our huge pot she jokingly called "the cauldron." and the resulting aroma that would seep into every corner and crevice of our home wasn't of this world. Like the cartoons of the day, I could imagine my feet being lifted off the ground, nose sniffing the air, as I floated toward the simmering taste of heaven coming from the kitchen.

Mom had many names for her consommé concoctions; Italian Delight, Everything but the Kitchen Sink, or my favorite: Slumgullion Soup. And I loved every slurp, despite the outrageous names. When I grew older, and asked mom for the recipes to her incredible soups, she let me in on The Big Secret: every one of her soups was made from leftovers. They weren't exactly recipes, she stammered, a little embarrassed at the thought. How could she not have recipes for her incredible gourmet soups?

I couldn't fathom that these bowls of bliss which I so closely connected with my wonder years weren't going to be passed down for future generations. I was almost incensed until I realized that while they may not have been pulled from the pages of a gourmet magazine or from hand-scrawled notes long-stored in great grandma's recipe trunk, these soups were put together out of a combination of financial necessity and love. I know that now.

Just last night I peeked in the fridge and pawed through the cupboards pulling out the left over ground beef, some broth, an assortment of canned vegetables, and the ubiquitous jar of spaghetti sauce. I made my (mom's, really) Minestrone Mumbo for my husband, my parents, and my daughters. It tasted just like those old school days. Mom smiled, "You got this out of great grandma's secret recipe trunk, didn't you?"

"Sure did Mom, just like you did."

Minestrone Mumbo
(Serves six)

1 lb. ground beef

4 potatoes (diced)

1 can of corn with liquid

1 can of green beans drained

½ to ¾ bag of shell noodles (any noodle will do)

1 cup of fresh vegetables (zucchini is what I prefer)

6 tsps, or cubes of beef bouillon

1 jar of red spaghetti sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: Brown the ground beef in pan and drain out fat. Salt and pepper the meat.

Boil the potatoes in water until soft. Once potatoes are soft, drain out enough water so that the potatoes are just covered.

Adjust stove temperature to medium and add drained ground beef. Make sure the water is at a small boil and add your dry noodles. Cook until noodles are tender.

Add can of corn with juice, can of green beans drained, any other vegetable you would like, and 6 tsps or cubes of beef bouillon, then simmer. Taste to make sure there is enough beef flavor from the bouillon. (Sometimes it can need more or less bouillon; it just depends on the day, so make sure to taste.

At this point, pour in the jar of spaghetti and bring the pot back up to a simmer. (This soup can also be made with chicken and chicken broth instead of beef broth, and Alfredo sauce in place of red sauce. It's great with a little bit of Parmesan cheese and cornbread, or French rolls. You'll probably even have leftovers to pour into the school Thermos, as well.

Top 3 Soup Tricks That Lead to Weight Loss

Looking to lose some pounds quickly and safely? Scientists have now proven that nutrition can account for 70% of your weight loss efforts. However, if the thought of boring diet food and tiny portions are discouraging your weight loss efforts, take heart. With some creativity you can eat satisfying and tasty meals and still lose weight. Soups are perfect for weight loss because they are filling and can be made in a variety of ways. Here are some simple ways to transform your favorite soup recipes into powerful weight loss aids.

Stock instead of fat: Eliminate fat from your soup recipes by sauteing your ingredients in stock. This increases the flavor of your food without extra calories. Once your soup is ready to serve you can add half a teaspoon of heart healthy fat, such as extra virgin olive oil per serving of soup. This way you get all the mouth feel of fat without adding extra calories.

Fibre rich creamy soups: You don't need fatty cream to make your soup taste rich. Use red lentils in your recipe. Red lentils break down to impart a nice creamy texture into your soup. They also add a nutty flavor to your soup, not to mention extra B vitamins, fiber and protein.

Secrets of yogurt: A wonderful way of livening up simple soups is by adding a generous dollop of fat free yogurt just before serving. Enjoy all the sensations of a rich soup without the added calories.

Other weight loss substitutions include adding whole wheat pasta to noodle soup recipes, adding cayenne pepper instead of black pepper (cayenne is a proven metabolism booster) and using spices for flavor instead of fat.

Chicken, Corn & Potato Chowder With Green Chiles & Cheddar Cheese

Damn, I'm a good wife! A few days ago, my husband dropped a few hints - Hiroshima-sized ones - that he would be tickled if a bowl of chicken and corn chowder dropped from the heavens into his eager hands. Ask and you shall receive. Okay, so maybe I felt the need to make up for the frequent accumulation of papers that I have squirreled away in various parts of our house. Not cool when your husband is neat as a pin on a clutter-phobe's pincushion. Or perhaps it's the guilt over smashing his beloved Red Tail Ale pint glass. Whatever it was, my infractions of the "live in harmony" law were pardoned after the first slurp of this creamy, aromatic soup.

This chowder is based off of a recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. Even after considerable changes, I believe we can still call it light. As my husband is rather fond of southwestern flavors and a little heat, I added a can of chiles and a pinch of cayenne pepper. The original recipe called for 2% milk. However, since there was none to be found in my fridge, I substituted skim milk. To make up for the richness lacking in skim milk, I added a can corn to accompany the whole kernels. Oh yeah, and I added an extra strip of bacon. No excuses required for that. The robust aroma gave way to an intensely satisfying soup that indulged my husband's craving and warmed us to our toes.

First, bacon is cooked in a large saucepan. Once crisp, the bacon is set aside for later garnishing. Bite-sized pieces of chicken and a mixture of vegetables, including onion, red bell pepper, and garlic are sauteed. Next, a can of green chiles is added for a boost of flavor and a little heat. Once chicken broth and potatoes are included, the soup simmers for about 20 minutes before the corn is stirred in.

To aid in the transition from soup to chowder, a slurry of milk and flour is added to the pot and the mixture is simmered for an additional 15 minutes. Right before serving, a handful of sharp Cheddar cheese and a pinch of cayenne pepper are thrown in to round of the flavors. The chowder is then ladled into bowls and garnished with chopped scallions, grated Cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. If desired, break some tortilla chips over each portion of soup.

What an easy, satisfying meal for any night of the week.

Why Broccoli Salad is a Great Choice

Broccoli is a versatile vegetable. It is ideal in stir fries and you can also steam it, boil it, grill it, or roast it. Have you ever made a broccoli salad? Broccoli is just as tasty raw as it is cooked.

Perhaps you have tasted the popular Ruby Tuesday broccoli salad, in which broccoli is combined with cheese, bacon, mayonnaise and other flavorful ingredients. This is a healthy yet delicious dish and it is one of the best loved Ruby Tuesday recipes.

Health Benefits of Broccoli

Serve a broccoli salad as a side dish with any meat or fish or even as part of a buffet if you are having a party. You will love the flavor of it and also the nutritional value. Broccoli is a very healthy vegetable, as you probably already know, and is high in vitamin C, to aid the body's iron absorption, help with the symptoms of a cold, and prevent cataracts from developing.

Broccoli also contains folic acid, which is important for pregnant women, calcium to prevent osteoporosis and potassium to keep blood pressure at normal levels. It is also high in fiber.

Famous Broccoli Salad Recipes

There are copycat recipes available for pretty much any meal you can think of, so whether you are partial to KFC, fond of famous French onion soup or craving another famous dish, the odds are that you can find it online. You might like to do an internet search for broccoli salad or a recipe search by ingredient to find the perfect salad recipe.

Bear in mind though that not all copycat recipes are equal and some will not give you a good result at all so compare copycat recipes and read reviews of the dish, if they are available, to give you a better idea. Making copycat recipes can be a bit hit and miss sometimes but when do you find a great one, either print it out or bookmark it so you can find it again.

Also, you do not have to stick rigidly to a recipe that you find online if you want to tweak it a little. You can spice a recipe up, substitute one ingredient for another or tweak it to make it unique. Use existing recipes as a basis to develop your own recipes.

Some recipes are perfect just as they are though. It is difficult to improve on the famous Ruby Tuesday broccoli salad, for example!

Other Ways to Make a Broccoli Salad

You can combine broccoli with other vegetables such as zucchini, carrot, and cauliflower to make a raw vegetable salad. Add some mayonnaise and either mustard, ketchup or curry powder to give the salad a delicious flavor. The texture of the raw vegetables might seem unusual to you if you are used to eating cooked vegetables but raw broccoli or gently steamed broccoli is really good. Try it and see!

You might like to make a broccoli and macaroni salad or a broccoli and rice salad. Broccoli is delicious, nutritious, and versatile, making it a great choice for salad recipes as well as lots of other dishes.

Easy Vegan Split Pea Soup

Yep, you can totally make this without ham or bacon and it still tastes very rich and creamy. It's vegan because it has no meat or dairy but if you'd like, you can substitute real butter or margarine for the Earth Balance. NOTE: When I cook, I don't really measure anything except when it comes to baking, so I tried my best to estimate approximate measurements. Just taste as you go. You might want to sift through your split peas (especially if they're from the bulk bins at the grocery stores) for pebbles or tiny rocks. Dried lentils can easily be substituted in this recipe because they cook similarly! If using pre-made soup stock, use the entire contents of the carton. If the liquid doesn't look sufficient enough, add water. Bouillon concentrates, Spike and Maggi seasonings have salt in them so make sure you taste as you go before using it with salt. You don't want to make the soup too salty and have too much sodium. happy cooking (song "scam" by france and dom)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAVc2oD3nwY&hl=en