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Post by juliastar on Dec 27, 2006 8:29:06 GMT -5
One of my friends received a new food processor for Christmas (I like gifts that make my life easier, but my Mom would have been mad -- she would have seen it as a gift so she could cook for him). My friend wants soup recipes.
Here's a hearty, midwinter favorite I've probably already shared:
Midwest Corn Chowder
2 c. plus diced potatoes (heaping) 1/2 c plus sliced carrots 1/2 c sliced celery 1/4 c chopped onion 1 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper 2 c boiling water 1/4 c butter or margarine 1/4 c flour 2 c milk 1 (10-oz) stick sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 2 c. (1 lb can) cream style corn
Combine vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celery) and seasonings. Add water. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Do not drain in another pan. Make cream sauce with butter, flour and milk. Add cheese to cream sauce; stir until melted. Add corn and cheese-cream sauce to the undrained vegetables. Heat; do not boil.
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Post by booklady on Dec 27, 2006 8:32:38 GMT -5
Julia*, I love corn chowder, and yours is a good vegetarian version. A keeper. Mine calls for bacon and it's delicious, but I'm periodically a non-meat eater and glad to have a good alternative to beans and eggs.
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Post by gailkate on Dec 27, 2006 10:43:52 GMT -5
Yes to the chowder recipe! And yes, Trusty might do something about the oddities.
We have been promised rain "turning to snow," but the temps will be in the high 30s, so I think that's a dream. I keep saying this must be what it's like in Arkansas (pretty sure that won't offend anyone here). I'm not at all pleased.
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Post by juliastar on Jan 9, 2007 6:37:27 GMT -5
Now that Gracie's back, maybe she has a decent soup recipe, or two. I'd like a yummy white chili.
Another question -- my range is a piece of junk. It was new when we bought the house and came with it and not what I would have picked out but we said we would live with the appliances until they died. This has two chips and electric coil burners that sometimes wobble and an oven that one has to play guessing games with about the real temperature and try to adjust the dial downward accordingly. Not really dead dead, so I'll donate it to a family who needs it. I'm looking for a convection oven but beyond that I'm stymied as to whether to have a gas line installed and go with dual fuel so I have a gas cooktop or the sealed flat surface electric ceramic top or the drop in electric cartridges that can be switched in and out? Any thoughts from the professional cooks out there?
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Post by Trusty on Jan 9, 2007 6:56:52 GMT -5
Yes to the chowder recipe! And yes, Trusty might do something about the oddities. Now, I've had to do a lot of things about a lot of things, but what's this about "oddities"? Please 'splain. PS: Right now, the only thing I'll do is probably move this to the Advisory Board category just to be consistent. (I know the subjects overlap a little, but I need to know where to go to find recipes & helpful hints. )
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Post by Trusty on Jan 9, 2007 7:06:40 GMT -5
Yes to the chowder recipe! And yes, Trusty might do something about the oddities. Now, I've had to do a lot of things about a lot of things, but what's this about "oddities"? Please 'splain. Never mind. I saw where j*'s post was edited after gailkate's reply. (But if you still want to tell me..... ) Note: I would take the margarine out because I've heard to many horror stories about it. (I guess there are some allergic to butter?)
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Post by juliastar on Jan 9, 2007 7:30:11 GMT -5
That gets us back to the question, to edit or not to edit, which would lead us back to the frogs and let's not go there.
I copied the recipe without interjection, knowing of the great margarine debate. Personally, being of the all things in moderation school and the we all have to die someday school (lines of thought that are at times diametrically opposed), I use butter when a recipe calls for margarine unless there is some reason it doesn't work (usually texture or taste), but there are people who don't like to eat saturated fat if they can avoid it and there are margarines that are transfat free -- Fleischman's for example. I think they even have one made from olive oil that might be interesting until someone (horrors) comes out with a study that says too much olive oil is bad fat.
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Post by liriodendron on Jan 9, 2007 9:25:22 GMT -5
I'm hardly a professional cook, but we did get a new range about a year ago, so I suppose that I have a bit of current experience in choosing one. For me, the most important feature was the size of the oven. I needed a standard size range to fit the space available and found a model that lets you switch between the convection feature and regular baking mode (although I find myself using the convection mode nearly all the time). Since the baking element is hidden beneath the floor of the oven, there is room for three racks rather than two, a plus when you are baking something like cookies. The model that I chose also has a warming drawer, which is very useful when cooking for large crowds. Since we have no gas lines in our area, and the alternative is to put an enormous propane tank in our yard, I went with the electric glass cooktop. It has positive features and negative ones. I like the stability of the heating elements as compared to the coil burners. It is much easier to crowd several large pots onto the stove at once without worrying that one might topple. The model that I chose also has "potsizing" burners, which sense the size of the pot sitting upon them and heat accordingly. The cooktop, however, is a pain in the butt to keep clean. You must allow the cooktop to cool completely before you clean it and some food spills are quite difficult to remove, even when scraped with a razor blade. I suppose that your decision will depend somewhat on the additional expense and bother of installing a gas line. Do you think you will actually cook more meals at home with a new dual-fuel range? You might want to consider the potential cost-savings of homecooked meals vs. takeout/restaurant meals when presenting that gas line option to Bill.
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Post by liriodendron on Jan 9, 2007 9:53:10 GMT -5
j*, your corn chowder sounds delicious! It is an especially welcome recipe, in that I think that I already have all of the ingredients, which avoids a trip to the grocery store. If my kids haven't eaten all of the cheddar cheese (a distinct possibility), I might just make it for dinner.
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Post by joew on Jan 9, 2007 10:42:02 GMT -5
… I went with the electric glass cooktop. … The cooktop, however, is a pain in the butt to keep clean. You must allow the cooktop to cool completely before you clean it and some food spills are quite difficult to remove, even when scraped with a razor blade. … I have a gas range with a white enamel top which is not very well insulated from the oven. As a result, drips and spills under the burner can brown and become very hard to remove. I have discovered that a certain scrubbing pad is very effective. Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand, but it's one of the major ones, I think. They make two types with sponge on one side and scrubber on the other. One has a pink sponge and a white scrubber (and that doesn't do the job on the stovetop). The other is for tougher jobs and has a yellow sponge with a green scrubber, and it removes the cooked on, darkened residue almost like magic.
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Post by slb2 on Jan 9, 2007 13:32:31 GMT -5
You know, there is something appealing and alluring in hearing a man talk about tedious household cleaning chores.
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Post by doctork on Jan 9, 2007 14:56:19 GMT -5
Plus I have the same problem with my stove and the cooked-on burner goo. I'll get one of those green and yellow things, thanks, joew.
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Post by Trusty on Jan 9, 2007 15:59:40 GMT -5
Plus I have the same problem with my stove and the cooked-on burner goo. I'll get one of those green and yellow things, thanks, joew. Joe, I believe the correct term is "green-and-yellow THINGY". Please take note.
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Post by Gracie on Jan 9, 2007 19:23:35 GMT -5
If I had unlimited funds, which I do not, I would have an Aga. I LOVE those things. I also like the stoves that look like the highlegged 30s things, also quite expensive, but both have wonderful features to them. The Aga, especially, is incredible, with a deep well for simmering, and a salamander for broiling, and multiple ovens. They are literally family heirlooms in the Netherlands, and even when they're ancient they're still well worth fixing and keeping.
Ah well. Goes along with the kitchen I still miss, brick walls, copper pots, bunches of home grown herbs hanging upside down to dry, jelly simmering on the stove and bread in the oven.
Let me check out my soup recipes...I have a great one for a mushroom velvet soup, made with morels if you can get them!
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Post by juliastar on Jan 9, 2007 20:19:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the range advice. I clean up after, but I tend to be messy when I cook, so I think I've ruled out the smooth top as I can envision the boil overs spilling down between that tiny space between the range and the wall. We have a natural gas furnace so I wouldn't think it would be that big of a deal to have a gas line installed. I had a gas dryer in a rental once and that was creepy. I like those heavy iron grates on the cooktop. It's very hearth-like. It made me laugh, but I'm not sure the argument we'll save money because we'll eat in more will fly. I'll just say lirio and gracie think it's a good idea . . . That way he'll feel ganged up on.
The running joke at Christmas with our boys is that they are going to get scrubbers, not that they would know what to do with them, but that is what I always told them they were getting so they could help me do chores when they were little and pestered me about what their Christmas presents were going to be -- like I was going to come right out and tell them.
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Post by brutus on Jan 9, 2007 20:32:50 GMT -5
FYI, J*. If there's an easily accessible stretch of the gas line that fuels your furnace, all what needs to happen is for a Tee to be cut into that line and another branch run up to your kitchen for to feed your cookstove. If you've got suspended ceiling in your basement, it's no mor complicated than removing the panels where you need to get up and run that copper line along the floor joists. Might be all ready to go in a coupla hours, maybe a bit more. Gas is a real gas to cook with. Our old cook range on the farm had a real small burner in the middle of the ring of burner that was the only one lit when simmering something. Made the heat totally controllable. ~B~
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Jan 10, 2007 1:18:26 GMT -5
A very quick soup:
4 or 5 Polish sausages sliced into coins A large can chicken broth An onion, diced A can of diced tomatos with juice 2 cans beans with juice. I use garbanzos Half a head of cabbage, chopped
Simmer, covered, until done to your satisfaction.
A tip for those burnt on burners? Put them in a large pan and pour ammonia over them and cover tightly with plastic wrap. In the morning, unless you have severe damage, you can just wipe them off with a soapy sponge and rinse and dry.
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Post by juliastar on Jan 21, 2007 11:21:19 GMT -5
Here's one that I made up this weekend which I put Italian sausage in but I think it could be modified to be vegetarian and still be fit for company:
Pasta and Bean Soup
Brown 1/2 lb. ground chuck and 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage (I used two links of Johnsonville Brothers). Drain and set aside.
In the meantime, saute 1/2 c. diced onion, 1/2 c. diced celery, 1/2 c. diced green pepper and 1/2 c. sliced fresh carrots in 1/3 c. margarine or butter until wilted and fragrant.
Combine in a stock pot 1 can beef consumme, 1 can water, 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (add juice, too), and 1 can tomato soup (undiluted). Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to low heat. Add sauted vegetables and 1 can (15.5 oz) red beans (again, add juice, too). Cover and cook ten minutes. Add 2 cups fresh, washed spinach and 3 T. minced fresh Italian parsley. Cover and cook five more minutes and remove from heat.
In the meantime, prepare 1 c. pasta bows (farfalle) according to package directions. (I think the small, short tubes (canneroni) would work well, too.)
Add pasta and meat to the stock pot and salt and black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Individual bowls may be garnished with grated fresh parmesan.
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Post by juliastar on Jan 21, 2007 11:26:27 GMT -5
Otherwise (recalling the Little Bear story illustrated by Maurice Sendak I loved so when I was a child) known as Birthday soup -- happy birthday, Joe.
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Post by booklady on Jan 21, 2007 13:09:47 GMT -5
Lent begins very soon. These vegetarian soup recipes will be very welcome!
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Jan 21, 2007 14:26:59 GMT -5
I have a serious problem with cooking with margarine. I prefer something that came out of a cow's tit, myself. PrairieWoman stuff.
Well lookit them gurls. They'll just look back at you with soft, warm eyes and you know they ain't gonna do you no harm. (Apologies to Jimi.) Ever had a plant look at you like that? God is trying to tell you something, kids. And you don't have to kill them for it either.
If a chicken could look at you with soft, warm eyes they'd be sending the message about eggs as well. But I don't care to spread my toast with eggs much.
Here's a delicious recipe for tomato soup which comes from Lund's, one of our first gourmet-type grocery stores in MN. You've got to make grilled cheese sandwiches as an accompaniment or this doesn't count.
Use Kraft singles and pretend that you don't. Artificial bread with lotsa chemicals is the correct way to make this sandwich.
This is my mom's version:
"Saute' diced onions in a reckless amount of butter until transparent, add a can of tomatoes into which you've stirred a T. of flour, a little sugar, some salt, 1t. pepper, half a t. of soda and stir until fizzing is over. Add a can of tomato soup and a can of whole milk."
I think this is yummy. We've always used our home-canned tomatoes but a large can of diced works.
I skip the salt. And I also add the teensiest pinch of cinnamon. "Not so much as you can taste it." Mom would've said.
Don't frown. Take a spoonful of catsup and pay attention once. That stuff is loaded with cinnamon. It enhances the flavor of tomatoes.
Now about sautee'ing onions. Be careful. If the butter browns or the onions do it will alter the flavor of this recipe. Because of that I add a couple of T. of water and keep a close watch.
Annnnnnd about tits. That is not a dirty word on the prairie unless you use it in reference to your wife.
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Jan 21, 2007 14:54:56 GMT -5
Do you guys know about Italian Wedding Soup? Daughter makes it. I don't have the recipe but it could be easily found on the web. Another tasty vegetarian soup.
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Post by joew on Jan 22, 2007 0:46:09 GMT -5
Otherwise (recalling the Little Bear story illustrated by Maurice Sendak I loved so when I was a child) known as Birthday soup -- happy birthday, Joe. Thank you, j*
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Post by Jane on Jan 22, 2007 11:12:30 GMT -5
OK, an unpaid endorsement: I am enamored of those eraser thingys that Mr. Clean himself crafts. They work on everything.
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Jan 22, 2007 13:36:51 GMT -5
Do you put them in soup jane? Raw or cooked first? Do you have to skin them? Who eats them? Do they squeal when you drop them in? What do they taste like?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Oh-oh. Bet you hit the wrong thread. Do it all the time myself.
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Jan 22, 2007 13:40:28 GMT -5
I just looked up Italian Wedding Soup and see that it has pork/beef meatballs in it.
S'pose that since Daughter's Sweetie is vegetarian she just makes it to his liking.
Anyway it's worth checking out.
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Post by liriodendron on Jan 22, 2007 14:05:03 GMT -5
Do you put them in soup jane? Raw or cooked first? Do you have to skin them? Who eats them? Do they squeal when you drop them in? What do they taste like? Enquiring minds want to know. Oh-oh. Bet you hit the wrong thread. Do it all the time myself. Blanched ever so slightly, then julienned. Skinning removes all the nutrients, so I refrain, unless Great Aunt Myrtle is coming to dinner. Their appeal is nearly universal, but I find that my foodie friends really devour them. They don't so much squeal as yelp. They taste very much like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms, only without the chalky aftertaste. I hear they are also useful for cleaning ranges, though probably not as reliable as those green-and-yellow-thingies.
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Post by Jane on Jan 22, 2007 14:40:53 GMT -5
Gee, thanks Lirio, I never thought of using them in my cooking, but ya never know.
I was responding to the difficulties some were lamenting on the pain of grunge removal.
You'll notice that I don't comment on the political threads since I have discovered that PT, gk, and danno are so much better at expressing what I think. But on the subject of cleaning supplies, I can't be bested.
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Post by liriodendron on Jan 22, 2007 14:46:25 GMT -5
Gee, thanks Lirio, I never thought of using them in my cooking, but ya never know. Ya never do! Personally, I abstain, although I heard that Booklady was in need of some Lenten soup recipes. This just might fit the bill.
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Post by booklady on Jan 22, 2007 18:02:18 GMT -5
OK, I don't get any of this. What eraser thingies?
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