Tag Archives: avocado

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 →

Love Between Courses—More Romantic Valentine’s Day Recipes

If your Valentine’s Day plans include an intimate candlelit dinner for two—-in your own dining room–then this is the blog for you. With the economy in the dumpster, many couples are opting to stay home this Love Day, but that doesn’t mean you have to skimp on a sensuous meal. The following recipes are sure to heat things up in the kitchen. However, if the idea of sweating over a hot stove on Valentine’s Day bothers you, then invite your sweetheart into the kitchen to help you with the cooking. Keep things light by getting out your favorite beverages and … Continue reading →

Comfort Food Recipes: Soup’s On

Just when I thought winter was fading, we get hit with another windchill warning. According to local meteorologists, it will feel like –20 to –40 in parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota today. Oh joy. If you are battling the winter blues, then the following recipe might help improve your mood. Roasted Stuffed Pepper Soup is the ideal comfort food, especially on frigid winter days. Warning: This is not a soup you want to make if you are in a hurry. It requires multiple steps and takes more than an hour to prepare. On the bright side, the flavors are incredible … Continue reading →

Warm Up with Homemade Chowder

It’s one of the cheapest ways to warm up your family on a bitterly cold winter’s day–stirring up a pot full of steaming hot soup. Homemade soups and chowders are simple to prepare and make for quick and healthy midweek meals. The following recipes are not only affordable, but they also feature ingredients that even your pickiest eaters will happily devour: CRAB AND PEPPER JACK CHEESE CHOWDER Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup red bell pepper, diced 1 14-ounce can low-fat chicken broth 1 cup water 1 teaspoon ground cumin … Continue reading →

Tips for Hosting a Winter Soup Party

With Old Man Winter working overtime, this is the ideal time to host a winter soup party. This week I will be sharing a variety of recipes for those of you looking to share a hearty helping of delicious homemade soup with extended family and friends or those who simply want an easy and affordable way to warm up on a cold winter’s day. If you choose the former, then consider the following tips to ensure your winter soup party goes off without a hitch: POTLUCK. Just because you are hosting the soup party doesn’t necessarily mean you need to … Continue reading →

Super Soups

The day after Thanksgiving should be named Leftover Turkey Day rather than Black Friday since most Americans typically partake in round two (or three or four) with the holiday bird. In a previous blog I listed recipes that are ideal for leftover turkey. However, if you’re planning to stick with traditional turkey sandwiches, then why not whip up a steaming hot pot of fresh soup to go with them? The following soup recipes pair perfectly with turkey sandwiches on the day after Thanksgiving: WILD RICE SOUP Ingredients: 1 stick butter 1 finely chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup … Continue reading →

Soup’s On: Spectacular Fall Soup Recipes

Rich and delicious homemade soup can be a busy cook’s best friend especially when Mother Nature is acting like your enemy. Here in the Midwest fall came in like a lamb (it was nearly 80 degrees on Election Day), but now it feels more like late December (yesterday’s high was 30 degrees). The conditions are terrible if you have to be outdoors for long periods of time, but they are ideal if you have the luxury of staying indoors all day making homemade soups. The following soup recipes are easy to prepare and satisfying enough to serve as a one-pot … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: U is for Udon

She may not know how to spell the word “delicious,” but my 4-year-old can differentiate between an udon noodle and a spaghetti noodle quicker than most adults. In fact, udon (pronounced oo-DOHN) was one of the first words my daughter learned how to say after spending time in Hawaii with my grandma. Udon is a thick, round Japanese noodle typically made with wheat flour and served in cold dishes (salads or chilled with soy sauce and topped with sesame seeds) during the summer months and in hot dishes (soups and broth) during the fall and winter. I grew up eating … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: K is for Kale

It’s considered one of the healthiest vegetables around. Kale is part of the Brassica family (along with broccoli and cabbage) and is loaded with Vitamin K (good for the blood), Vitamin A (good for bone growth and vision) and Vitamin C (great for the immune system). The green leafy veggie is also chock full of cancer preventing phytochemicals. Of course, that likely matters little to your youngest eaters, who primarily care about taste. Some of my family members don’t like the bitter taste kale can leave behind when eaten alone. However, the nutritious vegetable is extremely tasty when incorporated in … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: E is for Easy Taco Soup

Now that the temperatures are cooling down our local McDonald’s has returned soup to its daily menu. (The McDonald’s here in Wisconsin takes soup off the menu during the summer months while the McDonald’s in my hometown in Hawaii keeps theirs on year-round—-go figure!) This in turn has me itching to make a batch of my favorite taco soup. If you read my food blogs on a regular basis you know that I am by no means a gourmet chef. While I love spending time in the kitchen and experimenting with new recipes and unique kitchen gadgets, I mainly cook … Continue reading →