Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic Soup

Hello friends! Can believe August is over? This summer has been super-busy. I must admit to looking forward to the cooler months when things will slow down a bit and we can breathe.

Throughout the summer, the thought of heating up our small house by turning on the oven doesn’t excite me one bit. But as the weather begins to whisper of fall, my interest in cooking is rekindled.

My favorite fall/winter supper is soup. Once you know the basic steps for most soups, it’s so easy to customize and create to your preferences. And there’s just something cozy about a bowl of steaming soup.

But on to the soup at hand.

Cauliflower has never been my favorite veggie. On a scale of 1 to beets, it’s about an eight. Then one day, my grandma taught us how to make steamed cauliflower with buttered breadcrumbs. I softened. A little. Then I saw Katie’s recipe for Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Soup. I caved.

I’m so glad I did. Once roasted, the cauliflower develops a lovely flavor. The hints of celery, thyme and roasted garlic are amazing. You should definitely try this soup, even if you are a cauliflower hater. It just might change your mind!

TO READ THE REST OF THIS POST AND GET THE RECIPE, VISIT BUTTERED SIDE UP HERE

Sausage & Potato Soup, Old + New

Over two years ago, I first developed this recipe for sausage & potato soup because of some freezer-burnt broccoli. It’s still very much a staple at our house – the perfect supper when you can’t think of anything else to make.

Here’s the original photo (bearing my watermark, ha!), taken in February of 2010. Which photo do you prefer?

All of this to say, go check out my guest post over on the Tasty Kitchen Blog!

Creamy Tomato Soup with Dumplings

It’s that time of year again: time to pull your warm clothes out of storage; time to cozy up in a fuzzy blanket with a good book and a cup of tea; time to look longingly at your skis; time to warm your chilly fingers by cradling a steaming bowl of soup in your hands.

This soup is absolutely amazing. It’s so flavorful, yet so simple. The blend of herbs is perfect, and the dumplings add a little something special.

This is one of Reuben’s favorite soups. I was introduced to it while we were getting to know each other. One evening his family invited me over for supper, and they served this scrumptious soup. Reuben requested that I make it for him, and his family very obligingly gave me the recipe. Here it is for you to enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Soup with Dumplings

Printable page | Serves 3-4

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar (I use demerara or maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• dash each- garlic, basil, oregano, thyme.
• 2 cups tomato juice or diced canned tomatoes (I use a cup of each)
• 2 cups cold milk

1) Sauté onions in butter. Blend in the flour, sugar, salt, pepper & other seasonings.

2) Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the tomato juice. Return to heat & bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Stir hot tomato mixture gradually into the milk. Return to saucepan & heat to almost boiling.

For Doodles:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water
• flour as needed (I used a bit over 3/4 cup)

Mix the ingredients together to make a very thick batter. Drop the the batter by teaspoonfuls into the almost boiling soup, coating the spoon with hot soup each time so the batter doesn’t stick to the spoon. Turn off the heat & cover until serving time.

What’s for Lunch #1: Chicken and Black Bean Chili

I thought it might be fun to start a series on Cooking for Seven where I share a photo of my lunch on the same day each week. I’m not promising that I’ll be able to hit EVERY Tuesday. But I’ll sure try!

Here’s my lunch #1: Chicken, corn, and black been chili with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

What did you have for lunch today? Describe it in the comments or share a photo!

Outrageous Garlic Soup

Check out my guest post over at the Tasty Kitchen Blog this week: Outrageous Garlic Soup. And make the soup. It is amazing.

Creamy Sweet Onion Soup

And now, for the first of the recipes from our Girl’s Party: Creamy Onion Soup.

As I browsed Tastespotting for soup, I stumbled upon this recipe. The picture looked so appetizing. I was very much tempted to make this recipe from Dutch Girl Cooking, but my sister and I were sold on the first recipe. Perhaps another time I shall make the second.

The number of onions in this recipe kinda scared me. In the end I just couldn’t bring myself to put in eight large sweet onions. I can only guess that the recipe meant eight small-medium onions.

The original recipe was not a pureed soup. For my purpose, I wanted something creamy and smooth. It was very easy to puree with a stick blender.

When we served the leftover soup to Dad, he thought it was excellent. This recipe must be good.

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:: Creamy Sweet Onion Soup ::

Ingredients

8 or 9 small-medium or 4 large sweet onions

1 quart chicken stock

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 gallon (8 cups) whole milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cups white cooking wine (optional)

1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

kosher salt and black pepper

3 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat.  Peel the onions, halve them, and slice thinly. Add to the melted butter and olive oil. Don’t worry about the amount of onions. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20-25 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.

Add the flour and stir to cook, about three minutes. Add the wine, if using, cook, stirring, for another 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, heat the milk until hot. Add the stock to onions. Pout in the milk. Stir well.

Increase the heat to medium high and continue to stir. Grate the cheese. When the soup is starting to bubble and thicken, reduce the heat to medium low. If desired, puree the soup with a stick blender.

Add the grated cheese a handful at a time, stirring well, until the cheese is melted and the soup is creamy. Taste the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the Dijon and the cayenne. Taste again and make any necessary adjustments. Serve hot with croutons.

Serves 8-10

A Party

Last Friday us girls hosted a party for a few friends. It was so much fun to quickly throw a menu together. Join me for a look at our splendid little party.

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:: The Menu ::

Lunch

Appetizers:

Piped Deviled Eggs

Cheese and Crackers

Soup:

Creamy Onion Soup with Croutons

Sandwiches:

Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Toasted Bread

Salad:

Fruit Salad

Dessert

Vanilla Rice Pudding with Whipped Cream

Poppy Seed Cake with Orange Cream

~

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Creamy Onion Soup, made by yours truly. 🙂

Janna made these delicious Chicken Salad Sandwiches, served on buttered, toasted bread.

Sister Amanda prepared these cute little deviled eggs. They were seasoned just right.

We decided to serve the fruit salad in tea cups. They looked so elegant.

We played a delightful little game. It is a Scandinavian tradition to place one almond in the rice pudding. Whoever finds the almond is promised to be the next to marry.

Breanna found the almond.

Amanda also made poppy seed cake. We served it with orange cream.

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Are you hungry yet? I promise to give you at least a few of these recipes. For now, I must away and roll out tortillas for supper. How prosaic. 😉

Would you like to see more photos of our party? Stop by my photo blog.

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Red Lentil Soup from the New York Times

Soup seems so perfect for lunch. Quick and easy, yet very filling. This soup starts by sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil. A few seasonings are thown in and cooked a bit longer. The liquid, lentils and carrots are added, and the whole thing is simmered for about 30 minutes. Can it get any better than that?

We didn’t have any chicken broth or tomato paste. I think the soup would have been much tastier if we had. I still liked the flavors from the garlic and cumin. I’ll have to try it again, with the proper ingredients.

You can find the recipe here.

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Creamy Split Pea Soup

When I’m not in the mood to spend hours slaving over lunch, I turn to one of my tried and true recipes. Like this soup. Throw a few things into the pot, bring to a boil, simmer for an hour or so, and puree. Can it get any more simple?

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: : Creamy Split Pea Soup : :

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Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 9 cups water
• 1 package (16 ounces) dried green split peas
• 2 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes or russet potatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and celery and cook until tender. Stir in the water, peas, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 70-80 minutes or until peas are tender.
Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. Using an immersing (stick) blender, puree the soup until completely smooth. Or cool slightly and puree in a blender in batches until smooth. Serve garnished with sour cream, yogurt, cheddar cheese, croutons, or nutmeg.

Yield: 10 servings.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is a blend of sweet and savory.  Make it spicy by garnishing with freshly grated nutmeg. Or give it a little extra kick with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

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:: Cream Butternut Squash Soup ::

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Adapted from The New Best Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
• 6 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• Freshly grated nutmeg or balsamic vinegar, optional

Directions:

1) Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and strings; reserve the scrapings.

2) Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the scrapings from the squash and cook until the butter turns a saffron color, about 4 minutes.

3) Add the water and salt and increase to high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the squash halves, reduce the heat to medium low, and cover. Cook until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

4) When squash is tender, transfer to a baking sheet and cool slightly. Strain the liquid in the pot through a fine mesh seive and reserve the liquid.  When the squash is cool enough to touch,  scrape the flesh from the skin.

5) Puree the squash in a blender, adding a little of the reserved liquid to achieve a smooth consistency.  Return this mixture to the now empty pot and stir in the cream and maple syrup. Stir in enough of the remaining liquid to achieve desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

6) Warm the soup over medium-low heat until hot. Do not boil. Serve immediately. Garnish with nutmeg or balsamic vinegar.

Makes 4-6 servings