With mid-October upon us this week, hearty, comforting soups are on my mind for supper meals. My husband and I really love Soup season. I have a pretty big variety of soup recipes that I have made over and over through the years. Maybe part of the reason we enjoy them is because of the memories of cool nights our round oak table accented with dripping candles, my harvest-colored bowls, fall cloth napkins, and my playlist I named, “Autumn” playing on Alexa. It’s cozy, homey and inviting. Fall perfection.
A couple weeks ago I had some purchased some broccoli to make, “The Best Broccoli Soup.” I’ve shared this in the past, but like so many of my recipes, I had shared it with another recipe, and it didn’t get a good spotlight. I wanted to share it before your soup season gets rolling. This recipe feeds a family and is so cost-effective. The night I made this, my daughter and her family dropped in and I invited them so stay for dinner. There was plenty for the six of us.
The tastiest thing I made and ate at Christmas wasn’t part of the Christmas dinner, it was Christmas Eve when we have a simpler meal of soups, little sandwiches, cheese ball and cookies.
I made two soups this year – Sausage Corn Chowder and Chicken Gnocchi. I also made our traditional Party Ryes. What tasted especially good to me was the gnocchi and Party Ryes. The flavors, the textures, the deliciousness in those two menu items was unforgettable!
Holiday meals are creeping up on us, believe it or not! Last weekend I baked a Smithfield Brown sugar glazed ham (it’s one of the best I’ve ever bought!). After I sliced all the meat off, I tucked the bone into a freezer bag and put it in the fridge. I knew that bone had all kinds of possibilities! I usually always make Senate Bean Soup with our Christmas ham bone, but I wanted to venture out and try a new recipe.
I found this a recipe for Creamy Ham and Potato Soup and it sounded savory and delicious. It also didn’t take hours to make! The recipe suggested making ham stock with the bone and using that as the base of the soup. That’s exactly what I did. All that took was popping the bone into a stock pot with water to cover and simmering it for an hour. Easy peasy.
Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, celery until beginning to soften (about 4 minutes).
Add the potatoes, cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Mix the flour through and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in stock and bouillon and ham, mixing all ingredients together. Increase heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are ‘just’ fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low, add the milk and stir over the heat until thickened (about 5 minutes).
Add more and salt and pepper, as needed
Serve warm.
This was so savory! I was so happy to make such good use of that flavorful ham bone! It made a whole pot of ham stock, so now I also have more frozen for a couple more recipes of this wonderful soup!
To make your own ham stock, place the ham bone in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Discard bone. How easy is that?!
If you don’t have a ham bone on hand, you can purchase a bone at Honey Bake Ham! But I’d also encourage you to save this for those holiday hams in your future!
Savory soups that simmer on the stove create two things –
An aroma that’s irresistible
A meal that satisfies both appetites and hearts
Last week I had the blessing of spending time with my parents and helping out during a time of hardship. Fixing meals each day was one responsibility I took on with great delight. A sampling of my menu included things like, Pinto Beans like Cracker Barrel’s, traditional Rump Roast dinner with all the trimmings, Baked Potatoes topped with broccoli cheese sauce – all recipe I’ve made many times.
But then my mom requested I make her recipe for Vegetable Beef Soup. She had this recipe in her head and verbally shared it with me one morning. I realized it would pull together very quickly, and would also use up some of the little bits of this and that in the freezer. Always a good thing, right?
During the fall and winter we eat lots of homemade soups. Some of my favorites are Senate Bean Soup, and Cream of Wild Rice Soup but both of these recipes are a little labor-intensive and take some time to prepare (but so worth it!). I love having a delicious soup recipe that’s a snap to pull together, and my mom’s Vegetable Beef Soup definitely fits the bill! You can use whatever vegetables you like/have on hand. This soup is a great way to use up those little bit of leftovers hiding in the fridge or stored in your freezer!
Here’s her simple recipe…
Vegetable Beef Soup
1/2 lb ground beef 1 onion, diced 4 cups chicken broth 1 large can diced tomatoes 1/3 cup frozen corn 1/3 cup frozen peas 1/3 cup lima beans 1 potato, diced 1 carrot, diced 1 can Bush’s northern beans 1/3 cup barley 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp Greek seasoning A couple dashes Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste
In a large stock pot, brown ground beef and onion. Drain any fat. Add the chicken broth and then all the vegetables, spices,seasonings and barley. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes.
I like to serve a soup like this with a crusty bread and a side salad.
Yum! This is a perfect winter meal that will:
Wisely use up leftover veggies in your freezer
Warm bodies
Win the hearts of those that sit at your table!
Open up your freezer, grab those veggies and throw them in a pot for this delicious soup this week!
I love recipes that have a story. Such is the case with today’s recipe.
Many years ago when I was in high school, my twin sister and I were riding to our home in the country on a cold, snowy day. Our driver was my sister’s boyfriend (who later became her husband). As boys are want to do, he might have been driving a little faster than the narrow, icy roads necessitated. Just as we topped a hill, we met another car coming towards us. The brakes were hit, and our car Continue reading “Turkey Soup and a Story”→
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