snow, soup, and sandwiches

from shirley's cottage

Snow, Soup and Sandwiches
I still love to see a beautiful snow. I know this winter has brought a ton of snow to different parts of the country. And with it tons of problems. But a snow without chilling winds or ice, is a beauty to behold. Especially if you don’t have to go out.
That was my situation this past week-end. I paid attention to the weather reports for a change. I shopped with the masses at the grocery store, waited in line for gas, and tried to find a couple of good movies on the almost-bare shelves at the video store,
I was not disappointed when I peeked out in the morning and there was about seven inches of snow covering everything, including my car. My young neighbor, Mike, plowed me out as best he could around my car. (Seven inches the first day, and seven plus in spots the next.) I really appreciate him and his plow.
However, I stayed in the cottage those two days. I read and cooked. I fought the urge to do things that needed doing, IE, laundry, painting, getting my taxes together.
I watched the food network, looked up some recipes on-line, browsed through some cookbooks. With all the recipes I found, I still went back to the comfort food of my mom and grandma.
There were several soups in the making.. It sounds corny, I know, but if you cook with love, it turns out better. That includes not always being in a hurry to make 30 minute meals. (Although they do have their place, like after work when the kids are screaming, and dad is on his way home for dinner.)
I use a bay leaf in most dishes with several ingredients. Do not underestimate the importance of one little bay leaf. Especially in soups, stews, and sauerkraut and pork. (Good bay leaves are not cheap, but are used sparingly, and are worth it.)
My mom said if you have an onion and butter, you can make anything taste good. Even though I am accused of having a heavy hand when it comes to onions, I agree with my mom.
There is no such thing as a bad grilled sandwich. Don’t just grill cheese and Rubens. . Have you ever tried grilled chicken, tuna, or ham salad? Good.
On my snowy week-end in the cottage, there were grilled sandwiches, and soup. There is something relaxing and a feeling of accomplishment about making home-made soup.
I made beet soup, served with sour cream, and kale soup. Back to my ethnic dishes.
I started making more things from scratch because last fall I took a few classes at the hospital concerning nutrition. Sometimes I wish I wouldn’t have. Now I am almost obsessed to read all the ingredients when shopping. It’s really a bummer. There are not many things that do not have corn syrup, fructose, and/or MSG, and the long list of preservatives. Even my favorite Swanson’s and College Inn Broths, are loaded with MSG, etc.
When I found out my favorite soup base also had all of that and more, I decided to make my own. The first pleasant surprise was, it wasn’t that hard or time-consuming. The second thing was that taste buds had to change. The flavors are more subtle, and at first taste "flat". But as I experimented with some herbs, fresh and dried, the real flavors came out.
The same base can be made for all kinds of soups. It can be added to your chicken broth (from the chicken you cooked with your own loving hands), soup bone, or just plain vegetable
stock. Make it and freeze it. It can be one of your 30 minute meals on a busy, snowy, day.
Home-made Soup Stock
you will need:
six carrots, unpeeled, cut into one inch pieces
two onions, cut in half
4 celery stalks, including tops
2-3 cloves garlic
2 quarts water
salt and pepper
Simmer all for several hours until vegetables are cooked down
add water if necessary
Strain broth
Mash vegetables in strainer into broth to get full flavor.
Discard veggies
Freeze if you are not going to make soup soon.
Next week some of our favorite soups that we Enjoy!