The perfect soup for a cold winter evening

[feliciakw]

Oh, my word, you guys. I just made the most amazing soup for dinner tonight. You know how last week I mentioned having pumpkin soup and how finding a comparable recipe was my new culinary quest? You guys. Here's what I found.

Well, first of all, I found pumpkinsoup.org. Everything you wanted to know about pumpkin soup but didn't know to ask. Lots of interesting recipes there of varying levels of complexity.

But that's not where I got tonight's dinner from.

No, one of my newest go-to sites for recipes (I also subscribe to the hard copy magazine) is the Southern Living website. Being from Ohio, I also try to find things on the Midwest Living website, but nine times out of ten, I like the Southern Living recipes better. (If I want Midwestern recipes, I usually head to the church/fundraiser cookbooks from back home.) The trick is to watch your fat ingredients, because if there's one thing Southerners like to cook with, it's fat.

But I digress.

Tonight's dinner was originally printed in the October 1997 issue of Southern Living.

Pumpkin-Corn Chowder

I used 1 cup of half-and-half and 1 cup of 1% milk in place of the 2 cups of half-and-half. And you could use vegetable bouillon cubes or other vegetarian bouillon for a vegetarian variation.

A mild, creamy soup to warm your tummy on a cold winter evening. And delightfully easy, because if you are what you eat, then I'm fast, cheap, and easy.

Also of note: Today I started burning my favorite Christmas fragrance candle. Yankee Candle's Sugared Plum (which they have since repackaged under a different name and color). I've used this fragrance for years, for as far back in our marriage as either Geo or I can remember. It's a warm, comforting fragrance that makes me content and nostalgic at the same time. It smells like Christmas at home.

Comments

[kimmer1227.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine pumpkin soup. I don't know why, since I love pumpkin pie. T'is good?

The BBQ was yummy! I forget to do the pre-greasing thing, too. Hee.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

The first time I ever had pumpkin soup, it sounded really weird, and I wasn't very impressed. It wasn't really what I was expecting. I don't know what I was expecting, but what I got wasn't it. That was several, several years ago.

This pumpkin soup is very much like a butternut squash or an acorn squash soup, if you've ever had those. It makes sense, because pumpkin is, after all, a squash. It's a delightful surprise. Is good.

Glad you like the BBQ recipe! It's so easy and so tasty, yeah?

[mtee.livejournal.com]

I love soup! Unfortunately I am not a huge pumpkin fan. But if you have any other soup recipes to pass on.. please do.

If you know the calorie count, can you include it? My husband and I are counting calories in order to lose some weight. Soup is a great entree.. filling but usually lower in calories than a full meal.

Thanks so much.
Having just moved to Montana, I could use the warm meals. We are a winter wonderland already.. 10 inches of snow! I have my Christmas candle going. I found one called ... something fireplace... can't remember the full name (found it at Lowes).. it's perfect... smells wintery.

Candles, snow and soup.. what could be better?? Oh year, the CD a friend made of Christmas standards (Bing, Andy, Perry)!

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Well, here's a link (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=10226.0) to a ginger peanut soup recipe that is fantastic in the winter, especially if you're suffering from a cold or sinus infection, because it will clear. you. out. Geo doesn't really like cauliflower, so I usually use all broccoli. It's easy and quite delicious. Do use the chunky peanut butter, as the nuts add a little bit of crunch to the brew.

And my favorite split pea soup recipe (which I should make cook up a batch this weekend) is as follows:

Hearty Split Pea Soup
(found in Fix It and Forget It Lightly, by Phyllis Pellman Good, copyright 2004

1-lb. pkg. dried split peas
2 cups fully cooked lean ham, diced (I usually just use an 8-oz package you can find at your grocery)
1 cup diced carrots (I often skip this ingredient. Yes, I'm lazy)
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (you can get jarred minced garlic at your grocery. 1 t = 1 clove)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black peper
5 c. boiling water
1 c. hot skim milk (I just usually use it out of the fridge)

1. Layer the first 9 ingredients in a (4-quart) slow cooker in order listed.
2. Cover. Cook on high 4-5 hours.
3. Stir in milk. (I usually let it continue to cook--turn down to low if you like--for an additional 1/2 hour.)
4. Discard bay leaves before serving. (Or warn you diners not to eat the bay leaf if they find it. :-) )

Serves 9. 230 calories/serving.

Then there's this recipe (http://www.diabeticcooking.com/DCRecipes/085/1820001085.htm) for Kansas City Steak soup. It's very bland, so play with your spices.

Enjoy!

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Then there's my personal chili recipe, which goes something like this:

1 jar salsa
2 cans diced tomatos (one of them chili tomatoes)
2 cans (at least) of beans (one of them chili beans)
1 can hominy (I like the yellow hominy; it gives color to the chili)
1 can black beans
1 package Griller Crumbles (much easier than browning beef, and gives the same texture)
Spices to flavor (I include cinnamon, cocoa, and occasionally clove in addition to a dash of chili powder)
Anything else (chili peppers, onion, olives, hot sauce, splash of whiskey, whatever) you feel like tossing in.

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

Yeah your mom mentioned you were on a Pumpkin Soup kick and hunting recipies (hunting wesipies for those who speak Fudd) I've never had Pumpkin Soup or any kind of gourd related soup so I'm not sure about this. But hey, don't knock it til you try it right?

I told your mom that I'd heard of a Pumpkin Chili recipe. Not sure if you're into chili, but if you are and I stumble upon said recipe again, I will surely send it your way!

[sarcasticval.livejournal.com]

I once made pumpkin chili! Sadly it wasn't all that spectacular.

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

I haven't actually tried it myself, but had jotted it down because someone said it was a good way to get the added vitamins from the pumpkin into the chili and really you didn't taste the pumpkin that much. Though for extreme pumpkin lovers, that may have been a problem.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Yes, my chili is one of my easiest recipes, because it entails nothing more than opening packages (I use Morning Star Farms Griller Crumbles rather than actually browning ground beef), and cans and dumping them in the pot.

I'd be interested in the chili recipe. Send it on!

[sarcasticval.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that soup sounds awesome. Do you think you could get away with using soup stock instead of the cubes? I believe someone in the recipe comments tried doing it, but they didn't mention how much was used.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

I would imagine soup stock would be perfectly acceptable. Keep in mind that 1 bouillon cube + 1 cup of water = 1 cup of broth. So if you're using soup stock, use 2 cups of stock in place of the 2 cups of water and 2 cubes.