Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1. Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the salt, ginger and chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.

Melba's Note: This is how I like my egg drop soup - simple. I also throw in some frozen corn, though, for a little crunch.

Smoky Chicken Chili by Mary Choate

2 poblano chile peppers, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium-size sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans zesty chili-style diced tomatoes
3 cups shredded or chopped smoked chicken (about 1 lb.)
1 (16 oz.) can navy beans
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12 oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth
1 (1.25 oz.) envelope white chicken chili seasoning mix

Toppings: shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges, baby corn, sliced black olives, chopped red onion, tortilla chips

Saute first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in diced tomatoes and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat ot low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Serve with desired toppings.

Melba's note: My friend Mary Choate got this recipe from Southern Living. Mary is one of the most wonderful people I know. She had me over on Friday night because she knew Sammie had just left town. She made this and it was delicious! I got to hang out, playing games, with her husband Nick and awesome daughters Jessie and Nicole. Jessie's boyfriend, Steve, was there too. It made me feel so cool that they wanted to hang out with me! I slept over and the next morning, Nick made a big pancake breakfast. YUM! I love them!!

Spanish Soup by Lindsay Kaelberer

2 tbsp. butter 1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. flour ¼ tsp. tarragon
4 cups chopped onion (or less) ¼ tsp. pepper
1 can (1 lb) tomato puree or ¼ tsp. oregano
crushed tomatoes ¼ tsp. cumin
4 cans (14 oz.) beef brother 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Saute onion in butter and olive oil until onions are clear. Blend in flour. Add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Put broth in crock pot or tureen to keep warm. Choose items from the following list and put each in a separate small bowl. Guests ladle a bowl of the broth and add the condiments they want. (Like a salad bar.)

Condiment suggestions:
meatballs green onion, chopped
shrimp, sautéed tomatoes, diced
ham cubes, sautéed cucumbers, diced
sausages, cooked green peppers, chopped
carrot wheels, cooked hard boiled eggs, chopped
mushrooms, sliced and sautéed raisins
red onions, chopped cheese cubes
olives kidney beans
sour cream garbanzo beans
Parmesan cheese jicama

Melba's Note: This soup sounds crazy but it's awesome! It's great for company. About 10 years ago, we had a "date night" with the siblings. Lindsay and Dan were married, Carrie and Luke were engaged, I was dating a mistake, and the rest found dates. We met at Lindsay's and had this soup and it was good! I'm glad to have the recipe. I'll have to try it again. Thanks, Linz!

Chili by Lindsay Kaelberer

1 lb. ground beef
½ large onion, chopped
½ cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (16 oz) chopped stewed tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp. chili powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
a dash of cinnamon
2 16 oz. cans chili beans

Brown meat, onion, and green pepper. Stir in next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1 ½ hours. Serve with shredded cheese.

Melba's Note: This chili is GOOD!! In one of my first posts, I told about Lindsay's, my older sister, history of cooking. I guess you could call her a "self-made" cook. A true rags-to-riches of the culinary arts!

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup by Ayako Moore

6 cups of chicken broth
A half of a carrot – julienned
1 can of sliced mushroom
1 piece of chicken breast or thigh – julienned (you can use left over turkey meat)
3 TBSP light soy sauce – you can use dark soy sauce if you don’t have light soy sauce
3 TBSP vinegar
1 TBSP sesame oil
A dash of hot chili oil (add it to your taste)
1 Morinu brand silken tofu (you can use other brands too, but it has to be silke/soft) – cut into small dice
1 egg beaten
3 TBSP cornstarch, dissolved in 5 TBSP of water
2 green onion, finely chopped
Some white pepper – add to your taste

Put chicken broth and carrot into a pot and heat to a boil, then add mushrooms, chicken soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil. Add tofu and cornstarch, stirring constantly until thickened. Pour egg into soup, stirring constantly until it forms ribbons. Add cilantro, green onions, and white pepper and serve at once.

6 servings

HI All,

It's Heather again. I made this soup this week and it was great. My husband and I haven't eaten a lot of tofu and so this was an experiment to see if we liked it in soup, and it was alright. If you don't like tofu, don't put it in.

Potato Cheese Soup from Wendy Locey

6 to 8 large baking potatoes
2 cups milk
4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup butter
8-12 strips bacon cooked
1 cup sour cream
6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
Bake potatoes until soft and peel. Mash or cube depending on consistency. In large souppot, combine butter and flour to make roux. Cook for 1 minute then slowly whisk in liquids.Add salt and pepper. Add potatoes, cooked bacon, cheese and at the last minute sour cream. Soup will thicken.

Melba's Note: I had this soup last week and requested that Wendy post it on the blog. It's yummy! Wendy is one of the most intelligent and insightful people I know. I'll miss her when she moves to Tucson, AZ. I'll all miss her son, Lucas (1 year old this Spring). Sammie's probably relieved that he's moving, though, cuz Lucas is threatening his status as the main man in my life.

Beef Stew and Maple-Oat Buttermilk Quick Bread

This is what I made for dinner tonight. I LOVE this beef stew. In fact, my mom calls it, "that beef stew that you love so much."

Beef Stew
1 lb. stew meat (coat with flour, salt, pepper)
1 T shortening
2 cans tomato soup (add water as directed on can)
3/4 c chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon Basil
2 medium potatoes - peel & cube
2 carrots or 6 baby carrots
Frozen corn (I dunno, a 1/2 cup or so)
Brown meat in stew pot. Pour in other ingredients and bake covered at 375 for 2 hours. To make it go faster, you can also start the meat cooking, while you chop the vegetables and then add them with a little bit more water. The veggies should cook for at least an hour.
To make this more South-Beach friendly, I've made it without the veggies. It's good, but not as sweet. Or, sometimes I'll add just carrots. Also, I use 1.5 - 2 lbs meat and 3 cans of soup. This is one of those stews that's even better the next day!

A funny story about this stew... Sammie and I were just getting to know each other, had been out 1 or 2 times, and we were both invited to a pot-luck dinner. I brought this stew and Sammie hated it. It was his first time eating something I had cooked and he thought I must be a terrible cook. It's now one of his favorite dishes, too. I wonder what I did wrong that night...

This is a thick, hearty bread that goes great with the stew. It's from the American Medical Association Family Health Cookbook (one of my favorites!)

Maple-Oat Buttermilk Quick Bread
1 1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups nonfat buttermilk
3/4 cup regular or quick rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly coat a 4 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the white flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg with the oil until smooth. Whisk the maple syrup, brown sugar, and buttermilk. Stir in the oats. Stir in the raisins, if using.
3. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until the bread is golden brown, 60 to 65 minutes.
4. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, turn onto a rack, and cool completely before slicing.

RED LENTIL, BULGUR, AND MINT SOUP

Hi All, This is Heather again and this is a soup recipe that my husband tried at our ward Christmas party. He absolutely loved it and got the recipe from Emily Glende. I haven't yet tried it...mostly because it calls for things I don't have in my kitchen, but for those of you wanting to try something new, this is for you! Enjoy!

RED LENTIL, BULGUR, AND MINT SOUP
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted clarified butter
1 large spanish onion, finely diced (3/4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon turkish red pepper or ground red pepper
1-1/2 cups red lentils
1/4 cup long-grain white rice
6 cups chicken stock or water
1/4 cup fine-grain bulgur1 tablespoon dried mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Plain bread croutons (optional)
Lemon wedges

TOPPING
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon paprika

In medium-sized saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently for about 2 minutes, or until they're softened but not brown. Stir in the tomato paste, chopped tomato, paprika, and Turkish pepper. Add the lentils, rice, and stock. Cover saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 3-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked and the lentils have blended with the stock. Add the bulgur and mint, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the soup is too thick, add water.

To make the topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the mint and paprika, then stir the mixture until it sizzles. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and drizzle the butter mixture over each serving. Top with croutons and serve with lemon wedges.

(By the way, I never use a whole large onion and I'll often just put in a can of diced tomatoes. And we never make the topping, although it is good with lemon juice. Maybe if we did make the topping it would be even better. Enjoy!)

Lean 'n Green

Hi All, It's Heather!

Today I'd like to share a soup recipe with you . Melba already has this recipe and I think she likes it. I love soups now as an adult. As a child I really didn't like them but ate them because that's all there was. I like to try new soups and have a couple new ones I will be trying soon. Here's one of my favorite recipes and please feel free to add and subtract to make this soup fit your tastes and lifestyles. (For instance, I don't bake the tortilla shells and place them on top...takes too much time away from a very yummy soup...and I think I add more corn tortillas to the soup than asked for...makes it thick and good. And I can't stand cillantro so I don't use it. Oh, and I also add a can of corn). ENJOY!!!

Lean ‘N Green Chili from The Pampered Chef

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, divided
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup chopped poblano chile peppers (1-2 medium) OR green bell pepper
½ cup chopped onion
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾ inch pieces
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 ¼ cups salsa verde (green salsa) or 1 can (10 ounces) green chile enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut four of the tortillas in half and stack them one on top of another. Cut tortillas into ½ inch strips; place in bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Spread in a single layer over the bottom of a pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until crisp, stirring once. Remove from oven.

2. Meanwhile, remove membranes and seeds from chile peppers; chop with knife. Chop onion. Cut chicken into ¾ inch pieces; toss with cumin. Fold one tortilla to fit into grater; coarsely grate into separate small bowl. Repeat for remaining three tortillas; set aside.

3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; add chile peppers, onion and garlic pressed. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in chicken, broth, beans, salsa and grated tortillas (I put in a large pot). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

4. Snip cilantro and stir into chili. Ladle soup in bowls; top with baked tortilla strips.

Yeild: 6 servings (about 7 ½ cups)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 10-12 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes

Chili Cook-off Chili from Carolyn Markham

Don't let the name fool you, it's a dump recipe.
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2 cans of black beans (I like Ranch brand, get them with jalapeños if you like spicy)
pepper to taste
2 cans of rotel (or tomatoes and green chilies)

Dump in the garlic, onion, spices and beef. Cook until the beef is browned, drain if needed. Dump in the beans and tomatoes (I usually dump one can of beans in right from the can and rinse and drain the second can.) Let simmer for a while, and bake some cornbread.

Melba's note: Carolyn is my sister-in-law. She lives in Houston, Texas and serves this on a "chilly" January day (50 degrees).