On Soup and Snowing

As I sit here blogging about soup on this chilly day, all I smell is my delicious dinner simmering away in the kitchen. In honor of our first snow here in Fort Collins (it lasted all of 2 1/2 minutes) I decided to forgo making lasagna this evening and opted for French onion soup instead. Don't fret though, lasagna will be made this weekend!

I forgot to take pictures of the beginning stages of the soup I am making this evening, but I will take a 'ready to eat' picture and add it before I post.

One of my favorite things to make in cold weather is soup. I like to experiment with whatever ingredients I have around the house. Chicken noodle soup is always great, but sometimes you just want something a little more exciting. One of my favorites is a chicken and chili pepper soup. I tend to have a nice variety of fresh peppers in the fridge (and I grew black bell peppers and serranos in my "garden" this summer) that are tasty in soup. I usually roast some poblano, maybe a fresno or jalepeno, and a little sweet bell pepper and dice those up with half a red onion and sautee them until the onion is tender. I add corn, usually frozen, diced chicken that I marinated in salsa, and chicken broth. Once everything is cooked, I usually serve it with a little sour cream, and maybe tortilla strips. The last time I made it, however, I added a Spanish rice stuffed patty pan squash and sour cream on top of that. It was delicious and a little more substantial of a meal.

Another family favorite is what my mom calls "hamburger soup". You start with ground beef, chopped onion, a clove of garlic, diced green bell pepper and canned chilies, carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans, a can of pinto beans, and a can of diced tomatoes; I added some fresh tomatoes and parsley to this batch too.

Brown the ground beef with the onions and peppers. Add the other veggies, drained and rinsed beans, and diced tomatoes.

Once everything is partially cooked sprinkle a couple tablespoons of vinegar over everything-red wine vinegar works best, add a can or carton of beef broth and simmer until all the veggies are tender. I like to add pasta to the soup-my mom traditionally uses spaghetti but I have been eating only quinoa pasta, so I used quinoa elbows.

Finish with salt and pepper to taste and some chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!

And now, to the French Onion soup! I slice one red onion nice and thin and let it caramelize over medium heat in a mixture of butter and olive oil with a sprinkle of sugar. Once the onions are light brown, I add half a thinly sliced apple and a minced clove of garlic and continue cooking everything for about 5 minutes. Then add another little bit of butter and a sprinkle of flour to help thicken the soup and make sure everything is coated. Deglaze with a little bit of white or red wine and add a carton of beef broth, some salt and pepper to taste, and a bay leaf. Let it simmer until all the flavors get a chance to combine in the broth. Pour the soup in a bowl, top with toasted crusty bread and swiss cheese and broil until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Dig in, but be careful, it will be hot!

Soups make comforting and delicious cold weather meal. Many can also be frozen so feel free to make a large batch to enjoy some later too. Be creative with soup-there are so many possibilities and Chop on fellow soup lovers!

On Autumn and Appling

Now that we are creeping into the cooler weather of fall, you might be looking for more indoor activities to partake in. Cooking is one of the best! Apples seem to be one of the best things about fall and there are so many delicious things you can do with them. It seems that many apple related foods are also comfort foods which is nice on the chilly days to come. Last week I got a bunch of really tasty MacIntosh apples from a friend's apple tree and had some time to play around with them.

One of my favorite apple memories from growing up is homemade applesauce. It is so easy and tasty, I think everyone should try it at least once! All you have to do is quarter the apples, cut off the stem and blossom ends, and cook the apples until they are soft. Then just run the apples through a food mill, (if you don't have a food mill, peel and core the apples also before cooking) add a little sugar and cinnamon, and you are set! You can enjoy the applesauce with a little Greek yogurt, or on waffles or pancakes for breakfast, or just by itself. You can make a bunch and freeze it for later enjoyment!

You can also turn some of the apple sauce into apple butter very easily. Just put some in a pot, add extra sugar and spices, then cook it down until it is thick and spreadable. (It will also darken quite a bit) Very tasty on toast or a scone! Makes a really nice gift also-put it in a cute jar and tie a nice ribbon around it.

Another apple basic is, of course, the pie. I like to make a crumb topping for mine instead of 2 layers of crust, but you could put crust on top if you prefer. I peel, core, and slice the apples into a bowl, mix them with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a dash of ginger, a dash of cloves, and a sprinkle of vanilla. I let those sit for a little while while I put the crust in the pan. (I usually use Pillsbury already made rolled up crust but if you are so inspired to make your own crust, go for it!)

The crumble topping I make is butter, oats, brown sugar, a little cinnamon, and chopped walnuts. Just mix everything in a bowl with your fingers and crumble it over the top of the pie just before you put it in the oven.

I made an apple ginger ice cream that was delicious on top of the warm pie, but good old vanilla is always yummy too.

One last apple recipe I would like to share is a nice easy fall dessert. Baked apples are nice for dinner parties because everyone gets their own! All you have to do is core the apple, sprinkle cinnamon and any other spices you want inside the apple, fill it with walnuts and maybe raisins, top the apple with some brown sugar and a little liquid-apple cider, brandy, or bourbon all work pretty well. Bake the apple at 350 until it is tender and enjoy alone or with some ice cream.

I hope you enjoy some of these comforting apple-y recipes! Try some variations on your own, and Chop On!