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Souper Bowl Sunday ['11] ~ Week 8

October 31, 2011 by 1 Comment

This weekend was sort of crazy weather-wise. When I went out to get my coffee on Saturday morning, I was walking through a lot of slush and it was sleeting. Winter has come a little early this year, and I’ll have to say I’m not ready for it yet. I love Fall, and I feel like Fall gets shorter every year. And that’s a bummer. Because I feel like it’s either 110 degrees or 10 degrees! And my perfect temperature is 60-65 degrees. I guess I need to move, lol! Here in the city we didn’t really get any snow, but friends & family in the suburbs got upward of 6 inches.

French Onion Soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s the perfect soup to warm you up on a cold day. I wanted to try a different type of Onions Soup, so I came up with a Four Onion Soup. I added a few new flavors in there, and I was pretty happy with how it came out.

  • 2 medium Red Onions, sliced
  • 2 medium Sweet Onions, sliced
  • 4 Shallots, sliced
  • 3 Leeks,  cut into chunks
  • 4 Garlic cloves, whole
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 stick of Butter
  • 3 tablespoons Corn Starch
  • 32 oz + 4 oz Beef Broth
  • 2 tablespoons Brandy
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon (or add at the end to taste) salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Bread Cubes, toasted
  • Gruyere Cheese
  • Sharp Provolone

Chop up your Leeks, Red Onions, Sweet Onions and Shallots.


I love to caramelize my onions in the crock pot. I love to do it low and slow. I feel like they really get a chance to caramelize and the flavor is exceptional. I usually put the onions in the crock pot the night before I need them. I put a stick of butter in a crock pot and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Add the onions and the garlic cloves.

Let it go! I stir occasionally so that it doesn’t burn. Just make sure that your crock pot isn’t too big, otherwise it will burn. I let them cook down and caramelize until they are a nice mahogany color. From start to finish, they are probably in the crock pot for about twenty hours or so. You can cook yours as long as you’d like though. You can prepare them stove top if that is your preference.

Pour 32 oz of Beef Broth into a Dutch Oven. Bring to a boil. Mix the corn starch with the 4 oz of Beef Broth and add it into the other Broth. It will thicken. Once it’s thickened, add in the caramelized onions and all of their juices. Add in the brandy,  salt, pepper and thyme.

I let it cook (on low) for a little while to let all of the flavors marry. It’s your decision how long you let it go. I probably let mine go for about an hour, but that’s definitely not necessary.

When you’re ready to eat, ladle some of the soup into a crock.

Sprinkle some grated Gruyere Cheese over the soup.


Add in your toasted bread cubes.

Top with some good Sharp Provolone cheese. I love to use the slices.

Throw under the broiler for about 4 minutes or until bubbly!

I was very happy with how this came out. I really liked the flavors that the different onions brought to the soup. In the past I’ve always just used sweet onions, but I really love the four different onions together. This soup definitely warmed me up. And who doesn’t love all of that ooey gooey cheese?!

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Week 25: The end is finally here

October 26, 2011 by 2 Comments

IT’S THE LAST WEEK!! Yes, I’m jumping for joy! At one point it honestly seemed as if this day would never come. I’m kind of sad because I really wanted to like this whole experience. But I just didn’t. It got to be more of a hassle than it was worth, especially since week after week we were piling at least half of our share into the Swap Box and barely getting anything in return. So it ended up being a huge waste of money. For what I paid I could’ve gotten organic produce (that I pick) delivered right to my door.  Oh well, lesson learned. It’s time to close this chapter.

This last week is just like the others – more stuff in the Swap Box: Romaine Lettuce, Kale, Green Cabbage and Cilantro.   Mr. Curly Fry was able to get two more Leeks out of the Swap Box. But that’s it.

No major plans for this stuff. I still have a ton of Potatoes left that I really need to use. I cut up the Green Peppers (from last week) and the Mixed Peppers. I cut some into strips and some into small pieces and threw them in the freezer. I figured it’ll be nice to have them later on when I need them.

I plan to incorporate the Leeks into this week’s Souper Bowl Sunday recipe in some way.


  • 1 Head Green Romaine Lettuce - Certified Organic – Bellview Organics
  • 1 Leek – Certified Organic – Certified Organic – Coyote Run Organics
  • 1 Bunch Tatsoi – Certified Organic – Hillside Organics
  • 1 Bag Mixed Sweet Peppers – Certified Organic – Maple Lawn Organics
  • 1 Bag Russet Potatoes – Certified Organic – Bellview Organics
  • 1 Bunch Green Kale – Certified Organic – Eagle View Acres
  • 1 Head Green Cabbage – Certified Organic – Green Valley Organics
  • 1 Bunch Cilantro – Certified Organic – Noble Herbs

  • 1 Bag Heirloom Cranberries – Organically Grown – Paradise Hill Farm – Tabernacle, NJ
  • 1 Jar Red Raspberry Jam – Certified Organic – Oakview Acres

I still have last week’s Cranberries so I think I’ll combine them and make Cranberry Sauce. Does anyone have a tried & true recipe?

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Souper Bowl Sunday ['11] ~ Week Six

October 17, 2011 by 2 Comments

It’s a beautiful fall day here in Philadelphia and the perfect day for soup! I wanted to try something different, so I decided to throw together a Creamy Tortellini Soup. I’ve seen Tortellini Soups before, but they were different from what I had in mind. Most of them were broth based, but I wanted mine to be creamy so I decided to get creative and come up with my own.

  •  4  tablespoons  butter
  • 1/2 cup leeks
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 32 ounces chicken broth
  • 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup + 3/4 cup half & half
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4  teaspoon  ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg, grated
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
  • two 9 oz packages Tortellini (I used Wegman’s brand)

In a Dutch Oven, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and leeks; reduce heat to medium low.


Cook, stirring frequently, about 10 to 15 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft and golden.

 

Start to bring water to a boil in a large saucepan so that you can cook the Tortellini. Once the water is boiling, cook the Tortellini as directed on the package. Do not overcook.


Drain and place in a bowl. Set aside.

 In another pan, heat the olive oil over low to medium heat. Smash the garlic and add to the pan. Make sure it doesn’t burn. Add in the spinach and season with a pinch of salt & pepper.


Cook until wilted.


Transfer to a bowl and set it aside.

Add in the chicken broth, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or so.


Add in the milk and 3/4 cup of half & half.


In a large screw-top jar, combine 1/4 cup of half & half and flour. Cover and shake until combined and smooth.  Add that into the soup mixture.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
Add in the Spinach (drain it), Thyme, Parsley, Nutmeg, salt (to taste) and pepper.
Add in the cooked Tortellini and let it simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes to incorporate all of the flavors.

Serve with your favorite bread.

I must say that this soup was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I was very happy with how it came out. I thought it was packed full of flavor and this will definitely be put in my recipe box to make in the future. The Spinach added a lot of flavor to the soup. The nutmeg is a key ingredient that really brings all of the flavors together. This recipe as written is vegetarian, but if you want to add in some chicken or another kind of meat it would work well for that too.

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Week 23: What’s in the Box?

October 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Week 23. Only TWO more weeks to go! I’m so happy it’s almost over!

More stuff in the Swap Box: Romaine Lettuce, Spaghetti Squash, Cilantro and Radishes.  The only thing I was able to get out of the Swap Box was more Potatoes.

I used the Tatsoi from last week in a Shrimp Scampi dish that I make, and I loved the flavor it brought to the dish. I’ll probably use this week’s Tatsoi when I stuff a beef tenderloin – yum!

No major plans for anything else. I usually use Leeks in soup, so I’ll probably wash, cut up and freeze these leeks for when I need them for a recipe.


  • 2 Leeks – Certified Organic – Coyote Run Organics
  • 1 Bunch Tatsoi – Certified Organic – Hillside Organics
  • 1 Head Green Romaine Lettuce – Certified Organic – Bellview Organics
  • 1 Spaghetti Squash – Certified Organic – Elm Tree Organics
  • 1 Pint Mixed Cherry Tomatoes – Certified Organic – Farmdale Organics
  • 1 Bunch Cilantro – Certified Organic – Noble Herbs
  • 1 Bunch French Breakfast Radishes – Certified Organic – Outback Farm
  • 1 Head Broccoli – Certified Organic – Plum Hill Organics
  • 1 Bag Russet Potatoes – Certified Organic – Bellview Organics

Leeks

Broccoli

Russet Potatoes

  • 1 Bag Golden Delicious Apples – Certified Organic – Oyler’s Organic Farms
  • 1 Bag Red Delicious Apples – Certified Organic – Oyler’s Organic Farms

Golden Delicious

Red Delicious

More Apples. *sigh*

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Souper Bowl Sunday ['11] ~ Week Four

October 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The weather here in Philadelphia is beautiful ~ the highs are only in the 60′s and there’s a nice cool breeze. I had the craving for a nice, juicy Cheeseburger while I was trying to think of what kind of Soup to make for this week’s post, and it hit me. How about a Cheeseburger Chowder? You can probably turn almost any sandwich into a soup, right? So I gave it a shot…

 

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup leeks, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
  • 2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence (recipe at the bottom)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup + 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
  • scallions, for garnish (optional)

 

In your favorite dutch oven, brown the 1 lb. of ground beef. Once it’s done, spoon it into a colander and set aside. Reserve one teaspoon of grease in the dutch oven.

Add in 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the grease in the dutch oven. Add in your leeks, celery, onion, carrot and garlic.


Cook until the vegetables get soft; about 4-5 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Add in the potatoes and the chicken broth.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Add in the thyme, essence, and pepper.  Hold off on adding the salt until the end. You may not need to add it all. It all depends on how salty the broth was that you used, the cheese, etc.

Mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup milk and add it in. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of milk and the 1/4 of heavy cream. Stir.


Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Let the Soup simmer for about 5 minutes, until thickened. It should look something like this:

Add in the Ground Beef and the Velveeta cheese; stir.

Continue to stir until the cheese is fully melted. Add salt, if necessary.

Sprinkle with scallions and serve with some toasty bread.

 

I loved this Cheeseburger Chowder. It was so nice and creamy, and so flavorful. I think Emeril’s Essence really adds a lot of flavor. It’s a spice combo that I always keep on hand.  I truly felt like I was a eating a cheeseburger, but in the form of soup. This is definitely a chowder I’d make again. The next time I’m going to add some bacon – how wonderful would that be?!

 

Emeril’s Essence   (source)

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

 

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