If you like creamy soups, you will enjoy this Broccoli Cheese Soup, which may also be served in a Bread Bowl, rather than the traditional soup bowl.

Cream soups are usually higher in calories, due to the creams and cheeses, but by preparing it yourself, you can lighten it up with low-fat cheese, and low-fat milk.

If you are not a big fan of broccoli as a side dish, you might surprise yourself, and really like this broccoli soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups potatoes, diced
• 1 cup carrots, sliced thin
• ½ cup celery, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli flowerets, separated to smaller pieces (or 16 oz. package frozen, chopped broccoli)
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups of soup stock (I used chicken stock) see TIP below
• 1 cup of low-fat milk (see TIP below)
• 1 Tbs. corn starch, or flour
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1/2 cup cheese, shredded (Swiss, Cheddar)
• 1/8 tsp ground thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Simmer potatoes, carrots, and celery in 4 cups of soup stock, for 20 minutes.
2. Add broccoli and cook for 7 more minutes.
3. Remove 1 cup of cooked broccoli, set aside.
4. Saute chopped onion in 1 Tbs of canola oil, until golden.
5. Add butter and minced garlic. Saute 1 minute longer.
6. Set aside.
7. Pour the soup into a blender, or food processor to puree it.
8. Return back to soup pot.
9. Add sautéed onions and garlic.
10. Mix corn starch, or flour, with 1/4 cup of milk, until smooth.
11. Add to the remaining milk, and pour into the soup.
12. Bring to boil.
13. Season with thyme, salt and pepper.
14. Mix in shredded cheese, until melted.
15. Fold in the reserved cooked broccoli.
16. Serve it hot.
17. You may also cool  it, refrigerate, and reheat before serving.

You can create quick bread bowls, by hollowing out crusty rolls, such as Portuguese Rolls, and serve the soup in them.

TIP:  You can prepare a quick soup stock by dissolving chicken, or vegetable bullion in water, per package directions.  You can also use ready-made stock, if you do not have time to make your own homemade stock.

For richer soup, and higher calories of course, you can use whole milk, or even cream and milk mixture.

You read my previous posts about the healing power of soup.

I shared a recipe for making your own soup stock, and now it’s time to cook some soups, and share the recipes with you.

Some people enjoy eating soup so much, that they even eat it as a late breakfast meal.

Many Europeans eat soup daily, and sometimes soup and sandwich is a perfect way to end a day, and call it a complete dinner.

Today I cooked Corn Potato Chowder, and I kicked it up a notch with some ground red pepper, to appease my husband’s taste for spicier tasting soups.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. Canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups of soup stock (meat or vegetable)
• 3 medium potatoes (I used red potatoes), cubed to dice size
• 4 cups frozen corn (16 oz bag)
• 3/4 cup of milk (whole or low fat – I used low fat)
• 2 Tbs. sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped chives (to garnish soup before serving)
• Pinch of ground red pepper, or a couple of drop of hot pepper sauce (optional)
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Use a 6 quarts stockpot.
2. Pour 2 Tbs of canola oil into the stockpot, and heat it up over medium heat.
3. Add chopped onion, and celery.
4. Saute until onions begin to turn golden.
5. Add chopped garlic, and saute 1 minute longer.
6. Add peeled, cubed potatoes.
7. Pour in the soup stock.
8. Partially cover the pot, bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low.
9. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
10. Use a potato masher, and pulse the potatoes (in the pot), about 5 times, to break them up a bit.
11. Add corn, and simmer for 8 minutes longer.
12. Using a slotted spoon, remove about 1 cup of the corn/potato mixture, place it in a food processor, or blender, and pulverize it (optional).
13. Return it back to the pot (this makes the soup a bit creamier).
14. Stir in milk, and heat for 2 minutes.
15. Turn off the heat.
16. Place the sour cream in a small bowl, temper it with some of the hot soup mixture, then mix it into the soup.
17. Season the soup with salt, black pepper, and red pepper (if using).
18. Serve hot, garnished with 1 tsp. of chopped chives.

Enjoy.

photo credit: Merelymel13

Today I will introduce you to the first step of making a homemade soup, which is making homemade soup stock.

Soup stock is the basic liquid part of the soup, to which you add all the other ingredients necessary to create your chosen kind of soup.

You can prepare a vegetarian soup stock, or a meat soup stock.

Vegetarian soup stock is made by simmering your favorite veggies, with added oil or butter, to enrich its flavor.

Meat soup stock requires either portions of actual meat, or bones with some meat on them.

My favorite (least expensive) meat soup stock is from the carcass of a leftover roasted whole chicken, or turkey, plus the flavorful leftover basting pan juices.

If you have been discarding these parts, you are throwing away the best base for a homemade soup stock.

Another great idea for meat soup stock is the shank bone from a baked ham, with some snippets of meat still on it, or the cut away bone from pork chops, leaving only boneless fillets for the main course.  I usually do not prepare my soups with beef stock.

Ingredients:

• 4 quarts of cold water
• 1- 1.5 lbs meat with bone (ham shank, 2 chicken wings plus breast bones, bones cut away from 4-6 pork chops,   1 chicken breast, or 1 carcass of a whole roasted chicken, or 1/2 carcass of a whole roasted turkey).
• 1 Tbs. salt
• 1 medium onion, whole
• 2 stalk of celery, cut to large chunks, crosswise
• 2 medium carrots, cut to large chunks, crosswise
• 1 parsley root ( optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, whole
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 peppercorns (whole black pepper grain)

Directions:

1. Fill a 6 quarts soup pot with 4 quarts of cold water, and set it on a stove top.
2. Rinse the meat and bones (if using raw meat), and add it to the pot of water.
3. Add salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
4. Cover, and turn the heat to high, until the water begins to steam.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, and bring it to a low boiling point.
6. Using a large serving spoon, skim and discard the frothy mixture accumulating on the top surface of the water, until almost all gone. (This will make your stock nice and clear).
7. Lower the heat to simmering, place a lid (partially covered) over the pot, to prevent the liquids from excessive evaporation, and from steaming up your kitchen.
8. Let it summer for 1 – 1.5 hours.
9. Add chopped vegetables, whole onion, parsley root, and garlic cloves.
10. Simmer 30 minutes longer.
11. Add more salt, if needed.
12. Strain the stock over a strainer, into a clean container.
13. Cool off, and store.
14. You can store the soup stock in the fridge for a couple of days, if you plan to use it for soup, otherwise pour it into zip lock freezer bags, and freeze it for later use.

TIP:   If I plan to cook soup the same day as the stock, I add the whole onion in step 3, and strain the stock in step 8.  While the  stock is cooking, I chop ( into dice size pieces) all the veggies required for the type of soup I am making, and add them to the stock right after straining it in step 8.

Preparing homemade soup, of any kind, is a simple process.

If you are able to boil water, and chop veggies, you are a budding soup chef.

I mean it. It is that simple.

Cooking soup requires some very basic ingredients:

• Soup stock (ready-made, or homemade)
• Your favorite vegetables
• Your favorite herbs
• Pasta, rice , or other favorite grains
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Some soups might need additional flavor enhancers:

• tomato paste
• cheese
• eggs
• heavy cream, or milk
• vinegar
• lemon juice
• wine

The reason soup is easy to prepare, is that you are able to alter its taste and texture, throughout the entire cooking process; unlike baking breads and pastries, or preparing main course dishes.

Did I convince you yet that you ARE able to prepare some yummy soup?

Next time I will show you how to make some soup stock, since it is very easy to prepare, and much cheaper than buying it ready-made.

If you think your mom and grandma were the only ones preaching that soup was good for you, especially during illness, some scientists agree with this theory as well.

Homemade chicken soup, also referred to by many as “Jewish Penicillin”, has been known for its “healing” powers for colds.  It is believed to inhibit inflammation, and break up congestion.

I am convinced that hot soup, hot tea with lemon and honey, and fresh garlic bread, are my best remedies for getting well from such recurring ailments as the common cold.

Soup is a winter staple that no one should be without, as it warms you up from inside out, and boosts your immunity.

Homemade soups made with organic veggies, are the best.

If you must depend on the manufactured soups, please watch out for the amount of sodium and fat,  they contain.

I will share some excerpts from an article I read in a post by Dr.Maoshing Ni.

The therapeutic value of soup comes from the ease with which your body can assimilate the nutrients from the ingredients, which have been broken down by simmering.

1. Lose weight with soup.

It has been found that people who eat one serving of soup per day lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories, but don’t eat soup.

2.  Build your immunity.

When you slowly simmer foods over low heat, you gently leach out the energetic and therapeutic properties of the foods, preserving the nutritional value of the foods.  Keep in mind that boiling can destroy half of the vitamins found in vegetables, so cook soup over low heat.

3.  Detoxify your body.

As a liquid, soup is already helping you flush waste from your body.  When you choose detoxifying ingredients, you are really treating your body to an internal cleanse.

4.  Warm up with a hearty soup.

Soups provide something the body craves in a cold weather. The Chinese nutrition would call this the “warming energy”.

5.  Get well faster.

When you are sick, there is no better healing food than soup.  The reason for this is that soups and stews don’t require as much energy to digest, freeing your body up to fight the infection.

Are you convinced yet of the health benefits your body is able to obtain from adding soup to your daily diet?

Preparing homemade soups might sound complicated and intimidating, but it is really very simple.

You can check out the soup recipes I already posted, but there are more coming up, so please stay tuned.

photo credit: AlishaV

Electrical fires are not a rare thing, and can happen to anyone, at any time.

Actually, I experienced it a couple of times as well.

My first experience was with my oven, as all of a sudden, the heating element started to smolder, and my whole oven lit up with flames. I turned the oven off, but the fire did not stop.  Finally I ran to the main fuse box, and flipped off the oven fuse, at which point the smoldering slowly subsided, and my oven started to cool off.

If you do not know where your fuse box is located, or which fuse switch is for which part of the house, you should learn it right now, and hopefully will never need to use this knowledge.  I was lucky enough to be familiar with our fuse box.

Another time was just as scary, since while I was away from home, my toaster oven “miraculously” turned itself on.  I was not even using my toaster oven that day.  It must have been heating at full blast long enough for the handle to fall off, the electrical socket, walls and counter top to get  too hot to touch.  Fortunately it did not cause a more serious fire, and to this day I still do not know what caused it.

I learned my lesson, so now before leaving the house I always unplug the toaster oven, the coffee pot, my curling iron, and any other small appliances I have plugged in…just in case.  I encourage you to do the same, because not only it will save energy (anything plugged in, even if not in use, draws energy), it will give you a peace of mind, while you are away.

Here are additional tips on preventing electrical fires in your home:

• Cover all unused wall sockets with plastic safety covers, if you have small children in your house (they love to stick their curious little fingers in there, or anything else they might be holding).
• Avoid running extension cords across walkways, doorways, and under carpets.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for plugging appliances into electrical outlets.
• Avoid overloading outlets, by not plugging more than one high-wattage appliance into each receptacle at one time.
• Install smoke alarms on every floor, and near all sleeping areas.
• Change smoke alarm batteries regularly. As a rule of thumb, change every time you adjust your clocks for daylight savings time.
• Replace, or repair any loose or frayed cords on all electrical devices (that includes your laptop).

If you have any other ideas on preventive measures for house fires, please share them with us.

Barberry bushes are very popular with landscapers for being incorporated into many of their landscape projects.

Apparently the Barberry shrub was first introduced to the US landscaping in the 1800’s, and it still remains very popular today.

Due to its thorny branches, it was used by many as a living fence, or planted in front of home windows, as a deterrent for burglars.

They do add contrast to the color scheme in a landscape, due to their deep red foliage, however, their thorns are very annoying, and merciless.

I have pricked myself so many times with their needle sharp thorns, at trimming time, or whenever I was working around that area, which finally prompted me to dig them up, and replace them with something more manageable, and thorn free.

Also, I could not bear to think that someday one of my grandchildren might get one of these thorns stuck in their finger, and knowing how painful these are, and how difficult to remove, I could not deal with this any longer.

It was time again to trim my shrubs, thus perfect time to finally remove these thorny bushes, once and for all.

It was a labor intense job, since there were six of them to work with, and those thorns still managed to get through my very thick gloves.

I had numerous gardening tools laid out in my front yard to get this job done, since I was determined to use whatever it took, to complete this project successfully.

The operation was a success, and the Barberry bushes were gone.

A week later, I finally decided on a replacement, to fill in the empty spots in my landscaping.

I selected, the above pictured ( innocent looking), Abelia Kaleidoscope bush, which also flowers, with pretty white flowers, during late summer and early fall.

I am very pleased with my selection, and needless to say, I was pricked, one last time, by some small thorny branches mixed in with the landscaping stones (I am so glad I got rid of these annoying bushes).

As I mentioned above, I removed 6 of the Barberry shrubs, and replaced 4 of them withe the Abelia Kaleidoscope bushes in the main shrub landscaping, but the other side needed something less bushy.

For this side of my landscaping I selected 3 very nice ornamental grasses, Lily Turf (variegata), shown above, which also blooms late summer and early fall, with dainty purple flowers, studded on a long stalk.

I will love these next year at trimming time.

Do you have Barberry bushes in your landscaping?

Please share your experience with Barberry bushes.

We all would love to hear your story.

It has been a while since I posted some  energy saving tips, which I usually find on one of the sites I often visit.

Today’s tip is about saving money on your heating and cooling, by having the right kind of windows in your home.

Today’s tip:  Multiply Your Pane

What?
Save money – and reduce global warming – by replacing inefficient windows.

How?
Clear, single-pane windows let as much as 84% of the heat out of a room. Get rid of them. In their place, install efficient windows, such as multiple-pane windows with low-E coating.

Why?

The average homeowner spends nearly 50% of yearly energy costs on heating and cooling. Window replacement can reduce that to just 20%.

Did You Know?

Cooling generally costs you about three times as much as heating. So if you live in a warm climate, you have even more incentive.

Check out your windows, and do the right thing to save energy, and money.

Those of you who love gardening, will agree that this hobby needs careful planning, requires its share of physical labor, and definitely lots of cooperation from Mother Nature, thus favorable weather.

Whenever someone asks me what my plans are for the weekend, often time I am unable to answer that question precisely, because it all depends on the weather.

Since Saturday is my only free day to catch up on my gardening, especially in the Spring and Fall season, and if the weather is great, I am out there during early morning hours, digging in the dirt.

Sunday, on the other hand, is a “Day of Rest”, so I attend church services, spend time with family and friends, have fun and relax.

This year’s Autumn season has been wonderful on several Saturdays, so I had a chance to clean up my flower beds, and my veggie and herb garden, to prepare them for Winter.

My Zinnias are still blooming, thus the gorgeous picture of my favorite Hot Pink Zinnia flower (top picture).

Zinnias are very resilient plants, thus easy to grow successfully.  However, some varieties  grow very tall and require a sturdy steak to support them.  Please keep this in mind when planning to include these beauties in your flower garden.

Roses are another great plant to include in a flower garden, since they continuously produce gorgeous blooms.  Even during their tougher day, when aphids try to “eat them up alive”, they lose many of their leaves, but still manage to produce new flowers.  Just amazing!

This is a display of my Golden Autumn Harvest of remaining veggies and herbs.

About two weeks ago, I completed the harvest of beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce.  I also, seeded another round of dill, which should still provide a nice crop before the first frost appears.

Flat Leaf Italian Parsley is my preferred parley, over the curly leaf parsley.  I pulled up some of these plants with its roots, since these add a great flavor to soups, and roasting meats ( the roots should be cleared of the stringy small roots, and the outer skin layer needs to be scraped off, before cooking).

These are my Onion Chives, and Garlic Chives.

Garlic Chives turned up coincidentally in my herb garden, as a result of trying to grow garlic from small cloves, which never matured to real garlic heads.  Garlic Chives have a mild garlic flavor, so I use them in salads, and other dishes, along side of Onion Chives, and Dill Weed.

Red Beets are a must in my garden.  I cook many Eastern European foods, so these are a main ingredient in my Traditional Ukrainian Borscht, Botvinka, Red Beet Vinaigrette, and my favorite Exotic Red Beet Salad.

Here are my Basil leaves, and Sorrel leaves.

I picked the Basil leaves off of the stems, rinsed them with cold water, patted them dry, spread them on a paper towel, microwaved them for one minute, then left them out to dry.  Once fully dried up, I crushed them in a food processor, and stored them in an air tight spice container.  Their aroma is much stronger, and fresher, than the manufactured one (and a real money saver).

The Sorrel leaves may be preserved for later use as well. Here again, they need to be rinsed under cold water, patted dry, chopped, placed in a zip lock freezer bag, and may stay frozen for few months.

I usually freeze enough in each bag (2 tightly packed cups), to be used in my Sorrel Borscht (Shchav) recipe.

I had to leave the best for last.

These Green Peppers are the best, because they are totally FREE!

I planted these from the seeds I scooped out from Green Peppers I bought at a farmer’s market for our dinner.  The seeds sprouted nicely, and the plants grew to maturity without much TLC.  Now we can enjoy them stuffed with Bulgur and Turkey, or a Vegetarian recipe.

My garden is almost ready for its winter snooze, but there are still a few more things that will need to be done before then.

Hopefully you enjoyed my gardening pictures, stories, and might even try the linked recipes.

Please share your gardening experience with all our readers.

Boys will always be boys…isn’t that the truth.

While little girls like to have cute party themes for their birthdays (Candy Land, Minni Mouse, Sesame Street), boys prefer to have fun with Pirate theme.

My previous post shared the numerous decorations and games for this Pirate Theme Birthday Party, so this post will be all about food, and the Pirate Theme appropriate labels for appetizers, and other foods.

If you only saw the labels, you would never guess what type of food would end up on your plate.

Here are some of the items listed on the menu.

OK, I think you get my point…..now let me show you the actual food next to these tags.

This was a very refreshing White Rum Punch, with  a very special pirate ladle, and plastic skulls floating on the surface of the punch.  All the Adult Pirates loved this punch!

Some of the appetizers, and snacks, displayed here (Pirate Shoe Leather, Swords and Peg Legs, Polly Parrot’s Treats, Seaweed Salad, Desert Pudding, etc.).

So, if you are not able to read this tag, these are the “Octopus Legs and Eyeballs”…..very appropriate label, don’t you think?

No, we did not hunt for Parrots….this is a Rotisserie Chicken, cut up into serving pieces, served with a special basting sauce from Phil’s Chicken House, located in Endicott, NY (part of the Triple Cities around Binghamton, New York).

This is the best chicken ever, so if you are ever around that area, I recommend this place for some finger licking meal.

This was a wonderful display of fruits (oranges, pineapple, kiwi and star fruit), labeled as “Tropical Sea Creatures Salad”.

The center piece of the party display, a Pirate Ship Cake, with Captain Maks in charge, and a close up of the ocean waves, water and sharks.  Special creation by mom of Captain Maks.

Personal cake for the Birthday Boy – Captain Maks, with some edible Gold Coins, to add to the cake decorations.

These delicious, chocolate cupcakes were nestled in special Pirate Ship wraps, surrounded by many other sweet treats, for everyone to enjoy.

My hat’s off to Captain Mak’s parents, for planning the party in such a creative way, and for organizing the whole event.

Each family was assigned a day of the week to prepare a dinner for everyone, leaving one day free of cooking, to enjoy a dinner out.

It was lots of fun, since we had a different theme meal each day, and each group only cooked once during the whole week.

The weather was fairly cooperative, so there was time for sun bathing and walking on the beach, as well and taking the children on boardwalk rides, flying kites, and building sand castles.

The grandparents checked out the nearby casinos in Atlantic City, which was lots of fun, but no big winnings…..sigh.

Hopefully you will find these ideas very useful, and perhaps your next special birthday party will also be as creative, and enjoyable.

As always, I am looking forward to hearing your fun stories.