Cheesy Meatball Soup -- p. 57

Now, let's see...I didn't love it, but my family did.  So do I average the spoons?  I thought it was a three-spooner.  They thought it was like a four.  I had to make my own meatballs, but that wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  Other than that, the usual suspects and a party-crasher, Cheez-Whiz.  I did not want to put two whole jars of Cheez-Whiz into a soup (I doubled this recipe.) so I used one jar, two cups of milk and  1/3 cup of potato flakes.  Everyone raved about it (go figure).  I thought it was good, but not great.  I also thought the meatballs made it a little heavy for me, but it was good.  Three and a half spoons...

Fast Fiesta Soup -- pg. 161

Fast, yes.  Fiesta, no.  There are only 4 cans in this soup:  2 Rotel, 1 corn, 1 black beans.  "Wow," I thought, "I hope this is as good as the person who submitted the recipe says it is!"  Let me tell you what the heading said:  This spicy soup was served at a very elegant lunch, and the hostess was deluged with requests for the recipe.  The colorful combination  is a snap to throw together...just open the cans and heat.   

Yeah.  Well the snap to throw together part was right.  I cannot imagine what lunch she went to, but the food must've been horrible.  No, the soup isn't that bad.  It's just not good.  It looks and tastes similar to salsa, but without the flavor.  In fact, I'd rather open a jar of salsa and heat it up.  It would be better.  So I give this soup one and a half spoons.  The one is because it's easy, and the half is because it's edible.  

White Chili with Chicken -- pg. 215

Again, I had family in town and it was snowing.  I didn't want to go to the store, so I got some chicken out of the freezer, and voila!  If you have extra cans of Great Northern Beans, this will work for you.  I am thinking I need about a dozen cans of Great Northern, black, pinto, navy, garbanzo, kidney and chili beans until I'm done with my soup endeavor.  Then, just whip out the beans and let the fun begin!  The diners said that it had just the right amount of kick to it (with the jalapenos).  I would only add that I think the recipe calls for too much chicken broth.  I did swap out the corn starch for flour, too.  I'd say three and a half spoons.

Baked Potato Soup -- pg. 92

So I had the baked potatoes that I snaked from my sister-in-law's Christmas Eve dinner, and the bacon.  So what did I do when I didn't have enough leftovers?  (Hint-- It's hidden in the title of this post.)  It went together really quick, and it was very good.  My husband said to give it four spoons, but I say 3 1/2 because the Best Ever Potato Soup was better.  My mom and dad-in-law liked it, too.  I used light sour cream instead of full-fat, so bonus!

Corn Chowder -- p. 177

Hello again -- I made a ham for Sunday dinner, and so you may notice that all the soups I'm making have ham in them.  So, corn chowder...the usual suspects (celery, onion, carrot, potato) plus ham, mushrooms and (can you guess?) yep, corn.  It was pretty good.  I'd use it when I have leftover ham.  I just wouldn't go out of my way to make it.  The family liked it.  Bryn said 4 spoons, but I think that's a little high.  I will award 3 spoons for this one.

The U.S. Senate Bean Soup - p. 159

Now, I get it.   The senators hate  us because we keep serving them this soup in their cafeteria.  Although, I have to laugh because it was a lot of work, looked pretty on the outside, but then you get served up a bowl of crud.  If you have an extra few hours to kill, and want to make something that I'm sure will mold in the refrigerator, then this is the recipe for you.  I like ham and bean soup, but not this one.  It's bland, and I think you cook the ham so long that it has no smoke flavor whatsoever.  Am I being clear?  One spoon, and that spoon is because it isn't inedible. It just doesn't taste good.

Quick Clam Chowder - p. 186

I was wrong about all soup-within-a-soups being from the devil.  This is probably the easiest soup ever, and really good.  I mean, it's not Seafood Chowder good, but if you take into consideration that it takes about five minutes to make, it's really good.  Five ingredients--that's it.  I have to give it 3.5 spoons, more because of the work/taste ratio than the taste.  Next up -- U.S. Senate Bean Soup.  (Does that mean it costs a ton, and there's nothing in it?)

Creamy Potato Soup - p. 91

So...until I make all the soups that call for a baked potato, I've been making extra baked potatoes with my dinners.  That'll motivate me.  Plus, baked potatoes aren't very great warmed over, so why not put them into a soup?  The Creamy Potato Soup was pretty good, especially if you take into consideration my hatred of soups made out of canned soups.  But, as you will see with the next post, sometimes I'm in a hurry and "soup within a soup" is not bad.  Nothing great about this one.  But, if you want an easy potato soup, and have the baked potatoes lying around, not a bad choice.  Definitely put the liquid smoke in it, 'cause it needs flavor.  Okay-- this reminds me...cheddar cheese-flavored canned soup--what's up with that?  It doesn't taste like cheese...just a bland nothingness.  But, I used it anyway...2 1/2 spoons guys...

Ham & Cauliflower Chowder

This one was better than I expected.  As a bonus, it was also simple.  Yay.  I did manage to scorch it. In the crockpot.  On "warm".  Yeah -- warm, not even "low" -- how does that happen?  I actually made this soup last year, but I used really nasty ham, and it turned out way salty.  So, I think 3 spoons.  It was good but not super-good. 

Chicken and Bacon Chowder - p.184

Chicken? and bacon?  What could be wrong with that?  The answer is 3 cups of chopped celery.  I thought this soup would be delicious.  Who doesn't love chicken and bacon...and chowder?  Well, I tried it, and I immediately thought it just tasted like celery.  I thought that 3 cups was a little much.  It was.  On the bright side, it wasn't gross.   So, 2.5 spoons.  I wouldn't make it again.  Not with 3 cups of celery, anyway.   Did I mention the overwhelming celery taste?  Yeah...that....

Cheesy Chicken Chowder -- Cha-Ching! - p. 178

Sorry.  I just had to add some extra alliteration to the title.  It sort of sounds gross, but it's a good one!  The usual suspects (celery, carrots, potatoes and onions) plus chicken, milk and cheese.  That's about all there is to it.  I did cheat a little.  I had some (like 3/4 cup) baby Brussels sprouts that I threw in from the garden.  But even without that, it was a solid hit.  Not too cheesy.  I'd have to say 4 spoons.  Why not 5?  Well, it has to really surprise me to get beyond a 4 spooner.  I can't imagine anyone disliking this soup, unless you hate the usual suspects.  I was thinking...maybe I should add together all the cups of carrots, onion, celery and potatoes I have to chop at the end.  Could be an interesting stat...

Clam Chowder - p. 173

Have you guessed yet?  I am making clam chowders in quick succession because I want to remember which one is the best.  This one?  In my opinion, not the best, but some of the family liked it best.  I personally have something against soup recipes that call for cans of soup.  Maybe that's it.  I did like the mushrooms in this recipe. The unpeeled red potatoes gave it character, too.  Be sure to warn your diners that it has white pepper in it, as adding black pepper may make it very peppery.  To sum up -- not my favorite, but the family liked it so I'll give it 3.5 spoons.

Mushroom Potato Chowder - p. 172

MMMMMushrooms!  If you don't like mushrooms, skip this recipe.  I think this one is my favorite new recipe.  (The seafood chowder is still the king.)  Really simple -- the only seasonings are salt and pepper.  Just mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery to chop.  It was ready in 45 minutes, start to finish.  I have to give this one 4.5 spoons.  Definitely a keeper.

New England Clam Chowder - p. 175

Okay, so it finally got really cold.  This will be a good week.  I am making a series of chowders.  Two of them are clam, and this is the first one.  Pretty basic, I'd say, although I expect it to be better than the other one.  I think what I didn't like about this is the thyme.  I'm not a huge fan of that herb.  But, the recipe was easy to make, and it was tasty.  Just not quite "the world's best" clam chowder.  At any rate, the family liked it.  I'd give it three spoons.  Better than average, but not "wow". 

Due to the Amount of Similar Recipes..

I think I'll start rating them with "Spoons".  If the recipe gets one spoon, it was gross.  Three spoons would be average, and five spoons would be great.  This way, you can differentiate between the 20+ potato soups, chilis, and chowders that are forthcoming.   So, yeah, spoons...

Cheeseburger Chowder. page 187

So in this cookbook, preceding each recipe is a little blurb from the creator of the recipe.  This one read. "After tasting a wonderful chowder at a restaurant, I dressed up a can of cheese soup to see if I could capture some of the flavors.  I then took things a step farther by adding chiles and and Southwestern spices.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do."  

Really?  If that was dressed up, I have to say that restaurant's got to be out of business.  It was really bland.  It didn't taste bad, just not memorable...at all.   The plus-side is that it is edible and easy to make.  It's just one of those soups that you don't hate, but you don't like either.  I'd call it Neutral Chowder.  Even the garnish (crushed corn chips, cheese and green onions) don't give it enough flavor for me to highly recommend it.

Congratulations on Having the Best Potato Soup Ever!

Just kidding, (it's an Elf reference) but it was very good.  When I started out, I thought it would be average, but I had all of the ingredients... Anyway, it was much better than I expected.  I think it was the cheese.  I love cheese.  The whole family liked it, too.  The only difference is I used peppered bacon.  To sum it up, it was simple but good.  Oh yeah -- the recipe is called Best Potato Soup Ever and it's on page 89.

The Great Pumpkin...Soup!

Actually, this is the Fresh Pumpkin Soup from page 144.  My daughter, Keeley, was going to make a Rachel Ray pumpkin soup recipe and I convinced her to do this one.  She didn't follow it exactly, omitting the apples, and adding onion, half and half, paprika and basil.  But, unless someone protests, I'm counting it, because we cooked up 8 cups of fresh pumpkin, and I don't want to do it again.  Maybe I'll add apples to one of the other two pumpkin soup recipes to make up for it?  It was very good.  If I didn't know it was pumpkin soup, I would've thought it was butternut squash.  She grated sharp cheddar cheese and made bacon bits for garnish, also good additions.  She roasted pumpkin seeds with a cajun spice, and those were also good.  Thanks, Keeley, for taking one of these.  She's going to be a better cook than I am if she isn't already...

Seafood Chowder p. 176

Heh heh -- I already knew this one was good because I've made it several times.  This could be the best soup I've ever had.  Lots of seafood in it -- scallops, shrimp, cod, pollock (had to sub this for haddock), crab (subbed for lobster)...I think the crab in it is better than the lobster.  My family loves this soup.  I made it for a Halloween potluck two years ago and every year since, people ask if I'm bringing it again.  I do have to say to make sure it doesn't spill in your car, or you will be smellin' it for a while.  It also makes a lot, so use your biggest pot...

Ewwwwweee, y'all--Cajun Corn Soup!

I was trying to recreate that distinctive Cajun yell in the title, not say the soup was gross.  My kids pointed out that I had yet again made a tomato-based soup, but I already got the ingredients, so deal with it...  This soup is simmering now, but it looks like it will be pretty thick.  More like a stew... I'll return after we eat it to give the verdict...(OKAY, I didn't read the recipe all the way through and didn't see it had to simmer for an hour!)  So shoot me.  (It's the Cajun way...)

Low-Fat Chicken Dumpling Soup -- pg 16

Tonight's choice was a hit.  Everyone liked it.  To me, the low-fat dumplings tasted a little "off", but it was good.  The dumplings are made with cottage cheese and egg whites mixewd with flour and water.  The poultry seasoning called for in the recipe made it more flavorful than some of the other chicken soups I've had.  I also used fresh minced garlic instead of garlic salt.  I'm seeing that my family favors the cream soups and the chicken soups.  They really aren't huge fans of the tomato-based broth soups, though they like tomato soup (go figure).  So, I think I need to really work on planning the menus well to mix up the types of soup, or I'll never be finished with this...  Next up will be something with smoked sausage or ham.  ('cause that's what I bought), then I think a chowder.  Bon Apetit! 

Southwestern Chicken Soup - pg 10

Mmmmm -- this one is very easy and pretty good, too!  So far, all the soups have been eaten (including leftovers).  Not too spicy.  I had to leave out the cilantro because Steve is not a fan.  I personally like cilantro, and would definitely put it in otherwise...

Beef Vegetable -- Page 46

Instead of the ground beef, I used leftover pot roast from Sunday (2 days ago).  I'm not a big fan of ground beef in soups.  (But, I better get used to it -- there are a lot of recipes in this book that call for it, dangit.)  No beef broth...it's a tomato-based soup.  I just tried some...I couldn't taste it because I burnt the dickens out of my tongue.  (I should know better...)   Dunno -- it may be good.  Had to plan ahead, because it crock pots for 8 hours.  I don't usually plan ahead more than 4 hours.  I was going to make this one yesterday, but, again, I FORGOT TO READ THE ENTIRE RECIPE!  I'm making buttermilk biscuits with it, so at least everyone will like that.

So now I have to stock up on crackers to go with my soups.  The family was going all different directions tonight, and they took biscuits because soup on the go doesn't work.  So, I think this soup is good.  The V-8 juice sort gave it a zip.  It'd be great with Ritz Crackers.  It's not really an "eat-with-a-biscuit" soup.  Steve (my husband) really liked it.  To sum up...like a zesty vegetable soup...yeah, that's it.

Reuben Soup Here I Come...

I came to the realization that if I do the recipes in order, we will be eating chicken noodle soup in some form for three weeks straight.  So, to avoid the food fatigue, I'm gonna have to randomize it a bit.  So next up is Reuben soup.  Now, I love Reuben sandwiches so I think I'll like it, but the rest of the family...that's another story.  More to come after dinner...Oh yeah -- page 46 -- the Beef section...

The verdict on this one is about what I had expected:  The family members who don't care for Reuben sandwiches still liked the soup, but didn't love it.  The family members who like Reuben sandwiches really loved this soup.  I actually liked it a lot more than I even thought I would!  

The Verdict...

Italian Chicken Soup -- everyone liked it.  The favorite element was the orzo pasta, which they at first thought was rice.  I thought it was quite good.  I was a little afraid of all the fennel, but it was good in it.  However, I'm not sure that the homemade stock was worth it.  This soup would be quite easy with store-bought stock, and I don't think the flavor would be that different.  The best phrase to describe it overall -- really good, but nothing special.

homemade BROTH...the secret to spirit-warming soups!

Yep -- that's what the header to the first page says.  I missed that one on the first time through.  Then the Italian Chicken Soup  recipe called for the Homemade Chicken Stock on the previous page.  Dangit.  As I write this, my homemade chicken stock is simmering.  I learned three new things already...

1.  READ the ENTIRE recipe before you start -- not just the ingredients.  (Ya know -- I KNOW THIS!  So why didn't I do it?  I thought I was smarter than the recipe I guess.)  So, I didn't have cheesecloth to put the spices into while the stock simmers.  I just put them directly into the stock, hoping to skim them all out at the end?!  Yeah-- I'll let you know how that goes.

2.  I learned how to cut up a whole chicken.  (Had I read the recipe beforehand, I would have likely bought my whole chicken already cut up.  That being said, I will probably buy chicken stock from now on... but I had to cook each recipe in this book, so yeah-- check this one off...

3.  Stock is made from simmering the meat, spices, and then just the bones.  It is supposed to be richer than broth, which is just made from simmering meat or vegetables, and should be clear and free of fat.  Stock is obviously the more fattening of the two, and hence, better-tasting?

To sum it up, I am not sure that homemade broth will be my secret to spirit-warming soups.  I am relatively certain that I will purchase my spirit warmth in the future.

This is a total rip-off of Julie & Julia, but...

I really wanted to cook my way through a book, too.  There.  I said it.  I don't expect anyone to read this but me, but I desperately need another hobby.  Running isn't working out too great for me.  Not that I'm going to quit running, because I'm not.  It's just that...well...I'm not good at it...at all...  However, I am a decent cook.  So I am going to cook every recipe in the Taste of Home Big Book of Soup!  More than 500 recipes.  (That should take a while.)  And, I'm even committed to the cold soup and fruit soup chapters.  (Luckily, they're at the end of the book.)  So, there you go.  I'll be back once I've cooked the first recipe..."Italian Chicken Soup".