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".