We have now officially entered the ‘comfort food and soup eating’ phase of Fall weather. I had heard about Italian Wedding Soup but never tasted it, so thought this might be a nice route to take. In my recipe snooping research phase, I learned that this soup is not served at Italian weddings, despite its name. The term ‘wedding’ comes from the combining of the meatballs, greens, and pasta. So now you know and with that knowledge in hand, we can get on with making this big bowl of comfort. First there’s a rich and flavorful chicken broth that has onion, yellow peppers, carrots and celery added. Simmer that for a while and then add meatballs (I use turkey but if you have a favorite recipe, feel free to substitute), and acini pasta. Acini pasta are those teensy little round shapes, that fit perfectly on a spoon. It’s always nice to add your favorite cheese and some nice crusty bread to complete the picture. A nice big glass of wine wouldn’t hurt either. After all, this is comfort food so let’s get comfortable.
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Yes, I am still on my comfort food kick 🙂 And in the spirit of comfort food, Creamy Cauliflower is one of my favorites; creamy, cheesy and pretty much guilt free if you are into that food guilt stuff. Every time I’m in the mood for macaroni and cheese I make Cauliflower soup and it usually satisfies that particular craving – I said usually. One of the best things about this soup aside from how delicious it is, is that it has no cream, no half & half, and no full-fat milk (unless, of course, you want to put some in there in which case I say ‘Go For It’). The other best part about it is that it’s only got a small handful of ingredients, which makes it quick, healthy, and scrape out the bowl delicious. Come on along and let me tell you how to get this thing done…
Dick was down with a bad cold, and that usually means homemade soup in our household. Translation: he needs me to get out of his ‘territory’ so he can rest, so I end up puttering away in the kitchen, which to me is a win-win. On that particular day, the soup depended on what was available in the pantry and fridge, and this soup is the result. It’s hearty….super hearty, and one of those you can pack in a thermos for a special treat after a day of digging in a soon-to-be garden, an early spring hike, or any other activity that requires you to warm up from being out in the elements. Big hunks of colorful vegetables are the base, and then we load on a lot of healthful cannellini beans, a fair amount of carbs with big elbow macaroni, and enough crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to round everything out. We won’t forget to add big dollops of pesto to the top of our bowls for freshness, and let’s not skimp on the butter on those crackers – we earned it.
Got the blues? Cold outside? Feeling not quite yourself? This is the soup for you. It’s what I make for my husband every time he’s down with a cold, and the one I pack up and deliver to friends who are under the weather or in need of some nutritional comfort. It can take hours or minutes, depending on your choice of broth options and chicken selected. Still tastes just right, whichever route you take. This is hearty soup, with big pieces of chicken and vegetables, plus a whole lot of, shall we say, generously sized noodles (I used regular lasagna noodles and cut them into strips when cooked) because to me, noodles are a food group all by themselves. Another bonus: this soup can be gluten free – just substitute gluten free pasta for the regular noodles in this recipe and you are good to go.…
Happy National Soup Month! Not to be outdone, let’s get with the program and make some 🙂
Don’t get me wrong – I love chili – really. It’s just that sometimes I get weary of the tomato-y aspect of it all. Enter Chicken & Corn Chili. Full of diced green chilies, big chunks of chicken, plenty of white beans, and smoked paprika. The broth is savory with chicken broth, garlic, chili powder and plenty of that smoked paprika. To top the whole works off, we crumble some Queso Fresco cheese, which is mild and just a little salty, and then crumble on some corn chips. The whole corn chip aspect is especially challenging for me since I usually end up devouring half the bag before the chili is ready. I have called this ‘quality control’, which is very important in recipe creation, and good for my guilt complex. This chili is just right on a rainy day while you are watching a football game on television, and counting your lucky stars that you are not sitting in the stands.