the quilt.

So, a very very good friend of mine is having a baby boy this spring. (We'll call him Dude Baby.) Since she is a very very good friend, I wanted to do something fantastic and magical for the little Dude, and I knew I wanted to make something for him, and preferably something that would be lasting, you know? 

Switch to quilting--I've been wanting to learn to quilt for YEARS. However, whenever I researched it, it sounded like an expensive hobby to get into, and one that would require personal instruction and the acquisition of a whole new jargon. It was intimidating. Also, for most of those years, I didn't have a sewing machine. 

After having a lengthy discussion with my friend K, I decided to give quilting a go, and just in time to make a quilt for the Dude Baby. Awesome, right? Forty plus hours later, the quilt is done, the Dude Baby's awesome mama has received it, and I'm posting photos for your viewing pleasure.

1. Laying out the squares; figuring out the order of the squares.
2. Yep. Barnyard awesomeness! (No monkeys allowed!)
3. To keep my rows in order, I made number signs.
4. Pinning the blue sashing onto individual squares.
5. Sewing said sashing.
6. Nine rows ready to be sewn with more sashing.
7. My excellent quilting sensei, K. See! She's smiling! That means she likes my quilt!
8. Layering the top piece with the batting and the backing. Nearly there!
9. Close-up!
10. Binding! Purple! Awesomeness!
11. Completed quilt in full.
12. Close-up of the corner. I used green and purple thread while performing the actual quilting. It looked super cool on the yellow squares, but the severe contrast made any mistakes noticeable.

Not shown is the yellow corner on the back fabric where I embroidered a heart and the year 2012. I would've embroidered Dude Baby's birth name, but just in case, you know? So, a heart so he knows his Auntie Audrey loves him.

butternut squash soup (guest post...again!)

Missing Soup Week? 

Well...you guys know I'm friends with lots of good cook/chef/food people, right? Right. Well! Tonight seemed a good time to post this because I am staring at my fridge in wonder, considering and reconsidering what to make my dearest for dinner. And I have no ideas. I also have no butternut squash on hand, as they seem to think I'm evil and deserve evil in return. Still, I've had this soup, and it was tasty, so I highly recommend you make it, as long as butternut squashes don't consider you evil too. Apparently, this contrary vegetable considers me decent enough to devour it, so there you go. 

My friend John of Cornbread Fame sent me this recipe because he is nice like that. And I like choices, so you can either go with this soup (yum!) or my friends David and Karen's version (equally yum!)

In fact, I wish I had some now because then I could just eat THAT for dinner, and my dilemma would be solved. Alas, I don't, so I should go contemplate my fridge further.  

---

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup by John!
Original Recipe

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

Approx 2 lbs butternut squash (1 large or 2 small squash)
Approx 32 oz vegetable broth
Approx 8 oz water
Approx 2 oz carrots (about 1 medium carrot)
Approx 1 oz onion
1 TB + 1 tsp olive oil or melted butter
Salt and black pepper to taste


Procedure

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Peel the squash, remove the ends, and halve lengthwise.

Remove and reserve the seeds, and cut squash into 1 inch cubes.

Transfer squash to a rimmed baking sheet or oven-safe glass dish. Pour 1
TB olive oil or melted butter over squash, and season with salt and
pepper. Mix squash with hands to coat all cubes with oil.

Roast squash in oven for 30 min or until tender and slightly
caramelized, stirring once. Let cool for 10 minutes while preparing
onion and carrots.

(Optionally, wash and coat squash seeds in olive oil in a small
oven-safe dish and roast at 400 F for 15 minutes or until they begin to
pop.)

Finely dice onion and carrots. Saute in large stock pot over medium heat
with 1 tsp olive oil or melted butter until onion begins to caramelize
slightly, approx. 5 min.

Transfer roasted squash and sauteed onion and carrot to a blender, with
8oz of broth and puree until smooth with no chunks. (Alternatively,
combine ingredients in stock pot and puree with an immersion blender,
carefully checking for chunks.)

Transfer puree to stock pot and add remaining broth. Add additional
water as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add
additional salt and pepper (or other spices) to taste.

Serve immediately (optionally garnished with heavy cream and roasted
seeds).

SW: Hot & Sour Soup (Guest Post)

People, I am exhausted. As much fun as this soup week has been, eleven posts in five days is a lot for one girl to handle. However! I think we've had an excellent turn-out, I love that I had SIX guest contributors, and every time I get an email or message saying someone is trying one of the soups, my heart jumps with glee.

But all good things must come to an end, and Soup Week 2011 is due. Next week, I'll return to regularly scheduled Hot Pink Mama, including thoughts on nanowrimo, the Bean's eating utensil progress (complete with photos), and a really good book I read last week. I'm leaving you with my friend Andrea's Hot and Sour Soup recipe. She was a super big meanie and didn't bother sharing, which is so uncool. :) I hope you had a super fun week! Thanks for stopping by!

---

I love most Asian food. More specifically, I love spicy Asian food. Thai food is some of my favorite food in the world. In fact, I just had green curry from my favorite Thai restaurant today, and I am drooling in memory. As for Chinese food, unfortunately, most Chinese restaurants, at least in my city, seem to be of the Americanized garden variety, using a lot of oil and MSG and enough sodium to bloat up a blimp. So while I love it dearly, I rarely allow myself the indulgence of ordering it. My main weakness at a Chinese restaurant and one thing I must order at a Chinese restaurant is the hot and sour soup. The main problem with that is that I’m a mostly vegetarian and the strands of pork in most varieties of hot and sour soup are difficult to pick out. Not only that, but it’s always a crapshoot. Some hot and sour soups are divine. Others are bland and disappointing. Even at the same restaurant, there can be a variety in quality depending on what day I go.

So I recently went on a quest to find a recipe for a good quality hot and sour soup that is easy to make and without too many oddball ingredients and as tasty as the best restaurant quality hot and sour soup.

I found a great recipe here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1748,135181-254194,00.html

I played around with it to make it vegetarian and suit my own tastebuds, and this is what I came up with:

Easy Hot and Sour Soup
by Andrea!

 

Ingredients

4 cups of broth (I used vegetarian but chicken can be used as well)

1 Tablespoon hot chili sauce (this is hot stuff, so use sparingly (maybe ¼ Tablespoon) if you don’t like as much spice as I do)

1 cup dried Shitake mushrooms (you can use any mushroom you like, but I got these at an Asian grocery store. You must soak the dry mushrooms in water for about 25 minutes before use)

3 Tablespoons soy sauce (I used lite sodium)

¼ Teaspoon white pepper

½ cup bamboo shoots

¼ cup rice vinegar

3 oz block firm tofu, cut up

1 egg (beaten)

2 strands green onion diced

1 Teaspoon sesame oil

1. Simmer vegetable broth for 5 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms, soy sauce, and chili sauce.
3. Simmer 5 minutes more.
4. Add white pepper, bamboo shoots, tofu and vinegar.
5. Simmer 5 minutes more.
6. Add beaten egg in a thin stream. Allow to cook for 30 seconds.
7. Add onions and sesame oil.
8. Let simmer a few minutes more, then eat until you lick the bowl!

Notes: This will probably taste even more like the restaurant quality hot and sour soups if you make with chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and add ¼ cup to ½ cup shredded pork to it. Also, the original recipe calls for cornstarch to thicken it. I did not do that. I enjoyed the thinner broth, but if you prefer a thicker broth, you could add cornstarch mixed with water before adding the egg.

---

Andrea is my partner in crime that begins with the letter “A.” (Mainly, awesomeness.) Together, we rocked pixie cuts and works of fiction that require years of work, pausing only to occasionally sneer at those who haven't been slaving on their projects for half a decade or more. (We are kind of snobby like that.) Andrea has lived all over the world, and both her writing and food reflect that. Besides being the wife of a super cool dude, she's also a teacher, which automatically means she deserves your undying respect. She's also brilliant, making her seem too awesome to be true! However, I promise I didn't make her up as an excuse to post more soup week recipes, and as proof, you can check out Andrea's blog and see for yourself.

SW: Married Soup

We've made it through four amazing days of soup, and today, you get two more recipes to try!

When I tried this recipe, I wasn't going to use it, but my husband has only told me about fifteen times this week that it was amazing and he loved it and why won't I use it? So I'm going to use it. I thought it was tasty, but I wasn't going to create a song and dance routine for it, you know what I mean? I trust you can make your own decision.

Italian Wedding Soup really is quite amazing. Wedding Soup is a chicken-based broth with meat (usually meatballs or sausage) and greens. Then you can add about a kajillion other things, including beans, lentils, pasta, tomatoes, etc. The Italian should actually read “Married Soup,” probably referring to the relationship between the greens and the meat. (Or so wikipedia suggests.) So, I'm calling mine Married Soup because I think that sounds fun.

The meatballs in the recipe I originally used weren't as flavorful as I normally like them, so in the future, I'll substitute my own meatballs. I've modified the original recipe to make it more like mine.

Oh! And before I forget! Two links I wanted to share with you:

---Besides John's cornbread, I really enjoyed bread from this cookbook with our soup. I have talked about this cookbook before. I am in love.

---My friend Rebecca posted this super yummy looking soup on her blog. It is difficult to find green chile in this neck of the woods, especially the hot variety, but some grocery stores carry mild, and I have found a little teeny tiny can of hot at a specialty store.

Come back later! My friend Andrea is going to close us out with a super tasty offering. 

Married Soup-Friday

Modified Recipe.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1 small onion, Audrey-style, aka food-processed to smithereens
• 1 teaspoon garlic, food processed with the onion
• 1/2 tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Italian bread crumbs, enough to make the meatballs cohesive
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 lb. ground beef
• Freshly ground black pepper
  

Soup:

• 12 cups water with chicken base/bouillon added
• 1 pound endive, escarole, or kale; coarsely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

Directions:
Meatballs:

1. Add onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, egg, salt, and bread crumbs to a bowl and blend. Add the cheese and beef. With your hands, form meat into 1-inch diameter meatballs.
2. Set aside. Don't cook!

Soup:

1. Bring water and bouillon to a boil in a large pot over medium-high. Add meatballs and greens until the meatballs are cooked through and the greens are tender. Maybe 8 minutes? Maybe 10?
   
2. While that's cooking, whisk the eggs and cheese in a small bowl. When the meatballs are done, stir soup in a circular motion and add egg mixture slowly. Ideally, it will create thin ribbons of egg-cheese goodness throughout the soup. It may not look pretty. That's okay.
   
3. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve with parmesan as a garnish.
   
4. Yum!
   

SW: Cornbread (Guest Post)

I know, the guest posts this week were a BIG, awesome surprise. You know what's ALSO a surprise, even to me? This particular guest post! Last night, my friend John offered, and I accepted and then made him seal an oath with blood because not only did I want this recipe, but sharing it with you was almost as important. (Hey, I'm an honest girl!)

I'm really stoked to have a homemade bread post, mostly because I feel soup REQUIRES bread, and while store-bought can be okay, homemade makes the soup-eating experience magical. This cornbread is oh-so-yummy and compliments several (if not all) of the recipes I'm featuring this week. I had it with Sarah's black bean soup, and I let my dearest husband have the rest of it with our lentil soup.

Oh, and before I go any further, yes, you're welcome!

---

Cornbread
Guest Post from John! 

Cornbread is one of those battleground foods that even good friends
argue over. Sweet or savory? Moist and cake-y or dry and firm? Thin or
thick? Coarse or fine ground meal? Cast iron or glass? Baked or grilled?
Bacon fat or butter? Fresh corn kernels or not? So many choices! So many
versions to try with different soups!

This version is sweet and moist, but can be modified if desired. Try
reducing the sugar and adding a small amount of finely chopped chiles,
for example. Or try a mixture of coarse and fine meal. (If you use a
coarse grind like polenta, soak it overnight and press out the water
before adding to the flour mixture.) The recipe is based on, but modifed
from, one by my favorite "bread head", Peter Reinhart, from his book
Crust and Crumb. Note that ingredients in ounces are by weight, not
volume.

Ingredients

8 oz corn meal (I use 4oz medium and 4oz fine grind)
8 oz All-purpose flour
1 1/2 TB baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

4 oz brown sugar
2 TB honey
2 TB melted butter
3.5 oz eggs (approx 2 med/lg)
12 oz sour cream
3 oz fresh/frozen corn kernels (optional)

Procedure

1. Melt butter in a small mixing bowl and incorporate honey until
dissolved

2. Whisk together meal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda, and
salt in a large bowl

3. Whisk eggs and sour cream in a medium bowl

4. Incorporate butter/honey mixture into egg / sour cream mixture

5. Combine liquid mixture with flour mixture in the large bowl

6. Fold in corn kernels (if using)

7. Spread the very stiff batter in a 9 x 13 in. glass baking dish

8. Bake at 350 deg F for 45-50 min until a tester comes out clean. The
top should be medium to dark brown


Bonus for bread heads: here is the baker's % formula so you can scale
this up for large parties, make muffins, or just make multiple pans and
freeze for future soup weeks.

50% Corn meal
50% AP
4.7% Baking powder
0.5% Baking soda
1.6% Salt
25% Brown sugar
9.4% Honey
6.2% Butter
20.8% Eggs
75% Sour cream
18.7% Fresh/frozen corn kernels

---

John is the best baker I have ever met. Ever. I want him to quit his boring day job and either open a bakery or start his own TV baking show. (I go back and forth with TV show name ideas. Right now I'm favoring Muffin Man John, so that I can say “I DO know the muffin man!”) Of course, I will get free baked goods because I helped provide the inspiration for his new career. Besides baking, John does a lot of other cooking (also amazing) and has one of my favorite libraries ever. His taste in fiction is spot-on. He is married to the brilliant Sarah, who was sweet enough to provide one of Soup Week's guest recipes. Finally, let me just say, if you do not try this recipe, you will regret it for the rest of your life!

SW: Butternut Squash Soup (Guest Post)

Karen was super sweet and did an excellent write-up for this, making my life so much easier. (No really.) Let's just say, managing soup week and nano at the same time was not a great idea. So thank you, Karen, for making life easier for me. Now go read!

OH! And eat this soup. As Karen will mention, I've eaten it, and it's TAAAAAAAAAAASTY.

---

It’s soup week (and it’s fall), which means it’s time for one of my favorite soups. We got into making soups around the same time that we moved to the Midwest, because there’s really nothing better than hot, rolls into your stomach goodness on a cold fall evening. Although we need no reason to make this soup, the origin for this soup in soup week is because Audrey was afraid to cook with butternut squash. (Something about a bad experience.) David was so appalled that he rounded up the whole family and made them soup, which honestly sounds like a huge win for Audrey and company! And since he’s off writing for NaNo, I get to write the blog entry!

Butternut Squash Soup-Thursday
Modified Recipe, or as David says,
"Found and rescued from the somewhere in the bowels of the internet."

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (~1”)
1 onion, diced
4 small apples (or 2-3 normal-sized apples), peeled, cored, and diced
2 thick slices of bread
chicken broth to cover (~48 ounces, but this can depend on how large
your squash is)
~1 tbsp rosemary
salt and pepper to taste (although, it really just needs a dash of
pepper, and really no salt)

Prep:
Put everything in a large pot and add the chicken broth to cover.
Bring the pot to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes, or until the
squash is tender. Puree (either with an immersion blender or with a
more traditional blender) and serve. If you want to be really fancy,
you can garnish the top with heavy cream or cheese. (Or 1% milk, if
you don’t stock fancy things like cheese and cream.)

For David’s more colorful rendition (and in-prep pictures!), see:
http://www.evokewonder.com/twentyfingers/2010/09/d-butternut-squash-soup/

---

Okay, so regarding the bad squash experience. The ONE time I tried to do something with butternut squash, I apparently got the evilest squash to ever grace the planet. It oozed some icky sticky liquid that was impossible to wash off my hands, and then, after I spent TWO hours cooking a bisque that I had had before and found incredibly tasty, my pot was flavorless, and I wound up dumping the entire thing into the garbage. Ugh. Of course, David and Karen's soup was lovely and made me think that maybe (and that's a BIG maybe) I would try this again.

David and Karen blog here, but don't check out that link unless you want to be overloaded with tasty meals and amusing musings about food. Also, don't lick your screen. That's just gross. When I last checked, they had all their fingers, which is fairly useful considering D's academic pursuits involve the CS world and K's revolve around chemistry. Besides doing boring math-y, computer-y stuff, David has a fancy camera with which he takes AWESOME pictures. He is also working on his first project for nano. As for Karen, she is my quilting sensei, and her finished quilts make me want to be a better person, or, at the very least, a better quilter. She washes a lot of dishes. By hand. They both keep me fed with good food. (And the pie! Don't get me started on the pie!)

SW: Zuppa Toscana

If having a dedicated soup week isn't enough to convince you, the fact is, I like soup. A lot. And sometimes in restaurants, I order soup. Like at Olive Garden. I order their zuppa toscana. They may have other good food, but I neglect it. Zuppa all the way!

This particular recipe has been making the rounds lately. I made it for my family, and we enjoyed it so much that I suggested that we make it for a home fellowship dinner. They liked it so much that one of the ladies asked for the recipe and made it for a marriage builders dinner we attended. Team it up with warm bread and a salad, and it's a lovely lovely dinner. Also, if you've never had kale before, it's jam-packed with all sorts of vitamins and minerals and goodness, so tell your internal organs to prefer for incoming nutrients!

Zuppa Toscana - Thursday

A modified recipe.

Makes 4 Servings

• 1 lb mild ground sausage
• 2 large russet potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large white onion, chopped (or food processed!)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or used with a garlic press
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  

1. Brown sausage in soup pot, remove and place in container to the side.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken broth, then the potatoes, onions, and garlic. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender. (If you prefer a thinner and less concentrated soup, add 1 quart of water before adding the potatoes and aromatics.)
3. Add sausage and simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Turn to low heat and add heavy whipping cream and kale.
5. Heat through, then salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
6. Yum!

SW: Potato Soup (Redemption!)

Last year's Soup Week should have featured Potato Soup. Instead, my body revolted, and I became horrifically ill and actually visited the doctor. This year, I sought revenge! Or at the very least, redemption. As an extra Soup Week bonus, I am posting my potato soup “recipe” to make up for missing last year. Yes, I know. I'm a peach like that.

This recipe is actually built from my mama's. As a child, I begged my mom for one of two dishes: her amazing chicken fried chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy so good that I would eat it straight from the pan sans potatoes; and her potato soup, which she made in the winter, in copious amounts, and which made me so happy that I regularly did the potato soup dance. No, you may not see it, so don't bother asking.

I'm going to use the oh-so-telling quotation marks around “recipe” because I don't measure ingredients for dishes I learned from my folks. They never did. However! I will provide a rough idea of the ratios. You'll have to be brave and make this to taste, but I believe in you!

Potato Soup-Wednesday

Original “Recipe” from my mama!

Ingredients:

• 8 medium-sized russet potatoes, cubed
• lots of milk and water (see ratios below)
• kosher salt
• ½ of an onion (not food processed to smithereens!) I cut an onion in half, peeled off the outside, and dropped it in the pot.

That's it. I also garnished with bacon bits (that I tore from strips of bacon, not the ones you buy in the store) and parmesan cheese. However! My mama used to throw in whatever we had on hand, so I have had this same base of soup with the following ingredients:

• corn
• ham
• broccoli
• cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• carrots (admittedly not my favorite)
• various herbs and spices
• green chile (if you're adventurous and can get your hands on some)
• etc.

Now, prepare yourself for a very technical and precise “recipe.”

1. In a 6 qt. pot, add milk (2/3 of your liquid) and water (1/3 of your liquid) leaving a couple of inches of room in the pot. Add potatoes and turn heat to medium-high heat. Add some kosher salt.
   
2. Cook a LONG time. When your liquid gets too excited and tries to escape the pot, you need to turn your heat down to medium (or lower, depending on your stove's macho-ness) and cover.
   
3. When the potatoes are super soft, smash them into nothingness with a potato smasher. Taste. Add any other ingredients you're feeling, and if you're adding raw veggies, give them enough time to cook. Salt and pepper as needed.
   
4. Garnish with cheese and bacon bits (or whatever compliments your particular variety).
   
5. Yum!
   

SW: Sausage Tomato Lentil Soup

Er...stew, more like.

Today marks the halfway point, and I'm crossing my fingers that you are waking up every morning, looking forward to the moment you can direct your browser to this web address and peruse the latest soup offerings.

Another of my midwest discovery was lentils. I'm sure they exist in the southwest, but I never knew anyone who cooked with them. I mean, lentil enchiladas? Weird! However, I know plenty of people who cook with them here, and after having a fantastic sausage and lentil soup that I dreamed about for over a year, I finally decided to sit down and make my own. I did. It was tasty and more than a good idea. My husband, who does not like beans or lentils of any sort, eats this soup. Also, it's different than a “traditional” sausage and lentil soup as it uses ground sausage instead of whole and uses a lot a lot a lot of tomatoes. Nathan said “it's very flavorful.” He cites that as the reason he's willing to overlook the fact that it's loaded with lentils.

I think the crockpot was one of the greatest inventions to ever grace the planet, especially for busy moms/working folk. This recipe honors that invention! I should also mention that this soup is really really good the day after you cook it. In the past, I have added in celery the original recipe calls for, and that's super good too. If you want to add celery, shred/chop 1-2 stalks and add it in with everything else.

Sausage and Lentil Soup-Wednesday

Modified Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage

• 1/2 large onion, with outside skin removed

• 2 cloves garlic sliced, or 1 tbsp. minced garlic

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot

• 1 (16 ounce) package dry lentils, rinsed

• 8 cups water

• 1 tbsp. chicken base

• 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add sausage over medium high heat and cook until browned.
   
2. In your crockpot, add the lentils, water, chicken base, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and carrots. Also add the bay leaves, parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil. I know I've said before that we aren't big onion fans, but keeping the onion uncut and in tact makes is oh-so-easy to pull out at the end.
   
3. Add the sausage to your crockpot, and cook until the lentils are tender, approximately 4 hours on high heat, 8 hours on low. Or, you could do it the Audrey way and put everything in a pot first thing in the morning, and let cook all day on low until you're ready to dine.
   
4. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parmesan cheese.
   
5. Yum!
   

SW: Chicken Tortilla Soup (Guest Post)

Brace yourself! Awesome incoming!

I'm so so so excited to tell you that this afternoon's edition is another guest post from a good friend of mine. And lucky for you, she's also from the southwest, so when she says she's giving you an authentic offering, you'd best believe her, then immediately rush out, buy the required ingredients, and prepare this soup. I present, Aliza's Chicken Tortilla Soup!

---

Tortilla Soup-Tuesday

Recipe from Aliza!

This was originally a random recipe that I stumbled across online, but altered to make it more "authentic." It makes between 8 and 10 servings. Freezes well up to 3 months.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups of salsa (I prefer medium heat)

4 mined garlic cloves

1 small white onion, diced

~1/2 cup of skinless, roasted green chile, chopped (small can/jar if you don't store any)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (I try to find the biggest bunch possible)

1 1/2 tablespoons cumin

1 teasp. chili pepper

4 cup chicken broth (1 box)

1 teas. salt

1 teas. pepper

2 flour tortillas 

shredded cheese for topping

 

Directions:

1. Boil chicken in a med-large pot.

2. In separate pan, brown onions with garlic, cilantro, chile, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.

3. Once chicken is cooked (approx. 20 minutes), drain water, cut into chunks and place back into pot.

4. Add contents of pan, salsa, and broth and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bake tortillas on cookie sheet (or straight on the shelves) at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until crispy. Break into small pieces or cut into strips.

6. After the soup has simmered, serve into bowls, then sprinkle tortilla pieces and cheese into each bowl.

7. Enjoy!

---

Aliza is awesome! She has somehow harnessed the power to bend time, and her daily routine includes university coursework, wifery, photography, painting, home improvement/decorating, and—oh, did I mention?—mothering an adorable eighteen-month-old. Time-bending=amazing! Not only is she an avid soup lover, but I have it on good authority that she makes a mean latte. I know, I know, you'd think that Aliza can't be any more awesome, but you'd be wrong. She BLOGS here and here. Go read her stuff, and you'll see what I mean.

SW: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

One of my favorite things about our midwest town is the fact that there is a Panera Bread Company here. I love Panera. That was one of the perks of moving here. If the Panera people let me, I might try to live there. I love their pastries, I love their souffles, and I love love LOVE their soups. And my favorite is their Broccoli Cheddar Soup because a good BC soup is always amazing. While it doesn't taste exactly like Panera's, it was still super tasty and satisfying.

I think I inadvertently doubled the broccoli required because ours was very very broccoli-y, but I hadn't measured my broccoli by pound, and I don't have a food scale just yet (I know, heresy!) so I just used three crowns of broccoli. I also added more cheese, so really, the mods I made to this recipe were relatively slim. But after adding all that broccoli, extra cheese was very necessary.

Also, veggie-izing this recipe would be SUPER easy. Veggie broth, and wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup-Tuesday

Modified Recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock
3 bunches fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste

12 ounces grated sharp cheddar

1. Saute onion in butter and set aside. Add the flour and melted butter to the pan and whisk over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently. At the four minute mark, slowly add the half-and-half, all the while continuing your frequent stirring. Repeat this process with the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli, carrots, and sauteed onions, and cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, another 20 minutes or so. Salt and pepper.
3. The soup should be thick at this point, so pour in SMALL batches into the blender and puree. I am a pro at pureeing hot liquids in my blender due to much trial and error, so if you have never done this before and don't know the proper protocol, ask someone! SMALL batches. No lid. You'll avoid burns!
4. Return the puree to the pot, and place over low heat. Add the grated cheese and stir until well blended. Serve. And serve in a bread bowl if you have some lying around because it will be simply tasty!
5. Yum!

And yes, later today, there will be another SUPER yummy guest post!

SW: Spicy Black Bean Soup (Guest Post!)

Vegetarian/Vegan Peeps:

I know that the majority of my recipes do not apply to you, and I try really hard to think up ways to modify my recipes for you, but I do not always succeed. I have heard of TVP and other similar replacement protein sources, but I do not know enough about them to suggest replacing pork tenderloin with them. So! Today's guest post edition is for YOU. I've eaten this soup twice, and both times it was the veggie rendition. It is SUPER tasty. Get ready, grab your spoon, and enjoy yourself thoroughly.

Love, Audrey

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Vegetarian Black Bean Soup-Monday

By Sarah at Saturday Sequins.

Hello, readers of the most excellent Audrey's blog! I'm excited to be a guest poster today and to share the recipe for my favorite soup.

This soup is vegetarian and vegan-friendly and, when made with the right ingredients, also gluten-free. I've never liked the idea of textured vegetable protein as a meat substitute, (what does that mean, anyway? Sounds too much like Soylent Green to me) so instead, I've mixed two healthy, delicious whole grains, millet and amaranth, which you can find in any health food store.

Also, note to carnivores: Yes, you can substitute lean ground beef for grains! I won't cry if you do. Just brown it in a skillet with a little olive oil before you add it. About 1 Lb should do.

What's in the soup:

2 TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/4 c onion (diced)
veggie broth (low sodium)
1/4 c millet
1/4 c amaranth
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (15 oz) red kidney beans
1 can (28 oz, or 1 Lb) crushed tomatoes with basil (I like the Meijer Organics brand)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies (I like the Eden Organic brand)
 2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cumin
A dash or two of black pepper
A light sprinkle of Italian herb mix.
1 c frozen corn
1-2 large handfuls finely chopped fresh spinach (optional)

How to make the soup:

Pour olive oil into a large soup pot with garlic, onion, and about 1/4 c veggie broth. Put it on medium-low heat, or a little lower than that, until the onions become slightly translucent.
While this is going on, in a separate, smaller pot, add millet, amaranth, and 1 3/4 c water. Bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes. You might want to check it at the 15 minute mark and give it a stir -- in my experience, it almost always needs it!

While the grains cook, add about 1 c veggie broth, black beans, red kidney beans, crushed tomatoes with basil, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and 1/2 c water to rinse the rest of the tomatoes out of the cans.

Keep the large soup pot on medium low, and add chilli powder, cumin,  black pepper, and Italian herb mix.

When the grains are cooked, add 1 c to the soup pot, along with frozen corn and spinach (if you want-- again, there will be no crying if you decide not to). Let the soup cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, and it's ready to serve!

This recipe serves 6 to 8 people, depending on portion size and appetite. It goes very well with tortilla chips for dipping, or with a huge slice of cornbread. Or both.

---

Okay, now go! Make! Devour!

About Sarah:

I am sad because you probably don't know Sarah. (I am also secretly happy because I don't want to share her with you.) Go to her blog, and you'll see why. Can you believe she makes all of that gorgeous jewelry? She does. Either that, or she has minions that produce it for her, and she takes the credit. But I'm guessing it's the former option because minions are expensive. When she's not making jewelry or writing soup blogs for me, Sarah hula hoops, writes both fiction and non-fiction, wears Halloween socks, and is the wife of Mr. Sequin. Keep in mind that if you try and steal her from me, I will cut you.

SW: Pumpkin Pork Chili

Welcome to Soup Week 2011 at Hot Pink Mama! I have been dreaming of fresh soup ideas since last year's bash, and I'm eager to share with you the five delicious recipes for this year's soiree! (And by five, I actually mean TEN!)

August 2011 marked the start of my third year of midwest life, and to honor that momentous occasion, I decided to learn how to make a “chili.” Being a desert girl, chilis are weird and exotic, but I was determined that I wasn't going to make any ol' chili. It would be a creative one! Unique! Exciting! Innovative! And when I found a recipe on the food network's website, I flipped. It was perfect! (Or, it would be, after I modified it.) It was seasonal, exciting, and promised to be an adventure, and I'm really hoping you're ready to take the plunge and go with me. I present:

Pumpkin and Pork Chili-Monday

Modified Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into ½ inch cubes

• 1 12-ounce bottle Negro Modelo
• kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup veggie oil
• 1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 medium white onions, food processed to smithereens!
• 4 cloves garlic, food processed to smithereens!
• 1/8 cup New Mexican red chile powder***
• Lime wedges, for serving 

***You may not find this in your regular grocery store, meaning you'll have to check a specialty store, or even better, one of those little tiny Mexican grocery stores that are awesome! I can find it here with relative ease, so I'm hoping you can too. If you can't, use the chili powder of your choice, though you'll probably want to kick it up a notch, maybe as much as another 1/8 cup. 

1. In a large pot, toss together your pork, the beer, 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Simmer over medium heat, and because foam will form, skim that stuff off! Add half of the oregano, cover, and cook approximately 30 minutes.
2. While those ingredients are starting to get to know each other, combine 3 tablespoons of pumpkin and the sour cream in a bowl. Salt to taste, then cover and chill.
3. Heat up the veggie oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, poblano, onions, garlic, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cook until translucent, but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining oregano and the red chile powder, and cook another 5 minutes. Then add your remaining pumpkin, and cook another 5 after that.
4. Add the tomato mixture to the large pot and simmer with the pork until your pork is tender, give or take 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve the chili, topping with the pumpkin/sour cream mixture. Garnish with limes, and if you're feeling like it, add cheese, such as mozzarella or parmesan.
5. Yum!

Come back later today for my first guest post, a soup so yummy in your tummy that you'll swoon! (I can say this with confidence. I have DEVOURED this soup more than once.)

Soup Week 2011

I have tried tried TRIED to be patient and surprise you, but I can't hold back any longer! Not only will Soup Week 2011 feature five exciting recipes from yours truly, it will also feature recipes from guest bloggers! Friends, you will be up to your ears in soup, which sounds gross, but if you are a true soup fanatic, you will be ecstatic. Tune in Monday morning for the first of the soup recipe offerings. Last year, I gave you a preview of the recipes, but this year, I'm keeping the list close to my heart.

MONDAY! SOUP!!!!! (Because you'll need something "healthy" to eat with all that candy.)

coming soon...

The Second Annual Hot Pink Mama

October 31-November 4, 2011

Soup Recipes of Awesome

And some awesomeness I can't tell you about just yet!

Do I really have to tell you that you want to be here?

Because you do.

and now...it is time...

I'm considering hiring an announcer to follow me around. Forget that two adults and a baby subsisting on a grad student's stipend is a creative monthly effort, I like to think I could find the mulau to do this. Maybe they'll let me pay them in cookies? (PS-I'm not sure I can forgive my father for imparting his expensive food tastes onto me. My tongue craves decadent and costly morsels and have I mentioned the grad student stipend?) Anyway, back to my announcer.

I'd have him follow me around, alerting everyone to the presence of a local celebrity. He'd say things in his deep announcer voice like, "And now, it is time, for the midwest to experience the awesomeness that is Audrey!" I need you to envision this with me. It's very important.

Now that you have that picture in your mind, imagine my announcer saying, "And now, it is time for the summer 2011 reading list!"

(It really is!)

It's a little small this year. (Bummer deal.) But oh! Does it have potential! And while I said I'd start on May 14th, I decided to start earlier because it's finals week and I needed the pick-me-up. Here, in all its glory:

• The Book of Other People by Zadie Smith
• The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox
• The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
• The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
• Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
• Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
• Light Can Be Both Wave and Particle by Ellen Gilchrist
• The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan
• Novelties and Souvenirs: Collected Short Fiction by John Crowley
• Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
• The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
• Maia by Richard Adams
• Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry
• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

The other book I've devoured of late is The Evil B.B. Chow by Steve Almond.

catty remarks about shoes.

I'm reading The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy. I didn't think I would enjoy it. However, in efforts to explore my reading horizons in the YA world for the sake of my dear, future audience, I decided reading it might somehow contribute to my writing pursuits. The cover is bizarre--ostriches and a stomach with a city on top of it and a big fish and trees and a brain, all cluttered around a girl's (presumably the main character's) face. The inside description was bizarre, but it promised to be "equal parts Monty Python and Roald Dahl."

Sixty-seven pages in, I'm enjoying myself, and I find myself drawn to Sefino, a three-foot tall speaking cockroach who wears smoking jackets and silk ascots and constantly finds himself the ridicule of a newspaper that inexplicably gets delivered to him every morning, even though he's never been able to find out how or why or even where this newspaper is published.

I know. It sounds weird. But it's magical.

My favorite line so far? From page 56, and from the lips (the jaws?) of Sefino, "I can't die! I'm not properly dressed! Everyone in heaven will snicker and make catty remarks about my shoes!"

I'm eager to finish it.

Anyway, it's been a nice, quiet reading day, interspersed with my son crawling around my feet, pulling on everything, and finding every possible choking hazard in my home and trying to shove it in his mouth mere seconds before I yank it away with a loud, "Not for you!" At one point, it was a big chunk of wood. Awesome, right? Then, when there were no more choking hazards to unearth, he took to sucking on the floor. I noticed when there was a big wet patch on my kitchen tile, no smaller than a square foot. Excellent.

That didn't stop me from finishing Stephen R. Lawhead's The Skin Map. Have you read him? You really should. It's the third book in a row that I've really enjoyed, which is surprising. Usually I'm moaning about the sub-par quality of modern literature, but lately, that avenue of complaint has been closed to me. I like it that way. And I know what you're saying. Just what are all of those good books I've been reading in a row? Well, in order:

• Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
• By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson (The writing was horrific, but the story was good. And by horrific, I simply mean that sometimes paragraphs had very little sentence variance, and things didn't always flow.)
• The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead
• and now, The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy
• Oh, and I reserved my copy of RA#10, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan (April 19th, hooray!)
  

What have you been reading lately? Anything good?