best fall soup ever--carrot!!

yum!  i'm pretty sure this was all my idea, too (cuz look how precise it is!)

ingredients
1 medium potato, chunked
4 cups chicken stock
some onion
some garlic
3 bay leaves
two pinches thyme
salt
pepper
dash nutmeg
a few tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger--or add fresh ginger in with the onion and garlic--this will give the soup a little kick.

directions

5 medium carrots, sliced
saute onion and garlic in olive oil til brown. add carrots and saute 3-4 min. then add stock and potato. bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. add bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. simmer 20-25 min. puree in batches. then stir in remaining spices to taste. serve w/ a swirl of cream or half and half. makes 4 generous servings.

authentic mexican tamale pie...or just chili, if you like

my husband adores this recipe.  he even likes to eat it the next day mixed with eggs on a tortilla for a breakfast burrito.  also, he prefers the chili from this recipe as just plain chili.  i think it's all gross.  ;>  this comes from food.com and since it's a long recipe all-around, i'm just copying and pasting from the website since i'm feeling lazy right now!

• CHILI FILLING

• 1lb ground beef, lean
• 1⁄2lb lean pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
• 1tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1(15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1(8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2(15 ounce) cans black beans, divided
• 1large fresh poblano pepper, diced
• 1medium diced onion
• 2garlic cloves (pressed)
• 1chipotle chile, in adobo seasoning (diced and seeded, adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon adobo sauce (adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon ground cumin powder (adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon chili powder (adjust to taste)
• 1tablespoon ground ancho chili(adjust to taste)
• 1teaspoon oregano
• 1tablespoon cocoa (I use Hershey's Dark cocoa)
• 12ounces beer, dark (or broth, (Use as needed)
• 1⁄4cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 1lime, juce of

• TAMALE DOUGH

• 8 -10dried corn husks (optonal)
• nonstick cooking spray
• 3large poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and diced
• 2cups cornmeal or 2 cups masa harina
• 6tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3tablespoons sugar
• 2teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
• 1⁄2cup canned low sodium chicken broth or 1⁄2 cup vegetable broth
• 4cups baby frozen corn, thawed
• 1 3⁄4cups packed coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄8teaspoon ground black pepper

• Garnish

• sour cream (Cilantro Cream)
• cilantro

• DIRECTIONS

  1. PREPARE CHILI:.
  2. In a large pot brown ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic, breaking meat into small pieces. Drain of excess grease.
  3. Add poblano pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 cup beer and one can of black beans.
  5. Add ground cumin, chili powders, chipoltes, adobe sauce, oregeano, and cocoa.
  6. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to a simmer and cook for 35 - 45 minutes, adding more beer or broth as needed (keep in mind that the mashed black beans will be added as a thickner).
  7. Drain the remaining can of beans and lightly mash.
  8. To thicken, add the crushed black beans and adjust spices and liquid as needed.
  9. Bring to a simmer again for 5 minutes; squeeze in juice of one lime before serving.
  10. TAMALE DOUGH:.
  11. Place corn husk in large bowl and fill with warm water.
  12. Weight husks down with saucer and soak until soft, about 2 hours.
  13. Char chilies directly over gas flame or under broiler until blackened on all sides.
  14. Place in medium bowls, cover tightly with plastic.
  15. Let stand 10 minutes.
  16. Peel, seed and chop chilies, set aside.
  17. To make dough:.
  18. If using cornmeal, place in food processor and process until fine, 3 or 4 minutes.
  19. In food processor, blend cornmeal/Masa Harina, butter, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt until coarse meal forms.
  20. Add broth and blend in (mixture will be crumbly).
  21. Transfer masa mixture to large bowl.
  22. In food processor blend 2 1/2 cups corn, 1 cup cheese, baking powder, black pepper and 1 1/4 teaspoon salt until coarse puree forms.
  23. Stir puree into masa mixture until blended.
  24. Add the rest of the corn (1 1/2 cups) to masa mixture.
  25. Assemble:.
  26. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  27. In using corn husk; Remove from water, pat dry and line 9 x 11 shallow dish, overlapping to avoid leakage.
  28. Spray corn husk or baking dish (if not using husk).
  29. Spread half of cornmeal mixture on the husk or bottom of the dish.
  30. Spread warm chili on top of the cornmeal.
  31. Sprinkle green chilies on top of the chili.
  32. Evenly spread the remaining cornmeal mixture on top.
  33. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
  34. Loosely cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  35. Remove foil and return to oven and bake additional 25 minuters or until the cornmeal is firm and the chili bubbly.
  36. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

classic russian borsch

i was pretty proud at my first attempt at this seminal russian dish.  i felt validated when my russian guest praised me for "doing it right", though i'm still not sure what that actually meant!  hee, hee.  the fresh dill is not optional.  serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh dill on top.  i found it at natashaskitchen.com

ingredients and directions

2 large or 3 medium beets, thoroughly washed
2 large or 3 medium potatoes, sliced into bite-sized pieces
4 Tbsp of cooking oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly chopped (see picture)
1 can kidney beans with their juice
2 bay leaves
10 cups water and 6 cups broth to get 16 cups liquid total
5 Tbsp ketchup
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp chopped dill

1. Fill a large soup pot with 10 cups of water. Add 2 - 3 beets. Cover and boil for about 1 hour. Once you can smoothly pierce the beets with a butter knife, remove from the water and set aside to cool. Keep the water.
2. Slice 3 potatoes, add into the same water and boil 15-20 minutes.
3. Grate both carrots and dice one onion. Add 4 Tbsp of cooking oil to the skillet and saute vegetables until they are soft (7-10 minutes). Stir in ketchup when they are almost done cooking.
4. Thinly shred ½ a cabbage and add it to the pot when potatoes are half way done.
5. Next, peel and slice the beets into match sticks and add them back to the pot.
6. Add 6 cups chicken broth, lemon juice, pepper, bay leaves and can of kidney beans (with their juice) to the pot.
7. Add sauteed carrots and onion to the pot along with chopped dill.
8. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage is done.

sweet-potato sausage soup

trying new recipes is a risky business.  either you create something fabulous or something fabulously revolting.  i was a little nervous when i started making this for dinner because i thought there was a really good chance it could swing either way.  lucky for me, this time it was fabulous.

i adapted it from everyday food magazine.

ingredients

1 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced large
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 large spicy chicken sausage links, casings removed
2 yams (1 lb), peeled and diced medium
4 C chicken broth
2 C water
3/4 C small pasta shells
1 1/2 C roughly chopped swiss chard
parmesan shavings

directions

in a large pot, heat oil over med-high.  add onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened, about 6 min; season with salt and pepper.  add sausage and cook until browned, about 5 min.  add yams, broth and water and bring to a boil.  add pasta and cook 3 minutes less than package directions.  reduced to a simmer, add swiss chard and cook til pasta is tender and chard wilted, about 4 min.  top with parmesan shavings and serve.

creamy cauliflower soup--without the cream!

this soup was so delicious! it made just barely enough for my family and we were all sad that we didn't have leftovers today. i didn't have sharp white cheddar so i did half regular cheddar and half emmentaler. it came from everyday food magazine.

ingredients

3 T butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced small (i used 4 green onions)
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut
4 C chicken broth, maybe more for consistency if needed/wanted
1 1/2 C sharp white cheddar
coarse salt and ground pepper
cayenne pepper

directions

1. in a large pot, melt butter over medium. add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes. add cauliflower and cook until just beginning to brown, 12 minutes. add broth and 1 C water; bring to a boil over high. reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, 20 minutes. transfer mixture to a large bowl.

2. in batches, fill a blender halfway with mixture and puree until smooth. return pureed soup to pot and add more broth or water for a thinner consistency, if wanted. heat over medium until warmed through; and cheese in batches and stir until melted. season with salt and pepper. serve sprinkled with cayenne.

sausage potato stew

for a st. patrick's day party a couple years ago, my friends brought this super yummy soup. i posted their original recipe first. since the recipe calls for peppers (and i'm allergic) and because i had a bunch of stuff in my fridge to use up, i created a variation that i posted second...and it just happens to be vegetarian.

logan's sausage potato stew

8-10 med red potatoes

2 large onions

1 large green pepper

1 large red pepper (optional)

2 lbs. smoked Polish sausage

1/3 c olive oil

1 Tbsp dried basil

½ Tbsp pepper

1 c cream

3 tsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp water

Clean potatoes and cut into bite size pieces. Boil potatoes in water until almost done. Drain off water. Add onions, peppers, sausage, oil, basil, and pepper. Cook in large pan until vegetables are tender but still slightly crisp. Combine cream, cornstarch, and water and pour over potatoes and vegetables. Cook until thickened. It is very thick; add more cream or milk to make more of a soup if desired.

jamie's sausage potato stew

2 medium red potatoes, diced

2 large links of vegetarian smoked apple-potato with rubbed sage sausage(available at safeway), sliced and browned

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 large carrot, sliced

4 C milk

1 C chicken stock

1 T basil

1/2 t pepper

1 T cornstarch mixed with water for a thick paste

1 C coarsely chopped cabbage

boil potatoes until almost done. drain off water and add oil, green onions and carrots. saute for a few minutes. add milk and stock and bring to a boil, stirring often. reduce heat to simmer, add basil and pepper and cook until carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. slowly stir in cornstarch mixture until the soup barely thickens. add the cabbage, turn off heat but keep on the burner, put the lid on to let the cabbage steam, about 5 minutes. voila!