Comforting Soup and Gingerbread for a Snowy Day

We've had some frigid and snowy days here in Texas! 

Asian Dumpling Soup

This soup is so good! 

Roasted Tomato Soup

My friend, Patty, gave me the recipe for what she said is "the best soup ever".

Tea and Pizzelles and Pot Roast and Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

It's a chilly but sunny day and a perfect time for tea and cookies.

Zuppa Toscana

Last week I had read that Linda at Life and Linda had made a zuppa toscana soup and shared the link.

Pepper Soup

Won't you join me for a bowl of my newest favorite soup (I do have several favorites!)?  This soup is so quick and easy and is a bowl of comfort.

My granddaughter Cissy, who is my baking and tea drinking buddy,  had a day of school and joined me for lunch and tea.  What a joy it was to have her.  She tried the Red Apple Harvest tea, but still prefers her favorite vanilla chai with whipped cream on top, which she had later.

She also tried the fluffy caramel dip and enjoyed that.  She's so fun to have, and although we didn't bake, we dip manage to play several games of Uno.

Yield: About 6 bowls

Author: Kitty, but recipe is adapted from The Farm Stand

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Pepper Soup

This soup is a new favorite. It's quick and easy and perfect for Fall/Winter. I hope you'll try it!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage
  
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz.) box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice
• 1 (48 oz.) beef broth (I use 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base per each cup of water)

Instructions

1. In a large pot, cook the ground beef.  Add peppers and remaining ingredients, including the seasoning packet from the rice.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 25-30 minutes.
2. I like to sprinkle some shredded cheese on top!

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Instant Pot Lentil Soup

 When I visited Julie's blog at Julie's Creative Lifestyle, she shared an Instant Pot Split Pea Soup.  I thought that sounded perfect for Lent. Then I was at Aldi, and they had lentils for 95 cents a bag, and I bought those, and found a recipe that is so tasty.   The soup is vegan when not adding any cheese at the end. However,  I added Parmesan cheese and a shredded Mexican blend cheese to add some more protein. 

Author: Made in Kitty's Kitchen, but recipe is adapted from Well Plated.

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

This soup is so tasty, and a perfect meal for Lent. It's also a vegan recipe, unless you serve with additional cheese .  I used my 6 qt. Duo Instant Pot.

ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 of a large onion,  diced small
• 4 medium carrots (or the equivalent of baby carrots) , peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• about 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 and 1/2 cups  green lentils
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed  (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 (15 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (the next time I will add 2 more cups of broth to make the soup more "soupy")
• Chopped fresh parsley, or a sprinkle of dried parsley flakes, for serving
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and Mexican blend,  optional for serving

instructions:

How to cook Instant Pot Lentil Soup

1. Drizzle the oil into the Instant Pot. Set to SAUTE. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and stir. Continue to cook the onion, stirring often, until the onions are very soft and beginning to brown and break down, about 8 minutes.
2.  Add the carrots, celery, thyme, salt, smoked paprika, and pepper. Sauté until the carrots and celery are barely soft, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the lentils and garlic to the pot and stir to coat them in the spices. Let cook 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable broth.
4. Cover and seal the Instant Pot, making sure that the steam release handle is in "seal" position, and then set to cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes of high pressure, allow the cooker to naturally release (NR).  This will take about 10 to 15 additional minutes. for the valve to drop.
5. Open the lid and stir the soup.  If the soup is too thick for your liking, thin with a bit of water or additional stock until you reach your desired consistency.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Serve hot with a sprinkle of parsley, Parmesan, and grated Mexican blend cheese, if desired. 

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I didn't show my birthday cake from last week.  My daughter-in-law, Kristen made a from scratch Coconut Cake.  It was Harper's idea to add all my grandchildren on top.   Wasn't that sweet??  My son, Mike, had created these characters several years ago, and Kristen copied them and cut them out.  

It's always fun to share a birthday and have the grands help blow out the candles! Harper thinks I'm "17"!!  She reversed the numbers on the birthday card that she made for me, but I love it!!  

I continued to celebrated my birthday, and this time with my oldest son, daughter-in-law and my two granddaughters at a favorite Italian restaurant.  It was a wonderful time to be with all of them.

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Instant Pot Chicken White Bean Rosemary Soup

I've been under the weather and this soup tasted so good!  Lucky for me that I had made several soups this past week when I did feel good, and had them stocked in the fridge.  I served this soup with my Rosemary Bread. 

Yield: 8 large

Author: Made in Kitty's Kitchen, but adapted from a recipe from the Dallas Morning News

Instant Pot Chicken White Bean Rosemary Soup

This soup is great on a Winter's day!

ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (see NOTE)
• 1 pound great northern beans, rinsed, and soaked overnight, and then drained
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 1 cup water
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock (see NOTE)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken

instructions:

How to cook Instant Pot Chicken White Bean Rosemary Soup

1. Tie two pairs of rosemary together with kitchen twine.  Set aside.
2. Add the oil, garlic, onion, carrots and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and two rosemary sprigs into the IP.  Using the saute' feature, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the beans to the IP.  Stir to coat with the rosemary infused oil.
4. Add water, chicken stock, bay leaf and red pepper flakes to the beans.
5. Stir well to combine.
6. Secure the lid on the IP, and making sure that the steam release valve is in the "sealing" position, use the soup feature and cook the beans for 7 minutes.
7. When the time is up, turn off the IP, and let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then manually release and remaining pressure .
8. Once the pressure is released, and the valve is down, remove the lid.  Stir in the red wine vinegar and the chopped cooked chicken.
9. Wait 5 minutes and serve with crusty bread. 

NOTES:

If you're not using low-sodium chicken stock, reduce the amount of kosher salt.

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Pasta Fagioli Soup - Instant Pot Version

I've converted my very favorite soup to an Instant Pot variation. If you would like to try the slow version, it can be found here.

Yield: 5-6

Author: Kitty

Pasta Fagioli Soup - Instant Pot Version

This is my all time favorite soup! I never cook the pasta in it, but cook it separately, so that it doesn't get mushy and overcooked, even when cooling. Don't tell Olive Garden, but I like this better than their Pasta Fagioli Soup!

ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage + 1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage (or 1 lb. ground beef)
• 1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans beef broth (I used 4 teaspoons of Better Than Beef Bouillon + 4 cups water)
• 2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon, pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon, marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, optional
• 1 teaspoon, dried basil
• 1 teaspoon, dried oregano
• 3 cups of cooked small pasta, like ditalini

instructions:

How to cook Pasta Fagioli Soup - Instant Pot Version

1. Brown the sausage in your Instant Pot, on saute' setting. 
2. Add the celery, onion, and garlic, and saute' for a minute or two.  Add the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT the pasta, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get all the bits of browned sausage to release.  Cancel the saute' setting.
3. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, and move the lever to the seal position.  Hit the Pressure cook button and pressure cook for 10 minutes. 
4. When the time up, let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes.  (You can cook your pasta separately in a saucepan during this time).  After 15 minutes, move the lever to vent position, and let the button drop before opening the lid. Stir the delicious soup.
5. Place some cooked pasta in the bottom of the bowl and ladle the soup on top.
6. Grate some Parmesan cheese on top and enjoy!

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 Cissy was recently one of a group of students who were awarded The Lion's Pride Award at her school!  Teachers nominate students for the award, and it could be for being organized, kind to others, for being helpful, for making the teacher a better teacher, etc.  The teachers write up a paragraph on why they nominated the particular student.  It was all very inspiring, and humbling. 

My handsome grandson, Riley, turned 16 last week!

 

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Homemade Snowman, Cookies, and Creamy Tomato Soup

 This week after school, Cissy and I did a project before our cookies.  She was so excited to make the snowman.  I found directions on the internet, and we used some old white socks, rice to fill the snowman, the foot of another pair of old socks, some buttons, ribbon, and a permanent marker.

 Didn't her snowman turned out so cute??  She even used some pinkish eye shadow for rosy cheeks.  We just hot glued the buttons on the front and for the nose.    This is really an easy and fun project.

 Our Melting Snowman cookies were inspired by Mary.  You can find out how Mary did the cookies by clicking here.  Since Cissy and I didn't have a lot of time for baking, I bought Pepperidge Farm Brownie Cookies for our base.  You could use peanut butter cookies, or really whatever flat cookie you like.  You just melt the white almond bark, plop it on the cookie, spread it a little,   and then add your mini halved peanut butter cups, mini chocolate chips, and we used candy corn (yes, I still had some!) for the nose, that I pre-cut.  Aren't they adorable!?  I'm not sure who has more fun, me or Cissy!?

Here's my little snowman.  Save those old, mismatched socks for a cute project!

Yield: 6-8Author: Kitty and adapted from The Tupelo Honey Cookbook

Creamy Tomato Soup

My late beloved and I visited Asheville a year before he passed away. While there, we ate at The Tupelo Honey Cafe, and I enjoyed this soup, which is perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich.

ingredients:

• 1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream

instructions:

1. Combine the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, bay leaf, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil., immediately decrease the heat to medium, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture lightly coats the spoon.
2. Whisk in the pepper and the cream and continue to cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. 

NOTES:

When I have extra tomato paste, I freeze the paste on parchment paper in 1 tablespoon increments.  When frozen, I then place into a freeze-proof container.

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Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Stew

 Let's enjoy some spicy stew today, shall we? 

 This is a favorite winter time mug that I bought at Kroger several years ago, along with the matching plates. 

yield: 5-6 bowlsAuthor: Kittyprint recipe

Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Stew

This is a quick recipe that I clipped from the newspaper, and was submitted by Melissa D'Arabian, and adapted by me. It looks like a long list of ingredients, but it's ready to eat in no time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped (or tomato paste and some chilipowder, if less spice is desired)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 and 1/2 cups hot water
• 1-15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed, or 1 can or corn, drained
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
•  make a slurry of about 1/2 cup cold water and 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• salt and pepper
• avocodo, cilantro, grated cheese, and lime wedges, for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook about five minutes, until they start getting tender.
2. Add the garlic and chipotles, then stir for about 1 minute.
3. Add the stock, water, beans, corn, and chicken and bring to a simmer. Add the water/cornstarch slurry and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with avocado, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, and lime wedges.
6. NOTE: Leftover chipotles can be spooned out onto a waxed paper lined cookie sheet, in individual clumps, with a little sauce, and then frozen. When frozen, store the chipotles in freezer proof bags. Use when needed, when a little heat is desired.

http://www.kittyskozykitchen.com/2017/01/spicy-chicken-and-black-bean-stew.html

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Black-Eyed Pea Soup

 I love cooking soups in the winter, and would like for you to join me for some Black-Eyed Pea Soup.  I don't think I even heard of black-eyed peas until I moved to Texas over 30 years ago.  People in the south eat black-eyed peas for good luck on New Year's Day.  

 My friend, Barbara, gave me this beautiful teacup awhile ago, and it's a favorite of mine.  The pattern is Hazel Dell, by Copeland/Spode.  Isn't it pretty?

yield: 6 bowlsAuthor: Kittyprint recipe

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

I copied this recipe down from the Today Show back in 2015, and adapted it to use canned beans. If you don't like black-eyed peas, try Great Northern beans, instead. It's a really quick, flavorful soup, and perfect for Winter.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. mix of hot and mild Italian sausage
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced (I used yellow, becasue that's what I had)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1-14 oz. can Italian tomatoes (I used petite diced and added some oregano and basil)
• 3 cans black-eyed peas, drained
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Brown sausage.
2. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño and cook about 6 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and broth.
4. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Simmer and then garnish with cilantro, if desired.

http://www.kittyskozykitchen.com/2017/01/black-eyed-pea-soup.html

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Lasagna Soup

 I have to share with you one of my very favorite soups!  Even though I'm not Italian, I do LOVE Italian foods.  This Lasagna Soup recipe is perfect for warming your heart and soul.  I hope you try it!

I'm using my Olde English Countryside teacup, by Johnson Brothers.  Do I really use all these pretty teacups?  Yes, I really do!  Every evening I drink a cup of Sleepytime tea, which is so soothing.  

 

Lasagna Soup: from Cuisine Magazine

This soup is really quick,  and oh so flavorful!  The surprise of fresh mozzarella cubes in the bottom of the bowl gives the soup a cheesy richness.

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, diced
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2 T. garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1  (14.5 oz) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup mafalda (mini lasagna) pasta or campenelle or  mini bow ties
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
Parmesan cheese and sprigs of fresh basil

Directions

Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-heat heat.

Add onion and carrot; saute' 3 minutes.

Stir in mushrooms and garlic and saute' another 3 minutes.

Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

Stir in the pasta and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes (or according to package directions).

Add the spinach and cook about 1 minute or until wilted.

To serve, place cubes of mozzarella in each serving bowl, then ladle soup over and let sit briefly to melt the cheese.

Garnish with grated Parmesan and a sprig  of basil.

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Thank you for your visit!  xo