We seem to eat the same ol' things over and over again, which isn't terrible, but sometimes it gets boring. Throw in trying to make stuff low sodium and well...phbbbbt! :P
And the cost of food? PHOOEY!
Tonight Pooldad had late shift and Wallene was at band, so the pressure was off to get dinner on the table at a certain time. I checked the pantry and the leftovers in the fridge and decided I was in the mood for Broccoli Soup. Broccoli Soup is probably my favorite soup but I have never made it . I used to wait until we went out to eat and order it. I have had some good, some great and some meh Broccoli soups but I probably like the one from Ruby Tuesday's the best. Although I haven't been in a Ruby Tuesday's in over 8 years I don't even know if it is still on the menu.
So...with that in my head I checked our stores and noticed that Pooldad had made boiled potatoes and steamed broccoli for dinner last night. Yes! And we had $1 box of low sodium chicken broth in the pantry. Yes! Yes! Oh - and garlic and onions from my beloved MIL's garden [not to mention the potatoes came from there too] Plus we had shredded cheddar and Monteray Jack cheese blend. HA! Soup was on the horizon Tadpoles. [For added inspiration I went to allrecipes.com and checked out their versions]
I sauteed the onion and garlic in a TB of unsalted butter until soft. Added the chicken broth, potatoes and broccoli to the pot and simmered it until the vegetables were really soft. I took my immersion blender and blended it until it was a puree. You can also do it in a blender, but I'm lazy. The handheld jobby worked great. I tasted it and added a bit of ground black pepper to my taste and viola! That all by itself was a darn good soup - very low in sodium and fat/calories. I put some aside for me [I will sprinkle a tsp of cheese on mine later] and added two cups of the shredded cheeses to the pot and stirred until melted. OMGOSH - that is some tasty, delicious soup. And easy? Start to finish - maybe 30 minutes. I did toss in about a cup of chopped up frozen broccoli florets to give it a bit more texture and darker flecks of color, but you don't have to do that. The puree is just fine and dandy. YUM.
Sometimes I wonder if you guys don't laugh at me when I tell you my "recipes" for things - like "Oh Skip, WE'VE been making that for years! Where have you been woman?" But I don't care. It is new to me, new to my family and it beats paying $8 a cup at a restaurant. And maybe some of y'all don't cook or don't have time to cook - well, then, this is as easy, cheap and good for you as it can get. Plus you get to use up leftovers. :)
I am going to serve it with roasted chicken sandwiches [leftover chicken from last night's dinner] on homemade wheat bread and thick slices of tomato from MIL's garden. ::skippyhappydance::
Soup's on! We'll see you on the flipside gang. Enjoy!
ETA: Pooldad tasted it and well...he's pretty amazed too. :D
Tune in tomorrow for "BARGAINS"
Hint: There are three in this picture.
WOOT!
12 comments:
This sounds very tasty! I can't wait until it's cool enough around here that I feel like I can make some homemade soup again. I'm not really one of those summer-time soup people, unfortunately.
You have the BEST recipes- that soup looks so good! Now I'm craving it. May just have to make it for supper~
Yum yum, I thoroughly enjoy your recipes :)
Well, I HAVE been making broccoli soup for years - but I don't put cheese in mine - sometimes sprinkle it on at the table though. I made some for my daughter the other day - which I had to make with vegetable broth as she is vegetarian. It makes quite a difference in flavour, let me tell you! I ended up adding a glug of wine and some cauliflower, and hmmm turmeric. I thought that wouldn't irritate her wounds too much but might aid in taking down inflammation as well as add a needed zing of flavour and colour. I don't put potatoes in my soup either - I have used a little powdered mashed but don't like it as well as thickening with flour.
What kills me is that even using store bought broth, homemade soup is ALWAYS better than any canned/powdered variety. And soups are usually fairly fast and easy so it always amazes us (because Gary will make soup too) that some people never make any soup because they think it's so hard. It's a very good way to get veggies into you. We'll often make soup an every day thing when we want to lose weight - a bowl of soup and you need very little more to make dinner satisfying.
You got the car!!!! woohoo!!!
I am making that. Tonight. Thank you for the inspiration to make my favorite soup. All by myself.
I do love broccoli soup. Yum.
As much as I like broccoli, and with all the different kinds of soup I make, I've never eaten broccoli soup. I may have to rectify that. My hubby isn't a huge fan of broccoli, but he might like it better pureed, right? Cool. Thanks. 12:34
Susan my husband LOVES asparagus so I am substituting that for the broccoli and omitting the cheese next time. I bet it is just as yummy.
I agree with the others Skippy, that your recipes always look just so lush! (well, scrummy yummy then!!) Your little family is one well-fed family, that's for sure! Hee Hee! Great pic of you and Steven in the new car! I presume that Wallene is squashed in the back taking the picture, seeing as you said there were three in this picture! Or I could be totally wrong, and got the wrong end of the stick completely, which is what usually happens with me! Eeeek!! Hugs to you my friend.
Cheese is a must with any broccoli soup - love it! I am with you on the price of food. Although I know better to send my husband to the store.
I was out of ideas for dinner last Friday night, so he said he'd take care of it. He spent $54 dollars at the store for one dinner (mind you he did buy me a $7 bottle of wine and some beer for him).
The next day? I spent $82 - but for six dinners, 10 lunches (for me and my SIL) and 5 breakfasts for me. I guess I am just a more frugal shopper! :D
Yummy! And God help me, I totally misunderstood the "Three in this picture" to mean something else. :) Bring on the bargins!
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