Mardi Gras Time!

Well, it's hard to believe that our 2014 Souper Tuesday dinners went by so quickly! We had lots of fun evenings this year and tried some great new recipes. This year, we all chose to shop for a different soup. I think some of our shoppers even learned something along the way- like what shallots are and that white sauce in a package is hard to come!

It is so much fun to see the little ones each week. Luke is old enough to sign up for T-ball this spring, Nate turned 2 in Dec, Andy is walking, and this was 9 month old Jacob's first Souper event! And who can forget the Girl Scout cookies delivered by our resident Brownie, Taylor! My Thin Mints are safely packed in the freezer ready for the next stress-emergency!

One of the favorite soups this year was chicken and sausage gumbo. We celebrated Mardi Gras this week complete with beads, masks, and gumbo. Let me just warn you that is was not a quick, throw-it-together meal. But even though it took some time, it was definitely worth the effort!

I made two different batches- one HOT, one NOT  to accommodate everyone's preferences. The Not was pretty hot so I would suggest started with less of the Creole seasoning and hot sauce, seasoning to taste as you go along. I also only used andouille in the HOT pot and substituted beef smoked sausage for the andouille in the NOT batch. Like all good Cajun cooking, the vegetables always include the 'trinity' as my friend Winston says; chopped celery, green pepper, and onions.
So here we go!

Sausage Chicken Gumbo
1 lb. andouille cut into 1/4 in slices ( or other smoked sausage)
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2-3 celery ribs, chopped
2 qts hot water
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 Tsp creole seasoning ( I use Tony Chachere's)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 to 1 tsp hot sauce ( here is where you can really spice it up!)
Hot cooked rice ( make it in the crock pot)
Brown sausage slices in your soup pot. Remove and drain. Brown chicken in same pan till it is brown on both sides and remove. (It will finish cooking later.) Add enough oil to make about 1/2 cup to the browned bits on the bottom of the soup pot. Use medium heat. Quickly stir in the flour to make a roux. Stir constantly until it is the color of peanut butter. It will be thing so you have to stir it around so it browns but doesn't burn.  This will take about 20 minutes or so. So be prepared!
Very gradually, add the hot water to make a thin gravy. I used a whisk to make sure there wen't any lumps. The rest is easy!
In a separate frying pan, cook the 'trinity' in a little vegetable oil till tender. Add to the soup. Add the chicken, garlic, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Add the sausage and simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove, shred the chicken, and return to the pot.
Remove the bay leaves and enjoy!

Where's the beef?

I recently read that chicken had overtaken beef as the most popular meat - to the dismay of beef lovers everywhere. But when to comes to soup, beef is still a great option and this beef vegetable soup proves it! We had a full house and even had a few new people to get to know. Everyone agreed that this soup warmed up a cold winter night.

Beef Vegetable
 1 lb of ground beef
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion diced
1 cup of celery - diced
1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
I bag of frozen mixed vegetables (10-12 oz; no need to defrost)
1 large potato  - peeled, diced into 3/4 inch pieces (You can add more or cut larger pieces, but you may need to increase your cooking time to make sure they are tender before serving.)
4 cups of low sodium beef broth

Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of Worcestershire and a dash of steak sauce to taste

In a soup pot, heat oil and cook the beef, onions, and celery until cooked through and tender. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender.

Makes about 6 servings. Serve with warm dinner rolls and a tossed green salad for a quick and easy dinner.

Enjoy!

Souper Tuesday 2014 Edition

Well it's been a while since I last posted, but we're baaaaack! We've hosted 2 Souper Tuesday dinners so far with a few more set to go. In case you don't know, Souper Tuesday started as a way for my husband, Bruce, and I to get to know the neighbors in our new neighborhood. Now it is used to get us together during the cold winter months, after the holidays and before we are all outside again in spring.
I will be posting the soup recipes again and hope that you give them a try. We have also had some awesome salads made by our friend, Barbara, and devine desserts made by the ever-so-adventurous, Arlene. With their permission, I will post some of those, too.

I'll be back with some too-good-to-miss recipes shortly. In the meantime, stay warm and have a Souper day!