Tasty Soups: Broccoli Cauliflower Soup by Wendy

In November we met at Wendy Van Noy's house to learn 3 delicious soups. Wendy taught Broccoli Cauliflower Soup.

Ingredients- for the first step:
1/2 head Cauliflower
1 large bunch of Broccoli
2 cups Carrots chopped
1 cup Onion, chopped
2 cans Chicken Broth
2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Salt

Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces. Cook all these ingredients over medium heat until tender; do not drain.

Large soup pot with all the veggies
Adding the seasonings

Tender, cooked veggies

Ingredients- for the second step:
1 cube Butter
3/4 cup Flour
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 quart Half and Half

In a separate saucepan, melt butter and flour. Stir until smooth. Add half and half, and cream cheese. Stir until smooth. Add the creamy mixture to the vegetables and heat through. Enjoy!

Stirring the creamy mixture

The finished soup!

Wendy made us some of her delicious, prize-winning cornbread!

Tasty Soups: Creamy Corn Chowder by Kira

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 cup Flour
1 cup Water
1.5 cups Milk (skim or 1% work fine, and lighten the soup considerably)
2 regular-sized Chicken Bouillon Cubes (or 1 Knorr Chicken Bouillon Cube, or 2 tsp Chicken Base)
1/2 lb Bacon
1 small Onion, minced
2 Red Potatoes, diced into small cubes
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Corn, drained (or 1.5 cups frozen kernel corn)
Salt and Pepper to taste
a few dashes Hot Sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)

Fry bacon until crisp. In the meantime, melt butter over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add flour to make a roux, and mix until it comes together to make a little ball.

The "ball" of butter and flour

Add water and whisk until completely combined and there are no lumps.
Add milk and bouillon (or chicken base) and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes, onion, and garlic and simmer (but don't boil), stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

The chopped onion and potatoes

Cooking the veggies

Kira stirring her soup frequently!

Add crumbled bacon and corn, and heat through.
Add a few drops of hot sauce, and then salt to taste. The soup NEEDS the salt, but an exact salt measurement is not given because bacon differs in saltiness, so it would be very easy to make the soup far too salty. Start with about 1/4 tsp salt; stir for a few minutes, then add more salt if you'd like.
Ladle into bowls. Top with extra bacon and cheese if you want.

Tasty Soups: Harvest Soup by Dani

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 large Carrots, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 lb Ground Turkey
1 Tbsp Dehydrated Onion (or 1 small onion chopped)
1/2 cup Butternut Squash Puree
Salt and Pepper to taste
(all of the following cans are approx 15 oz size)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Green Beans
1 can Navy/Great Norther Beans
1-2 cans Beef Broth
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Basil
1/2 cup Quick Barley

Saute garlic and carrots (and onion if using a fresh one) in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add ground turkey, dehydrated onion, salt and pepper- cook until meat is no longer pink.

Raw meat

Cooked meat

Kira and Dani hard at work stirring their soups

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Adding cream of mushroom, tomatoes, and green beans

Adding the beans

What quick barley looks like
(in case you didn't know- because I didn't!)

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 15-20 minutes.

The steamy finished soup!