Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

With spring right around the corner I am trying to squeeze in as much comfort food as I can much to my little ladies’ dismay.

Soup is not high on their list of foods but it’s good for them right? And don’t I deserve to enjoy my dinner once in a while?… This week I tortured them with Potato Leek Soup.

Simple and nutritious, add a little extra protein with some chopped bacon and you have yourself a deliciously cozy meal ♥

Have it thick and hearty or thin and light. However you choose to serve it up, it stands as one of life’s simple pleasures.

So from my home to yours,

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*note*

Recipe adapted from Pinch My Salt.

Happy Cooking

♥

Samantha

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

I had some delicious German meatball soup the other day and could not get it out of my head. I kept meaning to buy ingredients to make it, I kept forgetting too…

The meatballs are made with pork and beef and I don’t usually have ground pork around…I do always have ground beef though “light bulb”, I could still have a meatball soup of sorts!

Which brings me to the Recipe I’m going to share with you 🙂

Italian Wedding Soup

This soup was so tasty, I can’t deny it! I had two bowls and then had it for lunch the next three days!

I used my ground beef and whipped up some homemade meatballs, some baby spinach I always have on hand, and some tiny star-shaped pasta I have saved for something special.?….

Your more than welcome to use store-bought meatballs but please, do not let these intimidate you! Meatballs are so easy to put together 🙂 Something I had forgotten and then re-realized thanks to my sister ♥

The rest of the soup is pretty much the same base you use for chicken noodle.

So for your eating pleasure, here is the recipe:

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Happy Cooking

♥

Samantha

Pumpkin Coconut Soup Recipe

Leftover Winter Squash, Delicious Pumpkin soup

If your anything like me you buy WAY too many pumpkins come Halloween and Thanksgiving…yes I am so guilty.

I love pumpkins. It’s such a simple fact. I don’t know what it is, they just make me feel so good inside when I look at them. I dream of having a pumpkin patch someday….but, I digress, back to the subject at hand.

I buy too many pumpkins…blah, blah, blah, and for this reason I try to buy a few for their nutritional value as well as their appearance. Now, all pumpkins are delicious and nutritious but, some do have a little more packed into their orangey flesh.

Take this Blue Lakota I have had hanging around since October, It is an heirloom variety and has a light squash flavor and a fresh almost cucumber scent. There is enough flesh for a couple batches of soup and maybe two pies or some pumpkin bread. She is loaded with beta-carotene and plenty of other minerals and vitamins along with antioxidants! Something we all could use in the long winter months 🙂

So my first recipe to be honored with her presence this winter was a Coconut Pumpkin Soup..Which was delicious. My little ladies didn’t think much of it but I think I will just pretend they like it until they actually do!

And now, for your eating enjoyment and winter comfort.

Coconut Pumpkin Soup

First you are going to want to roast and purée your pumpkin.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut pumpkin in half.
2. Scrape out seeds and stringy stuff (blah) as my ladies would say.
3. Place in a casserole dish or roasting pan. Fill with one inch of water.Roast for about an hour or until pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Scrape pumpkin flesh away from skin with a large spoon.
5. Load cooked pumpkin into your food processor.
6. Process cooked pumpkin until it has a smooth even consistency.

Second, you are going to want to prepare your soup according to the recipe or don’t 😛

How does this not look delicious?!

Alright, enough of my babble, here is the recipe. Enjoy!

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Happy Cooking

♥

Samantha

Making Split Pea Soup with Grammy

Grammy came over today and helped me make split pea soup from scratch ❤ It was delicious!

Here is the recipe as promised:

Split Pea and Ham Soup

ingredients:

• 1 pkg (16oz) dried green split peas, sorted and rinsed
• 2 quarts of water for boiling peas
• 4 TBSP olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups shop carrots
• 2 cups sliced celery
• 4 cloves of garlic ( I added 1 more for good measure )
• 1 spiral ham bone with leftover meat chunks
• 4 cups cubed ham ( or leftovers..I had none, but it was still delicious)
• 2 quarts water for cooking
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Directions:

1. Place split peas and 2 quarts water in large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Drain
2. Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan. Saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil over medium-low heat until tender about 10 minutes.
3. Return the Split Peas to the Saucepan.
4. Add ham bone, cubed ham, 2 quarts water, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Remove cover and continue simmering until desired thickness, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove ham bone; cut off any remaining meat. Dice meat and return to soup before serving.

My soup had very little ham when finished, but it was super yummy anyways. We garnished it with cheese and bacon 🙂 Grammy made hers with smoked ham hocks which I thought gave her batch an awesome flavor. However she was not a fan. I think I’ll pick some up for my next batch and see how it goes.