Today seems to be a continuation of a week of cold rain, raw weather and just plain drear.! We need the rain really badly in this area, so that is good.
When I lived in Bridgewater I would have gotten up and put the stock pot on the stove on a day like this to make and simmer a day long vegetable soup. Who cares if it is could and clammy outside, when you can be in the kitchen taking your time with all the ingredients.
A nice beef vegetable would be great on a day like this, Brown your chuck roast in the pan in olive oil toss in the onions, celery, garlic and carrots, let them sweat a bit, and then put the water to cover, along with bay leaves, spices, herbs what ever strikes your fancy, Vegetable Soup is not rocket science, the best part of making it is just doing it on a day like this. Taking your time to assemble, cut everything up, I mean what else are you going to do, watch TV all day?
I always added my potatoes, and cabbage later. towards the end. You end up with 8 quarts of nice soup that can be frozen or canned (if I was doing that latter would not cook as long and would most likely have started with the 20 quart stock pot.
Well for me those days seem gone forever, even cooking a pot of soup appears to be a thing of the past.
I wanted to go to the studio today to work on some hand caned chairs, however in Starbucks this morning people seem to be telling me that a Winter Weather Advisory is out and I need to look it up online. I need to buy several space heaters for the studio for heat on these cold days, so that I can be warm while caning and basket weaving these cold winter days.
Well I tell you I went back over my blog and found I had no beef vegetable soup recipe, however everything else looked so good to me that I just could not help but put the links in here.
The wonderful thing on a day like this is that most kitchens have potatoes ready to use, and potato soup actually is a base for any soup your imagination will allow.
New England Clam Chowder, Seafood Chowder, Potato/Leek or Onion Soup, Potato Cheese Soup. all are creamy warm and delectable on a cold dreary winters day.
This is great if you have a couple small butternut squash laying around that you have not made pies, backed or cooked yet, great on a cold winters day!
Savory Bacon Browned Butternut Squash Soup
This Chili below is great, and sticks with you on a cold day so well. makes me hungry for a bowl right now, but that is not going to happen.
I have found over the years I have post quite a few soup and chowder recipes you can find most of them by doing a simple search for Soup in the search box of the blog
I had the same idea, Mitch. On Sunday I made the White Bean Soup from the Harrisonburg Farmers Market Update e-newsletter this week, spiced up with herb suggestions from the old Buffalo Springs Herb Farm soup cookbook (basil, thyme, savory, dry mustard, Worchestershire sauce, and a bit of dry sherry). Delicious! Then, since I seemed to be on a roll with kitchen success, I tried a brand new recipe yesterday: a salmon, corn, and potato chowder. Best soup I’ve ever made!
And on your “own home” front, I have the feeling things are about to change for the better for you. Just keep open to the possibilities and keep your eyes open (and pray a lot!)
Hi Elizabeth,
I tell you I have been praying, believe me I have, I just have to have somewhere that I can regain a regular routine, a good diet, and then everything else won’t seem so overwhelming. Man I miss being to myself.
Thanks for your positive upbeat attitude, it makes me feel better, the little grey house in the post was really depressing! not to mention the day cold, rainy and raw! did not help much, but I don’t think even bright sunlight could make that one look any better, it had just seen better days about 65 years ago.
On the salmon soup, boy does that ever sound so good Elizabeth, I will have to remember that one when I get my own place.
I’m making vegetable soup today also. But mine, I’m using ground chuck. I can’t wait until it is done. ‘mI ready for a bowl and so is the dog.
Hi Carolyn,
That sounds great any type of beef vegetable soup, I like hamburger soup, (minestrone) soup, would love to have a bowl of yours, almost would drive that far for home cooked food.
Last night I made a fish Etouffee for dinner with jalapeno filled, cheese topped corn muffins. Great cold weather grub.
Hugh you are killing me ! I want a kitchen to cook in so bad I can taste it. this just existing in life is beyond me how they do it. I can’t
I have been thinking of vegetable beef soup for this cold and rainy day. I have some I canned a couple months ago that works as a heat and eat thing. Based on the recipe from the United Methodist Men at my church. Ground beef rather than stew, canned veggies other than dehydrated corn rather than fresh (I did that to match the recipe which my mom prefers). Canned in pints to match our use patterns.
Hi David, boy do I miss cooking and canning, made myself really hungry doing the post, these days just thinking of cooking is about all I can do, hoping and praying times will change soon, they have got too, past the hoping stage right now.