Cream of Potato Soup

Potato Soup

I love homemade soups! Especially in the winter time. When the snow has blanketed everything outside, a nice pot of soup is the perfect thing for inside. Most of them are simple and quick to create. Start with a pot of hot water, and add vegetables and seasonings. It's pretty hard to go wrong. Most of the time, I just combine whatever sounds good to me that day. I might add some beans and spice it up a little, or make a broth with noodles, chicken and peas.

Although I most often concoct my own creation, I do have some recipes that are favorites. Cream of Potato has always been on the top of that list. This is a recipe a friend gave me many years ago and I have been making it ever since:

Cream of Potato Soup

5-8 medium sized potatoes
1 onion
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cube butter
seasoning

Optional:

Ham or Bacon
Green onions or Chives

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Chop the onion. Boil those two until tender and then pour out the water until they are only half covered. Add the evaporated milk, butter, and the seasonings you like. I like seasoned salt and sometimes a little garlic powder. I always add some parsley, too. I think any good soup should have little green things in it!

If I have ham or bacon available, I fry them up first and then add them in while it's all cooking together. The same with the green onions or chives.

Let it simmer another 15 minutes or so on low, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick on the bottom and scorch. It will thicken.

It's really good with some grated cheese sprinkled on top of your bowl.

Making homemade soup is a very inexpensive and healthy alternative to ready-made meals. Convenience foods usually have an abundance of harmful food additives. You get to pay extra for those! And for the packaging. I love fresh garden veggies in soup, and I like to freeze some of them for soup through the winter.

When I make Cream of Potato soup, I always make enough to fill the biggest pot I have. This soup is actually better the second day, so make lots and enjoy it at least twice!

Pumpkin Soup and Seeds

The first time I heard of Pumpkin Soup, I thought "Ewwww"! It just didn't sound like a good idea to me, but then I had the opportunity to have some and was I ever surprised. I loved it! Good thing I have an open mind. If you've never had Pumpkin Soup before, this is the perfect time of year to try it out.

Pumpkin Soup

Chop your fresh pumpkin into small cubes, remove the rind, and simmer in salted water for 30 minutes. Then follow the recipe:

1 finely chopped onion
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl flour
2 lbs. pumpkin (abt. 2 c.)
5 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. white vermouth (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1 c. whipping cream

Saute the onion in butter until it's soft, then stir in the flour. Mash the pumpkin into a puree and add it. Then add the chicken broth, salt and vermouth (if you're using it - there was none in the soup I had). Cover it and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the ginger and nutmeg. Mix the egg yolks and cream together and add to soup. Heat it until hot but not boiling. This serves 6.

Serve the soup in a hollowed out pumpkin. It'll be big hit!

Don't throw the seeds away. Any time we carve pumpkins, or use them for baking goodies, I roast the seeds. They are one of my favorite fall treats.

Pumpkin Seeds

Wash the seeds off. Then mix 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, 3 Tbl melted butter, and salt to taste. Stir that over 2 c. of pumpkin seeds, spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 225 for 2 hours. They make a great substitute for some of the candy through the holidays!

Zuchinni Mania!

Today was a Zucchini Bread day. In the fall, during "zucchini season" we have a sort of joke around here - always keep your car doors locked while you're in church. If you don't, your car will be stuffed full of zucchini when you come out! I never could figure out why every fall people have so many zucchinis from their garden, they practically offer to pay you to take them away. You'd think they would plant less the next year. But I'm sure not complaining because I have been the fortunate recipient of the abundance and generosity of over-exuberant zucchini growers!

Zucchini is a very versatile vegetable. It's mild flavor makes it adaptable to a wide variety of recipes, whether they are spicey, salty or sweet. It goes well with other vegetables and with meats, or in cakes and breads. I've come across a lot of recipes for chocolate zucchini cakes, cookies and brownies. You can bake it like squash or add it to a soup. My husband loves some chopped up in his chunky spaghetti sauce. Here are a few of my favorite things to do with zucchini:

Fried Zucchini
I dip the slices in raw egg and then in bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese and whatever seasonings sound good to me that day - usually a little seasoned salt, or sea salt with a dash of garlic powder and some Parsley flakes. Then I fry them up with olive oil.

Veggie Cakes
These are so good! My Mother-in-law invented this great idea. I shred any combination of fresh veggies that I have in my refrigerator at the time; like potatoes, jicama, carrots, turnips, bell peppers, finely chopped broccoli, celery and of course, zucchini. Add enough eggs to make the mixture very wet and sloppy. Be generous with the eggs because they hold the rest together when it cooks. Depending on what veggies you used, select salt and other seasonings to taste. Put about 3/4 c. of mixture on a griddle or in a skillet and spread it out like a thick pancake. I use my electric griddle so I can make 8 or 10 at a time. Let it fry until golden brown, flip over and repeat. When I turn them, I also sprinkle grated cheese on top. It melts while the cake finishes cooking. These are so good and maybe a good healthy way to get fresh veggies down your kids that aren't vegetable fans.

Almost everyone with a garden has a good Zucchini Bread recipe. I certainly haven't tried them all, but of those I have, I've got a favorite. It's a little more flavorful than some and always moist. It came from my Great Aunt Evelyn who won a blue ribbon at the Umatilla County Fair with it!

Zucchini Bread

3 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c. oil or melted butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. raw shredded zucchini, unpeeled
1 c. nuts (optional)

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the eggs, oil or butter, vanilla and zucchini. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. Cool and slice.

You can only eat so many zucchini entrées at once, so the rest you can shred and put in the freezer. I freeze it in 2 cup quantities in Freezer Ziplocks. Then you can enjoy your zucchini all winter long!

Cinnamon Pears

I canned some more pears today. I did some several days ago and one more batch today. They're not my favorite fruit to can because they turn brown so easily and are very time consuming to peel and core. Besides, these pears are a small variety so it took 10 or so to fill a quart jar, but my uncle asked us to please pick and take what was left after the deer and bear had already been pilfering his tress. They're really sweet and juicy and I didn't want them to go to waste. I didn't have any citric acid or anything to keep them from browning so I worked fast. Also, I decided to add cinnamon and cloves to this batch. The ones on the left have the spices. The ones on the right are just canned with a light honey syrup. They're going to be really good this winter when the fresh fruit is gone.

Canning is a great way to be more self-reliant, and save money. When the food is available you can it. Then you've got something good to eat when there might not be anything available later, or when money is tight. If you live in a rural area where there are fruit trees and gardens, there is almost always someone with more of something than they can use. Neighborhoods often have homes with fruit trees hiding in the backyards and fruit falling to the ground. You may be surprised at what you'll find if you start asking around. My sister has noticed fruit falling off trees in someone's yard and stopped to inquire. The homeowners have been thrilled and asked her to PLEASE come and get the fruit. They feel terrible about it going to waste and are unable to take care of it themselves, or have more than they can use. Putting a $5 ad in the classifieds asking if anyone has more fruit or garden produce than they can use, could put a lot of jars of good food in your pantry to eat throughout the next year.

Water bath canning is not difficult, it just takes some time, but a skill well worth having. The canners are not real expensive and if you like garage saleing, just keep an eye out and you'll probably come across one sooner or later. I save all our jars that can be used to can in. If the lid and ring fit it, you can probably can in it. Fruit jars from the store, Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip jars, some salsa jars, and whatever will work. It's pretty easy to stay stocked up since the jars can be used indefinately - as long as they don't get any chips on the rim. The rings can be used over and over and kept from rusting if you clean them right when you are done and dry them off. The only thing you have to replace is the lids. They go on sale at the grocery stores every fall and you can stock up with extras. They're usually between $2 - $4 a dozen and come in both narrow mouth and wide mouth. It's also a great help to pick up a Canning Kit in the fall when the stores are carrying canning supplies. It has a jar lifter, a funnel, a magnetic lid grabber and a couple of other handy items. Get yourself a basic canning book, and you're on your way!