• averythingcooks on June 24, 2021

  Tuscan Bean Soup [pg. 61]: I wanted a lighter soup for tonight that I could prep early in the day and came here. I followed it pretty closely but used navy beans in place of white kidney beans, added a parm rind to the simmer and wilted in spinach at the end. The instructions also suggested pureeing 1/2 the soup before serving but I was happy with the chunks of veg & beans in the flavourful broth and decided to skip that step. It is simple but very tasty.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Herbed carrot, leek & rice soup

  • averythingcooks on June 20, 2024

    This is a very good soup...rich enough for dinner, light enough for spring/summer eating. The abundance of fresh herbs (I was generous here) is lovely. Also, I just realized that I was supposed to puree/return a portion of the soup...didn't do it and didn't seem to miss it :)

• Creamy broccoli soup with cheddar

  • averythingcooks on August 06, 2023

    This is a great broccoli soup that includes carrots & celery (and this time for me, the end of the spinach hanging out in the fridge). I used a mix of skim & 2% milk and an aged (full fat) cheddar. The Dijon is a nice touch and you can taste it in the finished soup. A repeat recipe for sure and I can see trying the cauliflower version as well.

• Roasted tomato garlic soup

  • averythingcooks on August 29, 2023

    This made good use of a mix of garden tomatoes hanging out on the counter. I ran the roasted tomatoes through the food mill to remove skins etc before adding to the pot and then through the blender at the end and finally pushed it through a sieve. This (yes...self imposed) step laden method gave me the super smooth soup I prefer. I also used a popular idea and used a tbsp of my "basil butter" at the beginning of the simmer and then added more pesto at the very end. This is a good pot of soup.

• Corn & chicken chowder

  • averythingcooks on December 04, 2023

    This is a lighter chowder as promised but I thought it needed a hefty hit of salt, but rather than just adding more (& more) salt, I grated in a chunk of parmesan and I thought that helped. It will easily get eaten for lunches this week but I have lots of other corn soups that I think I like better.

• Mom's chicken & rice soup

  • averythingcooks on January 31, 2026

    A simple but tasty soup that is lifted by the white wine. She calls for skinless chicken legs to be poached in the soup pot but I had leftover roasted chicken meat + the stock made from the carcass, figuring that was close enough :) As she calls for both fresh thyme & parsley, I went ahead with my "fresh frozen" Scarborough Fair 4 herb blend which worked well. I wish I had remembered the shredded zucchini portions in my freezer which would a great add-in....next time.

• Beef goulash soup with noodles

  • averythingcooks on April 04, 2024

    Ultimately, the end result here was a flavourful, hearty dinner bowl but (for us at least) as written it was under seasoned. I used far more paprika than called for, added some grape tomatoes & also some pickled peppers + brine for a little more acid. I cut back on the water & cooked the egg noodles separately, adding them just before serving. Yes, I made some adjustments but this is a great idea that will be repeated.

• Hamburger soup

  • averythingcooks on December 02, 2023

    This is a simple but very tasty pot of winter soup that I made a day ahead of serving. With only 8 oz of ground beef, you still get a big yield and it is beefy & filling. I skipped the turnips and added sweet peppers & cabbage during the simmer. Just before serving, I remembered my "Simon & Garfunkel" fresh herb mix waiting in the freezer....a perfect last minute addition of fresh flavour. I'm now happily packing up single & double servings for my freezer.

• Italian beef & bean soup

  • averythingcooks on November 24, 2023

    This is a very tasty & hearty bowl of soup. I held off on the water and simply added a little more broth at the end. There is lots of room here to take advantage of your fridge & pantry and I can see making this often over the winter. UPDATE: this is REALLY GOOD on day 2 :)