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soups

Food, Recipes

Red-Wine Braised Short Ribs

November 16, 2023

When I first started this blog in Washington, D.C., way back in 2011, I came across a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine for Red-Wine Braised Short Ribs. It was the stuff of legends. I made the recipe and it was utterly phenomenal. I carefully clipped it from my copy of the magazine and placed it in a plastic sheath divider and tucked it away carefully to revisit for years to come. It is quite honestly one of the best recipes I believe I have ever made. I even surprised myself, it was so tasty, just by following the recipe to a tee.

Fast forward to present time, many moves later that have landed me in South Carolina, I either lost track of my recipe book where this recipe was located, or it was a victim of a feng shui attack somewhere along the way. I have since searched high and low in the hopes that someday I would open the right box or drawer and it would be there atop the pile, glowing with a magical, glimmering light.

Well, needless to say, this never happened. And, unfortunately, I deleted the content from my old blog to start it fresh, so I lost the original blog post where I reviewed and posted the recipe. After some time, I finally succumbed to the idea that it was a fruitless effort and threw in the towel on the idea of finding the recipe.

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Food, Recipes

Hearty Hamburger Soup

October 24, 2023

I recently caught this recipe for Hamburger Soup on an episode of Pioneer Woman and I was highly intrigued. The idea of hamburger soup had me a bit bewildered at first, but this comfort food actually reminds me a bit of that delicious and nutritious minestrone soup you may have gotten in the cafeteria in elementary school, with the addition of ground beef. It has undertones of a rich pot roast as well. It is literally a meat and potatoes recipe, chock full of so many vegetables, making it is a hearty one-pot meal with super classic flavors.

What I reeeeally loved about this recipe, is it calls for basic ingredients and allows me to use up the celery and carrots in my fridge, along with the meat from my freezer. I absolutely loathe the idea of wasting food, so it is all about finding recipes that inspire you to use up all of what you have. That is what makes cooking and recipe hunting so much fun! It is a nerdy little game that I like to play to try new things and avoid any waste in the kitchen.

All that said, I decided to give this new concoction a whirl, and boy is it good. The weather is just starting to turn here in SC, and while I love a good pot of chili, there is also something about a pot of soup that gives me the feels. If you cook for someone who isn’t too keen on beans, this is the perfect substitute for chili on a cozy winter day. Plus, it is chock FULL of veggies along with the beef, so it is a full meal in a pot.

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Food, Recipes

Roasted Tomato & Grilled Cheese Soup

October 22, 2023

One of my favorite chilly weather combos ever is a good cup of creamy tomato soup with a crunchy, gooey grilled cheese. I have always gone the traditional route of dunking the sandwich into the soup, which will always be a classic move, but I recently stumbled across this unique recipe from Grace Elkus that was featured on The Kitchn website (one of my favorite all around cooking resources) and it had me intrigued. It is quite genius really, why not combine these two treasures in one convenient and heart pot.

To get a feel for it, picture French onion soup meets tomato soup vibe. It has layers of stretchy cheese and the crunch of the croutons fresh from the broiler on top, with pillowy soft bites of tomato soaked bread swimming below. This is a rustic and hearty soup packed full of flavor.

This soup is deceptive because it gives the appearance, heft and mouthfeel of a creamy soup, only it doesn’t call for any heavy cream. Isn’t it just the best when that happens?! Aside from the cheese, which you can adjust the amount to your liking, this recipe includes an assemblage of healthy ingredients.

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Food, Recipes

Turkey & Kielbasa Three Bean Chili

October 3, 2023

It’s chili season!! One of my favorite times of year, hands down. The days get a little shorter, the weather is a little chillier at night and it is my queue to start making giant pots of chili to eat and freeze for the cooler months.

Everyone seems to be on the hunt for a really good recipe for chili. I have always been one of those people too. Back in 2009, I finally decided to start testing different recipes to see which appealed to me most and create my very own version.

I feel that a “good chili” is personal and really lies in the eye of the beholder. We all have our own likes and tastes, but I feel that this recipe is one that will please chili novices and connoisseurs alike. Not to brag (brushes shoulders), but this recipe has won more than one inter-office chili cookoff against some fierce and worthy competitors.

Ingredients & Tips

As I mentioned, I tried out several recipes and flavors to land on this concoction. It has been my tried and true go to chili for over a decade and is a true one pot wonder. This is the perfect excuse to break out that Dutch Oven and put it to good use, or a nice big stock pot will do. Make sure that whichever vessel you choose, it has a heavy bottom on it to avoid burning your chili over the continuous heat you will be applying in the cooking process. Once you complete minimal prep and throw it into your pot of choice, it will sit on the stove and meld flavors, doing its magic without much supervision.

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Food, Recipes

Bennigan’s Style Ultimate Baked Potato Soup

September 25, 2023

As soon as the cooler weather rolls around, I start to crave all of the fall foods. In particular, chili (which we will get to later) and this recipe for the Ultimate Baked Potato Soup.

Recently, I had a comment pop up asking for recipe ideas for a Dutch Oven. This one piece of equipment is an absolute kitchen staple in my book, and a perfect vessel for soups, stews and frying. I use mine for just about everything and anything.

The enamel coating is perfect for all kinds of cooking, as it is naturally non-stick. That said, I cook with a lot of butter whenever I use mine, so I suppose that helps it to be more resistant to sticking. Plus, they deglaze like a champion once you add a little liquid to them, leaving you with those flavorful brown bits in soups and stews that build flavor.

If you have a Dutch Oven, or have been gifted one and aren’t sure what to do with it, the sky is the limit. Any soup recipe, stew, sauce…use this vessel for building your recipes and allowing them to develop with even heat. The cast iron holds and conducts heat steadily and beautifully for slow simmering. Once you are done prepping, you can just about set it and forget it on a low heat.

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