Saturday Souper Bowl

It is Saturday and the weather has been rainy and 40ish for most of the day.  The rain did stop around 2 and I was able to get outside for a 5 mile run with Sophie.  The temp felt great for a run and I immediately knew I had over dressed.  I had worn my light jacket - but took that off and tied it around my waist.  It was a good run - it took me about 15 minutes to clean Sophie's belly and feet - wet pavement and a lot of grit!  Next time when conditions are like this I should probably think about leaving her at home - but she also loves to get her run in!

I am streaking with Twelve in Twelve - HERE, based on the Runners World challenge and Tall Mom on the Run, HERE, running every day in December.  So far so good.  I have run every day since Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow I will be joining Jamie, from Running Diva Mom, HERE, for part of her final 1/2 marathon for the year.  She set out to do 12, one each month . . . but somewhere along the way . . . something happened. . . she is up to 15 and tomorrow will be her 16th 1/2 marathon this year.  Way to go Jamie!

Anyway, back to the post title:  I love to make soup in the fall and winter and today's choice is Cream of Broccoli Soup . . . hence the blog post title, Saturday Souper Bowl. This recipe is one I have been making for years.  As long as I have broccoli, I always have the other ingredients.  It is delish and really easy to make.  This was from a restaurant in Madison called Ovens of Brittany.  In the late 70's and early 80's we would go here almost daily for lunch, and enjoy a bowl of soup and a croissant.  They also offered decadent breakfast muffins / rolls called Morning buns . . . buttery with lots of cinnamon and sugar - my mouth is watering, just thinking about them.  Well the restaurant is long gone, but I purchased the recipe book years ago and have found some great recipes from this book.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli stems and tops
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
32 oz cups vege or chicken stock (I always use chicken stock)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper (I always use black)
2 dashes hot pepper sauce - or more ;-)

1.  To make roux, melt 3 tablespoons butter in small saucepan.  Stir in flour until well blended.  Cook over low hear, stirring often for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

2.  Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in large, heavy pot.  Add onions, carrots and celery; cook until they are just beginning to get tender.  Add broccoli, basil, curry powder, paprika, thyme and celery seed; cook a few minutes longer.  Meanwhile heat milk and half and half together.  (I do this in the microwave)

3.  Add stock to vegetables, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer.  Whisk in the roux until soup is thickened and smooth.


4.  Stir in heated milk mixture, white pepper and hot pepper sauce.  Simmer 10-20 minutes until flavors have blended but broccoli is not overdone.

Truth be told -  today I used 2 cups of skim milk, instead of 1 cup of milk and1 cup of half and half - the soup still tasted great, maybe it isn't as rich - but still a hearty and rich flavorful soup.  Personnaly I,  would NEVER skimp on the butter!

Enjoy . . . maybe with a nice Chardonnay!

Sunday Special - Italian Chicken on Rice

OK - it is Sunday and I am watching the USA - Canada hockey match. Canada is ahead 2-1. Beginning of the third period . . . GO USA!!!

Ran this morning with Sophie - 4 miles - it was a relatively warm, 28 and no wind. I really think that 3-4 miles is Sophie's maximum. I am not just saying this to make myself feel better . . . but she is slowing me down. The last mile - she is behind me and I need to pull on her lease to get her to speed up a bit. Problem is when I am running - she is trotting. If she runs . . . I would not be able to keep up. ;-) Last summer I would take her out for 2 miles (because of the heat) and then drop her off at home and then run the rest of my miles. I will probably need to do that again.

After our run - then it was off to church.

I have been thinking about something to make my blog unique . . . so on Sunday's I am going to share some of my "GO TO" recipes. These will not win culinary awards - but these are recipes that I turned to whenever I didn't really have a lot of time and everyone in the family enjoyed these. And many of these are basic ingredients that I would keep on hand.

Before we had children, I loved to cook and spent a lot of time on weekends trying new recipes and making bread (kneading by hand - not with a bread maker). We were married for almost 12 years before we had children. But once the boys were born I just didn't want to devote too too much time to cooking . . . especially since it took them the same amount of time to eat the food, whether I spent 2 hours making the dinner . . . or 15 minutes. ;-)

So here is one of my favorite recipes:

Italian Chicken on Rice

2 whole chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds - skinned, boned and cut in thin strips or chucks - I usually slice the breast in 1/2 inch wide strips and then cut those slices in 2 to 3 inch long strips.) I almost always use frozen chicken breasts - you don't need to thaw them. Simply slice them while frozen.

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons butter

One 15 1/2 ounce jar spaghetti sauce

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning - or use some Basil and Oregano

3 cups sliced celery

4 cups cooked rice

Season chicken with garlic salt and pepper and leave sit for 5 minutes. Saute in butter until cooked through. Stir in spaghetti sauce and Italian seasoning: cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add celery, continue cooking until celery is tender crisp (about 10 minutes). Make rice while the chicken is simmering. Serve over Rice. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Roman cheese.

ENJOY

Peace