YumSugar

Mmm, National Soup Month

YumSugar — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:58:00 -0800

In the long cold days of winter there is nothing more soothing than sitting down to a warm bowl of soup and a glass of wine. Soups chock full of ingredients and flavor are hearty and heating, yet sometimes a simple soup that highlights the goodness of one or two vegetables is the only way to go. I first heard about this technique when I read French Women Don't Get Fat.

Apparently one of the reasons French women stay so thin is because they eat a lot of simple vegetable soups. I propose that tonight we all pretend we are French by enjoying a no frills simple cream of broccoli soup that reader Colormesticky requested. To be French for a night, and to celebrate National Soup Month, read more

Simple Cream of Broccoli Soup
From Food Network

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cream, heavy, light or half-n-half
1 onion, chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and chop
Nutmeg, to taste
6 cups canned chicken stock, warmed
Salt
3 cups chopped broccoli florets and stems
Pepper

In a large pot, melt butter and cook onion until tender over medium high heat.
Add potato and toss to coat with butter.
Add hot stock and bring to a simmer.
Stir in broccoli and return to a simmer.
When potato and broccoli are tender, puree in batches in a blender or food processor.
Return to pot and add cream.
Season to taste and serve warm.

Print recipe with images | without images

Oh and if you're interested in (or enjoyed) the French Women book, BuzzSugar pointed out that there's also a book called Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat.

Campbell's Green Bean Casserole

Sponsor — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:17:38 -0800

No holiday meal is complete without Green Bean Casserole. This recipe using Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup is the perfect side dish that will win rave reviews!

INGREDIENTS
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (regular, 98 percent fat free, or 25 percent less sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

DIRECTIONS
Mix soup, milk, soy, black pepper, beans, and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-qt. casserole.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until hot.

Stir. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes.

Tip: Use 1 bag (16 to 20 oz.) frozen green beans, 2 packages (9 oz. each) frozen green beans, 2 cans (about 16 oz. each) green beans, or about 1 1/2 lb. fresh green beans for this recipe.

For a change of pace, substitute 4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets for the green beans.

For a creative twist, stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese with soup. Omit soy sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup additional cheddar cheese when adding the remaining onions.

For a festive touch, stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with soup.

For a heartier mushroom flavor, substitute Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup for Cream of Mushroom Soup. Omit soy sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with green beans.

Must-Read: Matthew Mead Halloween Tricks and Treats

partysugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:00:08 -0700

Move over Martha Stewart, there's a new kid on the crafty Halloween block, and his name is Matthew Mead. Mead is a producer, stylist, and author whose creative work has appeared in numerous publications including InStyle Weddings. To see what I thought of his Halloween Tricks and Treats ($19) book, read more.

Pros:

The book is full of festive and fun ideas. Each idea is accompanied by a photo.
Mead excels when it comes to fabulous party themes. I love his owl-oween children's party and his mummy cooked dinner.
His decorations are spot on. The fun house section teaches readers how to cover a wall with eyes and create a spooky clock.
The book is very inspiring. While browsing the pages I came up with many ideas.

Cons:

Some of the how-tos lack templates and details. Its assumed that everyone will be capable of cutting a witches face out of pizza dough.
I was bored by the entire chapter devoted to fondant creations. While they look adorable, I'm just not a fondant fan.
Some of the ideas are more hokey than chic. They're appropriate at a cheesy child's affair but wouldn't be stylish at a grown-up party.

Recipes: The recipes are innovative, but too many rely on packaged ingredients like snack cakes or lu biscuits. Still, there are some I'm dying to make:

Candy corn freeze (a layered ice cream dessert)
Green gruel with eyeballs (a broccoli cheddar soup)
Bleeding berry pie (a mixed berry pie decorated with edible candy eyes)
A jack-o-lantern cocktail (a vodka carrot juice concoction)

Imagery: The pictures are clear and plentiful. Each idea is represented with a coinciding image.

Overall Rating: If you're a hardcore, crafty entertainer, whose favorite holiday is Halloween, you will love this book. Its chock full of amazing ideas.

Are you familiar with Matthew Mead? Have you checked out any of his books? What did you think?

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