Recipes for an extended soup season

Soup weather has carried over into February. I asked Welcome to My Kitchen Facebook followers their favorite soup to prepare on cold winter days. Several mentioned taco and potato. Sausage, barley and potato was a yummy sounding combination mentioned and several lamented missing 4B’s tomato bisque.

Soup can be as simple as tossing everything loose in the refrigerator in a kettle and simmering several hours, to following a detailed ingredient and instructions list. The amount of time you have to spend in the kitchen dictates the type of recipe suitable for your family.

A number of years ago, when the practice of cooking in your microwave was being promoted, I came across a recipe for French Cabbage Soup. Six ingredients, including a half head of cabbage, it caught my eye because when I buy cabbage for a recipe, there is usually a piece left over. Cabbage for soup doesn’t have to be fresh picked crisp.

French Cabbage Soup

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 small or, 1/2 large head cabbage

2 cups chopped celery

1 can (46 ounces) tomato or V8 juice

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Brown ground beef and drain off fat.

Chop cabbage coarsely. Place in a microwave safe bowl along with celery and 1 1/2 cup water, and microwave on high for 10 minutes.

Combine ground beef and cabbage mixture in a large soup pot along with remaining ingredients. Simmer for 2 hours, adding more water as needed. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: 2 diced carrots may be added to the cabbage mixture before microwaving. Canned lima, white beans or kernel corn, including liquid have be added after 1 hour of simmering. Creamed corn will make the soup thicker. Ground black pepper and smoked paprika are good additional seasonings.

Another cold weather favorite is Sloppy Joes, seasoned and sauce coated ground beef served over toasted hamburger buns. I posted a photo on the Welcome to My Kitchen Facebook page earlier this week. Before the mixture was named Sloppy Joes, it was referred to as Spoon Burgers. I use Dorothy Dean’s Favorite Spoonburgers recipe.

Favorite Spoonburgers

2 pounds ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup minced celery

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup bottled chili sauce

1/2 cup catsup

1 1/4 cups water

2 Tbsp salt (optional)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

12 hamburger buns

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, onion, celery and green pepper. Drain fat.

Combine remaining ingredients (except the hamburger buns) and stir into the meat mixture. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over split and toasted hamburger buns. Yield: 12 servings.

When Valentine’s Day falls on a week day, celebrations often get pushed to the weekend. Still, it is nice to have something a bit special for a meal on the day. Perfect Zesty Chicken Tortilla Bake fits the bill. If you have cooked turkey from the holidays, it works well in this recipe.

Perfect Zesty Chicken Tortilla Bake

1/2 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

8 ounces shredded cheese

1 1/2 pounds diced cooked chicken or turkey

1 cup chunky salsa

1/2 cup fresh or 2tbsp dried parsley

16– 6 inch flour tortillas

Whisk flour into mayonnaise in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes until thickened. Add 1 cup of the cheese, stirring until melted.

Reserve 1 cup of the sauce. Stir chicken and salsa into remaining sauce. Place 1/2 cup mixture in each tortilla. Roll up each tortilla and place eight in each of two, 9 x 13 inch baking pans sprayed with cooking spray. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Yield: 8 servings.

Baileys Chip Cookies will make a decadent sweet treat for your Valentine. My Valentine to you is the recipe from the Baileys Chip package printed here so you can read it. I don’t think I have seen type that small in a package recipe before.

There are several unusual but important steps included in the recipe, so don’t skip the long preheating and dough chilling.

Baileys Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, a room temperature

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

12 ounce bag Baileys Chips

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Combine flour, leavenings and salt. Add to creamed mixture and blend well. Stir in chips. Scoop dough in 2 Tbsp size balls. Place on parchment lined pans and chill 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and keep on for the hour before baking. Bake chilled cookies 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Let stand in pan 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: About 3 dozen cookies.

Note: I did not put in all that salt, 1/2 tsp seemed fine.

Share your favorite wintertime recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159. Email: therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/odessaiscooking/

Remember to leave a pencil lead stream of water running in at least one faucet in your house. This will keep water moving and prevent pipes freezing in the ground coming into your house. All faucets in sinks on outside walls should be running a trickle as well to prevent pipes freezing in the walls.