Turnt Up

Just kidding...I did cook with turnips for the firs time though! I used them as a replacement for white potatoes in my homemade vegetable soup. I have to say, I was very closed minded to the experience. I was 100% sure that I was not going to enjoy it, but to my surprise, I loved it! Here's what the finished veggie soup looked like:

 

 

I love to make vegetable soup when it's cold out and I have a lot of unused vegetables in my fridge. This past week has been extremely cold in Texas and I've been very busy. Without a lot of time to cook my vegetables were starting to go bad. Here is what I used in this batch:

 

• 2 boxes of vegetable broth (2 quarts total)
• Turnips
• Carrots
• Bell Peppers
• Onions

Other times, I've used things like:

• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Noodles
• Green Beans

You can nearly put any vegetable in your soup and it's very easy to cook. Here's the simple recipe that I followed:

1. Pour both quarts of the vegetable broth in a large pot and start warming on medium
2. Add a bag of miniature carrots (or anything small that doesn't need any chopping)
3. Chop the Onions and Bell Peppers into long strips then add them to the pot
4. Chop the Turnips into small pieces/chunks and add them to the pot
5. Add a few dashes of tobasco if you like it hot and crushed black pepper for flavor
6. Put the lid on the pot and let it cook for roughly 30 minutes; stir occasionally
7. Poke all of your veggies with a fork to make sure they're thoroughly cooked. If cooked after 30 minutes then enjoy! Otherwise, let it continue to cook on medium/medium-low.

This vegetable taste wonderful reheated. I usually make a large batch and freeze several tubberware since it reheats easily. Stay warm, friends!

Soup Weather

Earlier this week, I made homemade French onion soup for the first time. It was a simple and delicious recipe that I fell in love with last fall in Alaska. And I love any excuse to use my new bakeware, which was perfect for seving this great soup:

 

 

I love cooking and think great home cooked meals come from the heart. With that being said, I did not follow this recipe exactly. I rarely do!: 

 

 Instead of brandy, I used one cup of red wind (and drank the rest!). Instead of beef stock, I used veggie stock. I only needed  8 oz of cheese (or less). I used four, yellow onions and thought it was the pefect amount. I chopped them in 1 inch to 2 inch rectangles. I added garlic and pepper. I did not simmer for nearly as long as it recommends and I definitely did not broil anywhere near the length noted. Any time you broil, you have to keep an eye on it; it will burn very easily.

 

This recipe made four, healthy servings and reheated perfectly. If you're currently enjoying soup weather, I'd like to recommed this recipe. Please provide feedback if you added or changed anything else; I'd love to hear from you!