Potato Leek Soup

I am so glad it finally started raining. There is nothing quite like the smell of the fresh, clean air after the rain. And there is nothing quite as cozy as a nice bowl of soup or cup of hot coffee, watching the raindrops run down your windowpane.
This is a yummy recipe I just tried for the first time today for lunch and it was delicious!
My brands are shown in parentheses, for anyone who might be interested. :)

Potato Leek Soup

6 Tblsp. butter (Kerrigold unsalted)
1 leek, sliced (from farmer's market)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth (Trader Joe's organic free range)
2 tsp cornstarch
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced (TJs organic)
1 cup 1/2&1/2 (TJs organic)

In a large pot, over medium heat, melt butter. Add leeks, salt and pepper. Cook leeks in butter until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir cornstarch into broth and then pour broth into pot. Add the potatoesand bring to a boil. Pour in 1/2 & 1/2, reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. I like to break up the potatoes a bit into smaller pieces.

Enjoy!

FYI:

I have updated the soup recipe. :)

I think I pretty much got it right on the money...

A taste of Ireland

On a recent trip to the Emerald Isle, we were touring the Ring of Kerry and stopped in a sweet little coastal village for lunch. In a quaint cafe, the toasty warm fire was a welcome relief from the cold winter winds outside, and the Carrot Parsnip soup and coffee I enjoyed was also quite a comfort. I reached a point in the meal where I was actually quite full, but the soup was soooo tasty, I had trouble stopping. Which was unusual for me. For the rest of the trip meals, if I saw carrot parsnip or any other veggie type soup, I opted for that and was never disappointed.

On my return home, one of the first things I did was look for a similar recipe online and was surprised at how few carrot parsnip soup recipes there were. Maybe it's specific to the country. I know I had never heard of it before. Anyway, I found basically two versions, the main difference being that one is made with butter and one with half and half instead. I am sharing the former with you, since it was my favorite. I reworked it a little bit, and now it is very close to the soup I had in Ireland, but not exactly the same. So I plan on perfecting it over the next few months and if I find any improvements I will post them here. :)

Smooth, very "earthy" in the taste of the root vegetables, but the parsnips give it a nice sweetness. Every time I taste it, I am transported back to Cahersiveen and a toasty warm cafe.

Carrot Parsnip Soup
4 Tblsp butter  5 Tblsp butter
1/2 small-medium onion 1 cup chopped onion
~1/2 large baker potato
4 medium carrots
1 medium parsnip 1 large or 2 meduim parsnips
~ 28 oz. of chicken broth (i used reduced sodium)
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and chop potato, carrots, and parsnip. Chop onion.
Melt butter in saucepan, add onions and potatoes and stir until they are coated with butter.
Cover with lid and sweat ingredients over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add carrots, parsnip, and sweat for another 5 minutes.
Add the stock. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer until veggies are soft. Like falling apart soft.
Liquefy with a blender, hand blender or food processor.
Add salt and pepper to taste. May garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

Now that's good chili!

I found this delicious recipe recently. I tweaked it a bit to suit my tastes, but the original version can be found here if you're interested.

It's so easy to make, I'm almost embarrassed to share it, but it's really good, very satisfying, and perfect for these last few nights of winter. :)

Darn Good Chili (Charity's version)

1 pound lean ground beef (turkey can also be used)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes ( I get the "petite" kind for this)

1 cup spaghetti sauce ( I usually use a "garlic & onion" version)

1 cup salsa ( I use Pace picante Mild)

2 tablespoons chili powder2 cloves minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

Directions
In a large saucepan or stockpot, cook ground beef, until browned. Drain off excess fat.
Add onion and green pepper, stir and fry for about 5 minutes more, until veggies are tender.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, then chili powder and garlic. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans just before serving and heat through. Serve with dollop of sour cream or grated cheese. Enjoy!

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You can actually simmer it for up to 1.5 hours before serving (as in original version), and that probably would help all the flavors to blend nicely, but I find it's perfectly edible at 30 minutes or so, and I don't always have enough forethought to start dinner that early. :)

My swedish blood can't take spicy foods, so this is definitely a "mild" version. If you'd like to spice it up a bit, you can add the extra Tblsp of chili powder, and 1/4 cup taco sauce that the original recipe calls for. Maybe even use a medium or hot salsa.

Thanks to "TUGORETZ" for posting this recipe on allrecipes.com