Its A Soup Day

If you live in my neck of the woods it is a soup day! I woke up to a blanket of white stuff outside, but spring is about a month away. I'm looking forward to planting my garden and all the creations I can think of involving a grill.

Somethings Fishy Tomato Soup

1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Onion sliced into thin strips
2 Carrots
3 Ribs Celery
3 Cloves Garlic minced
2 Bay Leaves
1 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 QT. Chicken or Veggie Stock
1/2 C Chopped Parsley
1 16oz Can Salmon

Saute the garlic and onion in the oil until they are soft, meanwhile cut the carrots and celery into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the celery, carrots, bay leaves, tomatoes, and stock to the mix. Cook over medium heat until the veggies are soft about 25 minutes. Add the salmon and heat through. Add the parsley right before serving and enjoy!

Squash Your Hunger

With this cold weather we have been having here in Idaho I have been eating alot of soup and this one has become sort of an addiction to me. It is smooth, flavorful and nutritious and it warms you right up!

Acorn Squash Soup with Kale and Bacon

1 Large Acorn Squash
1/2 Lb Bacon
1-3 Cups Water
1 Large Onion
1 Bunch Kale
Salt and Pepper

Bake or microwave your squash with a little water until its soft. Scoop out the buttery delish innards and puree them until they are velvety smooth.
Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry up until they are nice and crispy

Pour off most of the bacon fat but leave a little in the pan for flavor and saute the onions until they are soft. Cut the kale into bite size pieces and add to the onions. Season with salt (if needed the bacon makes it pretty salty) and pepper.

Add the squash into the mix and gradually add water until your desired thickness. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes and serve topping with the bacon bits.

Meal on a Budget Part 2

I wanted to make another affordable dinner, In fact lets make this a trend... $10.00 meal for a family of four. My last 10.00 meal was the fish tacos, if you haven't made them yet DO IT! They are so good. I will try and post a few budget meals a month. We are going for simple, affordable and delish. I have been craving grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup, well I couldn't do the grilled cheese part but the soup is do able. It turned out great! It has so much flavor and is extremely easy to make. I did my shopping at Super 1 Foods and included the prices to prove how affordable this dish really is. Enjoy!

1 TBSP Olive oil (.25)
4 Coves garlic (.15)
1 Very finely chopped onion (.45)
2 28oz Cans crushed tomatoes ($2.40)
1 Box chicken stock ($2.00)
20 Leaves fresh basil ($1.98) I only used half the package so this technically is .99

In a 6 qt pot get the oil nice and hot, add the garlic and cook until it starts to brown. Add the onion and saute until it turns a nice caramely color. At this point I added a little sea salt and pepper.
Take the basil and tear the leaves from the stems. Roll the leaves into a little bundle. This is a method for cutting called chiffonade. It will help you get the basil into thin strips. Use a sharp knife and slice the basil as thinly as you can.

Lastly add the crushed tomatoes, stock and basil. Let simmer for 20 minutes and serve.