Hot Soups, Quick Toppings, Cold Chilly Winter Holiday Nights

Soups are comforting no matter the time of year, but around the Holidays which are filled with rich foods and treats, soups can be a welcome light (or hearty) change!  Simple crunchy toppings change the ordinary soup to extraordinary!

Enjoy these!

Soup Garnishes can include

• slivered almonds
• crouotons
• crisp cereal
• whipped cream plus horse-radish
• snipped parsley
• fresh herbs
• popcorn
• browned onion rings
• frank slices
• bacon bits
• grated cheese
• crumbled potato chips
• chives
• crumbled blue cheese
• snipped wter cress
• cut up olives
• thin lemon slices
• salted whiped cream
• sour cream andnutmeg
• paper-thin carrots, or radishes
• thin celery rings

Try serving your plain ol yummy soups in pretty decorative pottery bowls and individual casseroles with colorful napkins and buffet-style containers of toppings!  Dressing it up can make soup night extra fun.

Not Yo’ Mama’s Soup, but Soup Your Way:

Quick Chicken Soup

• 2 tblsp butter
• 1 sliced med onion
• 1/8 tsp mace
• 1 can undiluted condensed ceam of chicken soup
• 1 soup can water
• 1 soup can milk
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
• 2 tblsp parsely, chopped fresh
• 1/2 cup  to 1 cup chopped left-over cooked chicken

In a saucepan heated with the melted butter, saute onion until tender.  Stir in mace, checken soup, water, milk, couillon cubes.  Heat until bouillon cubes dissolve.  Add lemon rind, parsley at the end. 

Tomato-Crab Bisque

• 1 can undiluted condensed tomato soup
• 1 can undiluted condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can undiluted condensed bouillon
• 1 soup can light cream
• 1 cup flaked fresh crab or lobster meat, well worth the cost

Combine ingredients in order, stirring constantly.  Heat over low heat until hot, DO NOT BOIL.  It changes the seafood drastically.  NOT GOOD.  Serve at once.

Straight Off the Pantry Pea Soup

• 1/2 lb link sausages
• 1 thinly sliced onion
• 1 can undiluted condensed green-pea soup
• 1 can undiluted condensed vegetable soup
• 1 soup can water
• 1/4 cup sliced stuffed olives

In saucepan, brown sausages and onion; drain.  Set onion aside.  Cut susages into 1/2 inch slices; stir in soups, wter.  Simmer a few minutes to heat through.  Serve with onion rings and olive slices.

Spicy Clam-Tomato Broth

This is really good with a grilled cheese sandwich.

In saucepan, combine 1 8 oz can or bottle of clam juice, 2 1/2 cups tomato juice, 1 tsp Worcestershipre and 2 tblsp butter.  Add cayenne pepper to taste, and a dash of tabasco sauce.  Or, two.  bring to boil and sprinkle with parsley sprigs. 

Chicken-Curry Soup

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped fine onions
• 1 1/2 cups diced celery
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• dash pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup ilk
• 1 can undiluted condensed tomato soup
• 2 cans undiluted condensed chicken with rice soup

Saute onions and celery for 5 min in hot butter in the saucepan.  Stir in celery and rest of ingredients.  Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Mushroom Consomme:

• 3 tblsp butter
• 1/3 cup thinkly sliced onions
• 1/4 lb mushrooms, cut into thick slices
• 1 tblsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 can condensed beef bouillon plus enoug water to make 3 cups
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tblsp sherry

In hot butter, saute onions until just golden.  Add mushrooms, lemon juice; cook until mushrooms are tender but not  dark, about 5 minutes.  Do Not Overcook mushrooms.  Add bouillon, salt, pepper.  Heat but do not boil.  Just before serving, add sherry.

Onion and Tomato Soup

• 2 tblsp butter
• 2 cups thinly sliced onions
• 1 can undiluted condensed cosomme
• 1 soup can of water
• 1 can undiluted condensed tomato soup, and two tblsp stewed tomatoes, for flavor and texture
• 1 soup can milk
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Cook onions in butter til lightly brown.  Add consomme, water; simmer, covered 15 min.  Add rest of igredients and heat through but do not boil.

Christmas Whipping Cream Drop Biscuits

This basic biscuit recipe is made fluffy and tender with the old-fashion look of drop biscuits.  More?  You Bet!  You’ll do this again and again, its so easy!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk combined with 1/4 cup whipping cream

Procedure:

1. In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. 
2. Using a pastry blender, mix in the butter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add buttermilk combined with the whipping cream all at once.  Use a fork and stir until smooth.
4. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake 10 minutes in a 450 degree oven. 

Cool slightly but serve warm.  Everyone will want to know your secret for these light and tender biscuits.

Christmas Cinnamon Breakfast Biscuits

No more store-bought cinnamon rolls after this.  These Merry Christmas Cinnamon Breakfast Biscuits are  so easy and quick, you’ll be glad you made them for neighbors, family and friends.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unprocessed wheat bran (don’t substitute or leave this out…yum!)
• 2 tbls sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup milk, or buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit bits  (not candied)
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tsp orange juice (milk or water is ok, but orange juice is extra YUMMY)

Procedure:

1. Mix together flour, wheat bran, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is now looking like coarse crumbs. 
3. Form a well in the center of flour mixture and add milk and fruit pieces all at once.
4. With a fork, stir until moistened.
5. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surdce.  Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for 10 to 12 strokes.  Dough will be almost smooth.  Do not over handle as this makes the biscuits tough.
6. Pat or lightly roll dough until it is 1/2 inch thick.  Cut dough with a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.
7. Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 450 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes, until golden but not brown.  Cool on a wire rack.
8. Stir together powdered sugar and orange juice to a drizzling consistency.  Drizzle over warm biscuits.  MAKE A LOT OF DRIZZLE.