Request for freezer soup recipes and a Pizza story
14 years ago
A good friend will be having spinal surgery next week, and I'd like to make a few batches of soup or other things for her freezer. If you have suggestions for things that are pretty simple and freeze well, I'd appreciate some ideas. I've got a batch of squash enchiladas and some lasagna already.
Now the pizza story! A while ago, I asked for ideas for cheese-less pizza toppings for a pizza party including a lactose intolerant friend. You folks came through with great ideas and someone asked for photos.
I had your great toppings planned, the dough came out fabulous, the friends brought beer and wine... and my oven wouldn't ignite.
Gnashing of teeth and colorful language followed to o avail, so we had store pizza with my planned salad and after a beer I could laugh. Fast forward several weeks and I have a new range with convection oven. Now I'm cooking! So thanks for the earlier tips, here are some photos of pizza from my amazing new oven.
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14 years agoRelated Discussions
Chicken stock/soup different recipes/processing times?
Comments (17)For anyone reading this in the future, I finally did contact Dr. Andress and there really isn't supposed to be any meat left on the carcass when you start, they rewrote the instructions for So Easy to Preserve but she says they might clarify a little more on the website that this is a STOCK not a soup, that's why I kept putting "stock" in quotes b/c to me a stock doesn't have meat. Here's her reply "Here is how we re-worded it for our University of Georgia So Easy to Preserve book, below, although it's not a lot more specific. And I might now choose to say "Place large carcass bones (with as much meat removed as you can)": Or the other option is to not allow picking of the carcass at all. The directions really only allow for adding back the bits still clinging to the bones after cooling, not the all the meat stripped from the bones. So that's how we tried to word the order of actions for our book. But we can consider rewording on the website from the USDA guidelines, also. Thank you for pointing this out. Chicken Stock (Broth) Hot pack-- Place large carcass bones (with most of meat removed) in a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover bones. Cover pot and simmer until meat can easily be stripped from bones, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove bones. Cool broth; skim off and discard fat. Remove the bits of meat clinging to bones and add to broth, if desired. Reheat broth to boiling. Fill hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process. CAUTION: Do not add additional meat to this product. Process in a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner......(etc.)" Since how much meat is left on the carcass can vary, I think it's best not to put any meat back into the broth for canning, though I suggest that straining to get any bits floating might not be necessary. I also wouldn't add anything left at the bottom of the stockpot to the jars (sometimes I get little bits of bone as well as meat at the bottom of the stock). I knew what stock meant to a chef, couldn't figure out why NCHFP website was saying to add meat back into the broth, this was from very old procedures and it turns out stock really means stock. Maybe this is clear to someone who's been canning for a long time, but I haven't had any training (beyond NCHFP course, reading, and what I've picked up on this forum) so when I read that you could have meat in the jars my first question was "how much" - answer turns out to be "really nothing". HTH...See MoreSoup Recipes for Owie Brain (Or Anyone Else Who Wants Them)
Comments (9)I always cook my chicken/turkey bones a second time after removing the meat and storing it away. I keep the first broth in the fridge in quart-sized freezer containers, but I only fill each half way because I want to mix the second stock into the first before I pack it for the freezer. People are always surprised to see what nice broth you can get from just the bones, skin and gristle. Sometimes I will add water to the bones again after draining them, and stir this around. If the water starts looking like chicken stock, I'll cook the bones again. When I'm finished with the bones, they are soft and will collapse to a sort of a paste when you pinch them between your fingertips. I smush this stuff and bury it in my garden. I have to do it when the dog isn't watching though, and set something on top of it for a few days. I love my crockpot, too! I've never looked into what it costs to run it. I also have one of those big electric roasters that I always cook my Thanksgiving turkey in (and later use it to simmer the bones for broth) and Dawn, if you want something that cooks up a huge amount, you need that! But it would be hard to carry to a fire, now that I think about it. And I do save bits and tads of things. I don't like mixing my meats together so I will usually put them in wide-mouthed tapered pint canning jars and label them as to whether they are poultry, beef or pork. Sometimes I will make up a "tv dinner" if we have maybe one serving left of something, and put it in the freezer for later. I collect the liquids from canned vegetables and bits and pieces of veggies like tomatoes, celery, asparagus and outer cabbage leaves, in a plastic coffee jug in the freezer. When it's full I thaw it out, add add whatever I think it needs more of. Usually this is chicken or beef, some broth, and maybe a jar of canned tomatoes. A chopped onion. Add a can of mixed veggies from the store or a part of a bag of frozen. Actually I prefer the canned as it has potatoes in it. Heat all this up, add enough cornstarch to give it a nice smooth consistency. DH has a sensitive stomach so I don't spice it up. Just salt and pepper. If I'm feeding kids I add a little sugar, unless there's lots of liquid from canned corn in that batch. Yum....See MoreDoucanoe - soup recipe request
Comments (1)You got it! Cannellini Minestrone 1 T olive oil 1 c chopped onion 1/2 c chopped celery 1 clove garlic, minced 3 14 oz cans cannellini beans, drained 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1-1/2 c beef broth 1 T dried parsley 1 T dried basil 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes 12 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped 1/2 tsp green chili sauce Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet, sautonion, celery and garlic 3-5 minutes or until tender. Place1 can of the beans, salt and pepper in food processor, puree until smooth. Place drained beans in a large stock pot. Stir in puree and beef broth. Add onion mixture to pot and bring to a simmer. Stir in parsley, basil, pepper, tomatoes, spinach and chili sauce, simmer until spinach is wilted and soup is heated through. 8 servings Soup party 2008 Â my adaptation of a recipe found in Cooking Light magazine. Sherried Brie and Mushroom Soup Makes 8 cups 1 pound Brie cheese 2 cups dry sherry 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup minced shallots 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons flour 4 cups low\-sodium beef broth 1 3/4 cups half and half 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh chives, for garnish Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Trim the rind from the brie and then roughly tear it into 2\-inch pieces. (It is easy to trim if you first place the cheese in the freezer for 30 minutes or until it is sufficiently hard.) Set aside. In a small saucepan, reduce the sherry over medium\-high heat to 1 cup. Set aside. in a medium stockpot over medium\-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and lemon juice and cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, add the flour, and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Return the mixture to heat and add the beef broth and reserved sherry. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the trimmed Brie, stirring until the cheese has melted. Add the half and half and pepper and continue to simmer without boiling for 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. To serve, ladle the soup into separate bowls and garnish each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chives. This one is my vegetarian daughter-in-law's favorite soup of all time! Tomato Bisque with Tortellini 1-1/2c diced tomatoes 1-1/2c tomato sauce 3/4c bloody mary mix 1-1/2tsp fresh basil 1/4tsp italian seasoning 2c heavy cream 1/4c chicken base 1/4tsp dried thyme 1/4tsp white pepper 1T sugar 1/4c grated parmesan cheese 1/2lb tortellini Combine all ingredients except tortellini and cheese in stock pot. Bring to low boil then remove from heat and add parmesan. Blend with stick blender or in food processor until smooth. Return to pot and simmer. Meanwhile cook tortellini in boiling water 5-7 minutes or until tender, add to soup and serve, garnish with parsley flakes. My note: original recipe calls for 2T sugar, I reduced it because I donÂt like much sweetness. You can add more if you like. PS....sorry I didn't see your post about meeting in Chicago until I got home. Let's definitely plan on it next time I am there! Linda...See MoreSoup, soup, and more soup....Xmas Eve dinner
Comments (6)Your soup night sounds fab! We did a nod to it being Christmas Eve with a beaded tree for a centerpiece. Ann T., avoid your eyes, and skip the rest. :) Soup was minestrone flavored stone soup. I think the caterer left as much food as was served at our big party, so there were a lot of celery and carrots, grape tomatoes, cauliflower and broccoli left. Those were all diced for the soup, plus a couple of onions, half a head of garlic, some yellow vine tomatoes, a bag of baby kale and a white cabbage. So I didn't have to go down to the garage, the base was what I had in the kitchen freezer. That's three cups of low FODMAP chicken stock and three cups of beefy cabbage soup. I added a can of crushed tomatoes, a small can of fire roasted, and a smaller can of tomato sauce, plus vegetarian no-MSG bouillion and a little jarred soup base, for the salt. :) Some pepper, Tabasco (because I was too tired to clean serrano peppers from the garden) and mostly red wine. The starter was salmon salad made from the cranberry mustard salmon skewers leftover, broken up and dressed with what I think was the remoulade from the fried chicken drummettes. It had separated, and was a thick mayonnaise consistency and very herby, with a good acid sharpness that went well with the fish (which hadn't gone fishy). That was served with the leftover tortilla chips and relishes: baby corn, spiced baby carrots, pickle chips, raddishes and mixed olives. I also made some kale chips for something light. :) The soup was served alongside a leftovers casserole: a layer of latkes on the bottom (I thought they'd make it easier to serve but they fell apart), then layers of jewel rice, butternut curry, chopped broccoli, then filled with a bread pudding made from dry, bready donut holes, a (new) pretzel baguette, the chicken from the drummettes, the Moroccan beef cubes from another skewer, a couple of sundried tomato chicken sausages I had in the fridge to add more meat, and a couple of (new) leeks sautéed with a packet of small diced pancetta. There was cinnamon on the donut holes, the flavor of which came up more in the custard than it had on the donuts, but it went well with the garlic pepper I seasoned it with. Dessert was a tarte made from a sheet of frozen puff pastry that needed using. It was brushed with leftover passion fruit sauce, topped with leftover crème anglaise, and leftover fruit. :) There were also everybody's favorite freshly baked Toll House cookies from the Toll House cookie expert and party colored Dutch chocolate half dollars (leftover). The pudding casserole could have been improved upon (custard in the bottom layer under the curry to glue it together--the curry was a rich paste so I thought it would do the job, but it just softened everything--and cut up the donut holes smaller so they'd stick better), but everyone liked it and ate well of it. I heard a few "stuffed"'s. :) My fridges heaved sighs of relief to see so many containers removed! Most of all, we had a delightful evening with loved ones who couldn't be at the big party....See More- 14 years ago
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