OMG, recipe for the soup, please please!

I will get it to you before the end of the day. It was a Bob Appetit recipe from the last century.

Okay, I have a serious question about sun-dried tomatoes. The flavor is lovely, but how do you chew the darn things? No matter how small I cut them, I always end up removing them from my mouth after chewing them for what seems like an eternity. What am I doing wrong?

Fun, soak them in oil or even water for a bit.

Zalco, How funny! I used the panini press last week and I mentioned to my DH that, unlike other specialty kitchen appliances I own (ricecooker, I'm looking at you), I'm very glad to have a panini press.

That night DD had muenster, arugula, roast beef and sliced onion on sourdough. DH had a turkey/gruyere/coleslaw/russian dressing/rye panini. I had turkey, honey mustard, apple, cheddar and spinach on multigrain.

In re soups, I am trying to decide which NYT recipe to make for tonight:

Chicken and Rice Soup With Celery, Parsley and Lemon

or https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017010-seared-broccoli-and-potato-soup

There was also a tomato white bean one on the site that looked good

There is a creamy cauliflower soup recipe in todays NYT that I want to make as soon as i get a good head of cauliflower in the house. Check it out, Mtn, it looks very easy. Rosemary infused olive oil, mmm,.

Today is a cooking day! Last night I made a Mississippi roast for sandwiches, which was providential as one of our neighbors died early this morning and I can take this to her family tomorrow when the boys and their families arrive.

I’m making pasta with peas and pancetta and parmesan as I type, and the marscapone is sitting onthe counter warming up for tiramisu, which is the next thing to make today.

Sorry I don't have a sandwich recipe, but I do have a few soup recipes I'm loving. I'm a vegetarian and always looking for healthy soups that taste delicious.

https://cookieandkate.com/classic-tomato-soup-recipe/

This tomato soup recipe knocks my socks off. I am shocked at how delicious and creamy it is, and it's made creamy by a surprising ingredient: beans. It's so easy to make and is absolutely yummy.

https://www.feastingathome.com/creamy-white-bean-soup/

This is another fabulous and healthy soup. I ended up needing to add 1 more cup of broth to the recipe, but it's still delicious regardless. The flavor depth is fantastic and it's very satisfying.

We are not big on sandwiches, but always up for a good soup recipe! I can't wait to hear how the cauliflower soup turns out! Please update us @Kswl. What is Mississippi roast?

It's frittata, maple sausage and cooked apples for us tonight. I will probably make cheesy chicken corn chowder later in the week. I love soup!

KSWL -

How do you make your Mississippi roast? I made it a few years ago when it was all the rage. I liked it but it gave me terrible heartburn. Is there a lighter, fresher version?

Not a sandwich, but i made this lentil soup on Friday and it was great. I had everything on hand already which made it super easy. https://cookieandkate.com/best-lentil-soup-recipe/

I never would have bought a panini press, but we got one as a gift. We almost gave it away but decided we should at least try it so we could say we had. We still have it, and I had to get one for my son who was most interested in trying it. He also uses his to make quesadillas, reheat pizza, make toast and more. He has a tiny city apartment kitchen so it is a multi-tasker.

Our weather has been unseasonably warm until just recently. I haven't been in soup mode, but may join you all soon. It's supposed to stay cool this week.

Jana, I like the Cookie and Kate site. Her recipes are dependable, I’ve made several and they all turned out as advertised.

Mississippi roast is a chuck roast seasoned and dredged in flour and seared until a crust forms, then slow cooked (in Mississippi, I guess) with a stick of butter, a package of dry au jus mix, a package of dry ranch dressing mix, mayo, vinegar and pepperocini peppers. I had never heard of it until i saw it in the Times a few years back. The Times’ recipe is much less fatty than the original, using only a half a stick of butter. I used that as a starting point and made it with a well trimmed piece of meat, homemade ranch I keep on hand, the liquid from the peppers in place of the vinegar, a quarter cup of strong beef broth made with either Knorr stock pot or Better Than Bullion in place of the dry mix, and pepperocini rings that end up melting into the beef. And three tablespoons of butter instead of the four called for in Sam Sifton’s recipe. The extra liquid is made up for with the broth. I actually cooked mine in the oven in the Dutch oven I used to sear the meat in. Four hours at 300 degrees. It shredded easily and needed a decent amount of seasoning at the end. I used a half a jar (probably about ten ounces) of peppers. In our house it’s for sandwiches, open faced on a toasted piece of sourdough bread with slaw on top. It’s a nice change from pulled pork,much easier because I make my own barbecue sauce.

Prickly Pear, I love bean soups and often use the immersion blender lightly to thicken them.

The sun-dried tomatoes that I bought at Trader Joe's in a packet - not the jarred ones in oil, didn't require any soaking and are easy to chew. I tossed out some others that were like shoe leather.

I don't know if you are an "influencer" K ;) but "Entertaining with Beth" looks like a fun blog/website/youtube channel/whatever to follow. I think she's very "on point" for modern lives, showing how to accommodate a variety of dietary preferences. Cooking for a diverse crew, I have been doing such things for years, but if you're new to the game, she shows how easy it could be with a little forethought.

I make home made tomato soup a lot, due to it being much lower in salt than the commercial canned stuff. Lately I have been using my own home canned tomatoes though, not roasted but roasting really adds a great flavor. Next year I am going to have to roast some tomatoes and freeze them . . . I also sometimes freeze the tomato soup, but thawing it is just a little bit more work/time than opening a jar or can . . . occasionally that kind of speed is necessary.

@terezosa / terriks, I'll look for the packet at TJ's. Thanks for the tip!

Didn't grow basil this year, even though I had the seeds. Just never got to it. Note to self, freeze some pesto next year . . . on the flip side, I ended up with a huge jar of dried basil from an herb program I did, which one could substitute, mixed with mayo and some evoo. I would use walnuts though, can't afford pine nuts . . .

Pink, i grew basil all summer a couple of years ago and made pesto every week. I prefer it made with walnuts or even pistachios. i like pine nuts but they have a slightly bitter aftertaste that is more intense when they are raw.

Mine favorite, besides the old-but-wonderful tomato soup and grilled cheese staple, would be posole and a grilled cheese with green chile sandwich.

Yeah, that's why I stopped buying pine nuts. I love them, but ya have to toast them, and they are too expensive to burn, which is something I am a fairly high risk for, so between the cost and the futzing (even though it is minor) I just use walnuts. I also got some skinned hazelnuts from nuts dot com to splurge, we'll see how I do with those, which are for special gourmet recipes.

No suggestions on chicken salad recipes except I like a bit of tarragon. I haven't made that in a while though. To me a good chicken salad starts with a rotisserie chicken and uses mostly white meat but some dark meat mixed in.

ETA:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of softened real butter
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon

* 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard*

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
• a bit of chopped green onion to taste

LynnNW, your food ideas always sound so good!!!

Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut. Tarragon is a great addition to traditional chicken salad, that and garlic and onion are the flavors i like with chicken generally.

I haven't made that recipe in ages but love it. Oh yea on the garlic. I think I did do a pinch of garlic and onion powder. We have a Costco down the road for the yummy rotisserie chicken so think I'll make it this week.