Soup It Up!

What better comfort food comes to mind during these chilly days and nights then SOUP?  The smell coming from the kitchen as a good hardy pot of soup is being cooked warms the senses.  Here for your cooking enjoyment are a few of our Vintage Vertigo teammate's wonderful soup recipes, and some Etsy friend favorite goods to help serve up what I hope will become some of your faved soup recipe's and addition's to your vintage serving collections.

Diane, from Etsy shop ....

CraveCute

shares with us this wonderful...

Easy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

If you live in Minnesota, you have to make some version of this soup!
It's a requirement!

4 cups water
1 box Rice-A-Roni Long Grain Wild Herb Rice - 4 oz.
1 cup carrot, chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup chicken, cooked, cubed
1 cup half & half or milk
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup (or make your own cream sauce)
1 - 8 oz. container of Swiss Almond Spreadable Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions
In large 3 qt. saucepan, combine water, rice mix and seasoning packet. Stir in carrots and onion. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Stir in chicken, half and half, soup and cheese. If it's too thick add a bit of water or milk. Simmer on low (don't boil) about 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

Serve with crusty bread. Makes about 5-6 servings.

Serve up some of Diane's tasty Easy Chicken Wild Rice Soup in this

Rose Garland Serving Bowl

that you'll find awaiting you in her Etsy shop.

Margaret over at...

IcicleGarden

know's exactly what to do with those turkey leftovers.  Here she offers her...

Leftover Turkey Soup

1) Bone the carcass and put the meat in a big soup pot

2) Add 2 chopped onions

3) Add chicken stock to cover

4) Add leftover turkey gravy

5) Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning

6) Let it simmer, at least until the kitchen smells wonderful. 

7) A few minutes before serving, add some water and a package of 

pasta or noodles and cook until pasta is tender.

8) Turn off the heat and add half and half until it looks creamy.

A can of cream of mushroom soup can be substituted for the half and half.

Canned or fresh mushrooms are a nice addition.

My family is divided about the optional package of frozen peas

Have Margaret's cute and whimsical vintage 

Russ Berrie Soup Mug

ready to fill up once the soup is done!

Dish up some comfort Yum in this lovely

Vintage Hall Dinner Plate and Soup Bowl Set

found over at Gail's shop

BlueMoonAttic

and add her warm and savory...

Ham and Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 ham bone with meat on it 

4 cups chunky cut leftover ham

2 cups dry northern beans, soaked overnight or one large jar of precooked beans, Great Northern or a mix of soup beans

½ cup frozen black eyed peas

1 cup frozen spinach

2 cups celery, chopped

2 cups carrots, chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 box chicken broth

EVOO or butter for sautéing 

Some crumbled bacon optional

Directions:

Prepare dried beans by soaking them in cold water for 8-10 hours, then drain and rinse (I do this the night before). Or use a large glass jar of precooked beans

Add chicken stock, ham bone and ham to a large pot and some extra water as needed. Add the beans, and black eyed peas. You could use any bean soup combo of beans. My mom taught me to add a little maybe ¼ t – ½ t of baking soda to release the gas after beans are tender.

Cook on the stove on medium heat until the meat gets very tender. Pull the ham bone out, cool, and remove the meat that’s still on it. Throw the bone away and put the meat back into the pot. Add in the sautéed vegetables and spinach.

Add pepper, and seasoning of choice to taste. I like Old Bay and a splash of Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the beans are very tender. Add more water as needed. You don’t need to cook it this long if the beans are precooked.

Chop up the large pieces of ham before serving.

Serve with corn bread or buttered French bread.

JP over at ...

JPCountryMarket

has it going on with her own...

Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 large squash (3lbs) peel, remove seeds and strings, cut into chunks

2 cans coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth ( I make my own and have it canned) use store brand

bunch of green onions, chopped

3 Tlbs. minced garlic

1 Tlbs. brown sugar

1 Tlbs. honey

juice from one lime

sea salt to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 T. butter 1T. olive oil

In stock pot add 1 T butter 1 T olive oil and saute green onions, add chicken broth, garlic,squash bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, reduce heat cook until squash is almost tender, add coconut milk, honey, brown sugar, lime juice, salt and pepper cook about 5 minutes longer.

Carefully puree the mixture in small batches, return to pot .....serve and garnish with a dollop of sour cream. Makes about 2 quarts and will serve 6 to 8 if served with a meal.

This freezes very well.......therefore you can enjoy when squash is out of season. 

Stack up high a pile of Fontina Cheese Crostini on JP's lovely

Vintage 1950's Italian Delt Blue Platter

to finish off the meal!

Last but never least is a great recipe and another I'm eager to try during these cold days in Oregon.  Here I share a recipe from ....

Denise over at 

CountryMini

She's offered this wonderful

Zuppa Toscana Soup (Like Olive Garden)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Italian sausage (I like mild sausage and use Johnsonville)

2 large russet baking potatoes, cut up into small cubes

1 onion, chopped or minced

1⁄4 cup bacon bits (I cook up 4 slices of bacon and crumble)

2 garlic cloves, minced (I use minced garlic in a jar, that can be found in the vegetables dept, 2 Tbsp) 

2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped

2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 quart water

1 cup heavy whipping cream (I substitute half and half for this)

DIRECTIONS

* Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces. The Johnsonville Italian sausage comes in casings, so just remove from the casings and crumble up in pot. You will brown the sausage in your soup pot.

* After sausage is cooked, add the chicken broth and water to pot and stir.

* Next put in onions, potatoes, and garlic into the pot and cook all of this on medium heat until potatoes are done - about 30-40 minutes.

*Add bacon, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 10 minutes.

*Turn to low heat and add the kale and cream.

Heat through (about another 15-20 minutes) and serve. 

This soup is great also as a left-over! Just refrigerate any leftovers. I think it's actually even better the second day as the flavors have combined even more.

Enjoy!!

You can find this great vintage 

Cream and Brown Enamelware Pot

over at Denise's shop to help cook up her tasty recipe and priced just right!

Click on "Cookin' it Up" at the top of the home page to find more recipe's.

Thanks to everyone who offered up a recipe to help make this post possible!!