Vegetable Soup

Easy: *****
Tasty: *****

Most people think to eat soup when it's cold or raining or gloomy outside. But when I was growing up, soup was an everyday lunchtime staple. My grandmother ALWAYS had homemade vegetable soup ready - and it was always delicious. I have tried over the years to get her to write down a recipe, but it has always been difficult - "some celery, some carrots, a can of tomatoes..." So although this recipe isn't exactly my grandmother's, it's as close as I've gotten thus far.

This soup is great with a grilled cheese sandwich, but it is also hearty enough to stand on it's own as a good light meal.

Vegetable Soup

1 medium or 2 small onions, chopped
1/4 cup margarine
soup bones
7-8 cups cold water
3 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
2 cups pasta
2 regular or 1 large can whole or stewed tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, saute the onions in margarine until they are translucent. Add the soup bones to the pot. Pour in cold water - make sure the soup bones are covered. Add the chopped celery and onions and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium - it should be a low rolling boil. Add salt & pepper to taste.

For the pasta, my grandmother mostly used egg noodles, but I use whatever pasta is in the house, from spaghetti to elbows to lasagna. Just put the pasta in a large zip-loc bag, get all the air out, and crush the pasta with a rolling pin or meat mallet or any other heavy kitchen utensil. Not only does this add to the ease of making the soup, but it also gives it a homemade look.

Once the soup has been cooking for 1 hour at a low rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for 15 minutes longer. Break up the tomatoes either with a fork or in a blender.

Once the pasta has cooked, remove the soup from the burner. Take out the soup bones and stir in the tomatoes.

That's it! You can eat the soup immediately, but it also stores and freezes well.

Too thick? Thin it with a little tomato juice. Don't have soup bones? Add a few cups of chicken or beef broth (just make sure that the entire measure of broth + water is 7-8 cups). Want more vegetables? Go ahead and add 'em! My grandmother suggests rutabagas, but I've also added cauliflower & broccoli (leftover from making Veggie Squares), and I'm thinking that I might try potatoes next time. Too tomato-y? Add less! Not tomato-y enough? Add more! Don't know what to do with that leftover chicken? Chop it up and throw it in! Use whatever you have and experiment with different things - just let me know if you discover something fabulous so I can share it with my grandmother!

(lovingly adapted from my Memere's recipe)

veggie squares

Easy: ****
Tasty: *****

Since it's the Fourth of July, I thought I'd post one of my most requested (make that my only requested) party food: The Veggie Square. Many versions of this recipe are floating around out there; this one came from someone my cousin Erin knew in Kentucky.

Veggie Squares

2 pkgs reduced fat crescent rolls
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/2 red onion
2 stalks celery
1 pkg pre-cut broccoli-cauliflower-carrot mix
8 oz light cream cheese (neufchatel cheese)
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Take cream cheese out of refrigerator to let soften.

Unroll crescent roll dough onto 15" X 11" baking sheet. Smush to cover entire pan with no gaps and no overlaps of the dough. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Next chop the veggies. I have found that to do this entirely by hand gets to be a bit much; a food processor or a chopper will work much better.

Chop onion and celery together. Place onto a woven cotton kitchen towel, roll up and squeeze out the excess water, then put into a mixing bowl. Chop broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots; then add to bowl with celery and onion. Stir veggies until mixed well.

In another mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and ranch mix. Smash with a potato masher or a fork until creamy and smooth.

Gently spread cream cheese mixture onto the cooled pastry with a rubber spatula, taking care not to pull off the top layer of pastry. Cover all the way to the edges. Add veggies one handful at a time (you will likely have much left over); lightly press down into the cream cheese. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cut into squares or triangles, as big or small as you wish.

Enjoy!