Soup is Good Food

Opera House In GF Table Decorations. Dine in beauty and take pleasure in the company that you keep.

The menu in our household growing up was mainly meat and potatoes, but we also had Soup Night to give Mom a break from time to time. Two or three of us always choose the Bean with Bacon soup. Our Mom and Rick had Oyster Stew. There was even a pan of Tomato for anyone wanting something different.

I remember reading a book once about a family living in NY during the depression. Their mother had a pot of soup cooking on the stove every day. She would add a little more water and a couple more vegetables if company came. Or she would send one of the children down to the butcher to get a bone.

I love making homemade soup. Everything can be left up to your imagination with a good vegetable soup. You can have meat or not. You can make it spicy or creamy. Or, you can do it the fast way with a jar of spaghetti sauce, a package of meat balls and a package of frozen vegetables.

My mother-in-law, Merva is famous for her potato soup. At the age of 91, she is still baking homemade bread and keeping a supply of potato soup on hand for company.

Last weekend, my daughter Kelly and her two children went to Bates City to visit and have lunch. Mmmmm Good! I had two helpings.

Our own Mom's beef stew was wonderful especially on a cold windy day. She was no slouch either with her own version of potato soup.

This blog is probably a little too bland and low-key, but I think that we have had too many varieties of jalapenos and not enough creamy comforting soup thoughts.

Soup is good food because all of the ingredients that you throw into the pot will benefit you in a healthy way. You can freeze it or share it with a friend. And some soups taste even better as left-overs.

My own Potato soup is never made the same way. If I am in a hurry, I used frozen O'Brien hash brown potatoes. (Idaho ones of course). Lots of cheese for the top, cooked bacon, milk and anything else to make it as rich as possible.

My really good soup version demands lots of fatty stuff like cream cheese; half & half, real potatoes, ham bits, celery, chopped onions and any of the grated cheese that I have on hand. Spices include very little salt and pepper, celery seeds, garlic powder and anything else in my spice cupboard that makes it taste good. Left-over baked potatoes make good soup too; be generous with the sour cream!

The Stone Soup which has been offered to us as a nation will never bring everyone to the table. No, a desire to dine with each other will require a soup made with love in order to provide the nourishment that we desperately need as a nation.

I challenge invite you to look to your own gardens which are planted in your back yard. What can you bring to the table? Fresh crisp carrots, celery, potatoes or chicken stock? Do you have an onion or leeks to flavor the broth?

Or if you do not have fresh vegetables, can you bring the cooking pot, the table service or some fresh baked bread? A package of grated cheese or crackers?

We all have something to contribute, the key is to keep the balance so that the soup isn't bitter or bland. Spices are fine in small pinches, but the richest flavors come from the onions, garlic or leeks.

Choose one thing that represents you as a contributor to the making of this special soup. No item should be considered unimportant and keep in mind that all of the portions must be carefully measured to make the taste of the soup appealing to everyone.