Soup's On!

The Super Bowl may be history, but it's still a great time to fill the soup bowls on your table. Even though we've been pretty fortunate with mild weather the first half of this winter, it's still a great time for a hot delicious bowl of soup for many weeks to come.

Soup can be a light first course or it can be the main part of the meal. Many soups can be made using up leftovers, a great way to save money, and many soups taste great or even better the second time, making them a great recipe to make up in bulk to save time and energy when served again.

Soup can be a quick or a long cooking process, depending on what you decide to make. Regardless of your preferences and your schedule this is the time of year to enjoy a hot bowl of delicious and nutritious soup.

Here are directions for how to "Create a Soup" from things you probably have on hand. Follow these simple directions or make up a batch of your family's favorite soup and enjoy your own "Souper Bowl" this week.

Create a Soup!

Adapted from "How to Cook without a Book" by Pam Anderson

Step 1 Choose one fat (2 tablespoons oil--vegetable, canola, olive, or butter or margarine)

Step 2 Add 1 medium chopped onion

Step 3 Choose one or more vegetables (2-3 cups, chopped) Celery, green pepper, beans, carrots, peas, corn, etc. (fresh, canned, or frozen)

Step 4 Choose one protein (1 pound beef, chicken, ham, sausage, etc. or 1 (16 oz.) can beef, chicken or ham or 1 (16 oz.) can beans (pinto, kidney, black, chickpeas, etc.), or 1 cup grated cheese

Step 5 Choose one starch -- 3-4 cups diced potatoes or, 2 (16 oz.) cans beans (pinto, kidney, black, chickpeas Etc.) or 4 oz. egg noodles, macaroni, pasta or ½ cup uncooked rice

Step 6 Choose a broth -- you need 4 cups (1 quart) 2 (16 oz.) cans, chicken, beef, and/or vegetable broth or 4 cups water and chicken, beef or vegetable bouillon or 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes and 3 cups water or 4 cups milk and chicken bouillon (Any combination of the above to make 1 quart)

Step 7 Choose one or more seasonings --1-2 teaspoons dried herbs (oregano, basil, cumin, chili powder, thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc.) Bay leaf, 1-2 tablespoons fresh herb, minced garlic

Directions: Heat fat in large soup pot. Add onion and cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients (except
 fresh herbs). Partially cover pot and simmer until meat is cooked and starch and vegetables are tender (about 20-30 minutes). Add fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes. Serve.

Upcoming Extension Events:

Feb. 7 -- Master Grain Marketer -- 7-9 Clay County Fairgrounds

Feb. 8 -- Walking Wednesday 8-10 a.m.

Feb. 8 -- Extension Board Meeting 7 p.m. at Extension Office

Feb. 9 -- Putnam County Ext. Homemaker Council Meeting 11:30 a.m. (pitch-in lunch)

Feb. 18 -- Bi-state 4-H Judges and Leaders Clinic, Ivy Tech, Terre Haute

Feb. 22--Walking Wednesday 8-10 a.m. (final week for Winter Edition)

Feb. 22 -- Winter Cover Cropping system meeting McCormick's Creek

Feb. 25 -- Putnam County Master Gardener Advanced Training 8-4, Fairgrounds

March 3 -- 4-H Beef Weigh-in and Tagging