“There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup in a can.” ~ Laurie Colwin, ‘Home Cooking’ (1988)

With the arrival of fall, comes those pesky sniffles, coughs and all over body aches. When your loved ones come home (as mine most recently have) complaining that they are not feeling up to par, fear not, a bowl of homemade flavorful chicken soup will fix them right up and is just what the doctor ordered. 

Now, I am a firm believer, as I have learned from my father, that soup is not “good” soup unless you make your own stock, but I do have to admit that once in a blue moon, I too have cheated and used store bought broth or the handy bouillon cubes. My substitute of choice is the Knorr product, and the result is almost always very tasty! In saying that though, the key to a good healthy, hearty bowl of soup is homemade stock, nothing can compare!

  Chicken Stock – as per my father/brilliant cook ~ I can’t take credit & am still trying to live up to his “soup standards.” 

• Chicken/turkey backs, necks, gizzards, pieces, wings, etc (always better fresh than using ones that have already been roasted)
• Water, fill pot 3/4 full with COLD water, if you use too much water your stock will have less flavor, don’t try to save time by using warm or hot water
• 3 Bay Leaves
• Fresh Parsley chopped coarsely – 2 handfuls
• 3 large carrots peeled and cut up in large chunks
• 2 onions cut up in large chunks
• 3-4 Celery stalks, very important to use the leaves, the leaves in the celery hearts are great, that is where a lot of the flavor is, cut in large chunks
• 2 or 3 large cloves of garlic, quartered
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• Salt & pepper to taste, use peppercorns if you want your stock clear
• 1 cube of knorr chicken bouillon 

In a stockpot, bring chicken/turkey pieces and water to boil, continue boiling and skim off any foam that comes to the surface. Once the stock runs clear and there is no more foam, add remaining ingredients to pot and continue boiling for about 15 min. Reduce to low and simmer gently for a few hours, stirring occasionally. If you find that the liquid is evaporating then cover pot with lid. Don’t over cook, as the stock will get cloudy and slightly bitter. When finished cooking, strain the broth and refrigerate for a few hours. Any fat in the broth will congeal at the top and can be easily spooned off. Your stock is now ready to be made into soup. Use right away, refrigerate for use in other recipes or freeze. 

TIP: If you want a darker, richer stock, roast your poultry, poultry bones and vegetables in a 450° oven for about forty minutes, before adding them to your stockpot. 

Roasted Garlic Soup – this recipe is sure to cure anything that ails you!          

Garlic has been known to have many health benefits and medicinal properties that can help fight infection and lower blood pressure. 

• 2 large garlic heads, whole, unpeeled     
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Bay leaves
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter                         
• 2 cups onion, minced                               
• 1 cup carrots, minced
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh-ground pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream 

1. Roast the garlic: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a serrated knife, cut the top off each garlic head so that the tip of each clove is exposed. Place the garlic heads on a large piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the bay leaves and fold the foil to form a packet. Place the packet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, squeeze the garlic head until all of the roasted flesh is released. Discard outer husks and bay leaves.
2. Make the soup: In a large heavy-duty saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil and butter, add onions, and cook over medium heat until translucent–about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the potato, chicken stock, white wine, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for 35 minutes.
3. Finish the soup: Using a blender, purée the soup in small batches until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the heavy cream. Heat until warmed. Do not boil. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

Enjoy ~ Sit back, put your feet up and let the healing properties of the garlic and homemade stock work its magic, those winter blues will soon be long gone!

Well it’s official–in my mind anyways–fall is here! The kids are back in school, it’s dark by 8:00pm, the lake is definitely what you would call ‘refreshing’ and the air just has that smell to it that screams summer is long gone!

It seems like the transition happens over night; you hit that monumental ‘season wall,’ and you hit it hard. One day it’s hot and humid, you’re swimming in a lake that feels more like a warm bath, and the nights are long with the lingering scent of bonfires and roasted marshmallows. The very next morning you wake up and see you breath when you take that first step outside (okay, so I’m being a little dramatic here, but you see my point). The lake now feels like someone has dumped a truck load of ice in it, and the days just seem to fly by as darkness lays it’s blanket so much earlier.  

For those of you who don’t buy into this and still think it’s summer, you have until September 22^nd at 5:18 pm, when the true transition takes place and Fall becomes a reality. 

Fall is also known as autumn, and lasts from the autumnal equinox (September) to the winter solstice (December).  

Yes it’s sad to see summer go, but once autumn shows it’s face, how beautiful it is. This is one of my favorite times of the year. Autumn harvest brings wonderful flavors to our table, and I get so excited to transform the bounty into wonderful meals for family and friends to enjoy. 

Homemade soup is one of my specialties. It has a warming and healing property that has everyone coming back for a second bowl. 

Apple Squash Soup – makes 10 cups 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, pressed
• 8 cups of butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 4 cups chicken stock (always tastier if you make your own stock)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup half and half cream
• Splash of Sherry, or two or three…

 PS. Sherry makes everything taste better! 

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a stock or large pot. Add onions and garlic, cook on low for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add squash, sweet potato and apples. Stir to combine. Add next 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until squash is very tender.
3. Puree soup. Return to low heat and add cream and sherry, let simmer for 20 min. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Ladle into bowls and top with fresh herbs and aged white cheddar, if you can find smoked cheddar that would be even better! 

Serve with a crisp Riesling or a bottle of Harvest Gold Pale Ale from our local Barley Days Brewery.