{All the snow photos are by Bridget.} |
Cook these veggies up in your soup pot. Basically, most soups will start with this mix of veggies, called miripoix by the French. |
Everything is better with bacon, which is why I try to hide at least a piece or two from them, and you know who they are. |
Add your flour — no need to measure — just add flour until the fat is absorbed and no longer shines in the pot, but the flour is also absorbed and things no longer look floury. |
It's the work of a few minutes in the microwave to thaw your stock. If you store it in glass jars, stick the whole jar in lukewarm water about 1/2 an hour before you start. |
Chopped garlic is a must. |
Lightly chop your cooked broccoli. |
Add a little cornstarch to the cheese, and a little heavy cream — maybe 1/4 cup for six servings. |
Stirring everything before blending. |
As the veggies sauté in the fat, add about four or five tablespoons of flour. The cookbooks tell you to add the same amount of fat and flour to make a roux, but it's actually equal weights in the classic formula. So you need more tablespoons of flour than of fat, or your roux will be too fatty and not work as well.
Do cook the flour a few minutes before adding liquid. Once the flour is cooked, add your stock and your milk. You can use all milk if you are short on stock. You can used canned or boxed stock, but be aware that there is MSG in there, even if the label doesn't say so, even “organic” kinds. Don't use powdered, paste, or solid chicken stock thingies — they are all salt and MSG!
You need about four cups of liquid. Add it slowly, stirring the roux with a flat whisk or spoon, but don't worry too much about lumps, because you are going to process it later.
Add your seasonings. I recommend these:
Thyme
A little rosemary
Parsley
A little sage
Dried minced onion
Dried powdered garlic
Chopped fresh garlic (I prefer adding this at this point, not earlier with the other aromatics — just because I have a tendency to burn it — fresh garlic burns easily and I distract easily)
Dried mustard — a secret ingredient that will considerably enhance your soup — just 1 teaspoon in this pot
Salt, of course
A little pepper
Let everything simmer a bit to cook the veggies and thicken the broth/milk. Now add your already cooked broccoli or other leftover green vegetable.
Using your immersion blender (see the alternatives, above), blend everything, but not to a uniform consistency. Leave it a little chunky.
Now you can add bits of chicken if you have them, and about a cup of shredded cheese mixed with a little cream and tossed with some cornstarch if your soup isn't thickened the way you'd like. Bring just to the boil to cook the cornstarch and melt the cheese, and then turn to low until you are ready to serve.
Serve with bread and butter, crackers, breadsticks, rolls, or sandwiches if your crowd is really hungry and growing!
Kathy says
Wonderful advice, coming from someone who has fed our family on next to nothing in lean times, I can attest to the truth in this. Great recipe as well, we do love a good soup and I like to stretch the budget with lots of veggie soups and bean stews!
Charlotte says
Oh… Auntie Leila. I really love you!!! Everything you said. It takes sacrifice but it's a grace filled sacrifice and so incredibly worth it. My immersion blender just died and I have a big bowl of cooked broccoli sitting in the fridge (what do I do?)! Boo hoo hoo! My husband joked that he could get me a new one for Valentine's Day to which I promptly responded with specifications (corded, not cordless, they have more power and are cheaper).
Phyllis says
I make cream of broccoli soup in a similar way, but just chopping the well cooked broccoli in the pot with a knife. It doesn't have all the other veggies in it, but it's still good.
Lori Alexander says
Oh, I Loved this post! So many women don't find joy at home because they don't know they are suppose to. I love being home and fixing healthy meals and keeping it warm and clean for my family. I roast chicken and make broth out of it all the time. To me, it is the foundation of a good soup!
Kelley says
Yum! I want to try to make this this week. I have a question though, have you ever had it come out grainy? I have had problems with this in the past when I have tried to make a broccoli cheese soup.
_Leila says
Kelley, yes, it can be grainy. Not sure why, but one thing is not to let the cheese boil more than that just-beyond-simmer to cook the cornstarch. If you let the soup really boil after adding the cheese, it will separate.
Also, I blend the veggies once before adding the broccoli, then blend again. That's because if you blend the broccoli too much, it seems to get grainy.
Kelley says
Thanks, I'll try that.
Hafsa says
This post was definitely an inspiration as are many of your posts! I will be bookmarking this soup recipe and cooking it next (I already have my menu planned for this week).
Lisa G. says
Even though I always turn the cookbook page when I see a creamed soup, because the both of us are better off without the stuff, SOMETIMES it's fine to indulge, and this sounds really good. I'll remember it.
As for homemade stock, I just last week saw an older Martha Stewart episode where she made some – who could afford it? There's nothing economical about the way she makes stock!
Dixie says
Yes, Martha Stewart, who thinks you simply HAVE to use parchment paper every time you bake cookies! Stock is actually very cheap to make. You just use one or two leftover chicken carcasses from a roast — no meat necessary! — water, an onion (unpeeled! not chopped, just cut in half!), a couple of cloves of garlic (again, au naturel!) and whatever scrap vegetables you have lying around (freeze carrot tops and wilted celery greens, and use those). All of the ingredients except for the chicken and water are optional! Throw in some salt, bring to a boil, simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain, cool (in fridge overnight, even), skim off fat, freeze. Don't worry if it gets gelatinous — that's what it should do — for it will thin again when heated.
Lisa G. says
I think I will do that, Dixie. I was thinking that without all the meat, the broth wouldn't amount to much, but it's worth a try – thank you. 🙂
Dixie says
Oh, no, you don't need the meat at all. Just as Jamie says! Just throw in the bones and skin and whatever little bits of meat and fat are left on them after you and your family are finished with the chicken. It's really the bones that are important. It's such a great and frugal thing to do, really, because the only thing you actually have to buy extra is the onion (and I've even skipped that in a pinch)…definitely not like Martha! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Jamie says
I make stock by putting all my vegetable tidbits in a gallon pickle jar. Ends of carrots, ends of onions, ends of fresh garlic, ends of peppers, etc.. When the jar is full, boil it up, strain, voila! Save all your chicken bones after a meal and while the kitchen is being cleaned up, boil them up, and voila! chicken stock! I never make stock with food firsts. Only seconds. Dixie is right.
Pippajo says
I've been wrestling with this very thing lately because we are getting ready to go into full time ministry and with The Viking's cut in pay, I am going to have to find a part time job, despite our housing being provided for and already cutting everything we can think of. Even our deacons have looked over our spending plan and said, “Yup, you're going to need another $10,000 a year or so”. And that is before factoring in paying for college next year. I have always been staunchly committed to staying at home, but when I see a deficit in our spending plan, I don't know what else to do. And we're not talking about not getting new cars, not going on as many vacations or not being able to put as much into savings (what's that?). We're talking basic expenses like groceries, car insurance, gas, clothing, and health insurance (HUGE EXPENSE). What do you do when your income simply doesn't cover your bare minimum expenses? Any thoughts from anywhere are welcome!
Rachel says
If indeed you have no choice but to work, and it sounds like this is your case, I
believe that the attitude towards work that you show to your children makes a difference. If children think that their parents are working to afford more things that aren't necessary, they can resent this. But if a mother lets her children know that she would much prefer to be with them, that she is sad to leave them and asks them to pray for her that she can soon be with them at home again, the children see that this is a sacrifice and that it has nothing to do with self indulgence.
Kat says
Pippajo, I wish I had some wisdom to impart. We were pretty good about living on one income until about 4 or 5 years ago. We have always practiced frugality. I practically have the Tightwad Gazette books memorized. Then we had a lot of expensive home repairs (some we still haven't taken care of), car repairs, medical bills and the educational needs for our older children (they get great financial aid, but it's still not free). For the first time in our 26 years of marriage, we have credit card debt that I don't see anyway of paying off. I can't get a job outside the home since I have children I'm still homeschooling and jobs are pretty scare in our small town anyway. I feel like a failure for not managing our money better, but I don't know what else to do. My husband tells me to try not to think about it and just keep doing the best we can.
Melissa Diskin says
Pippajo, can you write? Get a copy of The Writer's Market and start there — there are scads of niche mags & sites that need freelancers, including local parenting magazines. I also used the market listings at The Shy Writer when I was starting out. For a while I'd get up at 4:30 and write for a bit before my kids woke up, or wrote while nursing, etc. Even if your time is limited, you can write filler pieces. And usually you can resell parenting pieces as long as the markets don't clash (i.e., are different geographic areas) and you specify when rights revert back to you. And there's a great book called Writer Mama that is all about using your mom expertise to write what you know from that perspective. Good luck!
RedTartan says
I don't know your heart or your situation. I'll be the one to stick my neck out and suggest that if this “ministry” will not allow your husband to continue to provide adequately for your family, perhaps he shouldn't be doing it. I'm sure that the ministry is important and worthy for someone to do. But if God has not shown you a way for your husband to provide, it might be someone else's ministry.
Jenny says
Pippajo, I've been mulling this situation all night and, honestly, it makes me a little angry. If even the deacons agree they are not paying a full-time wage then they should not expect a full time minister. It seems to me the answer is for the ministry to pony up the extra money or dial back their expectations for a full-time minister so he could work an extra job on the side.
I know you have no control over what the ministry decides, but I would definitely try to revisit the terms of employment one way or the other. Also agreeing with Red Tartan.
Amanda says
We found ourselves in this situation because of my husbands' pastor wage being far too small for our little family of 4. We immediately started job hunting for a new position for him. My Dh was loathe to do it at first but I insisted because we were drowning as a family in his old position. Last year we moved to his new pastor call in pennsylvania and we are thriving, truly thriving. It's not the only piece but finances are a big part of it. In fact we were able to open ourselves up to getting pregnant again because we finally had resources to support our family plus some. We also bought a home, a dream that had seemed out of reach. My Dh is so much happier in his new position and secure knowing his wage provides all we need. So I will agree that it's worth giving serious consideration to a new job for your husband. It's not always possible, and I know there's lots of personal conflict over moving on in ministry but at least consider it.
If not, you can work part time and do what's necessary to support the family and there's no shame in that.
Betsy M says
Love this Leila. I worked for the first three years after having children but have stayed home for the last six. In this time my husband's confidence and place as “man of the house” has grown considerably. He was the one who felt I needed to work initially but now when we look back he expresses regret that those first years were so difficult as a family because of my working. Yes, we live differently now, but are also much happier.
As a side note, I just purchased an immersion blender from Amazon for $15.00 to replace the expensive one which had a faulty seal. Grrr! This cheap one seems to work great and I use it daily to make mayo, soups or blending tomatoes (nothing to hard). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JXXBZ8/ref=o…
They are a great investment but my two cents worth of advice is buy the cheap one – the kitchen aid I purchased lasted 14 months (it of course had a twelve month warranty!)
Betsy M says
I forgot to mention – beautiful photos Bridget!
Jennifer says
Thank you! I appreciate this post. The kids and I like to make a big batch of soup for lunch and then dinner is all ready, too.
Margo says
yes! I blogged about my grandmother today – her love in home is such a testament to me.
And I blogged once about our super-fast leftover-veg soup (http://thriftathome.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-to-do-with-leftover-steamed.html)” target=”_blank”> http://thriftathome.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-to-do-with-leftover-steamed.html)” target=”_blank”>(http://thriftathome.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-to-do-with-leftover-steamed.html).
We love soup. In summer, I get a little lost for thrifty menus because I don't make hot soup in the hot summer.
sarahlcc says
Thank you.
Lindsey says
This inspires me to actually do something with the broccoli that sits too long in the back of my fridge because I can't eat it fast enough raw!
Also, I discovered a year or two ago (thanks to The Joy of Cooking – great resource) that reducing stock, if you have the time, is a great way to store it! Once the stock is strained and de-greased, you just keep boiling it until it thickens into gel. Once it cools, you can slice it up in little squares and freeze it in any container. Then, add water whenever you want liquid stock, or just throw in the square for seasoning in other recipes. I always feel so accomplished whenever I get around to doing this, and it truly makes me content knowing I have the makings of homemade stock on hand whenever I need it! (I am afraid of the “spices” and “flavour” in store bought kinds!)
Lucy says
This looks delicious! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Careful with those immersion blenders, ladies! Once, in a pregnant fog, I managed to lodge my finger inside one and my father had to drive over and help me out with a pair of pliers and a wrench.
Jenny says
Well, because before starting to blog, I heard once too often, “I have to work — it's impossible to afford a family if I don't work.”
It is so true that people believe this at all levels of income. We live on one modest income (although it is my job and not my husband's). A couple of weeks ago I spoke to a lady who works with me and has one child. She is higher up the food chain and probably makes double of what I make. She is also married to a man with a professional job so their household income is easily three times my household income. Her husband wants to have a second child, but she just doesn't think they can afford it. It boggles my mind and makes me sad.
And on a brighter note, I want to share a thrifty win. My husband was getting lunch meat at the deli counter. The lady who works there thinks my son is the cutest thing ever (and she's right!). She always gives the children a sample, or more than one, to munch on while slicing the meat. At this particular visit she was nearing the end of the chicken breast and gave my husband the whole heel that couldn't be cut on the slicer! For free! He cut it up into chunks and made yummy, homemade chicken noodle soup.
Sarah says
Thanks for the inspiration! I'm gonna go start some borscht……
housewifehowtos says
A very insightful entry! I've found, too, that many times when people say they couldn't afford for their families to live on one income, what they mean is that they couldn't afford to live *in the same manner*…eating out whenever they feel like it, buying new clothes because they see something they like, basically living life chasing one whim after another.
But it becomes far more manageable when we're ready to distinguish between things we spend money on just for the fleeting sense of newness, and things that leave us with a long-term sense of fulfillment — a wonderful night playing games with the family, a delicious but simple meal, a weekend spent reading a really good book from the library.
_Leila says
Yes, housewifehowtos — I wrote about this here, you just reminded me!
http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org//2009/04/frugal-for-beginners.html
Shopping and buying become a substitute for living! Sometimes they are necessary and sometimes fun, but not a way of life!
housewifehowtos says
Thank you for sharing that link, Leila. It was a wonderful entry!
Liz says
It is often the husband who prevents a mother from staying home, even if she desperately wants to do so. My husband's mother stayed home, and so he sees that it is valuable, but his father is a surgeon, and my husband just can't visualize how we would live on his much smaller income (not to mention our house-payment-sized student loans) without depriving our children. We have worked out how much he would need to make to feel that I could quit my job, which is considerably less than we currently make together, but considerably more than he makes alone. What I fear is that even if he eventually hits that number, he will decide that it's still too risky to have me quit, because of increased expenses or having become used to the security of the extra income. For that reason, I try to hide the “surplus” that I bring in by putting it straight into savings, rather than becoming used to spending it, but it's still there as insurance against a rainy day. Part of the problem is that I have an extremely family-friendly job, such as it is (good hours, working from home half the time, and well-paid), and it hasn't yet made us miserable enough for him to see how much good it would do for me to stay home. (I have a terrible fantasy of losing my job so that he would be forced to deal with the cut in income.) Anyway, it's not always that we working mothers are too selfish or lazy or frightened to be frugal; sometimes our husbands won't let us out of their own fear that they can't provide properly for the family.
Jenny says
This.
Betsy M says
Hi, I understand completely where you are coming from – my husband felt the same for the first MANY years of our marriage. You may already be doing this but when figuring how much money you can live on don't forget to subtract out the hidden expenses of working outside the home. Figure out if your income puts you into a different tax bracket , how much you spend on extra clothes for work, cost of daycare, gas, expense of eating out or on processed (faster to cook) food. When I started staying at home my hubby was completely amazed that my income was actually not missed because of these factors (the tax factor in particular in our case). If you can figure out some of these numbers maybe your husband will see where the money can be saved.
Nancy says
Excellent post on soup making and living on one income. My husband and I are in our fifties and our mothers worked full time. I decided early on that I wanted to stay at home with my children, based on MY own experiences with babysitters (before institutional/franchised daycare).
Presently, I live beside a neighbor with 8 children. They have to share bikes and bedrooms but they are happy.
They have each other.
Brenda says
How very much I loved reading this, Leila! Made my day, actually. :o) Just yesterday I said to a friend at church, as we discussed the bitterly cold weather & how we were all eager to get back to our homes, what we were serving for lunch, etc., & I said to her, “It's a good day today, because I have a pot of soup on the stove.” And that's how I feel, really. It's like making soup, & enjoying it simmering as I prepare to serve a meal, makes many of the cares of the world a little less troublesome.
I am faced with a difficult decision at present….would like to ask your readers' prayers that God will either lay on my heart to stay the course here at home (I have been home fulltime for around 20 years), or to “pound the pavement” in search of paid employment. My husband's being unemployed is stretching out longer & longer than we thought it might. I really can't seem to discern a clear direction here. I know where my heart wishes to be, but I do wonder if I'm simply being stubborn by not seeking work more aggressively.
_Leila says
We are praying, Brenda.
___________________________
Sent from my phone.
Laura says
good encouragement, Leila! Very wise…you say things on here that I have been saying for ages:) (but for some reason no one seems to hear them coming from out of my brain:)
wanderingsue says
“and I distract easily”
and I walk away smiling, again, my dear.
Thanks! Things are great here. Must start blogging again soon.
Emily says
This post was all the encouragement I needed as I put up those awful, but effective, plastic sheets on my drafty, hundred-year-old windows today. There I was, twelve weeks pregnant, the single-digit temps outside finally inspiring me to finish the job, spending 15 minutes per window (! I don't know how it takes sooo long!)…but these little things, though they'll never win any decorating awards, do save us on our heating bill. And I am happy to do these chores if it means I'm here for my children. Thank you for the encouragement! Now for some soup for lunch!
Amanda says
Made this with frozen broccoli last night and we ate almost every drop! Unfortunately, I realized that the”chicken broth” paste I've been using does have everything you said! Ack! we use almost nothing processed, I can't believe I missed this! I used to buy an organic one but my store stopped carrying and I didn't notice the difference. I'll be making my own from now on. Wondering if this has been impacting our health… I'm glad you made me look!
Anitra says
I will give a tip that has worked for me regarding stock: I try to make stock right away whenever I have chicken (or turkey) bones. I save up vegetable ends in a bag in the freezer, and toss them in with the fresh bones, water, and a few peppercorns.
I have one of those “straining” pot lids, so when the stock looks more or less done, I use the strainer to pour it directly into containers in 2 cup amounts – OR I pour directly into a liquid measuring cup and then into freezer bags. I find 2 cups is just right for a very small pot of soup or to use in a casserole recipe. Best of all, if you put it in (well-sealed) freezer bags rather than rigid containers, you can freeze it flat so it takes up very little room and thaws quickly in warm water.
Whitney says
Auntie Leila,
Husband and I are doing very well. We eat together, be frugal, etc. etc. Sometimes I suggest we try something out and husband doesn't think so much of it. Then he asks, “Where did this idea come from?” and I say, “Auntie Leila said so.” and the next response is “Well, that settles it. Let's do it.”
You may have a literal cult following.
Anyway, husband has applied for business school. What are we to do to keep things together when he's at super late group meetings, or networking parties?
Thank you,
Whitney
Joana says
Leila, I think you should start a grassroots movement with the slogan “No household without an immersion blender”. In Portugal (I'm starting to sound like Borat), we eat vegetable soup as a first course (before the main course) for both lunch and dinner, so you can imagine my despair when, a couple of years ago, I found myself in NYC at a rented (but real family) house without an immersion blender. Let's just say that getting the vegetables into the upright blender in batches (which meant using yet another pot to gradually add the blended parts) just did me in. For two months, I betrayed my cultural/gastronomical roots and ditched soup, much to my husband's chagrin. 🙂
Now, just to add to your wonderful tutorial, I should just add that you can really go100% veggie and you can be really creative when it comes to soup. Apart from onions (as the base – more than one or two potatoes usually do nothing for a good soup) and olive oil, you can do almost anything: different kinds of beans, carrots, leeks, cabbage, etc. – either alone or together. Just be careful with the more grainy vegetables and don't puree them but rather cook them cut finely at the end.
Melanie Bettinelli says
I made this tonight. I added a leek and some mushrooms to the other vegetables and some fresh chopped parsley at the end. It was amazingly good. Two of the kids liked it even! Two out of four isn't too bad.
Katie says
This post also came up in my search results just now, so I have to take a moment and thank you for elucidating your soup method. I fix it regularly as the leftovers situation warrants. My toddler gleefully calls it “green soup!!!!!” (and it always is somehow, no matter what veggies go in), and it is her very favorite food. Besides cornbread, but luckily that goes perfectly on the side so she is usually in heaven with this meal. She’ll have thirds, at least!, every time. A win-win: I load it up with nutrition* and get veggies into the toddler, and the refrigerator gets cleaned out and nothing goes to waste!
*Most recently my husband gave me grief about incorporating the remaining tablespoons of Thanksgiving gravy along with other leftovers. He asserted that this made the soup “unhealthy” (albeit still delicious), especially along with “all that cheese and cream” (straight face). I tried to explain how I always start with bacon fat and flour anyway (= gravy), and that this makes the creaminess and moreover doesn’t negate the veggie-ness of the veggies, but he’d hear none of it. =) I maintain the gravy was better off in the soup than down the drain. Flavor! Salt! Another tupperware out of the fridge!
Leila says
Katie, ask him if he’s okay with turkey broth, a little butter, and flour to thicken… yes? Okay, never mind the word “gravy.” 😉
Anyway, he needs to get with the latest update (which we all knew all along anyway): All those fats are healthy! Just lay off the boughten baked goods and you will be the healthiest people around!
Amy says
I just made this last night for the first time and we loved it! My husband and I high-fived each other a couple of times during dinner because it was so good. I had had less success with previous “recipes” for the same and we are so happy to have a good way to make such a delicious soup. Thank you!
Leila says
Amy, what a great mental image! I’m so happy it turned out for you! (My methods are so peculiar that I always have doubts of their replicability!)
Amy says
I think that’s what made me so happy with it – that I felt like I wasn’t just making a specific recipe, but that I was learning how to make SOUP and how to make it good without being a slave to too many scary specifics.
Mrs. T says
Auntie Leila, perhaps a revisit of your cooking and frugality habits in these tight times? Good reminders and bits of encouragement.
Kathryn Beirne says
Agreed! I look at the things I’ve always done to save money (planning ahead meals and groceries, not eating out, buying used everything, etc.)…. I used to do those things so that I could have some extra money each month to build the savings up, and now there seems to be more and more month left at the end of the money even though I’m still doing all those things. I’d love to see a new post or 2 with some more out-of-the-box ideas on ways to tighten up the belt a little more!