Welcome to My Kitchen

Soup weather is still with us. Over the past year I have added several soup recipes to my collection. All have been made several times and continue to turn out well.

Salmon Chowder is an easy to prepare recipe featuring pantry staples. Keep the canned ingredients on hand for spur of the moment company meals or everyday family meals.

1 small onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced

1 Tbsp butter or olive oil

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup

1 1/3 cups milk

1 can (15 ounces) salmon, drained, skin and bones removed

1 can (15 ounces) cream style corn

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground mace

1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients, and cook over medium until soup is heated through (do not let mixture boil). Yield: 4-5 servings.

Zucchini Corn Bread is a savory accompaniment to the Salmon Chowder, and many other soups and stews. If you have frozen, grated zucchini on hand, it works beautifully in this recipe.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp onion powder

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp chopped chives

2 cups grated zucchini, thaw and drain slightly if frozen

1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously grease a 9 inch square baking pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine, flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt, baking soda and onion powder.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with buttermilk until blended. Stir in chives, zucchini and canola oil. Add this mixture to dry ingredients all at once. Stir together just until blended, don’t over mix.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve warm with your favorite soup. Yield: 9 servings.

Split Pea and Barley Soup is a refreshing change from the thick traditional pea soup versions. This soup can be ready to eat in less than two hours, with only a few minutes of vegetable chopping before you set all to simmer.

5 cups chicken broth or stock

3 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) dried green split peas

1/2 cup pearl barley

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 large stalk celery, diced

1 clove, (about 1 tsp) minced garlic

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a 3 or 4 quart kettle. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 1 hour until peas begin to fall apart when stirred, and barley and vegetables are tender. Season with salt to taste. Yield: about 2 1/2 quarts soup.

Note: I like lots of onion, so I use 1 whole onion, chopped, in this recipe. You may add more of any of the vegetables if you like.

BLT Soup is another quick recipe utilizing pantry staples. If you happen to have some home-canned tomatoes on hand this is a perfect recipe for using them up.

8 slices crisp-cooked bacon

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth

1 can (15 ounces) white beans, drained

1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup shredded leaf lettuce

1/4 cup fresh shredded basil leaves

Coarsely crumble bacon and set aside.

In a 2 quart saucepan, stir together tomatoes, broth, beans and seasoning. Bring mixture to a simmer. When heated through, stir in vinegar.

In a small bowl, toss together lettuce and basil.

Ladle soup into soup bowls, garnish each serving with crumbled bacon and lettuce mixture. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Garlic bread is a favorite soup accompaniment. Butter, garlic and parsley are generally the basic ingredients for the garlic spread. Several years ago, I came across a recipe for Deluxe Garlic Bread featuring cream cheese and minced chives. This version is also good served with salad.

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 Tbsp minced chives

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large loaf French bread

18 x 24 inch piece, heavy duty aluminum oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except bread. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Slice bread into 1 inch slices. Spread each generously with cream cheese mixture. Reassemble into loaf at center of foil and wrap foil around, seal tightly. Bake 15-17 minutes until heated through. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Kathy Reeves brought Egg Puff Casserole to a recent breakfast gathering. Easy to prepare, the recipe can be halved for smaller events.

10 eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 pint creamed small curd cottage cheese

1 pound Colby Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until lemon colored. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until top is lightly browned and center is firm. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Share your favorite soup and bread recipes and other family favorites by sending them to Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in Odessa Record office. Start basil and parsley in small pots in a sunny window sill. You will be able to snip fresh herbs until time to plant outdoors.