Side tracked.. Surprise!

So.. Todays endeavours are none of the three previously mentioned - though I promise I will get to them..

Also - I know I promised better pics.. but I've already packed up my camera - so that deal is off till the move is complete.

It's cold today, as I'm sure everyone could tell.. so I stopped off at Quick Check and picked up some post-worth soups - Yes.. Soups.. I'm going 2/2 on soup meals today!

First up. Italian Wedding Soup. Probably my favorite soup and usually QC's best soup.

Today?

Sadly, it probably wasn't the best I've ever had..still good, of course, but there was something just a bit off about the blending of flavors between the chicken broth and the spinach..

Best guess.. Chicken broth, tiny beef meatballs, what i'm guessing to be acini di pepe from the look of them (the pasta), spinach, carrot, etc. etc.

wikipedia - The term "wedding soup" is a mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata ("married soup"), which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together.

And the second dish- Tomato Basil
(take that!, planned Campbell's tweak!)

This. Was. Good. Haha..

This was really everything I hoped it would be..

A nice creamy tomato broth with a few tomato pieces.. nice basil hints, and amazing, buttery garlic bits..

I suppose there's not much more to say about pre-made soup.. So I'll end there today.

and the second  -  wikipedia

Fronion

So my dad and my brother stopped in yesterday.. and in rare form we headed over to the Applebees in Hackettstown(we were in the area for something.)

Never one to pass up a bowl of soup - I ordered the French Onion
And promptly forgot to take a picture before I inhaled it.
So here's a picture someone else took!
- Applebee's French Onion Soup -

"Caramelized onion and garlic in a hearty roasted beef stock with sweet sherry wine. Topped with melted cheese and a crouton"
Applebee's

I'm really slacking on making my own.. So my next three projects (with no promise of me not enjoying other soups in between!) are going to be Portugese Kale, Yankee Bean, and Campbell's tomato-turned into a creamy Tomato Basil.

wikipedia

The Brick Chowder

I stopped in Brick 46 with my dad the other day.. We went to try their brick oven pizza, and were suggested the Brick Chowder.. more than happy to oblige.. we each ordered some..

"A hearty bowl of diced potatoes, vegetables, and smoked applewood bacon."

Overall a pretty good bowl of soup. .
As you might be able to see I broke in a couple of the usual saltines.. Something I have noticed about saltines and oyster crackers.. I've never gone out of my way to get them.. but so help me if I don't use them every single time someone gives them to me...

The broth wasn't really creamy enough that I would have called it chowder (white chowder at least, the reds are pretty thin..), but I suppose it sounded better than "Everything normally in clam chowder besides clams soup," or something equally as well thought out.

A good use of pepper, and generally good flavor..this really hit the spot on a cold day.

Brick 46 Website

 wikipedia

And So It Begins

So. I've started this as a kind of spur of the moment idea - lets see how long i actually stick to it.
Before we begin ladies and gents.. I'd like to take a moment to point out *Disclaimer* I am in no way a literary master - so expect no perfect prose here.

Project Number 1 - Jambalaya.
Now I know what we're all thinking.. "But jambalaya isn't souuuup!!!1!@"
True..but it's more or less a stew - and it's the first thing i made since having the idea for this little piece of heaven. So Jambalaya it is.

Down to business.. This is far from traditional recipe. It resulted from more of a.. "What have i got around?" concotion than a flesh and bone recipe. I consider it a Creole/Red jambalaya simply based on
Ingredients:
*1 box Rice a roni - Beef.. rice/vermicelli, carrot etc., beef bullion, 2Tbsp butter for rice
*Leftover pasta stuff: 2 sweet italian sausage, 2 hot italian sausage, 3 medium meatballs, a cup or so of sauce from canned - tomato puree, sliced stewed tomatos, tomato paste, and tomato sauce.
*1 onion
*oil - i used olive oil since i didn't want to open my new veg. oil
*Hot Sauce - i used franks
*Liquid Smoke
*Garlic - wasn't in the mood for cloves so i just gave it a dash of powder *not garlic salt..there's enough salt in the other things going in*
*My Chili Powder - chile pepper, onion, garlic, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, coffee grounds
*Old Bay - salt, celery seed, bay leaf, mustard seed, black and red pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and paprika - used in lieu of seafood, since I had none.
*Lemon peel - for no other reason than that I like it.
All ingredients of an additive variety should be considered "dash" or "to taste" - I promise to be more exact in the future..

I started by sweating the onions in the olive oil over med-high heat, and sprinkled on the garlic powder - I used this time to cut the sausages into coins and to smash the meatballs. In another pan - as you traditionally make jambalaya ingredients separately - I browned the rice in butter and set it aside. The meat was then added to the onions while the beef bullion and tomato sauce were added to the rice, covered, and left to simmer. Some 15 minutes or so later the meat/onions were added to the rice, seasoned with the aforementioned chili powder, old bay, and lemon peel, re-covered and left on med-low heat to get a nice "crust"

After a little time had passed I uncovered the pan and hit it with a couple dashes of hot sauce and a dab of liquid smoke to help give the illusion of hours of simmering I, frankly, wasn't waiting for. I spooned it out into a few bowls, cut up some toast points, and we went to town on it.
It went over great, and I enjoyed it. I didn't think to have my camera ready for this.. so i took a few soso camera phone pictures during the ordeal.. and there you have it - long story short.. Project 1 - Jambalaya = Success!



wikipedia