Homemade Soup and Rolls Round Up

Today is National Home-Made Soup Day!

It's a perfect time of the year to celebrate because it's winter and what else do you have going on?  Kidding, I know you are busy.  Soup is an easy meal for those busy evenings.  It can be as simple as opening a can, but what if it could be so much more?  You can have soup that is lower in sodium because it is home-made and it can taste fabulous without a whole lot of work.  So today, in honor of the celebration, here are my favorite soups and some rolls to accompany that warm bowl of goodness.

Thai Shiitake Noodle Soup

Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup

Beer Mac n Cheese Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

Beer Bread Muffins with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Cheddar, Bacon and Chive Biscuits

The weather outside may be frightful, but you are inside with a bowl of home-made soup that will warm you up from the inside out!  What's your favorite bowl of soup?  I'd love to know!

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Celebrate the little things that make life sweet,

Christine

Soup's On Round Up

As the weather gets colder, not only do I obsess about the temperature outside, but I become a little neurotic about what the temp is inside the house.  Usually when someone complains they are cold, I tell them to put on a sweatshirt!  But, I have to let you in on a little secret....you can tell no-one.  I know that you won't because when a little secret is revealed on a blog, it stays on the blog.  Right?  I know I can trust you.  Here we go...when I am cold, I turn the thermostat up a few degrees.  Shhhhh....don't tell the hubby!  What he doesn't know won't hurt him.  Sometimes I just need to take the "cold" edge off!  It's hard to type when your fingers are cold!  At night, I can't stand the heat blowing.  We actually keep the thermostat set at 64.  But during the day, especially around the 5:00 hour...I like it on hair dryer mode!  After we get our first gas bill of the season, I may need to rethink things.  But in the meantime, I am going to live in heated bliss!  

One of the best ways to stay warm besides kicking that thermostat up or wearing 20 layers, is a nice warm bowl of soup.  So, Soup's On!  Check out this round up!

Lighter Crab Bisque

Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup

Cauliflower Soup with White Aged Cheddar

Italian Wedding Soup

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

Loaded Potato Soup

Beer Mac n Cheese Soup

If these don't do the job, you can always adjust your thermomstat...I won't tell.

I'll keep your secret and you keep mine!

Celebrate the little things that make life sweet,

Christine

You may also like:

Beer Bread Muffins with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Cheddar Bacon and Chive Biscuits

Mother's Day Tea - Savory

Continuing with tea time...you must have some savory tea sandwiches.

Notice, I started with the sweets?

I guess you can tell my favorite!  Check out yesterday's post for some sweet petit fours. 

These sandwiches are deliciously simple!

It's all about the presentation...

Cucumber and Chive sandwiches are light and a perfect accompaniment for tea.

Here's what you need:  a cucumber sliced thinly, 1 stick of butter and thin slices of bread.  I used Pepperidge Farm thin white bread slices.

Blend together 1 stick of softened, unsalted butter, 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 cup chopped chives.
I cut off the crusts of each bread slice and then used a cookie cutter to punch out circles.
Spread on some of the butter mixture and top with a thin slice of cucumber.  I added a little dollop of the butter/chive mixture to make it look purtee!  Makes about 18 tea size sandwiches.

I also made Tea Time Radish sandwiches.

Here's all you need:

Simple or what?  I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese in a block.  I whipped the cream cheese with a mixer.  Let me suggest that you just get the whipped version.  :)  You could even get a flavored cream cheese if you wanted, but I like the peppery flavor from the radish and didn't want the cream cheese to override it.  Cut up your radishes into thin slices.  Cut the crust off the bread and cut into triangles or rectangles.  Spread on the cream cheese and top with 2 slices of radish.  Yep, that's it.

Again, I cut up enough bread to make about 18 tea sized sandwiches.

The cucumber and radish sandwiches look so pretty and taste wonderful too!

Put on the tea kettle, because it is tea time!
Take some time to slow down and visit with your family, friends or neighbors over a spot of tea!

Celebrate the little things that make life sweet!

Christine

You may also like:

Bacon, Cheddar Cheese and Chive Biscuits

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Mousse

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Garden To Table - Early Garden Finds

Our gardening center is officially open!

They did have to close early one day for snow...isn't that crazy for April?

But on a rainy day, my local gardening center hosted a garden to table lecture.

Since I am itching to get out into my garden, I attended the lecture to find out more about what I could do in my own.

This first garden to table lecture was all about strawberries, lettuce and chives...well, not necessarily together...ha ha!  But today, I just want to focus on chives.

I love chives!

They are so versatile and the best part is that they come back every year!

They are already popping out in my garden, just like a Spring bulb.  And before I know it, they will be about 2 feet by 2 feet with a gorgeous purple flower!  If you have never, ever grown chives, I really recommend it.  Plant once and you will have years of productivity.

Look at how pretty they are!  If you run your hand over the plant, you will smell just how good they are.  Imagine what that will do to your recipes.  AND, I learned that you can eat the flowers!!!  Who knew?  Snip off the flowers and add them to a stir fry or even a salad.  

Adding that chive flavor in a pretty way.  LOVE IT!

Head over to your gardening center now and get a couple of these plants.  Get them in the ground.  They are a cool weather crop so they will be just fine no matter what Mother Nature brings...please let there be no more snow or I may not be fine!  :)

So what to do with them?

My favorite way to use them is in scrambled eggs!

To make these decadent scrambled eggs, whisk together 5 eggs, 1/2 cup cream and 1/3 cup chopped chives.  Toss a little butter into the fry pan and when that has melted, add the eggs.  Cook until desired consistency.  

or

Use chives to make Cheddar, Bacon and Fresh Chive Biscuits.

These biscuits are chock full of bits of chives, bacon and cheese!  Almost a hearty meal in themselves!
Click Cheddar, Bacon and Fresh Chive Biscuits for the printable recipe.

How do you like to use your chives?  I'd love to hear your ideas!!!

Isn't it great when you can take your own home-grown food from the garden and put it in your own home-made recipe that goes right to your table?

Garden to table, another way to celebrate the little things that make life home-grown sweet!

Christine

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