Hi everyone... If I have not come to the right place, I am sorry.

If not new, I am absolutely novice.

But I WANT TO COOK.... I AM TIRED OF EATING OUT.

My mother was a fantastic cook. There is some stuff here. (Not food
stuff mind you, she has been gone for over ten years) But pots/pans,
etc.

It is not like I have never cooked. I have. A little. Very little.

BUT I cannot stand the mess. Neither can my father who I am now
living with. But I have done stuff like Potato Pancakes, (when my
arms were very twisted), Stir fry... Easy, easy....

I want to make soup. I do not even know where to begin. Every time I
begin I get frustrated.. "Add soup stock.".... What the heck is
that...

Anyone want to be a guardian angel for some vegetable soup... (I
think that would be the easiest...) Right?

Peace Out... Thanks.

Eric

> wrote in message
...
> Hi everyone... If I have not come to the right place, I am sorry.
>
> If not new, I am absolutely novice.
>
> But I WANT TO COOK.... I AM TIRED OF EATING OUT.
>
> My mother was a fantastic cook. There is some stuff here. (Not food
> stuff mind you, she has been gone for over ten years) But pots/pans,
> etc.
>
> It is not like I have never cooked. I have. A little. Very little.
>
> BUT I cannot stand the mess. Neither can my father who I am now
> living with. But I have done stuff like Potato Pancakes, (when my
> arms were very twisted), Stir fry... Easy, easy....
>
> I want to make soup. I do not even know where to begin. Every time I
> begin I get frustrated.. "Add soup stock.".... What the heck is
> that...
>
> Anyone want to be a guardian angel for some vegetable soup... (I
> think that would be the easiest...) Right?
>
> Peace Out... Thanks.

I tend not to use recipes for soup. Especially vegetable soup. I start
with some sort of tomato base. Could be tomato juice, V8 (or similar),
tomato sauce thinned down with water, or whatever I have in the house or is
on sale. During the summer when I have a lot of tomatoes, I might even use
fresh tomatoes chopped up with a little water added.

I always add plenty of chopped celery, onion and carrots. Whatever other
vegetables I add depends on what I have in the house. Could be peas, corn,
green beans, dried beans, lentils, potatoes, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower,
zucchini or even mixed vegetables. Obviously the dried beans need to be
cooked first unless you are using canned. Add the canned vegetables towards
the end of cooking time. Fresh vegetables need more cooking. Frozen
vegetables will cool down the soup so add them towards the end of cooking
time but allow enough time to heat through.

For seasonings, I use salt, pepper, parsley and perhaps some Italian
seasoning. I might also add some cooked pasta or rice. Mainly I just keep
tasting the soup and keep at it until it is right. Sometimes I will use
boxed or canned chicken or beef broth as a base. With soup, you can't
really go wrong.

> wrote
>
> BUT I cannot stand the mess. Neither can my father who I am now
> living with.

The best things in life are messy. Make the mess, have a blast, clean it
up. No big deal.

But I have done stuff like Potato Pancakes, (when my
> arms were very twisted), Stir fry... Easy, easy....
>
> I want to make soup. I do not even know where to begin. Every time I
> begin I get frustrated.. "Add soup stock.".... What the heck is
> that...
>
> Anyone want to be a guardian angel for some vegetable soup... (I
> think that would be the easiest...) Right?
>

Stock is broth. Begin by buying it canned, or in paper cartons, whichever
is the better value. Put it in a big pot, bring it to a boil, and put in any
fresh
vegetables you like, diced into bite-sized pieces. Most vegetables (potatoes
and carrots, for sure) take about twenty minutes. Once they are all in,
bring
the broth to a boil again, then turn the heat down so it simmers--that's a
gentle
boil.

After the fresh vegetables are done, put in the ones you prefer canned. For
example, I prefer canned peas to frozen, so I put a drained can of le sueur
peas in at the end. (They are already cooked, so you just need them heated.)

Taste the soup. Does it need some tang? Put a little tomato paste or some
canned tomatoes in. Season with salt and pepper.

wrote:

> Hi everyone... If I have not come to the right place, I am sorry.
>
> If not new, I am absolutely novice.
>
> But I WANT TO COOK.... I AM TIRED OF EATING OUT.
>
> My mother was a fantastic cook. There is some stuff here. (Not food
> stuff mind you, she has been gone for over ten years) But pots/pans,
> etc.
>
> It is not like I have never cooked. I have. A little. Very little.
>
> BUT I cannot stand the mess. Neither can my father who I am now
> living with. But I have done stuff like Potato Pancakes, (when my
> arms were very twisted), Stir fry... Easy, easy....
>
> I want to make soup. I do not even know where to begin. Every time I
> begin I get frustrated.. "Add soup stock.".... What the heck is
> that...
>
> Anyone want to be a guardian angel for some vegetable soup... (I
> think that would be the easiest...) Right?

Go to the nearest good public library. Look through some cookbooks.
If you find one which you can understand, borrow it. If it does work
for you, buy it. Note: You can borrow, and then buy, more than one.



--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
mirror 1: http://dsgood.insanejournal.com
mirror 2: http://dsgood.wordpress.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

" > wrote in
:

> I want to make soup. I do not even know where to begin. Every time I
> begin I get frustrated.. "Add soup stock.".... What the heck is
> that...
>

Everything in this recipe is availible is a large supermarket most
anywhere in N America.

The supermarket sells chicken stock in around 1 quart (4 cup) tetra-packs
(paper covered foil type boxes like apple juice is sold...in the soup
Aisle)

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Nancy's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Soups/Chowders/Stews

1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 carrot; chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 4 oz can green chiles
1 15oz can italian herbed tomatoes chopped; with juice
4 cups chicken stock; 4 -6 cups
1 tsp lemon pepper (use a strong brand that doesn't list salt in the
ingredients)
2 tsp worchester sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1/2 tsp hot sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp flour
1 lb chicken parts skinned and de-boned; i use thighs
1/3 cup sour cream; see note

In a heavy large dutch oven over medium heat soften the onion carrot and
celery in the oil. Add the minced garlic and cook about one more minute.
Add the green chiles and the chopped tomatoes, then add the chicken stock
and the seasoning. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl stir together the flour and water then add to soup.
Simmer 5 minutes more.

Add the chopped chicken meat. Simmer about 5 minutes more.

stir in the sour cream and serve.

Best served with corn tortilla chips .

Note if you are going to freeze parts of this don't add the sour cream
till ready to serve.

Sour cream doesn't freeze well.



** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.83 **



--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

> wrote

> But I WANT TO COOK.... I AM TIRED OF EATING OUT.

Or TV dinners etc, yes, I can understand that.

> I want to make soup. I do not even know where to begin. Every time I
> begin I get frustrated.. "Add soup stock.".... What the heck is
> that...

How about starting easy with something you probably already know? Cooking
is something that you start simply, then work your way up.

Some of the fancyiest sounding dishes are actually very easy to make, while
simple sounding ones can be harder on a new cook.

> Anyone want to be a guardian angel for some vegetable soup... (I
> think that would be the easiest...) Right?

Actually, that one is a little harder for starting position but I see
several gave you ideas.

I'll add based on those, but simplify the first version.

Get one of those blocks of ramen noodles with a flavor that appeals to you.
They only cost about 20cents so nothing expensive to practice with. Next,
if mess really bothers you but money isnt much of an issue, go to the salad
bar and mix up about 1 cup of veggies to add to it. You'll want a bit of
onion, some sliced mushrooms, some broccoli flower-heads, 3-4 small cherry
tomatoes, slivered carrot, baby corn ears. Dont be afraid to add some
cabbage if they have that and lettuce believe it or not also works. (If
money is a concern, this is *much* cheaper to just chop up from whole!).
Estimate you will spend about 1$ for a cup of the fixings this way.

When you get home, fix the noodles to the diections but dump in the veggies.
You will need to pull any stem off the tomatoes and chop them in 1/2 or
smaller.

This isnt 'fantastic cooking' but will work for a start.

Want just a bit fancier? Add a 6oz can of 'hot and spicy V-8'. Want to
travel even a bit futher into fancy? Instead of the ramen noodles, get
'udon'. These are fat noodles that should be near the ramen packs and come
in a plastic bag. They will cost (depending on your area) from 50-95cents.

Ok that was version 1.

Version 2 is more 'cookery' but not hard. A veggie-chicken soup. It's
going to LOOK long but thats only because I got long winded on how to do it.

This time, at the store you get 1 prepared chicken broth in a box, or 2
standard cans that say 'add no water'. (should be about same size there but
you do not have to be exact. JUst trying to make enough for you and your
Dad). Get a small pack of boneless skinned chicken breasts, this should be
a small pack, less than 1 lb. If you get a bigger one, you wont use all of
it up this time. You want at most .75lbs (3/4 lb). 2 bigger cans of the
'hot and spicy V8' (I forget the exact size but they are about the soda can
size, 12 oz?). Then you need 1/2 the smallest head of cabbage you can find,
2 carrots, and 3 small red or white potatoes. You may want to also get 1
small green onion bundle but dont have to. Also if you see a small can of
mushrooms, they mix in well. If you also want a little 'noodle' in the
soup, I suggest either the udon above, or one called 'rotini'. (Rotini this
time is a shape that will cook easier for the new person and not turn to
mush easily like many others will).

Once you get home, you add the stock (thats them cans or the box of chicken
broth) and the V-8. If you decided to add the can of mushrooms, dump that
in too (with or without draining, both work). Turn the heat on under the
pot with a lid and it will start simmering as we work the rest.

Next, wash then chop the potatoes just simple by cutting them in 1/2 then
each 1/2 to smaller. No need to skin them if you used the red or small
white I listed.
- if you have a microwave which I suspect you do, rinse these and do not
dry then nuke them about 2 mins at this stage. The potatoes are the longer
cooking item and this will bring them along nicely.

Chop the carrots up. Peeling before is up to you. I just wash and chop.
If you like munching on carrots anyways, those little baggies of 'baby ones'
about the size of your thumb are perfect here. This is also where the food
tries to 'escape' as when you chop the little round bits try to run away
(grin). Anyways, slice them up however you like but as small or slammer
than the potatoes.
- if you have a food prcessor or 'salad shooter' that will work fine.

Add the carrots and potatoes to the 'soup' which by now should be simmering
nicely. Get out the chicken breast and slice it to long strips about 1/2
inch thick. How long you want to leave them is up to you but I normally
would cut these again to about 1 inch long. Toss these in the pot with the
rest.

You should now have everything but the pasta (noodles), cabbage, and green
onion in there.

Next, either roughly chop up about 2 cups of cabbage, or just hand tear it
off by leaf from the outside working inwards and tear the leaves up to what
you can fit comfortably in your mouth. (I list this next only because you
may be a bit slow at this, for me, I'd add the pasta next as i can do this
stage in less than 1 min flat easy).
- If you have a salad shooter or something like it, you could have added
this with the carrots and added it all at the same time to the base.
Cabbage doesnt mind being overcooked at all when it's soup cabbage.

Pasta time. This is the only hard part to describe. If you used the udon
suggestion, just remove from the pack and rinse it a bit, then toss it in.
Ignore the seasoning packet and no need to add more water. If using the
rotini, the hard part is telling you just how much to add. If you got the
normal sized 1 inch or so long tube type with about 1/4 inch hole, you want
about 1/2 cup dry pasta. A little more wont hurt if you want a thicker soup
but it is going to absorb broth as it cooks.
- this stage will need from 11-15 mins on simmer. None of the other
stages were very time sensitive but the noodles will get 'yucky' if left too
long unless you use udon.

Last stage, chop up that green onion if you got one, using all but the
actual roots. Throw it in as the pasta finishes off.

Since we used the V-8, you will not need to season this much but i like to
add even more black pepper to it.

wrote:
>
> I want to make soup. I do not even know where to begin. Every time I
> begin I get frustrated.. "Add soup stock.".... What the heck is
> that?


Many years ago I was teaching a beginning cooking class. On the first
day, one of the students said that she'd never even made soup before.
Other students nodded in agreement that they'd like a lesson on soup.


On the day of the class for soup, I gave an introduction, talked about
stocks and ingredients for them. I thought I was doing a good job of
keeping it simple while providing enough information for them to get
good results and to be able to improvise on their own. I didn't want to
demo how to make recipe and leave the students knowing nothing more than
how to make just that one recipe.


Then I began doing the demo of how to make that day's vegetable soup. I
talked more about the importance of starting with a good flavorful soup
stock.


There was a puzzled look on my prize student's face.


Then she brightened, looked up and said "then you're making the soup twice!"


And I realized that she'd pinned exactly the point that I'd never
thought to make. It's obvious to an experienced cook, but it might be
what's puzzling you too.


To make a good soup, you must start with soup.


You could boil a bunch of vegetables in water and call it soup.
Technically it qualifies, but it won't taste very good.


Instead, you cook a bunch of vegetables in water until you have a broth
of vegetable water. Or you could start with tomato juice or V8 juice.
Or you cook chicken bones down in water for several hours until you have
a sort of chicken soup. Same for beef bones. THEN you make soup in the
stock.


A good stock is more complicated than that. You'll want to start with a
recipe, or you could buy a box of stock. But that basic idea is where
you need to start. Start with soup to make soup.


--Lia

On Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:35:59 -0500, Julia Altshuler
> wrote:


>You could boil a bunch of vegetables in water and call it soup.
>Technically it qualifies, but it won't taste very good.

Okay, I realize this is digressing from the original point of this
thread, but you can make excellent soup from using water and not
stock. Some vegetable soups are incredibly good made with just water:
leek and potato, and soupe au pistou for instance.

I think if you use stock in some soups it overwhelms the taste of the
vegetables. Whereas, if you use just water, the taste of the
vegetables really comes through in a more definite manner.

This doesn't mean they are just vegetables and water. Oftentimes the
vegetables are started out sauteing in a bit of oil, or sweated in
butter. Salt and other aromatics are added, then the water.

In my opinion, this is far from flavorless.

Christine

Julia Altshuler wrote:

>
>
> Many years ago I was teaching a beginning cooking class. On the first
> day, one of the students said that she'd never even made soup before.
> Other students nodded in agreement that they'd like a lesson on soup.

I have to confess that in all the years that I have been cooking, soup was one
of the last things I attempted. I had tried making stocks and was never
impressed with anything I did with it. I posted a few months ago about being
taken to a cooking demonstration for my my birthday dinner and one of the thigns
the chef prepared was butternut squash soup. A few days latter I tried that
recipe at home and it was delicious.

Dave Smith > wrote in
:

> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Many years ago I was teaching a beginning cooking class. On the
>> first day, one of the students said that she'd never even made soup
>> before. Other students nodded in agreement that they'd like a lesson
>> on soup.
>
> I have to confess that in all the years that I have been cooking, soup
> was one of the last things I attempted. I had tried making stocks and
> was never impressed with anything I did with it. I posted a few
> months ago about being taken to a cooking demonstration for my my
> birthday dinner and one of the thigns the chef prepared was butternut
> squash soup. A few days latter I tried that recipe at home and it was
> delicious.
>
>
>

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Jill's Roasted Butternut soup

Soups/Chowders/Stews, tested

4 pounds butternut squash -- (2 large)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chicken stock; -- or broth
2 cups water; - (I use less)
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt; -- (I omit)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
sour cream -- for garnish; (I omit)

Split the squashes down the middle lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and
pulp with a spoon. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Place the
squashes, cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 1
hour or until tender. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place into a
large mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, stir together water and
stock.

Puree squash in a blender or food processor (in batches) adding the
liquid as needed until you have a smooth puree. Pour pureed squash into
a deep pot and bring to a low boil. Season with salt, pepper, onion
powder and tarragon. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook over very low heat
about 1 hour, stirring every so often (say every 15 minutes). Garnish
each bowl with a small dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream if desired.

Serves 8-10. This soup can be frozen.

27 net carbs per large serving roughly.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 172 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat; (24% calories from fat);
3g
Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 2155mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1
Fat;
0 Other Carbohydrates



** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.83 **



--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

> wrote in message
...
> Hi everyone... If I have not come to the right place, I am sorry.
>
> If not new, I am absolutely novice.
>

Is school out again?

jill

"Jill M" > wrote in news:fp2rc2$upa$1
@registered.motzarella.org:

> Is school out again?
>
> jill
>

Jill? Who is this Jill personage??? I vaguely remember a comely wench of
that name....

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

"hahabogus" > wrote in message
...
> "Jill M" > wrote in news:fp2rc2$upa$1
> @registered.motzarella.org:
>
>> Is school out again?
>>
>> jill
>>
>
> Jill? Who is this Jill personage???
>
Obviously not posted by me, who doesn't hide behind fake email addresses.

Jill