Homemade Tomato Soup with Cheese Dumplings (Bags of Gold)

As a child I spent many years in Girl Scouts one of the first things I remember cooking at camp was "Bags of Gold".  Campbell's Tomato Soup and Bisquick dumplings stuffed with cheese floating on top.  We ate very well at camp.  We usually came home with recipes and new techniques to try.  I have found scouting for each person completely depends on how active their troop is, growing up in a military family we moved often resulting in finding a new troop each move.  My mom was active in adult scouting which I'm sure influenced our finding an active troop.  It was the 70's when her last position was Service Unit Leader, we lived in Hawaii at the time and yep she was in charge of a lot.  I learned many life lessons during my years in Girl Scouts.

This past Winter on a girls weekend we visited Juliette Gordon Lowe's birthplace in Savannah, GA.  A magnificent home with her amazing story well preserved.

Picture of some post cards, you can't
take photos inside the house.

Logo in gate.

Denise, Betty, me & Debbie
(girlfriends weekend, Savannah, GA)

 The soup recipe is adapted from The Brasserie in Lancaster, PA while they have many great things on their menu they are known for this soup.  It is rich, hearty and oh so good.  The recipe is on their web site but if you get the chance to go you need to try it there.  Cooked like a French Onion Soup they melt cheese over the top of the bowl and the soup underneath is so good.  The recipe isn't that complicated to make if you like to make homemade soups the biggest time commitment is all the chopping.  If you are making the dumplings for "Bags of Gold" make sure you thin your soup more as the dumplings absorb a lot of liquid.  If you are doing the croutons/bread with melted cheese over the top you won't need to thin it out.

My version:

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

olive oil
1 12 oz can diced tomato
3 carrots, peeled & finely chopped
1 large onion chopped finely
3 celery stalks, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves grated on micro plane
1 28 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes (regular will do I just prefer these)
1 oz can of tomato paste
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 c 1/2 & 1/2
3-4 c chicken stock

Directions:

In large pot saute in olive oil diced tomato, onion, celery, carrot till just beginning to brown.  Add garlic, then whole tomatoes, paste and brown sugar simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  With immersion blender blend ingredients.  Then add seasoning and 1/2 & 1/2.  Add chicken broth to desired consistency and heat through.  If you want a really chunky consistency you can blend just half of the soup then add it back together.  If you have fresh spices you'll have a fresher flavor.

Saute in large pot.

Add whole tomatoes

I like the flavor of San Marzano's, often they are
on the bottom shelf.  You may have to look a around a bit.

When cooked well mash whole tomatoes.

Stir in 1/2 & 1/2.

With immersion blender blend to desired consistency.

Straight from the Bisquick site Betty Crocker Bisquick Recipe (click for their web site).

These are super easy.

Dumplings

Ingredients:

2 c Bisquick

2/3 c milk

Directions:

Stir together, drop by spoonfuls onto boiling soup then reduce heat.  For this recipe wrap around piece of cheese.  Cook uncovered 10 minutes then cover and cook 10 minutes more.

To serve lift off a dumpling or two into your soup bowl then scoop out soup adding to bowl. 

Spoonful of dough with cheese cut into cube, any will do
I used cheddar.

Drop onto top of soup.

They will sink and as they cook rise to top.

They do absorb liquid so allow for that when adding stock,
if it starts to absorb to much you can carefully add some stock.
I say carefully because it will cool down your soup and you need the
heat to cook the dumplings.

Cauliflower, Leek, Blue Cheese Soup

Super healthy, thick, rich, easy, perfect for a cold night.  I made this up as I went along but great way to get your vegetables in even for those who don't think they like cauliflower they'll enjoy this.

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower cleaned and broken into pieces

2 leeks, cleaned & sliced

1 onion sliced & large chop

2-4 c chick broth
olive oil
salt & pepper

1 oz blue cheese crumbled

Directions:

Place cauliflower onto baking sheet toss with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Roast in 400° oven for 20-30 min or till beginning to brown and softened.  Meanwhile in large sauce pan saute onions and leeks in a small amount of olive oil over low heat till browning begins, remove from pot and set aside.  When cauliflower is done remove from oven place in same sauce pan with 2 c broth using immersion blender blend till creamy (you could leave some chunks if you prefer).  Add back in the onions, leeks stir adding more chicken broth to your desired thickness.  Stir in a few blue cheese crumbles and use rest to top soup, some crunchy onions make a good topping also.  If you like you could add some milk or cream which would also give it a lighter color if you like.  Also I think next time I'll add some chopped celery to the onion mixture when it is sauteing.  

I served it with Scallop Po Boys click here for that recipe.

Summer Corn Chowder

September 3rd!  What a busy few months this has been, the first thing neglected is this blog (guess that is better than the family, the house, tennis, shower plans, wedding plans, etc).  I have tons of papers with recipes from all sorts of places, I have tried many of them, photographed them all and they have remained piled.  I have had requests for recipes and I will get to them all eventually.  Slowly they'll get  entered but as fall fast approaches some may wait a bit as the fall foods are looking good.  I love to prolong summer but as the pumpkins, squash, apples, mums, gourds start appearing I cave into the fall routine.

This recipe came from an abundance of corn my husband brought home from a house call, yes he still makes house calls.  Black bag in hand he sees those that can't get to the office, it has led to years of great stories and lots of wonderful homemade items.  Even as some patients pass on the family will bring in things that the person has designated must be given to Doc.  These stories and loyalties make the job so rewarding and get him through the long stressful days.  So with the abundance of amazing homegrown corn after a couple steamings of corn on the cob, I made a chowder.  This is a pretty basic recipe and not much different than this Crab Corn Chowder . Basil instead of Old Bay, addition of some wine which added a nice taste although would probably be camouflaged with the Old Bay.  Oh by the way the tomato for the garnish was from the same garden.

Summer Corn Chowder

4 slices of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 c white wine
4 med potatoes
2 c chicken stock
6 ears of corn, removed from husk
2 c 1/2 & 1/2
fresh or dried basil to taste
chopped tomato, for garnish
salt & pepper

Saute onion, celery, carrots in either oil or bacon fat till onions just start to brown, a little caramelization adds a nice flavor.  De glaze with one cup of wine and let reduce by half.  Add potatoes, chicken stock, and enough water to cover the potatoes.  Bring this to a boil, then turn heat down and allow to simmer.  When potatoes are tender add corn, cook 2 more minutes.  Turn off heat add 1/2 & 1/2, season to taste.  Serve with some of  the crumbled bacon on top and diced tomato for an extra summer kick.

If you like more bacon flavor you can saute in the pan with leftover bacon drippings, I prefer to bake my bacon on a rack over a cookie sheet in the oven.  I then to 2 T of the drippings to use along with a bit of canola just personal preference either way is fine.  I also steamed the corn ahead of time for easier removal from the husk but it isn't necessary.

This gadget works great, also available in stores.

Nothing better than a coated cast iron pot!

Minestrone

January is here and the cold weather has arrived so time for more soup recipes.  This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis watching a Christmas special she did from Colorado I knew it would go over well at this house.  I have heard about Jim's Nan Taylor's Minestrone for years, but didn't have the recipe.  Here she is in her wedding picture on a previous post for Stuffed Peppers.  Well this recipe according to him comes as close as he can remember to hers.  Everyone has loved it, it is so healthy, hearty, easy which all means it'll get made often.  If you don't need the whole recipe package some for lunches it reheats well.  I made a few small changes here is her post at the Food Network site:  Winter Minestrone


Minestrone

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 onion
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
3 oz pancetta chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 lb Kale, chopped
1 potato peeled & cubed
1 --14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 --15oz can cannellini beans
28oz of low sodium beef broth
1 chunk of Parmesan Rind
parsley, salt & pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic about 10 min.  Add the Kale and potato saute for 2 more minutes.  Add tomatoes and rosemary sprig and simmer till tomatoes begin to break down.  Separate the beans using 3/4 cup of beans with some of the broth to puree them, I used the hand blender.  Stir this mixture into pot with rest of broth and Parmesan rind.  Simmer soup stirring occasionally till potato is tender.  Add the rest of the beans, parsley, salt and pepper to taste heat through.  Remove rosemary stem and Parmesan rind to serve.

If you want to make it even heartier add some lean beef.

Whole Pumpkin Soup

For the one year anniversary of blogging my recipes I have chosen a "fun" recipe.  I have learned so much in this year of blogging, between the way a blog leads you to places you weren't expecting, to family recipes you don't want to lose, to new recipes you can't wait to try, connections to people all over and techy stuff I never thought I would need to know.  I plan to continue on and see where the next year takes me, what started as an organizational plan has led to so much more. 

 Hope some of you are getting inspired to cook!

Whole Pumpkin Soup

Alton Brown from Food Network was making this soup while promoting his cookbook it peaked my interest and had to try it.  You can watch a video of him preparing it here at 

  Food Network .  Jim enjoys watching Alton because he goes into the history and science behind the recipe.  I'm usually "just get to the recipe" but glad I listened & tried this, will definitely be making it again.  The procedure is very easy, after you scoop the pumpkin out you just drop in the ingredients and bake.  The only draw back I would say is that it does have to cook for 2 hours.  This night the pumpkin had me thinking Thanksgiving so I did Turkey & a baked cheesy spinach which could all be in the oven at the same time.  The pumpkin takes up a lot of space & serves 4-5 with a cup of soup, so if you want more you would need to do 2 pumpkins.  I am guessing you could do it ahead not sure if you would loose the texture in reheating it though.  This is a savory soup you don't even taste the apple.

Whole Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

1 whole baking pumpkin (about 4 lbs rinsed)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 T unsalted butter
1/2 small onion diced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 clove garlic minced
1 small apple peeled & diced
1 c low sodium chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream ( I used 1/2 & 1/2 worked fine)
2 oz goat cheese
1 tsp Thyme leaves

Heat oven to 375°

Directions:

Make a lid as you would for a Jack O'Lantern that you can replace into the pumpkin.  Scoop out seeds and scrape sides.  You must be careful not to cut through the pumpkin now or at the end when you prepare to blend.  Rub oil on the outside of the pumpkin and the inside of a casserole dish large enough to hold pumpkin.
Place butter, onion, salt, garlic, apple, broth, cream into pumpkin and replace lid.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the lid drop in cheese and Thyme continue to bake uncovered for 30 min.
Take the pumpkin from the oven leaving it in the casserole carefully scrape loose the soft pumpkin from the sides without puncturing skin of pumpkin.  Then using immersion blender blend soup inside of pumpkin to desired consistency, being careful as the soup is hot.  Serve immediately.

bake first 1 1/2 hours covered

Be careful not to break through pumpkin, it doesn't ruin it
but will involve some scooping!

Favorite French Onion Soup

served here with a pesto chicken panini

All time favorite at this house, so I have tweaked and tweaked till I am really happy with this recipe.

Favorite French Onion Soup


Ingredients:
3 Large Vidalia Onions sliced
2 Leeks sliced
1 Fennel bulb chopped
mushrooms
Thyme
black pepper
olive or canola oil
6 oz red wine
beef broth (use Vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
Gruyere cheese
good bread

Directions:
Saute in large deep pan or stock pot with oil onions, fennel, leeks till carmalized.  Add mushrooms, Thyme to taste, pepper and saute a few more minutes.  Deglaze pan with red wine let cook about a minute then add broth to cover vegetables, let simmer for at least 30 minutes while simmering taste to see if you'd like more spice.  Toast bread and cut into cubes.  Slice cheese.

Ladle soup into oven proof bowls till full, put toasted bread cubes on top lay cheese over top and broil till bubbly.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Crab Chowder

       I had planned to blog all my holiday recipes, days of delicious meals but I got so busy cooking most didn't get pictures and some recipes now escape me.  I will have to plan ahead next year if I want them blogged.  We enjoy our many heritages highlighting them in different ways throughout the year but especially at the holidays when so much of what we do is about family.  Christmas Eve we have a big meal of seafood, while we don't do the traditional Italian 7 fishes we do a few seafood dishes we enjoy.  The Italian heritage comes from my husbands side his mom is half Italian, so through the years I have learned of their traditions.  Her other half is English, German, & American Indian.  My husbands father is 100% Irish and my family is Irish, Welsh, English, German, and American Indian.  So our traditions come from many different backgrounds but we enjoy them all and passing them on to the next generation.

This chowder is quite easy and I will make it throughout the year, but it definitely gets made for Christmas Eve.

Crab Chowder

bacon
carrots
onion        >vegies all chopped to similar size
celery
potatoes
corn--optional
pepper
old bay
broth (fish stock, chic broth, veg broth whatever you prefer)
1/2 & 1/2
crabmeat ( I don't make this often so when I do I splurge on jumbo lump)

Saute bacon in large pot, remove when browned leaving drippings, saute carrots, onion, celery when onions have started to brown add broth, spices to taste and potatoes.  Let this simmer for a while (an hour or more) to get all the flavors to merge together you can add more broth if it starts cooking down.

When you are ready to serve add corn (if you like it in your chowder) add the 1/2 & 1/2  till you like the consistency, then gently fold in crab so as not to break up the lumps to much.  Serve & enjoy.

      *Spices I would taste to my liking while broth is still simmering they need to be blended in before adding cream and crab.

{I don't have measurements here because it is really to taste, I add broth to cover vegies completely and if I am making this for just the 2 of us i would probably use 1 large onion, 2 med carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 large potato and about 1/2 lb crab, in which case the rest of the crab could be used for the meal either crabcake, on top of steak, chic or fish, or in a pasta dish.}

I had served this with  broiled seafood, cheese tortellini with red sauce, and a spinach casserole.

Spinach Casserole 

Finished Spinach casserole with a crunchy onion edge.

Cheese Tortellini with Red Sauce.