Good for the Soul!

There is something intimate....and universal about that round, steaming bowl of soup placed before us! It warms us when we are cold, cools us when we are hot and comforts us when we are sick.

Growing up, it seemed that Mother just knew how to make all kinds of soup..some better than others.

 She always bought her soup bones from the butcher at The Sunflower or Jitney- Jungle....this was the indispendable ingredient that made a darn good soup!


Her masterspieces included fresh vegetables, such as beans, corn and root vegetables. I mean, think back about your own Mother's or Grandmother's recipes. Doesn't it evoke warm memories?

Vintage Soup Tureen

 The aroma of chicken soup simmering with an abundance of celery, onions, carrots and parsnips! Whether served in a crockery bowl or in a delicate double-handled soup bowl on a damask tablecloth, laid with silver spoons...we savor the tastes and the aromas!

Estelle's Chicken and Dumpling Soup

2 1/2lbs to 3 lbs. of chicken pieces
4 cups of chicken broth
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 cup of peas, frozen or fresh
1 bay leaf
1-1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. thyme
Dumplings:
2 cups baking mix (Bisquick or Pioneer)
1/2 cup milk

In a large skillet, sauté chicken pieces in olive oil until brown on both sides, about 3 — 4 minutes on each side.

Put all ingredients except the biscuits in a 6-qt. Crock Pot or slow cooker and cover. Cook on high for 4 to  5 hours. While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, prepare the dumplings. Mix the baking mix and milk together and form into 1-inch balls.

Remove chicken and bay leaf from pot. Take out all leftover bones and skin and discard. Cut the large pieces of chicken meat into bite-size pieces.

Put chicken pieces back into the Crock-Pot and drop in the biscuit dough balls. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes. Serve in bowls with a biscuit or two for each person.

Estelle's "BIG POT" VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

3 lbs. ground beef

6 beef bouillon cubes

1 lg. can tomato juice

2 med. onions, diced

1 can diced stewed tomatoes

1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (16 oz.) can cut green beans

1 (16 oz.) can whole kernel corn

1 (16 oz.) can sliced carrots

1 (16 oz.) can sliced new potatoes

1 (16 oz.) can butter beans

1 tsp. garlic powder

Brown ground beef with onions. In a large pot add all ingredients. DO NOT DRAIN VEGETABLES. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer.

“When she goes about her kitchen duties, chopping, carving, mixing, whisking,
 she moves with the grace and precision of a ballet dancer,
her fingers plying the food with the dexterity of a croupier.” Craig Claiborne