Serving This Week 1-4 To 1-8-2021
Come and see what I will be cooking up on Marilyns Treats this week!
This is what I featured 1-4 to 1-8-2021. On Tuesday Best Country Vegetable Soup. Wednesday Five Can Dump Soup. Thursday Slow Cooker Mushroom and Barley Soup. And Friday Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup. Enjoy!
If you missed what I served up last week please click Serving This Week 12-28-to 1-1-2021.
Best Country Vegetable Soup
On these cold winter days there is nothing more comforting than a nice hot bowl of homemade Country Vegetable Soup.
The smell of this Vegetable Soup simmering on your stove all afternoon just reminds you of the comfort to come.
When the kids come into the house after playing in the snow or ice skating on the rink they will stop to take in the aroma coming from the kitchen.
The winter snow melting from their boots and glove are quickly throen on the laundry room floor. And the snow pants and hats are sure to follow.
A quick reminder from you to clean up their mess before stepping off the rug hopefully doesn’t go unheeded!
A nice warm bowl of this Country Vegetable Soup will soon be ladled from your pot and into their bowls.
Whether you have made grilled cheese or another favorite to add to the warm and healthy soup doesn’t take precedence over their first bite.
Little do they know just how easy it is to prepare this dish especially if you opt to use precut produce.
They only know it was a labor of love. And as they see your smile that thought hopefully comes to mind.
Nothing tastes better, especially if you serve it with a loaf of fresh warm bread or dinner rolls.
This soup is very hearty as well as rich with vegetables.
Your hungry family will ask for extra helpings and they will be in luck!
This recipe makes 8 generous servings. Just add a nice salad and your meal will be complete!
Hopefilly there will be enough soup left for your husband and yourself.
I can’t guarantee the grilled cheese sandwiches will make it through the meal!
Five Can Dump Soup
Five Can Dump Soup is full of things that are good for you.
And it comes from Weight Watchers!
It is a quick and easy recipe that will warm you from head to toe on a cold Winter day.
Even my picky kids love the taste of this soup, and since it is so healthy they can eat crackers with it! It’s simple to make and it’s a Weight Watchers Recipe.
I found this recipe years ago after the birth of my first child.
(Yes we had stoves back in the day.) LOL.
I was trying to lose about 40 pounds of baby weight and didn’t have the time or energy to stand in the kitchen and cook a big meal.
With the baby not sleeping well and my husband back at work I had to find a better way to eat healthy yet make something delicious.
Anyone who knows me is aware how much I dislike cooked veggies.
But I tried this one anyway because it fit all my needs.
I thought that it wouldn’t be long and I could make something more to my liking.
Like meat and potatoes.
I must admit, I was wrong.
About everything.
Not only was it easy to prepare the soup with a baby on my shoulder, it smelled delicious as it cooked!
I filled my bowl and timidly took a bite.
You know, one of those bites, with your eyes closed dreading the moment the food touched your lips?
But I was surprised!
This soup was DELICIOUS!
I ate my entire bowl of soup without even one cracker!
I actually forgot they were there.
Now come on. Who would believe this was ME talking.
I heated up the soup and made sandwiches for dinner that night.
Mu husband, true to form, was pleased with the soup. He had the rest of the pot. He also warmed up some leftover cod to add to the meal.
He is so good to me.
Long story short though, I still make this 5 Can Dump Soup to this very day.
Especially since I am trying to continue to eat healthier.
I realize this year of 2020 has been hard on everyone.
And it has been even harder at times to find the ingredients you need at the grocery store.
But remember, canned veggies are in supply.
Opening just 5 cans and heating the veggies on the stove is not only easy, bur nutritious and delicious at the same time.
And it gives you exercise too walking from the TV to the kitchen.
All kidding aside you have to, you NEED to have this soup in your recipe box.
You won’t regret it at all. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Mushroom and Barley Soup
We just love Mushroom Barley Soup this time of year. Preparing it in the Slow Cooker is the easiest way to make it!
Just measure your ingredients and line the bottom of the pot with them. Then add the barley and broth and let it sit.
Oh, and just to caution a close friend of mine. READ the ingredients carefully. A box containing 30 oz of barley is a bit more than 1 cup. Make sure you check carefully and remove all the excess. (Whew).
I used fresh veggies that just needed to be sliced. White mushrooms were on sale so I switched those out. I also used pink Himalayan Salt instead of kosher.
I usually cheat with my garlic and use minced from a jar. But this time I didn’t have any. So I went outside my comfort zone and used cloves of the garlic my daughter-in-law keeps in her spice stash.
I confess, I had to look up to see just how much a clove was. I always struggle to get the skin off. And this time I even had to mince it using a chef knife. What a sight is must have been. Almost beaten by a clove of garlic!
The first time I prepared this soup with fresh garlic was a disaster! I thought a clove was one whole garlic head.
I tell you my family wanted to leave home.
When I made this Slow Cooker Mushroom Barley Soup I overcompensated with the spices. You may want to taste it along the way to find your own prefernces.
Sonce we all have different likes and dislikes we seasoned at the table.
Although it was better, the slow cooked flavor simmered in to the barley just isn’t the same.
I will be trying a third to get those spices just right.
I suppose following the recipe is in order!
The soup was well received the second time around.
I will definitely prepare it again. I will also not be tired when I start the crock pot. My husband saved the day.
I have some great tips on getting the most from your crock pot at How Not To Make The Worst Crock Pot Meal Ever.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Can you make a soup with only 185 calories and and 2 grams of fat?
You bet!
The rice used in this recipe is plain Wild Rice from a country store where you scoop your own and bag it.
However, use whatever brand you like. I have found wild rice to be the best choice,
The aroma of the wild rice as it cooks, the deep savory taste of caramelized mushrooms and the first creamy spoonful of soup all makes me think of family around the table.
Don’t let the list of ingredients fool you into thinking preparation is prohibitive. Most of them are spices and veggies.
I didn’t have to babysit the soup as much. I left it to cook alone between the stages.
I love to make soup all year round. This soup, however just reminds me of the Holidays when family is around gather together in conversation.
The soup is chock full of hearty flavors and teaming with warm goodness!
Your family and guests will love it and request it be on the after Holiday leftover menu.
It will warm you from your nose to your toes.
Choose whatever mushrooms that are in season when you cook this soup.Secret Tip : You absolutely need to be sure to cook them completely before adding the stock. They should get really brown and caramelized, and a sticky brown glaze should build up on the bottom of the pan.
This takes a little while, but this is also where the soup gets its deep savory flavor and richness. Never cheat on this step.
If you’d like to add some meat, try some shredded leftover Holiday turkey, a few strips of bacon, or diced pieces of leftover Holiday ham.
The aroma that drifts through your home will make you want it eat even before it is time.
I served a with a salad followed by warm baguettes and room temperature butter.
Once you make this Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup you will never use canned again!
The way I make it is a crock pot hybrid but I will include my Crock Pot Tips below.
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