Yummy soup to warm you up!

Imagine those chilling winter nights and a bowl of hot yummy soup, what a relief, isn't it? You don't have to lose your pocket to buy these soups; you can easily prepare soup at home with available ingredients. Hot or cold, sweet or savory, light or rich and creamy, soups can be as easy or as complicated as you want. Soups are yummy as well healthy and good for your kidsduring winter to protect them from catching cold and for you too!

Here are some easy recipes of soup that you can prepare at home in no time at all.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried lentils
1 small onion, chopped
A few celery leaves
2 tbsp savory drippings
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sliced, skinned frankfurters

Method

Soak the lentils overnight in cold water to cover.
Then wash, drain and simmer till soft in boiling water, about 2 hours. Add more water as it evaporates.
Then add the onion and celery browned in the fat; and cook half an hour.
Mix the flour and sugar together; stir in cold water to make a paste; and add to the cooking lentils.
Bring to a boil; add the milk; bring to a boil again; and season to taste salt and pepper.
Rub through a sieve if desired; add the frankfurters; boil 3 minutes and serve.

Cabbage Cream Soup:

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh cabbage, chopped fine
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups water
4 cups milk

Method:

Combine the cabbage, butter, salt, and water and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the milk and the remaining ingredients bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes.
Serve plain or slightly thickened with a little flour.

Chicken Soup with rice: A yummy soup for all chicken lovers.

Ingredients:

1 (2-lb) rotisserie chicken
3 celery ribs
1 medium onion, quartered and left unpeeled
6 fresh parsley sprigs plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
10 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (80 fl oz)
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup long-grain rice, rinsed

Method:

Coarsely chop 1 celery rib and put in a 6- to 8-quart pot along with chicken bones and skin, onion, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Simmer, partially covered, 1 hour.
While broth is simmering, shred about half of chicken meat into 1-inch-long pieces to yield 1 1/2 cups meat, reserving remaining meat for another use. Cut remaining 2 celery ribs into 1/4-inch dice.
Pour chicken broth through a fine-mesh filter into a large bowl, pressing hard on solids with back of a scoop and then dispose them.
Skim fat from surface of broth.
Return strained broth to pot, then add carrots, diced celery, and rice and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and rice is very soft, about 30 minutes.
Stir in shredded chicken and chopped parsley.

The main thing in any soup is the stock. A stock is basically the liquid that you get from simmering bones and/or meat with vegetables, herbs, & seasonings. Types of stock include beef, veal, chicken, fish, and vegetable.

Some tips to prepare stock:

When making chicken or beef stock, mix actual meat and bones to yield a deeper flavor.
Most recipes recommend you roast the bones and vegetables in the oven before placing them in the water.
Fish stock should not be roasted first.
If you're making a vegetable stock you will need to increase the number of vegetables.
Do not add salt to the stock. Its natural salinity will increase as it reduces.
Leave it uncovered for the entire cooking process. The more the stock reduces, the more intense its final flavor.

So enjoy the soup with your family and take the fun of winter.

(Sources: inmamaskitchen.com, astrology.yahoo.com)