Soup in a Hurry

By David Hu

There’s nothing quite like a nice, comforting bowl of soup when it’s cold outside. While many soups are time consuming, today’s Mexican-inspired chicken potato soup is not. From start to finish this recipe should take about 30 minutes.

If you have the time, let the soup sit for a day to allow the flavors to develop. But if you’re like me, you simply won’t be able to wait that long because it smells so good. I particularly love serving this soup with baked tortilla strips, which I like to add a little at a time to enjoy a nice crunch before it goes soggy.

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Autumn Sweet Potato Soup

By Andrew Hunter

Sweet potatoes have gone from obscurity to celebrity in the last few years. They now grace plates in every menu category, especially side dishes, of restaurants from fast food to fine dining. I’m not a nutritionist, but a simple review of their nutritional label shows some real benefits to these orange-fleshed tubers. They weigh in with fewer calories and carbs than russets and they contain more than 700% of your Vitamin A for the day…no kidding.

As a parent, sweet potatoes are the kind of veggie you hope your kids will like. Heck, I’ll even let the boys eat sweet potato fries if it makes them happy. But as summer fades into fall, and I start thinking about the chilly weather, turning leaves and woolen sweaters of my Michigan childhood, I automatically think of soup.

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Sausages from Saylor’s

By Lori Powell

Okay, I know it does seem like I am on a tangent of sorts…sausage + pasta + tomatoes…agreed!

It just so happens that ½ mile down the street where I live is an amazing food shop called Saylor’s that is owned and run by a couple; he is Penn Dutch and she is Italian. You tell me, how could they not have amazing food and great sausage? It really was one of the reasons that I rented ye ole house.

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Quick Take - Chicken Noodle Soup

By Lori Powell

Sooo…I’m sitting here once again in the kitchen, writing to you all, waiting for the next layer of ice to form outside. Yes, yet another storm and you all know what I’m talking about since it’s covering half the U.S.

I slipped and slid my way down what I have now learned is not 1/3 of a mile but a ½-mile driveway. It may not seem like much of a difference but when you are skidding on ice, it might as well be another 100 miles down the road.

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Thanksgiving Leftovers, Chinese Style

By Sandy Hu

We always buy a big turkey for Thanksgiving, the better to have leftovers for ourselves and our guests. As soon as the feast is done, out come the baggies and plastic containers so we can apportion the food and get them back in the fridge to chill (for food safety’s sake) until guests depart.

I separate the nice turkey slices first. Then I bag the smaller chunks. And finally, I wrap the carcass in plastic wrap.

The next day, we’ll have sliced turkey breast on split baguettes spread with cranberry sauce for lunch. For dinner, we like hot turkey sandwiches served open-faced, drizzled with leftover gravy and stuffing on the side.

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