Kitchen sink soup

HA! Martha Stewart never met THIS fool!

This I realize..... the no comparison factor. That's why I want to come over for a slice of yours. Also, I left my rolling pins & cookie cutters in the classroom after bringing them there so I could teach the littles to make pies & other creative playdoh things, ironically so. Some creations were never to be identified but now that I think of it, looked a lot like my pile of crap I had hoped would be delectable crust.

Which reminds me, I stopped at a Native roadside diner in Warm Springs on my last trek to Central OR. It'll be my new standard stop from here on in for reasons off topic to pie crust. That's except to say, I noticed a sign for huckleberry pie on my way out, so asked if they had one for sale. Mmmmm is huckleberry anything to me and I knew the family would love it, too.

Anyway, the lovely young server explained that they were unfortunately out and that it's such a hot item, it doesn't stay available long. She told me locals come by hoping to score, and when there's no pie, they just say okay, bye then, and leave to try again a different day. The girl was kind enough to write down their phone number so I could call ahead to have one ready for me on my way through town. So, score on that crust, I bet, & I look forward to it, too!

Also, Martha's recipe is suspiciously like the one from the 80s, less the food processor. I think I would do better with it these days as I'm a much better baker all around. And maybe a slice of that huckleberry pie will inspire me to try, try again, but with different results. Thanks, Kiki, I may just do that! After I cook some soup. ❤️

Wow, I feel so much better, thank you I'm not alone!! I was inspired to do it by someone with your Mom's skill & literally cried, too...well balled, frustrated and tired tears and moans....after 5 lbs of flour into it, you know repitition, repitition! lol Melt in your mouth I bet her crust was, secret sweet mystery her talent.

Anyway, I have something for you to consider that I've been thinking about today. Give me a few minutes to put it together....

LOL! I stopped making my own pie crusts years ago! I remember crying to my mom about it on the phone. Literally crying. It was a big day, and my pie crust was for shit. She made perfect pie crust every time. No one else is able to do it. Not my sister, not my aunt…She even made perfect flutes around the edge. Pillsbury has worked for me. But I’ll never get get that elegant flute around the edge. I watched her a million times.

Thanks so much for showing me the way! I'm not a bad cook, in fact am a good one, and baker, too but not soups. I bet you girls bake some wondrous pie...I want to come to any taste parties. I gave up on making pie crusts after a bad experience in the 80s. I can fill store bought ones, though :)

One quick thought for me is that I don't taste as I cook lol. Gotta be mindful of that habit when in the soup zone, esp spice and herb adding! Also, know I'll be referring back to these posts, super great templates for me to follow. I do so love the impossible to fuck up part, sweet no worries!

Shallots...love that so much!

I love to cook big and serving size freeze, too!

I ran early errands this morning, and swung by the market to grab my fave veggie soup lunch, so yum. Someday I'll eat my own that's proven to be better than theirs, I trust & will let you know when that happens, after the heat wave, I suspect! Well, NW heat way, for NM would be a day in the park. Thanks for all this input & helping me reach that goal, stay tuned! 🌷🌷 🌷

TBH, John loves my cooking, but I don’t cook enough beef or white potatoes. After about 10 years together he asked why I bake so much stuff, why I don’t fry more? But, we were 42 years old before we ever got together. Both kind of set. We’re here for each other as long as we are here. He can eat what he wants. I do get up at 5AM every day to pack his lunch. I will ALWAYS pack him a better lunch than he’d ever make for himself! 😁

I usually start a soup long before I make soup, because I like to make my own stock. I also usually start with onions, OR shallots (I love shallots). More often than not, I go further than sautéing my onions, and caramelize them. I do extra onions, and scoop some out to reserve for a flatbread another day. I’m all about double duty if it makes sense, so I menu plan. Johnnyface is always blown away when I whip my little container of onions or honey roasted tomatoes (Just jealous!). John cooks his own dinner, because he and I like different foods. He would (and has) eat a burger and fries 3-4 days a week. I can’t do it.

Hello Kiki ~ I'm much obliged to accept your generous offer of help improve my unsuitable soup cooking skill set. Hugs to you for that!

It's forecasted to be, what is in the PNW, a heatwave for the next few days, so no hot pots for me for a bit. No worries, though. Good Vit D happening here for a while, so bright side there. Once it stops raining, people all around the Sound show a positive change in attitude, like cheered up. Then, if the rain doesn't return as expected in Sept, they're all bitchin. My personal thought is we should all be happy for the rain, every drop, as you and so many others wish they had all that. Point of interst, cuz you know, science... WA State produces the highest level of hydroelectricity in the country, so rain matters for that and many other things, people.

Getting back to delicious soup topic, these are spices in my cupboard:

- basil

- bay leaf

- black pepper

- chili powder

- chipotle

- coriander

- cumin

- Italian seasoning

- pink Himalayan salt, in the grinder so pretty :) ~ unless it's already in whatever ingredients, I don't use really any salt in my cooking or eating (exception occasional takeout, Yakisoba or Thai typically, we know both have massive sodium amounts in there... yum, though)....not on a low salt diet or anything like that, and not opposed to small amounts added as needed for home cooking.

- red pepper flakes

- Saigon cinnamon....don't know the diff, maybe just where it's from...tastes the same as regular

- thyme ~ is there ever enough, I ask you! :) ~ don't care to cook with it due to texture like baby pine needles, maybe there's a powder

I haven't seen? I tried a cheesecloth one time...

- Also, I use an ayurvedic spice blend in squash & bean soups, it's pretty yum....in it, some of the already listed are cumin, coriander, tumeric, cinnamon but also fennel, amchoor powder, fenugreek, ginger... (yum!), cayenne

I look forward to adding to that fine spice selection with any other recommended by anybody. I LOVE fennel, but cooking with it, no clue what to do.

Brace, here ocmes the true to life comedy in my kitchen on soup daze lol.

Veggie broth issue...I just pour in until it looks like, I guess, enough lol. Also, I just eyeball spices putting them in...little bitta this, little bitta that, I have a dream of delectable delight...maybe not a good idea since I don't really know what I'm doing lol. And the time thing, too, how long to cook? I don't usually purree the pea soup but sometimes the peas are crunchy at din, not the carrots in the soup, however, if you know what I'm saying lol. I'm really bad at making soup, But I do love a good soup so much, I sometimes treat me to my fave crazy pricey Everyday Vegetable at my best produce local market. I love it most when I catch the new pot coming out of the kitchen :)

These veggies are staples for me, or generally rotate in the crisper:

Always there...garlic, onion, spinach....used hot and cold, white mushrooms, red bell peppers, carrots; faves a couple at a time... broccoli or cauliflower, asparagus, string beans, zuccini or summer squash, pablono peppers, tomatoes, turnip, snowpeas, occasionally cabbage, I usually steam it...that'd be yummy in soup! or corn, typically fresh lime (without the coconut), if not lemon then.

I like a wide range of veggies & am open to others. Some I see while shopping, I don't even know what it is or tastes like, treasures missed I'm sure. Not in line with brussell sprouts or peas, however. Serve me a dish with peas that I can see, I pick every unfuckilicious one outta there. You'll find the pile nicely stacked, politely, on my plate at the end of the meal, not lying lol. Funny though that I do like not crunchie pea soup, so thinking it's the little peaballs in my mouth that I don't care for, it's mystery to me lol.

Also, I'll eat any kind of bean, any way it's prepared, no preference...love them....the delish protein and fiber, for me.... gotta have it. I imagine your cooking wicked high-heated food that would burn my taste buds outta my head. My tolerance is much much lower comparably, think Thai #2 heat with any recommendations, kindly, thanks from wimpy me lol.

For real, if you shake your head while laughing with me at my bad-off soup making dilemma, I'd take no offense if you turn and walk away lol.

Also ,If I may ladies and gentlemen. I watching American test kitchen/ I know I'm foreigner, but I so much learn techniques from them and sometimes short cuts .../ anyway ,gentlemen have a show on ATK and he said that if you don't wanna put too much salt ,because high BP ,you should finish your soup with little splash of lemon

OmG ,it is my answer to my taste . Taste good and you don't need use so much salt .

Some soups I use vinegars or limes , but it's same principle