Soup Sunday

On Sundays during the winter we have soup and bread for dinner. Today is Sunday. Palm Sunday. It is the last Soup Sunday in our house of the year. From around the first of October to Palm Sunday, I serve soup. After Easter until the end of September, we have salad on Sundays.
Soup is the ultimate comfort food, and there is nothing better on a cold evening than a warm, hearty bowl of soup. Soup is also really geat because it is EASY and it freezes beautifully. Whenever I make soup, I make a huge pot, and then I freeze it in individual portions to serve for lunch. There is no need to eat soup out of a can, when you can have homemade soup right at your fingertips!
I love making soup because most of the time, you can make it in the crock pot (also called a slow cooker)! If you don't have a crock pot, it is an absolute kitchen must. What I love about the crock pot is that you can have a home cooked meal ready for you, even on the busiest of days. There are SO many recipes for the crock pot, the possibilities are almost endless.

Tonight I made a split pea and barley soup. This is a soup that my mom used to make when I was growing up. Not only is it chocked full of vegetables, it also packs a whopping 15 grams of fiber per serving. It is an excellent spring soup as the lemon brightens the flavor. To go along with the soup, I also made some lovely garlic and herb baguettes.

Split Pea Soup with Barley
2 cups dried split peas

5 cups water

4 cups chicken broth
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp sugar
juice and zest of one lemon
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stock, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients to the crock pot. Set crock pot to low and cook for 8 hours.

Daniel LOVED this soup. He ate two whole bowls and then asked for more!

The key to cooking in the crock pot is to "set it and forget it." Do not open the lid. Just opening the lid can drop the temperature by 15 degrees. So resist the urge to stir!

Don't worry if the soup recipe you want to make is not specifically for the crock pot, in most cases (not all, but most) you can adapt the soup recipe for the crock pot. The only real exception is with cream soups. If you add cream or milk to the crock pot, most likely it will curdle. If you would like to make a creamy soup, you can use a can of evaporated milk instead of milk or cream. You can also add dairy ingredients during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You also do not want to add things like peas or pasta until the last 15 minutes, otherwise they will turn out mushy.

I would love to hear your ideas for soup and using the crock pot! Until next time Foodie Mommies and Daddies, happy cooking!