Making Winter Soups

by Stacie Bourne

When January hits and Winter rolls in, and it is too cold to go out to eat, it is a good time to get creative in the kitchen. I can remember growing up in upstate New York, where the Winters were very long, and Mom would always be making soups to warm us up. She had quite a repertoire up her sleeve and her soups varied from Matzah Ball to Chicken Tortilla. You see her mom was a great chef so she watched and learned from her. Over the years, she added her own twist to the soups to make them her own. I can recall my friends always coming over for dinner. Soups are a comfortable pastime that brings families together and comforts not only the body but the soul. When snow falls outside, I like to make and experiment with all kinds of hearty soups. In general, they are healthy and can last for a few nights for dinner. They freeze well for quick and easy meals during cold weeknights.

Most people follow recipes to make soups because without flavor soups are just plain, boring and bland. In order to achieve great flavor and taste, many different herbs and spices must be added to soups. For the average person, this can be quite a task and most likely will dissuade them from making soups again. Buying many different herbs and spices can be quite expensive as you will only need a small amount of each to make the soup and you will end up throwing much of it out. Most people do not even know what a lot of herbs are or even taste like. Instead of making something they may not like they may just be turned off from trying it altogether! One thing that people have not thought of is using dip mixes as seasonings for soups. They are already pre-mixed with a variety of herbs and spices making it easy for the chef in the kitchen to make soups. With so many varieties of dip mixes out on the market today, it gives people a lot of choices and variety to choose from. Flavors like Loaded Potato make for a great creamy and hearty potato soup. Southwest Jalapeno flavors make for a great Mexican tasting tortilla soup. An Italian Tuscan blend can make a great Italian Wedding Soup. Use your creativity to create some new creations of your own. Make this Winter season one to remember!

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Owner of Gourmet Creations

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