{"id":33824,"date":"2019-12-13T03:43:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T11:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=33824"},"modified":"2019-12-12T09:52:02","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T17:52:02","slug":"scrumptious-soup-n-cookies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2019\/12\/13\/scrumptious-soup-n-cookies\/","title":{"rendered":"Scrumptious soup \u2019n\u2019 cookies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kermit Soup, ready to serve. (photo by Shelley Civkin)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Treat your friends to one little taste of my Kermit Soup (aka kale-and-potato soup) and I guarantee they\u2019ll be green with envy. Granted, it\u2019s an unholy colour, which could be off-putting to some, but don\u2019t dismiss it out of spoon. Even those who vigorously eschew kale (and aren\u2019t partial to green) will be begging for seconds.<\/p>\n

During these seemingly endless, dark days of fall and winter, there\u2019s nothing more comforting than a thick, hearty soup. (Unless of course it\u2019s a healthy serving of 15-year-old Balvenie, but that\u2019s just wasted calories.) To me, soups are the bait-and-switch of mealtimes. If you haven\u2019t been shopping in awhile, and all you\u2019re planning for dinner is tuna sandwiches, then a good, substantial soup can easily step up to the plate and take on the starring role. After all, soup has got so much going for it: it\u2019s filling, scrumptious and everything else pales by comparison. Especially if it\u2019s Kermit Soup (you\u2019ll see what I\u2019m talking about soon enough). Don\u2019t feel you need to apologize for its aberrant tint. I mean, just take a look around at the freakish hair colours you see on the streets. Kermit Soup has absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Nor do you.<\/p>\n

It does help if you have a really good blender to make this soup. In fact, it\u2019s rather essential. I\u2019ve got a Breville at home and that sucker could crush rocks. (I\u2019m pretty sure my blender has a bigger engine than my car.) Yams? No problem. Acorn squash? A joke. Carrots? In its sleep. Not that my recipe calls for any of those. Just saying. So, without further ado \u2013 meet the star of the dinner show.<\/p>\n

KERMIT SOUP<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 cloves garlic
\n<\/strong>3 small\/medium Yukon gold potatoes, diced
\n<\/strong>half a large yellow onion
\n<\/strong>6 cups baby kale, chopped and lightly packed (the store wouldn\u2019t let me take \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/strong>it without parental permission, so I used adult kale instead)
\n<\/strong>4 tbsp unsalted butter
\n<\/strong>1 quart (4 cups) chicken (or mushroom) broth
\n<\/strong>Salt and pepper to taste<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Mince the garlic.<\/li>\n
  2. Peel and chop the onion.<\/li>\n
  3. Peel and cube the potatoes.<\/li>\n
  4. Rinse kale and drain it well. Remove the thick stems then chop it up.<\/li>\n
  5. Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy soup pan.<\/li>\n
  6. Add garlic, onion, potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.<\/li>\n
  7. Stir and cook for several minutes over medium heat.<\/li>\n
  8. Add the broth and bring it to a boil. Skim off fat from the top.<\/li>\n
  9. Gently simmer with the lid o<\/em>n for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.<\/li>\n
  10. Add the kale and cook without the lid for about three to five minutes or until tender.<\/li>\n
  11. Transfer the soup to a blender a few cups at a time and puree. You might want to remove the little circle part of the blender lid to let some of the steam escape (but not while the blender is running). As each pureed batch is ready, pour it into another saucepan.<\/li>\n
  12. Ready to serve! It\u2019s even better reheated the next day, and it\u2019s good cold, too. If you\u2019re not too hungry, have some bread with it and you\u2019ve got yourself a light, yet filling fall meal. You\u2019re welcome.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So, by now you\u2019ve devoured your Kermit Soup and tuna sandwiches. To great acclaim. The soup, that is. An hour-and-a-half goes by and you\u2019re jonesing for something sweet. Now what? You could get in your car and drive to some overpriced, hipster dessert restaurant that charges $12.95 for a two-inch purple yam, all-vegan cr\u00e8me brul\u00e9e. Or, you could rock it old school. In the comfort of your own home. With Weetabix Chocolate Chip Cookies.<\/p>\n

    Yes, Virginia, Weetabix is more than just a breakfast cereal. Plus, it adds a nice crunchy texture to your cookies that you won\u2019t soon forget (unless you overdo it with that 15-year-old Balvenie I referenced earlier. But that\u2019s on you, not me). I always keep a box of Weetabix around, just in case of a cookie emergency. Which seems to happen with increasing frequency. And there are always chocolate chips hidden in my freezer (as if I don\u2019t know where they are). So, go ahead, don your apron, pretend you\u2019re Suzie Homemaker or Donna Reed and bake your family some irresistible cookies.<\/p>\n

    WEETABIX CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES<\/strong><\/p>\n

    4 Weetabix, crushed
    \n<\/strong>1 cup all-purpose flour
    \n<\/strong>1\/2 tsp baking soda
    \n<\/strong>1\/2 tsp salt
    \n<\/strong>3\/4 cup soft butter or margarine
    \n<\/strong>1\/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
    \n<\/strong>1\/4 cup granulated white sugar
    \n<\/strong>1 1\/2 tsp vanilla extract
    \n<\/strong>1 egg
    \n<\/strong>1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Mix together crushed Weetabix, flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.<\/li>\n
    2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together butter\/margarine and sugars. Beat in vanilla and egg.<\/li>\n
    3. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.<\/li>\n
    4. Drop dough by tablespoonsful onto an ungreased baking sheet (or line with parchment paper).<\/li>\n
    5. Bake at 350\u00b0F for 12 minutes (or slightly longer for a crispier cookie).<\/li>\n
    6. Eat and repeat. Or eat \u2019em and weep. I\u2019ll leave that to your discretion. These are so popular that you might want to make two batches at once. Just to be on the safe side. One batch never lasts more than half a day in my home, and there are only two of us. Again, you\u2019re welcome.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      These aren\u2019t exactly balabatish recipes. More like nouveau accidental balabusta. But I do stand behind them. You see, I\u2019m channeling my inner balabusta while I make them, and that\u2019s good enough for me. I\u2019ll leave the rugelach, kichele and komish broit to some other ambitious balabusta. On some other day. It just goes to show that food doesn\u2019t need some fancy Yiddish name to taste geshmak. One bite of these Weetabix cookies and one spoonful of this Kermit Soup and you\u2019ll be kvelling all over the place. Just clean up after all that kvelling, OK? Bottom line: it\u2019s all about the heart and soul of the cook.<\/p>\n

      So, stop kvetching and get thee into the kitchen. Those cookies and soup aren\u2019t going to make themselves. Just promise me one thing \u2013 you won\u2019t ask for a refund if you don\u2019t love the Kermit Soup.<\/p>\n

      Shelley Civkin<\/strong>, aka the Accidental Balabusta, is a happily retired librarian and communications officer. For 17 years, she wrote a weekly book review column for the <\/em>Richmond Review. She\u2019s currently a freelance writer and volunteer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Kermit Soup, ready to serve. (photo by Shelley Civkin) Treat your friends to one little taste of my Kermit Soup (aka kale-and-potato soup) and I guarantee they\u2019ll be green with envy. Granted, it\u2019s an unholy colour, which could be off-putting to some, but don\u2019t dismiss it out of spoon. Even those who vigorously eschew kale […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[3797,7889,3584,9528],"class_list":["post-33824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","tag-baking","tag-cookies","tag-cooking","tag-soup"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}