SOUP FEST

Nothing is easier than entertaining with a Soup Fest as long as you have lots of bowls ready to sample a bevy of comfort food. Have family and friends join in the fun by bringing their favorite soup and since it’s Homemade Bread Day, you can re-create this amazing herb bread in your crockpot to soak up every drop:

CROCK-POT DILLY BREAD
Place crumpled aluminum foil in the bottom of a crock-pot, add 1 cup water and turn on high. Grease an aluminum bread pan shaped and sized to fit in your crock-pot. Dissolve 1 packet of yeast in 1/4c warm water and then combine with 1/2c warmed cottage cheese, 2Tbs melted butter, 2Tbs honey, 1 egg, 1tsp dill, 1tsp parsley, 1tsp onion flakes or fresh chives and 1tsp salt. Stir in 2 c flour, a little at a time. Turn soft dough onto a floured board and knead, adding flour if necessary. Shape to fit pan and place in crock-pot and then tent with aluminum foil to prevent moisture from dripping into dough. Bake for 3 hours or until tester comes out clean.

Here are some great fall soup recipes too:

CHICKEN SOUP
2 split chicken breasts
1Tbs chicken bouillon
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot chopped
1pkg frozen peas & carrots
2c egg noodles
1Tbs tarragon 
          Stew chicken breasts in 6 cups of simmering water with chicken bouillon, onion, celery stalk and carrot for 45 minutes. Remove chicken, cool and dice. Strain broth and discard vegetables. Reheat broth adding chopped celery & onion and simmer until tender and then add frozen peas and carrots, 2c egg noodles, diced chicken and tarragon. Simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until noodles are tender. Season to taste.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
3 small butternut squash
4 large leeks, sliced
1Tbs fresh thyme
5Tbs butter
3 c chicken broth
         Cut squash in half, remove seeds, rub with olive oil and place cut side down on baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Scoop out pulp. Sauté leeks and thyme in butter until tender, then add pulp, broth, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Col slightly, then puree and return to pan and heat through. Pour into bowls and add a dab of sour cream.

CREAMY SAGE & ONION SOUP
1Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 tsp dried sage
3 c vegetable broth
1/2Tbs butter
1 c half & half
1 4-5 pound pumpkin
         Cook onion in oil until translucent and soft. Add carrots and cook 5 minutes and sprinkle vegetables with sage and stir to coat. Add vegetable broth and season with salt. Cut off top of pumpkin, scrape out seeds & strings, prick inside with fork and rub with softened butter. Place pumpkin in baking pan, pour soup in then add about 1/2" of hot water to baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hour, adding water to pan if necessary. Carefully remove from oven and add half & half and fresh ground pepper. Scrape some of the delicious tender pumpkin out to serve in the broth, being careful not to break the shell.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing
some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”
I Corinthians 10:31