Thursday, October 30, 2008

Now if only the weather would cooperate....

Souptacular08


I love making soup in the fall and winter. I also use the heck out of my crockpot this time of year, so I was very glad when I saw the Souptacular-Crockpotalooza going on at Boomama's blog today. Now, I just need the weather to get cooler so I can start cooking. Somehow, temps in the 70s don't make me want to start simmering soup!

Here are two of my favorite recipes...

Lentil and Sausage Soup
1 14oz cans chicken broth
1.5 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
6 oz cooked smoked sausage links, sliced

In a large saucepan, combine broth, water, lentils, celery, carrot, onion, dried thyme, cayenne, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until lentils and veggies are tender. Stir in sausage. Heat through and serve. I double this for our family of five. Oh, and this is also a frugal recipe. Lentils are super cheap!

*My kids don't like chunks of carrots, onion, or celery in their soup, but I love the flavor, SO, I put a whole onion in while cooking, and whole carrots and stalks of celery. I use my tongs to remove them before I serve. It's a win-win--flavor without the chunky veggies.


Pulled-Pork Sandwiches (Crockpot)
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-5 lb boneless pork shoulder
hamburger buns or hoagie rolls
barbeque sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is our favorite!!!)
coleslaw (optional)

In the crock-pot, mix ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, sage, oregano, salt and pepper. Trim fat from pork and cut in half. Add meat to crock-pot and turn to coat all sides with ketchup mixture. Cover and cook on low until very, very tender. About 8 hours on low; 6 hours on high. Transfer pork to a large bowl. Using two forks, pull meat apart until shredded. Pour juices from crock-pot over pork to moisten. Spoon onto buns or rolls. Add barbeque sauce and/or coleslaw if you're from the South. So delicious.

There are so many side dishes that go well with this. Sometimes I make baked beans, or potato salad, or asian coleslaw, or corn-on-the-cob, and sometimes we just have chips and a green salad.

Click here for more great recipe ideas!

8 comments:

Jackie said...

Soup is one of my favorite things, and this one sounds delicious. And cheap - extra bonus! I have to admit that I haven't cooked with lentils before...do you have to soak them beforehand like beans?

Thanks for the linky love! :)

Leigh Ann said...

Oooooh. Yum! I am all over those pulled-pork sandwiches. Thank you for sharing these recipes! I love the crockpot, too. Such a time saver.

Unknown said...

I think I'm staying away from soup (or chili) for a while...you know the story...lol!

Gretchen said...

Mmm....Nummy!

Teri H said...

Mmmmm... both of these recipes sounds delish! Thanks for sharing!

Joanne : The Simple Wife said...

Thought you hated being cold. Or is that someone else?

Waved out you on our way down I-25 today...Toben and I drove down for some French Onion Soup at La Baguette.

Next time, you and John will have to join us!

Joanne

Leah Belle said...

Sounds like you are having some Alabama style fall weather. strangely enough, we've been in the 30's the last couple of nights!

thanks for the recipes! sound yummy.

Jenn said...

Love new recipes! I had to bookmark Boomama's soup page - there are a lot of recipes there.

Can you believe I have never tried lentils? I want to try both of your recipes.