Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Cheese

Have I mentioned that my favorite season is soup season? Right, I have. So here is another of my soup season recipes.

It starts just as many soups start - with chopped carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Put your stock pot on medium-high heat with a couple tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. Add the carrots, celery, and onions. Season with freshly ground pepper and kosher or sea salt. Allow the veggies to cook until soft. Add the garlic and broccoli and cook for a couple more minutes.

Sprinkle the veggies with a few tablespoons of flour. If there's not enough fat in the pot, add a little butter or oil before you add the flour. Allow to cook for at least a minute, stirring frequently. The flour will help thicken the soup.

After the flour has cooked for at least a minute or two, you can add the liquid. I like to use equal parts of water and milk just until the veggies are covered. I also add a bit of chicken base for some extra flavor. Don't forget to season the liquid with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil, stirring often. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer until the broccoli is soft.

At this point, I bring out the boat motor - a/k/a an immersion blender - to puree the soup. You can also do this in a blender, but it is well worth the $10 to get yourself a hand blender. After it is pureed, taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Turn off the heat, and add a handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

This is a creamy, thick, flavorful soup. It's also great for kids who don't like to eat veggies. It comes together so quickly and easily, you'll want to make this soup for any season.

Pierogies with caramelized onions and kielbasi

Two staples in any freezer in Northeastern Pennsylvania have to be pierogies and kielbasi. They are most definitely two great tastes that taste great together. I like to call them the Polish version of ravioli and meatballs.

The key to making this combination extra special is to take the time and care to caramelize the onions. You'll need at least 20 minutes or more to accomplish this task. It takes time, but the results are well worth it. I use both butter and olive oil to cook the onions.

Frozen pierogies, a link of kielbasi, one large onion, butter, and olive oil.

Slice the onions and kielbasi. In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and a splash of olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the onions and season with kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix the onions, so that all are coated in the butter and oil. Allow the onions to cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes at a time before stirring. After 10-minutes of cooking, turn the heat down to medium. At about the 15-minute mark, you can put a pot of water on to boil to cook the pierogies.

The onions at the start of cooking.

The onions after 10 minutes of cooking.

The onions after 20 minutes of cooking.

After 20 minutes of cooking, move the onions to the outer part of the pan to make room for the kielbasi. Add the kielbasi slices and allow to brown for a few minutes.

The onions will continue to caramelize while the kielbasi browns. When the water for the pierogies comes to a boil, season the water with salt, then drop in the pierogies. They are ready when they float.

Remove pierogies with a slotted spoon or drain the whole pot of water, then add directly to the pan with the onions and kielbasi. Stir to combine.

You end up with the fabulous combination of sweetened onions, salty and smoky kielbasi, and the soft, creaminess of the pierogies.

Pork wraps with a Greek twist

I had some leftover roast pork in the fridge from our New Year's Day dinner. I don't make the traditional pork and sauerkraut because we're not too fond of sauerkraut unless it's from Usinger's in Milwaukee, and we consumed our supply long ago. Mental note: place a Usinger's order.

Instead, I like to brine a pork rib roast the night before in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, black peppercorns, and whole coriander seeds, and then roast it on high heat. The fat on the outside of the roast gets crispy (my hubby's favorite part) while the inside is flavorful and juicy. So what to do with the leftovers?

I thought I'd go with a Greek twist for this one. If you have pitas on hand, use them, but I always have a pack of flour tortillas in the fridge. Quesadillas are the easiest way to utilize leftover chicken, steak, pork, anything really. But this time, I'm making wraps.

A couple hours ahead of time, I sliced the cold pork thinly, drizzled a little olive oil on the slices, and sprinkled with some dried herbs. Greek seasoning would be the best thing to use. The mint, garlic, and oregano are so fragrant. I thought I had some in my cupboard, but I guess I never replaced the jar after I used it all. Mental note: buy more Greek seasoning.

So I substituted a light sprinkling of herbs de provence, another very fragrant dried herb blend. It's not really necessary to do any of this ahead of time, but the longer the herbs are on the pork, the more flavor they will impart. In addition to the flour tortillas and pork, I'm using sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, tzatziki, and feta cheese.

Heat up a frying pan and warm up the pork slices. The pork's already cooked, so you just want to heat it up, not turn it into crispy bits of rawhide that would be best served to your dog. Throw the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them. Then you can assemble the wraps.

You can buy a container of tzatziki which is a yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and dill sauce, or make your own. It's fabulous - I could eat it by the spoonful. Could? I do eat it by the spoonful. I happen to have a container of pre-made tzatziki, so that's what I'm using. Layer up your ingredients however you'd like, then roll up the tortilla.

If you like olives, throw some in there. If you don't have feta, use whatever cheese you'd like. If you don't have tzatziki, you can layer Greek yogurt and sliced cucumbers. If you don't have pork, leftover chicken, steak, or lamb works just as well.

I made my serving into a salad.

Make what you like, and like what you make.