A war fit for soup

Have you noticed the soup war between Campbell’s and Progresso?
Commercials from both companies filled with claims the others’ products have MSG, more calories and unhealthy ingredients have aired on television.
As I watch these organizations hurl calorie-ridden insults at each other I want to tell them I choose not to buy either soups.
Instead I head to my local Costco, where I can buy a 6-pack of Pacific Natural Foods Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. The pack costs $10.49 and contains six 32 Fl. Oz containers of soup.
That’s $1.74 per box.
Campbell’s charges $1.66 for a 26 oz container of condensed tomato soup. Progresso carries a Hearty Tomato soup in a 19 oz container that I bought on sale for $1. Normally it is around $2.
Now I am not saying the Costco soup is similar in nutrition, even though it is “organic”. Each serving (which is a cup) has 110 calories, 2 grams of fat, 10mg of cholesterol and a whopping 720mg of sodium.
Progresso’s soup has 110 calories, 1 gram of fat, no cholesterol but it has 980mg of sodium per one cup serving. Campbell’s serving size is ½ a cup. It has 90 calories, no fat and no cholesterol. But it has 710mg of sodium. If you have a cup of soup, which most people will, you’re consuming 1,420mg of salt. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet that’s 60 percent of your daily value. So, while Campbell’s and Progresso wage their duel, I think the best cost-saving and healthy alternative is Costco’s roasted red pepper and tomato soup.

Chili

It is –21 degrees in St. Paul today.
Our house, built in 1922, is creaking and popping as if to say, “Can you believe this weather? Why didn’t they build me in California?”
Believe me, I am thinking about packing our house and moving to San Francisco, which warmed up to 58 degrees today. Toasty!
Of course this will never happen because the CTO and I love St. Paul and have made many wonderful friends here.
Instead, I decide to warm myself with a nice bowl of chili. Everyone can agree it is the ultimate food on a cold winter night, if you have the time to let the pot of soup simmer for three hours.
I pulled the recipe from a combination of cookbooks and after stirring the ingredients every 15 minutes for three hours the reward was worth every turn of the wooden spoon.
You can find the recipe at Momentous Occasions by Natasha.

Make Cappuccino at Home

I am not a coffee drinker, but I know people who shell out at least $3 for cappuccino at coffee shops.
A recent article in the new Food Network magazine explaining how to make this frothy coffee drink at home caught my eye. The magazine estimates the cost of making your own cappuccino is 34 cents, versus the $3 or more you'd pay at a Starbucks or Caribou.
Here is what you do to make your own cappuccino.
1. Fill a mug halfway with skim milk and heat on high in the microwave until hot, roughly 60 seconds.
2. Place a whisk inside the mug and, with the handle between your palms, spin the whisk back and forth to froth the milk.
3. Add home-brewed coffee or espresso to the frothed milk and enjoy!

Castillian Casserole

I am always on the prowl for easy chicken dishes. My husband considers chicken breast bland and tasteless and masking the white meat with enough sauce to make him forget what he’s eating is always a challenge.
A few months ago I discovered a recipe for rabbit braised in pepper and herb sauce in “Spanish Home Cooking” by Miriam Kelen.
The recipe called for 3 lb of rabbit, but noted that chicken could be used instead. The rabbit became a quick success among my friends. I cooked the rabbit for a couple in early December. The two cornered me on New Year’s Eve to tell me they were ready to eat rabbit again anytime.
I was curious to try the dish with chicken, but didn’t want to make the sauce from scratch. Instead I decided to make a “Castillian Casserole” using sauce I had frozen after the last time I made rabbit. (Note, the sauce is really easy to make. I just wanted to see if it could be frozen and still taste good when thawed).
Tonight I made the casserole. It included peas, chicken, cheese, matzo and the pepper and herb sauce. I have no pictures to share from this meal because my husband, the Chief Tasting Officer, ate it too fast.
“Since you like it so much we should take a picture for my blog,” I said at one point.
“But there’s barely any left and I am going to finish this,” he said as he scrambled for the kitchen.
You’d think the camera was going to steal the food!
Check out the full recipe for the casserole on Momentous Occasions by Natasha.

Entertainment book on sale

The 2009 Entertainment Book is now on sale. You can buy it by visiting http://www.entertainment.com/discount/?linkName=060802_FEL_EMAIL_75&subid=CD14. The Minnesota Entertainment Book is $22.75.

Sun-dried tomato and parmesan bread

I recently purchased a copy of "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" and gotten a chance to experiment with some of the recipes in the book. My CTO (Chief Tasting Officer) has been quite happy as I pulled baguettes, prosciutto bread, green olive bread and roasted red pepper bread out of the oven.

My latest baking obsession is sun-dried tomato and Parmesan bread. It goes well with rice dishes, tomato based soups and sandwiches. I estimate each loaf cost me $2.50. I bought a can of sun-dried tomatoes for $4.99 and that will yield roughly 4-5 loaves. I also bought a wedge of Parmesan cheese on sale for $2.99. The cheese will probably last for 6 loaves, if not more. I already had the ingredients for the dough.

I will say it takes longer than 5 minutes to make the breads that require a filling because you need to chop the ingredients. I'd estimate it takes 15 minutes to prepare the bread.

I am not going to post the recipe here because it is too complicated and you need to read the book to understand the cooking methods. You can check out http://www.zoebakes.com/ for some of Zoe Francois' recipes and information about the book.

Adding fresh bread to the table is a great way to spruce up a meal, just ask my CTO.

Poor man's paella

On a recent trip to Barcelona my husband and I marveled at the incredible flavor of paella. Meat, seafood and spices blended together with rice form this savory dish.

We couldn't get enough of it. Although I have the recipe for making this meal in America, it can be very costly to buy the special rice, seafood and meats needed to make this dish worth the effort.

I thought there has to be an easier and cheaper way to make this meal. I created "Poor Man's Paella" after experimenting with various ingredients at home. This doesn't taste like paella, but it is a satisfying rice dish great for cold Minnesota nights. Check out the recipe at Momentous Occasions.