Sisters and soup

My sister McKenzie designed this blog's header. She's talented, huh? She is a mom, wife, artist, seamstress, florist, pianist and amazing cook. She is my only sister and older than me, so she has taken care of me a great deal in my life.

I got to this point toward the end of college when I started losing a lot of weight because I had no time to eat. I was taking 19 credits at school, working at least 20 hours a week as a cleaning lady and 20 more hours as an intern at The Herald Journal. I would run from one job to the next and back. At the end of all the chaos one day, I dropped by my sister's and she welcomed me in with a large bowl of corn chowder. I started slurping the stuff down and didn't stop until her humongous pot of soup was empty. I apologized for eating everything. She said she didn't mind but, as another starving college student, I'm sure she was counting on that chowder for a few nights of leftovers. I felt so full and so loved by my sister.

So here are two of McKenzie's soup recipes to fill you up in every way:

Corn Chowder
6 ears of sweet corn
6 c. chicken broth
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 russet potato, peeled cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 cups of milk
salt and pepper
1/4 lb bacon, 1/4 inch dice
1 medium sized onion, 1/4 inch dice
4 medium-sized ripe tomatos seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup slivered fresh basil

strip corn from cobs. simmer cobs, broth & garlic in a pot, partially covered about 10 min. Discard cobs and garlic. Stir in potatoes half of corn. Simmer until potatoes are tender 10-12 min. then puree. Transfer to a bowl, stir in milk and salt and pepper. Cook bacon in a pot, add onion and cook 10 min. Add reserve soup and remaining corn, then simmer 8 min. Stir in tomatoes and basil and serve immediately.

(I didn't use the bacon, and I can't remember what I did with the onions, but it's probably what it said just without the onions.)


Here's a tomato soup recipe (pictured) copied from her blog. I made this the other night and it was delicious.

Tomato soup

1(14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (or dill)
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 15 minutes. (times double for doubled recipe) Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using (I always do). Puree in your blender or with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.