Broccoli Cheese Soup

Simply the best Broccoli Cheese Soup you will ever have. Remember to NOT buy grated cheddar. Grate the cheese yourself for better flavor.

Prep Time: 45 minutes Total Servings: 6

1 tablespoon butter, melted $.25
1/2 medium onion, chopped $.50
1/4 cup melted butter $.75
1/4 cup flour $.50
2 cups half-and-half $1.50
2 cups chicken stock or bouillion $1.00
1/2 lb. fresh broccoli $2.00
salt and pepper to taste $.10
8 ozs. grated sharp cheddar $2.00

Total Cost: $8.60 Cost per serving: $1.44

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and cooked onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree.
Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended.

French Onion Soup

Another extremely easy recipe. Once you try this, you will wonder why you ever bought anything out of a can or a box. I love this meal, and if you make it for others, they will be delighted. Make sure to get good quality Gruyere and a nice quality baguette. A good baguette should make a slight crisp sound when you squeeze, like a cracker, but be chewy on the inside.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Servings: 6

32 oz. beef broth $2.00
2 white onions $1.60
2 tbsp. of EVOO $.35
8 ounces of Gruyere $7.00
A baguette $1.50
Salt and pepper $.10
1 tbsp. Thyme $.25

Total Cost $12.80 Cost per serving: $2.14

Heat EVOO in a large stock pot. Add onions and sautee until onions are soft. Add the thyme and the beef stock. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. The soup is ready. Slice the baguette into round wafers, and you can slice the Gruyere into slices or shred it. This really depends on your bowl situation. WIth proper oven kettles, slices work best because you will fill the kettle with soup, then place the sliced baguettes on top of the soup, then the slices of gruyere, and place in the oven to broil until the gruyere is melted and "brown" a little. If you don't have kettle bowls, then shredding it, and (do I dare say) microwaving it until the cheese is melted is okay. Of course, you can also let the heat from the soup melt the cheese.
Bon Apetit!

Four Bean Chili

This has honestly got to be the easiest recipe I can offer. It is quick, easy, delicious, and cheap! You can add ground beef to it, if you want meat, or leave it out for a vegetarian-style chili. Just brown the beef, and add it to the list of ingredients. Anywhere between a half-pound to a pound will be enough.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Servings: 8

Navy Beans $.80
Pinto Beans $.80
Great Northern Beans $.80
Diced Tomatoes $.80
Rotel Chili Fixins' $1.00
Chili Seasoning $1.00

Total cost: $5.20 Cost per serving: $.65

Open all the cans up, beans, tomatoes, and rotel, and pour into a large pot. Add the packet of chili seasoning (McCormick's or something that you prefer.) Stir together, and heat to a low boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 15 minutes. Done! That is it! You're welcome!

You can top each serving with diced onions and/or cheese for a great bowl of chili.

RESTAURANT REVIEW- The Little Tea Shop

The Little Tea Shop is a famous, little place in Downtown Memphis that has been on the Food Network and has a lot of popularity. It has been open for many, many years, and so I figured it was about time I tried it out.
First of all, it is not a tea shop. There is no tea other than regular old iced tea, and though they boast healthy, "vegetable" plates, I found nothing healthy, dainty, or little about The Little Tea Shop. It is a greasy spoon lunch place that does service like it was 1952. All of the vegetables are cooked to a sopping mess, and the daily specials and "salads" are full of more calories than most hamburgers.
The service was atrocious and incompetent. Our server seemed to be bothered that we were eating lunch there. The place was packed which made me wonder if Downtown workers need more places to eat, or do they enjoy the heavy loads of commercial grade, canned vegetables that are opened, heated and slathered with butter for a midday meal.
I ordered the hamburger steak and my dining partner ordered the salmon croquettes. Of the choices of vegetables, there was macaroni and cheese (which is not a vegetable) and french fries (which I do not consider a vegetable). The food came out quickly because I am sure it is sitting in a huge pan or pot waiting to be doled out. My vegetables were steamed cabbage, which was actually good, and turnip greens (straight from a can). My hamburger steak was a foodservice product, something a cafeteria would serve, smothered in a brown gravy. It was disgusting, unbearable to eat. My guest's salmon croquettes were laughable, pre-made nuggets. I could not find a single trace of salmon, which makes me wonder, what part of the fish they were using. Her french fries were frozen product (nothing special), and her casserole was too disgusting to eat more than one bite of.
The meal costs us $27.00 after tip which is harder to swallow than the food. It seems as though The Little Tea Shop survives on past successes, or provides starved Downtown employees with a much need alternative. It makes me want to open a restaurant down there because I cannot believe people would choose to eat there daily. And if any of the diners think that the healthy "vegetable" options will help them lose weight, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.
After eating there, I searched for reviews of The Little Tea Shop online and found many, many positive reviews. It makes me wonder if Memphians know good food. A place like The Little Tea Shop would not last 5 days in another metropolitan area. The food is the lowest quality food you can purchase, prepared in the simplest way, served in the worst fashion, with the most expensive price tag. Me and my guest could've dined at a dozen fine dining restaurants in town for the same price.
The Little Tea Shop is a dinosaur that is being resuscitated by the weak palates of diners who have no concept of value. I would not suggest the place to anyone, unless they are looking for a colon cleanse.

Grocery List and Menu for this Week

I seem to be on a soup kick. I guess the cold weather is making me want soup. And what can I say, it's cheap and easy to make. This week, I have four meals posted because of Christmas parties and other nights out. So here is our menu for this week with a grocery list.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Four-Bean Chili
Pasta Primavera
French Onion Soup

Cheddar Cheese
16 oz. half & half
32 oz. Chicken Broth
Navy Beans
Pinto Beans
Great Northern Beans
Diced Tomatoes
Rotel Chili Fixins'
Chili Seasoning
Gruyere
Beef Broth
Baguette
Broccoli
3 Onions
zucchini
mushrooms
cherry tomatoes

Butternut Squash Soup

I have never had this soup before, but I had seen it, and it looks amazing. It is so common this time of year, yet so hard to find at restaurants, so I decided to make it myself.

Peeling the squash can be the hardest part. I used my best paring knife and carefully trimmed the rough rind off. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but there are different methods across the internet if you Google it, you will find many, many options. Some may suit your fancy better. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

***You can make this vegetarian by substituting the Chicken Stock for Vegetable Stock.

Prep Time: 1 hour Total Servings: 10

2 tablespoons butter $.25
1 small onion, chopped $.75
1 stalk celery, chopped $1.50
1 medium carrot, chopped $.50
2 medium potatoes, cubed $1.75
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed $2.00
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock $2.00
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste $.25

Total cost: $9.00 Cost per serving: $.90

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

You can freeze the leftover soup for lunches and dinners in the future.

Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on a bed of Mesculun Greens with Humboldt Fog

This sounds complex, but it is quite simple. It is basically a grilled cheese sandwich on a bed of greens. But this is no ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of white bread, butter, and American cheese, we will be using an 8-grain loaf, chive butter, and gruyere. The salad can be made with Mesculun greens or spring mix, and will be tossed in a chive vinaigrette. And lastly, we will be placing a small wedge of Humbodt Fog Cheese on the salad. Humboldt Fog is a very expensive Californian, cave-grown cheese. It is amazing because it has a layer of brie, goat, and bleu cheese, all in one. These flavors mesh to create a beautiful spectrum, and intertwined with the chive vinaigrette, it is a flavor you will never forget.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total servings: 2

4 slices 8 grain or whole wheat bread $.50
6 oz. of gruyere sliced $2.00
Four tbls. butter $.30
3 oz. of chives $2.00
4 oz. of Humboldt Fog Cheese $6.00
8 ozs. of Mesculun greens or spring mix $1.50
2 oz. of EVOO $.25
1 oz. of Balsamic Vinegar $.30
1 garlic clove $.10

Total Cost: $12.95 Cost per serving: $6.50

The Sandwich:
First make the butter. Soften the butter by leaving it sit out for an hour, or give it ten seconds or so in the microwave. Run the all the chives through a food processor (or blender). You can leave the minced chives in the blender for the dressing, and take out just enough (maybe 1 tsp. ) and mix in with your softened butter. Add a pinch of salt. You now have chive butter.

Heat a clean, dry skillet until it is very hot. Butter one side of each piece of bread, and lay the butter side down of one piece in the hot pan. Quickly, add the gruyere to the middle of the sandwich. Then top the sandwich with the other piece of bread, butter side up. It is grilled cheese, but fancy. You may have to drop the heat on the sandwich, depending on your stove top. The fresh chive can scorch, but a little is okay. Carefully flip the sandwich when the underside is well-toasted. The sandwich is done when the cheese is melted. Gruyere is not as milky as our processed American, so it will not be melted like oozing, but it should be very, very soft. Remove from the pan and cut into two triangles.

The Salad:
With the chives in the processor (or blender), add the garlic, EVOO, and Balsamic vinegar and a small amount of salt and pepper. Blend until emulsified. Toss in with the greens.

Plate a pile of salad in the middle of the plate. Slice a small wedge of Humboldt Fog and place in the middle of the pile. Surround the Humbodlt Fog with your grilled cheese wedges for a great presentation. The BEST Grilled Cheese Sandwich you have ever had.