The Daily Dubie | Always a treat!

What's shake n' bakin' My Sweet Lover Pies???

I hope y'all enjoyed my THIRD VLOG post, where I Banana-fy your LIVES! If you haven't already caught the sassy clip, I highly recommend you click here --> http://youtu.be/OeYAF-jAanA ...Or , simply scroll your buns down to the very next post! BAM! Easy pease!

So, what to talk about this Monday...this dark, dreary, misty, & cool Monday-(in New York, that is). The bright side to this not-so-bright weather, is the fact that it's a toasty 44 degrees, so no complaints here, HOWEVER, I am going to venture on to say that I do favor sweet, glistening snowflakes to this rain nonsense. <Sigh>...Whadareyagonnado?!

MAKE SOUP! That's What!...

There's nothing as comfy, cozy as homemade, hearty soup when it's chilly outside! Now, before you irritatingly sigh, and blow off this suggestion because you're a novice in the kitchen, strapped for time, or have little patience, I command you to

Listen Up, Buttercups!

Truth be told, when I began to get my Batali-on in the kitchen, I avoided soups like the plague, because I had this hair brain notion that they were 'too involved, difficult, and messy to make!' and, frankly, I didn't want to bother. Sound familiar?! Well...once I got myself OUTSIDE MY COMFORT zone, and took a plunge into Mama J's homemade chicken soup, I began to warm up to the idea that soups can really be quite easy!

Here is why Soups Are The Bomb:

They're an ENTIRE meal rolled into one! No need to worry about side dishes here! It's wham! bam! thankyouma'am all jammed into one bowl!
They're HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS (without excessive use of cream, butter, or cheese -duh!).
They're HIGH IN VOLUME! Even a small portion will leave you feeling FULL & SATISFIED, because they're usually jammed with veggies, legumes, and/or lean proteins.
SECONDS are okay! No need to worry about portion control when it comes to broth-based, veggie-filled soups! Because they're so high in volume AND NUTRITION, they'll naturally fill you up quickly.
They're SIMPLE to make! Unless you're planning on making your own stock, soups shouldn't take more than a hop, skip, and a jump to make! On average, I find that it takes me about 20-40 minutes (including prep time) to make soups.
Cleanup is nearly non-existent! You only have to clean One pot! One measly pot! Oh yes, and maybe a knife & cutting board for veggie prep. BIG DEAL!
You can cook once, & eat twice! Unless you're cooking for a football team, you should have some leftovers! Serve it up for lunch, or even dinner again the next night! You can spice it up by adding fresh herbs, lean protein, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, 1/2 a sandwich etc. Not a fan of leftovers Not to worry! Pour extra soup in an airtight container, and FREEZE that baby! Then, a few weeks-heck even months!-down the line, when you want something healthy and warm in a pinch, just thaw that baby out (before you leave work, put in fridge), and re-heat on the stove 20 minutes before serving.

It's too good to be true!

Here are some more tips that will make your soup-making life easier!

Buy chicken, or vegetable stock. *I recommend Organic
Buy already chopped veggies. Almost EVERY grocery store has this option. However, for what it's worth, I prefer to buy whole, organic veggies & chop them myself. It takes all of 10-15 minutes longer, AND gives you a little bun-burning action!
Slow Cook your soups - Take 10 minutes in the AM to throw all of your ingredients into the slow cooker, and set to cook for as much as 12 hours! When you come home, dinner is served, my friends!
Buy Immersion Blender! I like the BAMIX brand. This is great for pureeing soups (like I did last night!) without the hassle & mess of a blender/food processor---Only mine was missing the very piece I needed to purée, so we had no other option than to fuss with the food processor - <sigh>

So you see now, Sweet Lovernesses, how soups can actually give you PEACE in the real, busy, rushed, stressed, & frazzled world?!?

...And if you're really feeling ambitious, and have some time to prepare (say, on a weekend!), why not bake your own bread, too?! There's nothing like homemade bread paired with your homemade soup -- MMmmMMmmMMMMMmm...and that sweet, buttery smell will waft through the air, smelling up the casa real good! This is also SUPER DUPER easy if you have your own bread making machine. Similar to the soup method, you throw all of your ingredients into the machine, hit a few buttons, and BAM! A few hours later, you have a nice warm loaf to sink your teeth into!