There is a soup that I always associate with Christmas.
Asparagus soup.
It’s green. It contains nutmeg. We have eaten it on several occasions especially when our meals have contained five courses (note: at my mother-in-law’s house).
But what I love about this soup . . . my kids devour it. I think it has something to do with the amount of cream and salt.
Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup flour (I use arrowroot)
- 2 cups chicken broth (I use chicken stock for better nourishment.)
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- Celtic Sea Salt
- 2 Tbsp chicken bouillon granules (I omit since I use chicken stock, but my MIL still adds this.)
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups chopped fresh asparagus
Don’t be afraid of Junior Asparagus. The woody part of the stalk breaks off quite easily.
It doesn’t really matter how you grab your asparagus, even your children can perform this slightly gratifying snap. As I was holding the camera in one hand and snapping in the other, I placed the woody end of the stalk between my fingers and applied pressure, much like a lever (as seen on Sid the Science Guy).
When not balancing a camera while cooking, I typically break my asparagus stalk like a twig or branch to be used for firewood.
Directions
Make sure you have your apron strings tied tight for sauteing!
- Melt butter in large pan.
- Add onions; saute till transparent.
- Stir in flour (or arrowroot); cook for 1 minute.
- Blend in broth (stock), nutmeg, salt, chicken bouillon(optional). Bring to a boil.
- Add asparagus; reduce heat and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
- Let cool a little, and puree in blender till smooth.
- Return to pan and add milk and heat till hot.
This soup is dynamite with homemade croutons!
Ingredients:
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 loaf densely textured bread (preferably sourdough)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Dash of ground red pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp savory
- 1/2 tsp thyme
Directions
- Beat butter till fluffy.
- Add herbs.
- Spread over bread slices.
- Cut bread into small shapes, such as triangles, circles, diamonds or use small decorative cookie cutters.
- Place on cookie sheet and bake in 225 oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours till crisp and toasted.
Bon appetite!
P.S. Interested in the orange table decorations? Read my tutorial over at the Homemakers Challenge.
Are you getting ready for a Christmas cookie exchange? We’re excited to giveaway one (1) Amanda Bennett’s Download N Go – Crispy Cookies Unit Study (1st-4thgrade)!
Simply leave a comment and share what you / your homeschoolers like to cook during the Christmas Season !
We like to make sugar cookies and decorate them with frosting and sprinkles!
Yum!!!! We bought a cute nativity cookie cutter set that I am excited to use this year!
We go easy – pretzel sticks dipped in melted chocolate with sprinkles on top! Or Ritz crackers made into peanut butter sandwiches, then dipped in melted chocolate.
Yum!!!! I love the idea of peanut butter, crackers, and melted chocolate!!!!
This year we are making gingerbread cut-outs and oreo truffles.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Happy Holidays from Holly in Kentucky
Oreo truffles . . how do you make those?
We love to make cookies together. Especially Christmas cut-out cookies. Kids love to decorate them! I just love to see my kids happy. 🙂
Makes for great photos!!
I love asparagus..thanks for the recipe! We like to dip everything in chocolate!!!
My homeschoolers are finally old enough to actually help instead of just mess-make (5 and almost 7), so we’ll probably make these. I got the recipe out of Good Housekeeping pre-kiddos, and I’ve even adapted it for gluten free needs since my celiac diagnosis 4 years ago (I just switch out the flour with a GF flour blend).
http://gen-here-cooks.livejournal.com/15954.html#cutid1
Sometimes, I like to use evaporated fat free milk instead of the half and half. The soup still tastes rich and thick but less fat and calories.