Mmmm...Soup. Or Is It?

Shane is officially laid off as of this morning. Our forecast is awful for the week, and he decided to call in to ask for a voluntary lay-off. When he did, he found out they were getting ready to lay-off across the board anyway, at least for this week. What this does is allow anyone who wants to go ahead and file for unemployment and get their "waiting week" out of the way. I'm not sure if all states have a waiting week, but Shane will be drawing from Kansas, and they require it (I think Missouri does, too).

Since I have no other news to report, good or bad, I'll post this recipe for a tasty soup for cold weather. I've posted it before, but have made a few new comments about it. I hope you give it a try...it's really good!


I've posted this recipe before. I've changed just a few things this time: 1) I used about a teaspoon of dill paste from a tube instead of dry dill weed, 2) I used fresh cauliflower and broccoli (instead of frozen), but no carrots, and 3) I've added the picture. This is a really tasty soup and is wonderful with cornbread.

Let me just pick up that old post verbatim...



I've been making this recipe for a dozen years or more, but I never know if it's a soup or a stew. To me, it's a little too chunky for soup, but the broth is a little too thin and clear for stew.

Either way, it's very versatile. I've posted it here as it was written (although I've long since forgotten the source), but feel free to make any changes you like. Don't like pork? Use chicken, or even tofu. Don't care for the broccoli-cauliflower-carrot combination? Try using potatoes, green beans and onions. Make it any way you like. It goes great with warm buttered cornbread or over rice.



Dilled Pork Stew/Soup

1 pound pork roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons oil
8 cups of chicken broth (or 8 cups water with chicken bouillon added)
1 teaspoon dill weed
a 1-pound bag frozen broccoli-cauliflower-carrot mix
salt and pepper to taste

In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Brown pork cubes on all sides.

Add chicken broth and dill. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until pork is tender.

Increase heat and add frozen vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer just until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.