Hangover soup, beer cheese soup and curries!

Beer cheese soup tonight, hangover soup tomorrow... also maybe curries (after farmer's market tomorrow!!)
(scaled back by 1/4, changed cooking techniques, added peppers!
Sweat veggies in butter 10 minutes
add flour, cook another few minutes, add half and half gradually, add beer, chix broth mustards and worcestershire, simmer for 10 minutes, till creamy and thick, add cheese last (off heat) till combined.
1 c carrots, onion, celery
1/4 c hot peppers!
3 cloves garlic
s n p
2 c chix broth 1 1/2 c beer
1/3 c flour (maybe less)
2-3 c half and half
2 cups cheddar, sharp
2 cups mixed cheddar, jack, white cheddar...
1 tsp worcester 1/2 tsp dry mustard


Hangover soup:
Makes 2 servings.
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/2 14 to 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (Jeanne likes the kind with herbs, Lyndsey skips the tomatoes altogether) (you don’t really need this much, only about a cup or so)
1/2 green, red, or yellow sweet bell pepper, seeded and chopped (or jalapeno...)
*(not really necessary)1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed slightly, left whole
2 cloves of garlic, minced coarsely
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or not smoked)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper (a few shakes of salt, a couple of cranks of pepper)
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach (or maybe 2 cups, see what it looks like after adding 1 cup) *I included the spinach only as vegan option for the soup- but I’d like to say somewhere that whenever I say Chicken broth, it could easily be veggie broth
Pesto Toast

Dump all ingredients into a large pot. Bring to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach. Top each serving with a piece of Pesto Toast.

Pesto Toast: Arrange four 1/2-inch baguette slices on a cookie sheet. Spread with pesto (or combine 1 clove minced garlic 2 tablespoons butter and brush it on). Broil for 1 minute or so or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (or leave it off, depending on your mood).


Tom Kha:
(reduced by 1/2)
1 jalapeno
1/2 inch knob of ginger- peeled and sliced into coins
2-3 cloves garlic
1 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves peeled off, bottom 2 inches of stalk*
1/2 can low sodium chicken broth plus 1/2 the can water (or not: about 2 cups)
1/2 can coconut milk (use lowfat if you are so inclined)
1/4 pound of chicken breast (1/2 breasts) sliced into strips (omit for vegan meal)
1/2 package mushrooms, sliced (small handful from co-opt)
1 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 a lime (about a tablespoon)
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
2-3 green onions, sliced into rounds

1. Combine all the above (but only use half the can of coconut milk, save the rest for later) and bring to a boil in a soup pot of some sort.

2. Add the chicken and mushrooms to the boiling pot and bring the heat down to med. low. Let simmer for 10 minutes and then remove the chicken. Bring back to a boil for 4 minutes to intensify the flavors then strain the soup, reserving the solids. Shred the chicken, and if ya wanna get wild, dice the jalapenoes, garlic and ginger (this is optional, most people just chuck out these goodies but I like to put them back in the soup, cause YUM). Return the goods to the soup and heat it back up.

3. Mix the lime juice, and the soy and fish sauces with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir into the soup and simmer for a few more minutes to thicken. Finally, toss in the spinach and green onions, take off the heat, and let everything marinate for a few more minutes before serving, possibly with rice.

*Or, as I often do when lemongrass is unavailable, just sub 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon lime zest for the lemongrass)