Sweet Potato and Blue Cheese Soup & Homestyle Peach Cobbler

__________________________________________________

              FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

Betty Mittler knows how much we all enjoy a true food funny:

Your recipe using barley reminded me of an interesting time I had
with barley. I made a large number of beanbag frogs a long time
ago. As I didn't like the feel of them when they were filled with
beans (too lumpy) I used rice from a Chinese grocery shop. When
we moved and the Chinese shop was too far away, I decided to
use barley from the feed store I passed on my way to and from
work. I went into the feed store (which was the spot where the
good cole boys hung out) and asked for five pounds of barley. The
proprietor said, "We usually sell it by 50-pound bags." I insisted
I only wanted to have five pounds. He countered with, "What are
you going to do with it?"

My answer was "Stuff frogs"

"Wow" he exclaimed "I have heard of cooking frog legs but never
stuffing them with barley!"

__________________________________________________

              TODAY'S RECIPES
__________________________________________________

I knew I would like this soup sent in by lifetime subscriber Patricia
Simons because I like just about anything with blue cheese in it.
What I didn't know when I published it on October 18, 2002 was
that it would become a family favorite.

Hi:

This is Pat in Dunedin, FL again. I know this soup sounds strange
but believe me it is absolutely delicious. I find that if I don't tell
what is in the soup until after it is eaten even the most fussy eater
will enjoy. Hope you too enjoy my favorite soup.

Sweet Potato and Blue Cheese Soup

This is a very delicious and elegant soup. Don't be put off by the
name of it, the ingredients work perfectly together. A nice way to
start a special holiday dinner.

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 cups of water
3 packets of chicken bouillon
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
cream for garnish
toasted walnuts for garnish

In a medium soup pot, cook sweet potatoes in water with bouillon
until tender. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Cool slightly and puree
in blender with cooking water. Return puree to stove, stir in lemon
juice, blue cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently 10
minutes until cheese is melted. Do not allow to boil. Ladle into
serving bowls and garnish each with a few drizzles of cream and
walnuts. Yield: 4 - 6 servings.

This recipe originally appeared in the Pen-Pal Forum on July 28,
2004, and it caught my eye because, as a resident of the Peach
State, I'm always on the lookout for peach recipes. Thanks to
Stacie Wheeler for sending in what has become my favorite recipe
for peach cobbler. Here is what she wrote:

There's nothing more comforting to me at the end of a summer's day
than a bowl of warm peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Here is my
new favorite cobbler recipe, an adaptation from one I found a few
weeks ago at a recipe site online. Apples may be substituted for the
peaches, if you prefer apple cobbler, and regular all-purpose flour
may be used in place of the whole wheat flour if you'd like a lighter
crust.

Homestyle Peach Cobbler

1/2 cup butter, melted
4-5 cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 Tbs. white sugar + 1 cup white sugar, separated
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Pour butter in the bottom of a large
casserole or 9x13 inch pan. In a bowl, toss the peaches with
lemon juice. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and toss again to coat.
Pour into pan. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients
and stir gently. Spoon batter over the peaches. Bake for 45 minutes
in the preheated oven, or until the cobbler is bubbly and the top is
golden brown. Serve warm or cold.
Received on Tue Dec 19 07:14:24 2006