Joyeux Kitchen: Love-My-Husband Delicious Soup

A few years ago, Doug mentioned this soup as being one of his favorites, and I was searching for new recipes to add to the usual weekly meal rotation, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Not everyone is crazy about the idea of ground meat in a soup (myself included) but it has become a favorite of the whole family.  The recipe is from Doug's Great Aunt Ann.  The girls call it 'orange soup' and Hannah loves it; it's one of those ultimate comfort foods. 

You'll need:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey (or super lean ground beef, but I prefer the turkey)
• 1 medium chopped sweet onion
• 2 cans cream of celery soup
• 3 cups V8 juice (I like the Hot & Spicy)
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Brown the meat and onions (drain if needed, but if you use super lean meat there won't be a lot of fat to drain off).  Add the remaining ingredients, stir, bring to a boil, and then simmer 2-3 hours.  Great Aunt Ann recommends adding 1/2 lb hot italian sausage as an option.  Also, sometimes I substitute 1 cup grated parsnips for 1 cup of the carrots.  Dinner accomplished.  Super easy! 

Betty Crocker's Best Dinner Rolls

You'll need:

• 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 package regular or quick active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/2 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup very warm milk
• 1 large egg
• Melted butter

Mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, 1/4 cup butter, salt and yeast in a large bowl.  Add warm water, warm milk and egg.  Beat with your mixer on low one minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Beat on medium speed one minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle. 

Next you can do one of two things: knead the dough by hand 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or knead in your KitchenAid with the bread hook for 5 minutes (I opt for the bread hook).  Place the dough in a large bowl greased with shortening, turning dough to grease all sides.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until double.  Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched. 

Grease a 13 by 9 inch pan with shortening.  Push fist into dough to deflate.  Divide dough into 15 equal pieces; shape each piece into a ball and place in pan.  Brush with melted butter.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise again in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 375.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm or cool (we like them with honey butter).

Look!  My new oven mitts!