Food Memories

In my “Good Morning from Doctor Andrew Weil” daily e-mail,  I received a recipe for  A WARM Hearty Winter Soup.  Looking at the soup recipe brought back memories of...my experiences that began in fifth grade in New Jersey where I would make my Mom cookbooks with oil cloth covers that contained cut-out recipes of all my favorite foods.

It brought back memories of...that all during High School I worked in the cafeteria at Bridgeton High School in South Jersey.

It brought back memories of...camping, hiking & cooking on most weekends with my Dad and  brothers Johnny and Charlie & other Boy Scouts, Explorers & Sea Explores in Jersey, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Canada.

It brought back memories of...using many different recipes in Dutch ovens buried in the soil and my earning the cooking merit badge needed for my Eagle Scout Award.

It brought back memories of...how when I was a teen, my Dad would enter me in “food eating contests.”

It brought back memories...of how immediately out of High School I worked in food service abroad an oil tanker in the Mobil Oil Merchant Fleet.

It brought back memories of...how as an adult my weight got as high as 287 pound which at 6' 3" still made me “fat.” Food has always played a large part in my life.  At age 52, I earned my Adult Onset Diabetes diagnosis to prove it!

It brought back memories of...my counseling people with eating disorders and later earned a doctorate in nutrition.

The same day that I received the Dr Weil E-Mail,  I received yet another from Epicurious.  Now I am looking at two Winter Soup recipes & getting hungry!  I’m always a little hungry; a habit or echos of past dysfunctions.

I began thinking about sharing at least one of these recipes with the readers of this Web-Site. It is Winter and I guess I am letting myself ramble & get nostalgic about Winter on the East Coast.

Here are the recipes no matter where you live: The first is from an old oilcloth covered cookbook, then from Dr. Weil & the last is a link from Cooking.com.

Enjoy the Soup Recipes and stay HEALTHY!

The Recipes:

Recipe from the old oilcloth covered cookbook:

Recipe from Dr. Victoria:

Recipes from Dr. Weil:

Recipes from Cooking.Com (381 recipes from 21 countries):

If our readers wish to add their Winter Soup Recipes, we’ll add: From my Ministerial Pension Fund in Indianapolis, IN: "Spicy Chicken Soup For The Soul" You'd like to think it's just a sneeze. But there's that scratch in the throat. That stuffy nose. That achy feeling around the eyes....  Take heart. The average cold lasts only four to 10 days. In the meantime, it's a good excuse to get extra rest and take good care of yourself. And don't forget the chicken soup.

Medical researchers are coming to believe what mothers have known for centuries - that chicken soup is not only good for the soul, but contains healing properties - especially when spiked with sinus-opening doses of garlic, ginger and pepper.  Garlic is long known for its immune-boosting qualities, while ginger and red pepper clear your sinuses and act as expectorants.  Adding thyme and rosemary - which appear in ancient healing manuals - may offer therapeutic benefits, as well as flavor.

The following recipe provides a bracing bowl  of  "cold comfort,"  best taken early in the course of your cold.  Quantities for the fiery ingredients in a range - to be decided upon by your palette and degree of culinary bravery.  Unlike many cold medications you buy at the drug store, this one has no side effects and tastes so good you can't go wrong.

SPICY CHICKEN SOUP: 6 cups homemade or canned chicken stock,  30-40 large cloves of  slightly crushed garlic,  1 tsp. crushed rosemary,  1 tsp. thyme,  1 tsp salt (more or less to taste),  1 whole poached chicken breast (2 halves) cut into bite sized pieces, 1 tbs. olive oil,  1 tsp. or more red pepper flakes (or any fresh hot pepper you like),  1 1/2 cups cooked rice,  2-4 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger root,  2 carrots, peeled and sliced in thin coins,  juice of 1 lime or lemon.    In 4 quart or larger pot, add garlic, stock, rosemary, thyme and salt.  Bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes or until garlic is soft.  Pour through strainer, discard garlic.  Set stock aside.  Heat olive oil over medium heat in 4-quart pot.  Add ginger and pepper flakes.  Stir constantly 1 minute.  Add carrots, cook until tender.  Stir occasionally and add small amounts of broth as necessary to prevent burning.   Add stock, rice, chicken and stir.  Heat to nearly a boil, simmer 5 minutes.  Just before serving, squeeze in lime or lemon juice.  Serve with black pepper to taste.