What's Cookin' at Our House V: Yummy Soup and Homemade Bread!

Zucchini Garden Chowder: Simply in Season

Okay, so my picture isn't super appealing, but this soup is awesome. I have made another garden chowder for awhile, but thought I'd give this a try to compare the two. This one definitely won out!

2 T. butter
Melt in soup pot over medium heat

2 medium zucchini (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 T. fresh parsley (chopped)
1 T. fresh basil (chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried)
Add and saute until tender.

1/3 cup flour
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 cups water
Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables. Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.

3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. lemon juice
Add and mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 min.

2 cups tomoatoes (chopped)
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 cups corn
Add and return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 min. until corn is tender.

2 cups  cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
Just before serving add and stir until melted.

Side Note: So, I never follow recipes completely because I either don't have all the ingredients or I don't like some of the ingredients. I did not add as much onion, parsley, and basil because I didn't want a strong flavor. I also used chicken broth instead of the 3 cups water and bouillon cubes. Using fresh tomatoes gave this soup an extra special flavor.

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls (Bread)
This recipe is also from Simply in Season and is absolutely delicious. I don't have a pic of the bread and even though I made two loaves on Monday, it is all almost gone!

2 cups milk (scalded and cooled until warm)
2 T. active dry yeast (1 pkg)
1/2 cup sugar of 1/3 cup honey
Dissolve yeast in the warm milk; add sugar or honey and let stand until bubbly, 5 min.

2 eggs (beaten)
3 T. oil
2 t. salt
Add to yeast mixture.

7-8 cups whole wheat bread flour 
Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 8-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down. Divide into 24 pieces for rolls or in half for bread. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Shape into rolls, loaves, or combination. Place in greased pans. Let rise until double, about 45 minutes. Bake rolls in preheated oven at 400F for 10-12 minutes. Bake loaves in preheated oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes. For a soft crust, brush top with milk after removing from oven.

If any of you are experiencing the type of weather we have had lately, this is a great comfort food for those cold, rainy days

Enjoy!