Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to every Monday. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, have a happy Monday.
Tomorrow is Soup It Forward Day, which has been urging people to spread love and generosity with a bowl of nourishing soup since 2018. The “Soup It Forward” campaign asks us to consider making extra soup, whenever we’re making a pot for ourselves and our family, to give to friends or someone in need.
By the way, National Homemade Soup Day was on February 4th. Health-wise, homemade water/broth-based soup is good to have every day. In that aspect, like an apple, you could say, “a soup a day keeps the doctor away”. Canned soup, on the other hand, is generally high in sodium and, thus, not very healthy for daily consumption.
Homemade, from-scratch soups are easy to make – whether they’re for one or two people or for a whole brood. It’s one of those meals you can throw together in a pot on the stovetop or in a crockpot and just let it simmer all day, with only an occasional stir here and there. It’s one of those dishes that taste even better the next day, after the flavors blend longer.
Additionally, soup – particularly those that are nutrient-dense, hydrating, and easily digestible – is beneficial as a main dish or as an accompaniment; supporting immune health and weight management, as well as giving emotional (nostalgic) and physical comfort and warmth.
The healthiest homemade soups have four essential ingredients: broth or water (as the foundation or base), along with a rainbow of vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains (like barley or brown rice). Soup, along with a sandwich and or salad, makes an excellent light dinner to enjoy in the evenings. Almost all of Mom’s books had a section of soup recipes.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 116). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
ABOUT SOUP
SOUP IS EITHER AN accompaniment or an appetizer, but seldom the main course! By itself, soup can be the center of attraction on any table. There are many secret restaurant recipes for good, memorable soups. Fast food places that serve soup, do so as an afterthought!
In Toronto, however, I visited a soup-specialty restaurant in one of the underground malls, where fast foods flourished in grand array. Soup was the leading lady in this restaurant, rather than a member of the supporting cast. They served as many kinds of soups as Howard Johnson does ice cream flavors.
You can pack a lot of nourishment into a pot of soup. It can be filling or light. It can be plain or fancy. It can be inexpensive or extravagant, with ingredients that range from cabbage to crabmeat. It depends upon the cook, the appetites to be appeased and the limitations of your budget.
In the “old days”, soup [for supper] meant there were bills to be paid. Meat and potatoes would have to wait until the next paycheck. Soup was one way in which one could use up all the leftovers in the refrigerator. It’s probably the way that we have been accustomed to presenting soup, that we don’t make a fuss over it.
We don’t go out of our way to enjoy it in a restaurant like we do a steak or broiled fish. “Soup” conjures up thoughts of cans in red and white labels, school cafeteria kitchens, and recovering from the flu! I’m going to draw you a new picture of soup! It will be a lovely landscape of incredible ingredients – inexpensive, but elegant.
You’ll relish in the aroma that fills the kitchen with curious, inquisitive visitors, sniffing the air and asking, “What are you’re cooking?” – and when you reply, “Soup!”, they’ll look surprised but they’ll want to try it!
You’ll use unlikely, but becoming, receptacles and, when you present it to those who share your table, they’ll be even more surprised and remark that you are not serving it in the common, uninteresting bowls, we’ve all been accustomed to.
Making soup is like making music! The secret ingredient is harmony. The ingredients must be as compatible in soup as do the chords in a melody! Restaurants try to give their soups a little “oomph”, but seldom do they make soup the leading lady!
Personally, cookbooks don’t even treat soup with much fanfare! They’re apt to treat them more like a side dish you hadn’t ordered, lacking in imagination when it comes to good flavoring and ideas for serving them in something other than a dumb bowl!
One of the restaurants I visited in Southern California had a neat idea for serving their soup and accompanying hot bread in matching China. They used small Blue Willow tureens for the soup and the bread was baked and served in Blue Willow coffee mugs.
The Croc & Block in Sarnia, Ontario (Canada) also uses this idea and it is most-appealing to the customers. The Voyageur Restaurant (St. Clair, MI) has very creative soups on their menu, varying the flavor of the soup each day – with their famous Creamy Clam Chowder and French Onion soups always on the menu as well.
The Reef restaurant (Marysville, MI) has been well-applauded for their clam chowder. The Fog Cutter penthouse restaurant (Port Huron, MI) has been well-liked for their onion soup. But Win Schuler’s is absolutely the “untouchable” when it comes to onion soup!
No matter what restaurant inspires you to create your own versions of their products, use imagination when it comes to serving the soup.
“Soup for the soul” is a popular metaphor, inspired by chicken soup’s healing reputation; referring to anything that provides emotional comfort, warmth, and healing – like what a good bowl of soup can do for us, physically.
Soup is one of the greatest comfort foods of all-time. In most cases, it’s inexpensive to make. And making it from scratch is easy – especially if you grow your own vegetables. In hard times, we can depended on soup for cheap nourishment that also fills us up.
On a cold winter’s day, there’s nothing better to warm anyone up. When prepared with the right ingredients, soup is aptly considered to be a “super food”. Additionally, it nourishes, satisfies, and fills us up as much as a full-course meal, with fewer calories. There’s enough variety in diverse ingredient combinations to have a different soup every day of the year.
It’s best to opt for broth-based soups over cheese-based or cream-based soups to avoid high saturated fats. The healthiest soups are broth-based – miso, lentil, minestrone, Egg Drop, French Onion Consommé, butternut squash, tomato, Rhode Island style clam chowder, chicken and rice, lemon and rice, beef and barley, and so many more.
They offer a multitude of vitamins and electrolyte benefits. Most good soups are packed with vegetables, fiber, herbs, and protein. Lean meats like fish, white-meat chicken, and turkey provide high protein, while herbs and vegetables add antioxidants and vitamins. All in all, the sum of its parts gives our bodies a healthy, beneficial boost.
Chicken soup has long been considered “Jewish penicillin”, since the 12th century. It’s a variation of the term “poorman’s penicillin” (referring to garlic – a natural antibiotic and antibacterial agent), because of its perceived “miracle cure” reputation and effectiveness as a remedy for the average cold or flu, even though it’s not an actual antibiotic.
Regardless, studies suggest it helps fight infections – reducing inflammation, soothing sore throats, and clearing sinuses (especially from the soup’s steam). According to a study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in 2000, the amino acids released during cooking can help treat bronchitis and reduce inflammation like medicine.
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Mixed Blessings – Recipes & Remedies (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; March 1984, p. 30)
[MARCH]
THE END OF WINTER [through] the beginning of spring, is like a struggle between the seasons to see which will overcome the other. The last snow whips around in a temperamental fury while the sun stubbornly breaks through the ice coated trees to warm the world with a touch of spring.
March is like an exhausting exhibition of winters rage and springs gentle surprises! It’s a good time to be in the kitchen with a pot of soup simmering on the back burner and biscuits in the oven…
It’s a good time to keep company with compatible foods, setting a tasty table of favorite dishes that will take the monotony out of mealtime.
When I feel mealtime is becoming a mediocre presentation of sustenance without substance, I usually turn to good old down-home dishes that remind us of better days, happier times, moments of the past that we can only recapture in our memories.
LAST THOUGHTS…
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
Friday was National Retro Day and tomorrow is Soup It Forward Day, therefore, in honor of both, here’s Mom’s copycat retro restaurant recipe for “Greenfield Style Spanish Bean Soup”; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 119). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)]. As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
March celebrates… Irish-American Heritage Month, National Caffeine Awareness Month, National Celery Month, National Flour Month, National Sauce Month, National Women’s History Month, and more.
Unofficially, it’s Maple Sugaring Month. It’s not a national or federal holiday but making maple syrup is a big event in Michigan, as well as in the rest of the northeastern U.S. and its Canadian neighbors. See Michigan State University’s Extension’s website, for March is Maple Syrup Season in Michigan.
This week, being the first week in March (for 2026), celebrates… Words Matter Week and Read an E-Book Week, as well as National Procrastination Week, which is actually the first TWO weeks of March – or whenever it’s convenient.
Today is also… National Banana Cream Pie Day, National Old Stuff Day, and National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day) [unless the 2nd falls on a Saturday or Sunday, in which case it’s moved to the closest Friday or Monday]. Plus (for 2026), it’s the start of… International Women’s Week, which is always the (Monday-to-Sunday) week of March 8th.
Tomorrow is… National Anthem Day, National Cold Cuts Day, National I Want You to Be Happy Day, National Mulled Wine Day.
Wednesday, March 4th, is… National Grammar Day, National Pound Cake Day, and National Sons Day.
Thursday, March 5th, is… National Cheese Doodle Day.
March 6th is… National Frozen Food Day, National Oreo Cookie Day, and National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day. Plus, as the first Friday in March (for 2026), it’s also National Day of Unplugging, National Dress in Blue Day, National Speech and Debate Education Day, and National Employee Appreciation Day.
March 7th is… National Flapjack Day, National Be Heard Day, National Cereal Day, and National Crown of Roast Pork Day. Plus, as the first Saturday of March (for 2026), it’s… National Play Outside Day, which is the first Saturday of EVERY month.
March 8th is… International Women’s Day, National Oregon Day, National Peanut Cluster Day, and National Proofreading Day. Plus, as the second Sunday in March (for 2026), it’s also… National Daylight Saving Time Day.
Have a great week!
…9 down, 43 to go!
