"Soup's On!" with KSL News

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With Jenn Hardman of KSL News and my Loaded Potato Soup.

I survived my first TV cooking demo!
On Thursday at 5 a.m., when most people are still asleep, I arrived at the KSL studios and met Jenn Hardman, a Features reporter with KSL.  

She had me make four soups from my "Soup's On!" cookbook during two segments - about 7 or 8 minutes total. It's a good thing that the point of my cookbook is soups that are simplified and quick!  I would have been a basket case trying to remember four complicated recipes.  Early morning is not my most alert time of the day.

I made the Zucchini & Bacon Soup — (shown in light green and blue bowl) so very economical this time of year when zucchini are popping up in gardens and on doorsteps everywhere.   

Then I made Harvest Pumpkin Soup, (green bowl) which has a little flavor twist from curry.  Then I could catch my breath for a few minutes and throw all those little glass ingredient bowls in the sink , and bring out the ingredients and pots for the next two soups.

During the 6:30-ish segment, I made Loaded Potato Soup (white and blue bowl), which only takes about 15 minutes when using frozen diced hash browns and ready-cooked bacon pieces. True comfort food - as I said, it's like Funeral Potatoes without the funeral. 

Then I made Quick Tailgate Chili (orange and white bowl). This recipe comes together in 30 minutes, and there's no chopping or peeling involved. But it does have quite a few ingredients — including four different kinds of tomato products. Now it occurs to me that when I developed the recipe, I really should have thought about somehow consolidating the salsa, Ro-Tel tomatoes, diced tomatoes and tomato paste, although each contributes something a little bit different. 

The KSL staff seemed to like the finished soups, so I didn't have to worry about packing up any leftovers to transport home.  Thanks, Jenn, for helping me do the dishes and pack all my glass ingredient bowls up to take home.  I appreciate the opportunity to share my recipes and my book! 

I am scheduled to appear on Studio 5 this Thursday, so stay tuned.  And I only have to do ONE soup! I have no excuses now if I look like a dork! 

I'm also going to sign copies of "Soup's On!" at the Centerville Seagull bookstore (in the strip mall near Target) on  Saturday, Sept. 29, from 9-11 a.m. Hope to see people there! 

Most Popular Soups and Other Soup Trivia

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A few years ago, I attended a food-service vendor show, sampling everything from chocolate to cheese, turkey to tacos, cake to calamari.Toothpick heaven!It was a bit disillusioning to realize that so much of the soups, sandwiches, salsas, guacamole and french-fried or mashed potatoes that restaurant-goers assume to be house-made are likely to be pre-fab products, factory-made, shipped and frozen until heated for serving.I tried a white chicken chili made by Cobblestone Market, which offers soups both ready-to-use and in an add-water concentrate.I also enjoyed creamy seafood chowder and savory tortilla chicken soup made by Heinz.They all tasted perfectly seasoned and were studded with chunks of flavorful ingredients.Heinz's accompanying "Soup Selling Strategies for the Operator" brochure suggested that restaurants can go a step further and add ingredients such as cheese, crab or mushrooms to come up with a "specialty" or "signature" soup.Sounds like what home cooks do when they toss in a few extras from their cupboard to jazz up a frozen entree.I found out a few more things from the "Soup Selling Strategies" booklet. For instance:The soups ordered most often in restaurants are:Chicken noodle 20 percentClam chowder 10 percentTomato 11 percentVegetable 10 percentFrench onion 8 percentCream soup 7 percentChili 7 percentHouse specialty 7 percentMinestrone 6 percentHot & Sour 3 percentOther 3 percentBean & lentil 2 percentPotato 2 percentThe five ingredients that would make people more likely to order soup are:Mushrooms 55.6 percentCheeses 50.3 percentCrab 46.3 percentLobster 44.7 percentLentils 34.8 percentSome other soup facts:As people get older, they tend to like soup more. The bulk of soup-consumers fall between ages 25-64.  Soup is most appealing to ages 50-65-plus.The majority of soup consumers are in the upper income bracket. Nearly half of them make $75,000-plus annually.Although soup consumption peaks in colder months, it's steadily ordered through all four seasons.Consumers perceive soup as healthy, second only to green salads.Lunch consumption of soup is on the rise, driven by casual sandwich chains and combo meals.

YMCA's DishED Gala Oct. 17

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The YMCA’s 1st Annual DishED Gala is the YMCA of Northern Utah’s primary fundraising event. DishED fuses food with sports. It  will consist of a silent auction/social hour, dining stations, a live auction and entertainment.  This year's featured speaker is Gail Miller, owner/chair or Larry H. Miller companies. 

When:	Wednesday, October 17, 6-9 p.m.
Where:	Grand Hall at the Union Pacific Depot 400 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT
Restaurants:	Biaggi’s, Cafe Rio, Flemings Steakhouse, Sapa Sushi, Thaifoonand Tucanos will be sharing their favorite dishes with guests andSo Cupcake will treat guests to dessert!
Celebrity Emcee:	Jennifer Burns, TV personality and cooking show host
Celebrity Guests:	Gail Miller of Larry H. Miller companies Thurl Bailey-Former NBA and Utah Jazz Player Kendyl Bell-Miss Utah USA Allison Croghan-Fox 13 News TeamMark Eaton-Former NBA and Utah Jazz Player  Dan Evans-Fox 13 News Team Governor Gary HerbertDavid Hyland-Utah Blaze, Arena Football League Community MVP Ron James-Utah Blaze Head Coach Phil Johnson-Former Utah Jazz Assistant Coach Ron McBride-Retired NCAA Div. 1 Football CoachKeilara McCormick-Miss Utah Teen USA Tyrone Medley-Former U of U Basketball Player and Retired Judge Tom Nissalke-Former ABA & NBA Coach Jerry Sloan-Former Utah Jazz Coach Cost is $125 per person, or $1,000 for an 8-person.  You can buy tickets at http://www.ymcautah.org/dished-2012

Money raised from this event goes to YMCA programs such as early childhood education for 4 and 5 year olds, Afterschool, day camps in Salt Lake and Weber and overnight camp at Camp Roger.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Contestant Wins at Utah State Fair

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The last time the public heard of Cameron Bailey, he was competing as a finalist at the Pillsbury Bake-Off last spring. (Remember his exciting last-second sprint to the judges' table televised on The Martha Stewart Show?)Now he's back in the culinary spotlight, winning the Utah's Own cooking contest at the Utah State Fair. Here's his winning recipe:

Orange Stick Pot du Crèmes                  This rich chocolate dish is scented withfresh orange zest and tastes just like the popular Sweet’s Orange Sticks candy.
Ingredients
§  12 ounces, weight Semi-SweetChocolate Chips§  4 whole large eggs, room temperature—Oakdell brand§  1 teaspoon vanilla extract§  1 pinch Salt—Redmond Real Salt brand§  2 teaspoons fresh orange zest§  1 cup heavy cream—Winder Farms brand§  3 rounded tablespoons hot chocolatepowder—Stephens Gourmet Hot Chocolate,Milk Chocolate flavor§  Milk Chocolate Orange Sticks, asneeded, for garnish—Sweet’s brand§  Whipped Cream, sweetened with powderedsugar as needed for garnish—Winder Farmsbrand

InstructionsPlacethe chocolate chips into a blender.  Addthe Oakdell eggs, vanilla, orange zest, and pinch of Redmond Real Salt. Turn onthe blender on LOW just long enough to incorporate eggs.
Ina pan on the stove over medium-high heat mix together 1 cup of Winder Farmsheavy cream and Stephens Hot Chocolate powder. Stir until combined and heat just until boiling.  Remove from heat.
Turnblender back on MEDIUM and remove the circular disk from the blender lid andvery slowly pour in the hot chocolate. (It is essential that your hot chocolatebe very hot in order for the final product to be the right consistency andtexture.) Blend for a minute or so until mixture is smooth and fairly free ofvisible bits of chocolate.
Dividethe mixture among ramekins or serving dishes. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 3 to 4 hours orovernight to set. 
Garnishwith sweetened Winder Farms whipped cream and pieces of Sweet’s Orange Sticks. 

Utah’s OwnProducts UsedStephens Gourmet Cocoa Mix, MilkChocolate FlavorRedmond Real SaltWinder Farms Heavy CreamSweet’s Orange SticksOakdell Eggs

My First Book Signing at Seagull

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Zucchini & Bacon Soup from "Soup's On!"

Today was my very first book signing at Seagull Book in Centerville.  Thanks to familiar faces who stopped in and offered moral support  -- Bruce Tracy, Dave & Rose Johnson and Brichelle Eyre!

I brought two soups — the Garden Tomato Bisque and the Zucchini & Bacon Soup, to serve as "soup shots."  I underestimated the number of shoppers, and ran out of little plastic shot cups. Luckily, the Dollar Tree store was a couple doors down, so I was able to quickly replenish my stock. People could sample soup, and then move over to the other table for nibbles of Utah Triffles.

The store staff did lots of drawings, and just about everyone went home with a prize.  I signed about ten books in all.

Garden Tomato Bisque from "Soup's On!"

I had a lot of fun chatting with people about the recipes. The Zucchini & Bacon Soup surprised people that
A. it was so delicious, and
B. that it was made from zucchini.
Many people assumed it was some sort of broccoli soup. It just reinforces the theory that if you add enough bacon to ANYTHING, it will taste good.

Several kids really liked the tomato soup; one little girl told her mom it tasted like spaghetti! I was able to make both soups with vegetables fresh from the garden, and each of them took less than 30 minutes to make.

A lot of people asked if the recipes were for the Crock-Pot. I am realizing that there's a misconception out there -- people think in order for soup to be hassle-free, you need to use a slow cooker and a can of cream of mushroom soup.  I explained that 75 of the cookbook's recipes can be made on the stovetop in less than a half hour, with very little peeling, chopping or prep work. A lot of them can be made in the microwave too.  Oh, and you DON'T need a can of cream of mushroom soup either!

  Ten of my recipes are specifically designed for Crock-Pot cooking. It's great when you can think ahead and throw in all the ingredients, then come home to a tantalizing aroma of simmering soup. But when you haven't thought ahead, it's great to know there are 75 options that can be on the table in about the same time it would take for pizza delivery to come.