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As I closed down another page from my daily calendar, it was shocking to realize that within another nine days that first month of the new year of 2011 will be just a memory. Seems like it was only yesterday when we were still picking pine needles out of the carpet that our sweepers had missed.

Soup is a great way to begin any meal, but if I had my way, I would endeavor to keep it on hand on a daily basis, especially during weather that we are currently having. It’s quick, it’s nourishing and you could not ask for a better “warmer-upper” to bring the “glow” back into your cheeks after a siege of shoveling! If — heaven forbid! — we must experience a power outage, it can be a tremendous source of quick energy, even if your power is out and you must eat it cold!

Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter

1 lb. Broccoli

Pepper to taste

1 2/3 c. chicken broth

1 large potato

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup milk

2 tsp. chopped garlic clove

3/4 tsp. curry powder

1 c. water

Directions:

Melt the butter in a good-sized saucepan, then use this to saute both the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add your curry, broth, pepper and water to the pan and bring this soup to a boil. Now, add your broccoli and potatoes and when this mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and allow this soup to simmer for a good 20 minutes or however long it takes for the veggies to become tender. Puree the soup, then return the puree to the pan; stir in the milk and cook the soup until it becomes nice and hot; but do not allow it to boil.

Food Facts: Nutritionally speaking, this vegetable is about as high on the scale that you can go.

Homemaker’s Hint: Medical research tells us that being overweight can constitute a serious health risk. Actuarial studies have shown that carrying even as little as an extra five pounds can reduce longevity, and the greater degree of overweight — the higher the risk.

Puree of Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. carrots, approx. 3 c.

1 c. onions, chopped

1 1/2 c. potatoes, diced

1 tsp. garlic, minced

4 whole cloves

2 tsp. vegetable oil

Pepper to taste

4 c. chicken broth

2/3 c. celery, chopped

1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

Directions:

Using a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add veggies, garlic and sugar. Place cover on pan and cook over low heat for a 10 minutes. Stir often. Add cloves, pepper and broth and bring soup to boil. Once it boils, reduce heat and cook soup in partially-covered pan for approximately 20 minutes, or until veggies are softened. Remove and discard cloves and puree soup in blender.

Food Facts: Carrots are said to help prevent night blindness.

Homemaker’s Hint: In recipes that call for cream, milk or evaporated milk, good substitutions can be low-fat or non-fat yogurt or even skim evaporated milk. People often assume that harder cheeses like cheddar, gouda and Swiss contain less fat, but this is not always necessarily true.

•  I fully realize that there are probably some who do not share my opinion on the necessity of the food safety law that was passed last year. I refer to the food safety law that compels members of our food chain to keep an updated record of from whom they received food products and to whom they sent food products. Granted, this traceability requirement would involve more detailed record-keeping and perhaps even bookwork, but makes it easier for the Food and Drug Administration to identify the source of food borne illnesses, and by so doing remove them from the food supply.

I believe it highly beneficial to the best interests of mankind that we create these wells of information that could be tapped into by the consumers through using their cell phones.

• In reply to the questions posed by a reader, the term “greens” refer to any vegetable that you would use for its green leaves. Whether you choose to cook your greens in bouillon, which some cooks tend to do as they feel it somewhat softens their sharp edge, it is imperative that you not overcook them. By overcooking you can turn them into a limp, unappetizing mass; that is not at all conducive to a food you would have the desire to ingest.

• Although many individuals do not equate water in terms of nutrition, believe me when I say it is absolutely essential to maintaining your life. Actually, if the truth were known, it is second only to oxygen as a substance definitely necessary to keep you alive! I often reflect on what a huge difference a “lifetime makes.” When I was the age of my grandchildren and had a thirst to quench, I maneuvered the handle on our kitchen sink pump to fill my glass with water, but not so with my own grandchildren because they can be in any room of the house and simply pop the lid off their bottles of water and quench their thirst.

Cream of Greens Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter

12 c. chopped greens

1/2 tsp. thyme

2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced

1 c. onions, diced

1 c. cream or whole milk

Pepper to taste

4 c. chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Heat butter in large pan. Use to saute onions, garlic and thyme for approximately five minutes. Add potatoes, greens and water and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Allow simmering mixture to cool just slightly before pureeing it in blender. Return to original large pan and add cream, salt and pepper and heat entirely through.

Food Facts: To keep your greens growing fast, you must supply plenty of water. If the soil should dry out  during hot weather, greens can quickly become bitter and unusable. Swiss chard is usually the exception, for it does well throughout the summer.

You should begin harvesting greens before they become mature, for then they will be milder and less bitter than full sized leaves. Greens continue to grow as you cut the larger leaves on the outsides of the plant. You might even prefer to cook greens in bouillon to soften what can be their somewhat sharp edge.

The main rule to remember, when cooking greens, is to not overcook them. It does not take long to turn a tasty cooked green into a limp, grayish unappealing mess.

Homemaker’s Hint: If you place unwashed greens in a perforated plastic bag, they will keep for approximately one week in the refrigerator.

Food Facts: Kale contains a high level of beta carotene, vitamins A and E. It also provides some foliate, calcium, iron and potassium. Like other kale crops, kale is rich in bioflavonoids, which help protect against cancer. All greens are high in fiber and low in calories.

• I just became acquainted with something known as “ground cherries,” which are said to be delectable members of the tomato family. Their growth requirements are said to be similar to those for tomatoes, although these ground cherries tolerate a slightly cooler climate. They are said to be usually ripe when the fruit turns a deep yellow and the husks are papery dry and tan colored. They usually drop to the ground when they are ripe.

These cherries can be enjoyed raw, made into jam or dried sugar and used as raisins.

Left in the husks in a dry place, ground cherries will keep for several weeks.

Ground Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

(2) 9-inch pie crusts

3 1/2 c. ground cherries

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. Butter

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. flour

Directions:

Place one crust in pie plate. Combine sugar and flour and put in crust, then fill crust with ground cherries. Over the top sprinkle brown sugar and lemon juice, then top with butter. Place top crust on and seal edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes until done.

Homemaker’s Hint: When purchasing fresh cherries, always seek out the plump, firm fruits with green stems. Both sweet and sour cherries spoil quite quickly and have a relatively short season.

Food Facts: There was a time when folk healers used to advocate sour cherries to treat gout, as do some practitioners today.

• In reply to the homemaker who is having difficulty getting one of her French doors to stay open, I experienced this with one of my own French doors. I was able to eliminate the problem by checking the hinges and found that one had pulled loose. I solved my problem by simply resetting the hinge to its original position, then tightening the screws.

• To the reader who questions my opinion of serving tea to youngsters, I personally see absolutely nothing wrong with this. Although all seven of my own were raised on milk, everyone of them was introduced to tea at quite an early age, for I often fixed them tea to warm them up or settle their stomachs.

Green Onion Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 c. green onions, sliced

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 c. Crisco

1/2 tsp. onion salt

2/3 c. milk

2 c. flour

2 tsp. granulated sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions:

Melt butter, then place sliced onions into this and gently cook until barely tender. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients together. Cut the Crisco into them until the mixture forms very coarse crumbs. To these crumbs, add onions and milk and mix together very quickly with a fork until dough works it way away from the sides of bowl. Knead dough about 10 good strokes on a lightly floured surface, then roll out to thickness of 3/4 inch and cut it with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place cut biscuits onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes at 450 degrees.

Food Facts: Did you know that onions are the hands-down winners as the single most important and versatile ingredient in cooking, regardless of nationality? They can be eaten raw or cooked, whole, chopped, sliced or grated; stuffed, boiled, baked, sauteed, deep-fried or for that matter, even barbecued.

This native of central Asia actually became an object of worship in Egypt. How many veggies do you know that can claim this fame? One of their virtues is that they are relatively inexpensive and you can store them successfully even without using refrigeration. Their ability to rather irritate the membranes of the nose and mouth, seems to actually enhance their attractiveness.