I’m a big fan of soup, which is funny considering I hated it as a kid (and my kids don’t care for it much now either — I wonder why that is)?

From a cooking perspective, there are few soups that are so time- or energy-consuming that they’re not worth bothering with, and from a consuming point they’re comforting, tasty, and in many cases pretty good for you.

Oddly enough, one of my favorite soups to make comes from one of my least-liked Food Network personalities, Rachael Ray. I’ve been making her chicken and dumpling soup for years and, I’m willing to admit, even the kids love it.

I usually at least double the amount of chicken broth I use because four cups/one quart just isn’t enough, and add a bit more of the seasonings to balance it out. Add a little more flour as well and it turns out fantastic, and adding about a cup or so of wide egg noodles during the last few minutes of cooking helps thicken it up too.

What are your favorite soup recipes?

[image: flickr]

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Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream are renaming one of their flavors - butter pecan - to “Yes Pecan” in honor of president-elect Barack Obama taking office on the 20th. I assume they’re using the “pee-can” pronunciation, otherwise it doesn’t make much sense!

And speaking of ice cream, Baskin-Robbins are launching a line of “healthier” ice creams starting January 15th. Called BRight Choices, the alternative ice cream will be marked with a pink star. They’ll come in fat free, dairy free, no sugar added, and light flavors.

[image: flickr]

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Adding to their already huge (and admittedly, somewhat obnoxious) food challenge shows, Food Network is adding a Top Chef-esque competition of their own this month.

“Passion and expertise rule the kitchen on the fast-paced new series, Chopped.

“Hosted by Ted Allen (Food Detectives), the series challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets “chopped” until the last man or woman left standing claims victory.

“Each week, a rotating panel of culinary elite judges including Alex Guarnaschelli, Aaron Sanchez, and Geoffrey Zakarian will decide whose dishes shine the brightest and award the winner $10,000.”

“Chopped” will premiere January 13 at 10:00 pm and air weekly after that.

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I’ve been making this particular recipe for about eight years now. You can use all beef or all turkey, but having tried both I prefer the combination. You can also use homemade pasta sauce, which works really well, but if you don’t have it on hand the jarred kind can be tasty too.

The recipe below makes about 30 shells - or two casserole dishes worth. My family of five gets through about a pan and a half, and the rest go in the fridge for yummy leftovers. If you don’t have that many people to feed it halves very easily.

Stuffed Shells

30 jumbo pasta shells (or one 12 oz box)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 closed finely chopped garlic
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
1 26.5 oz can spaghetti sauce (or about 3 cups of homemade sauce)

Cook shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool a little. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet and saute onion and garlic until tender. Add turkey and beef and cook until browned. Drain and mix in basil, oregano and 2 cups of the cheese (it’ll be very cheesy and stringy - perfect!).

Spread about half a cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of each 9×13″ casserole dish. Stuff cooked shell with the meat and cheese mixture and place meat-side down in the casserole dish. Spoon remaining sauce over top. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil, add remaining cheese over top and cook for an additional six or so minutes or until cheese is melted.

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Ultimate Recipe Showdown, which hit Food Network scene a year ago, is premiering its second season tomorrow night, January 4 at 9:00pm on Food Network.

Hosted by Guy Fieri and Marc Summers, the show features amateur cooks from around the country competing with their own recipes against three other contestants.

There are six categories total: burgers, chicken, comfort foods, pasta, cakes and cookies. The ultimate winner takes home a prize of $25,000 and gets their dish featured on the T.G.I. Friday’s menu.

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I’ve been looking forward to this for months! Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” premieres its fifth season this Monday, January 5 at 10:00pm ET on the Travel Channel.

This season kicks off with Tony in Mexico and Venice, then Washington DC, Azores, Chicago, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

And for those hardcore Anthony Bourdain fans, a friend of mine sent me the following link to a very, uh, revealing picture of Tony (not completely nude but darn near close enough!). Warning: not safe for work, and not safe for little eyes! Do not click here if you are easily offended!

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Happy New Year from Foodie Obsessed!

[image: flickr]

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After writing about cooking with champagne the other day I did a little searching for some fun drink recipes.

The above video by Marie Guaragna-Beirne illustrates a simple idea for a holiday champagne punch, perfect for a New Year’s Eve get-together!

Check out other videos for artichoke dip, quick and easy appetizers, and warm raspberry brie.

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Chow.com, one of my favorite food sites, has posted their Year in Food for 2008.

The categories range from events specific to 2008 (Food and Politics, Olympic Appetites, To the Poorhouse) to general year-round recaps (trendy food, endings, etc.).

They also mention the castigation of Rachael Ray for her neckwear during a Dunkin Donuts commercial (though I’m not a RR fan I thought that was pretty lame), and the discovery of Julia Child’s ties to the CIA.

[image: flickr]

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I’ve never really given much thought to cooking with champagne, though I’m not sure why. Food Network has put together a list of 100 Champagne Recipes, and if I think about it next time (and can find it at a reasonable price) I might try making my pork chops with champagne next time!

Champagne Brie Fondue isn’t so far-fetched (and actually sounds divine), and Emeril’s Champagne Sabayon couldn’t be any easier.

The majority of the recipes are really just easy add-ins (strawberries, apricot nectar, etc), but I like the ones that offer a little more creativity, like Jacques Torres’ Champagne Truffles or Giada’s Champagne Risotto.

Have you ever cooked with champagne?

[image: flickr]

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