As I was looking over my list of winning recipes, I was struck by a couple of things.
I used a lot of prepackaged and processed foods for these contests. Basically because these prepackaged and processed food companies were sponsors. 🙂
Here’s a list of a few winners that were sponsored by food companies.
Texas Touchdown BBQ Pizza
I won a year’s supply of Boboli pizza crusts for this one.
Early Morning Chai French Toast
I won a boxful of Oregon Chai. I LOVE Chai!
Crunchy Amaretto Peach Cobbler
I won two whole cans of pie filling. 🙂
Surprise Morning Muffins
I won a great gift basket (and as I recall, I almost won a trip to NYC. Wasn’t a finalist though. 🙁 )
Another great moment was winning two (2) Martha Stewart Cooking School Cookbooks in the Hunt’s Best Meals, Best Moments contest in 2009. The website has since expired but I will list one of the winners here today for you. Besides, it is good soup weather.
Country French Soup
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. shredded carrot
2 c. chicken stock
1 c. water
1 c. red wine
1 quart home canned tomatoes or 2 (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 (14 oz.) cans white navy beans
1 medium potato, chopped (I used a red potato—skin on.)
1 bay leaf
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. . balsamic vinegar
1 lb. lean ground sausage (I actually used some Italian sausage this time—delicious!)
½ c. cream
1 T. fresh basil, chopped*In a large stock pot, sauté onion and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and carrots and sauté another 2 minutes. Add next nine ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. While soup is simmering, brown sausage. After 20 minutes, add sausage and cream. Stir and bring back to a simmer. Stir in chopped basil right before serving.
*The basil bit the dust in the hoop house with the recent frigid temps, so I threw in a square of frozen pesto instead of the basil.
Aside: I have no idea, other than it sounded frou-fou, why I titled this recipe Country French Soup.
Sounds fru fru, looks delicious, what’s not to love? I think it’s cool that you used pesto instead of basil. I might give that a try too.
Plus it’s deceptively easy!
This looks really warming and tasty 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Glad you’re back. Hope your holiday trip was fabulous!
This looks and sounds really good today – so dreary and drizzly here. Great soup and nap weather. Too bad I had to work! 🙂 I’m going to pin this for future use!
Still drizzly here. Good soup weather today too.
I love your take on French Onion Soup!! The other recipes sound great too! Especially that pizza 🙂
That’s great take on the classic French onion soup. I would love it too.
So how many is a year’s supply of pizza crusts? Eating a lot of pizzas lately? This is a unique soup for sure and totally delicious! I can see why it won!
Actually, I don’t think I got all the coupons used up. I got 40 $5 coupons. That was a lot of pizza.
Congrats on the MS cookbook wins! This soup looks and sounds incredibly hearty and delicious. I don’t think I’d have to eat again for a week! 🙂 Chalk full of wonderful things.
Thanks, Kelly. I haven’t pulled that cookbook down for a while.
It’s freeeeeeezing here today. How is it up there in your neck of the woods?
Anyway…my point is this would be perfect for today!
Freezing with icicles still around!!
I sure could go for a big bowl of that right now. It is a good day for it!
Oh, what a tasty, hearty soup! There’s a definitely chill in the air and this would hit the spot!
This sounds wonderful, a nice change from the usual!