Sunday, March 24, 2019

Potato Asparagus Soup #recipe + #book #giveaway from author @DarylWoodGerber



From Daryl:

GIVEAWAY BELOW!

I went to my go-to soup recipe book by Williams-Sonoma. I wanted to make asparagus soup. I bought the ingredients.

Or so I thought...

I did not buy enough asparagus.  They wanted 3 pounds for a full recipe. I was going to make a half recipe from the start, but I only bought 1/2 pound.  Oops.

So here’s what I made,  using most of the ingredients and adding potatoes, and then tweaking to my pleasure.

I love soup. I truly enjoy that I can fiddle with it to make it mine. This is my “half” recipe and it made enough for 4 nice-sized bowls.  By the way, I removed some soup before adding the cream so it was just veggies and potato. YUM.  Try it both ways, if you dare.

POTATO AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

1/2 sweet onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, with leaves, chopped
8 ounces asparagus, chopped, (reserve 2-6 tips)
1 very large brown potato, peeled and chopped into 1” cubes
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups stock *
1 teaspoon basil, dried
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup cream


(In the WS book, they make from scratch; I use gluten-free stock. Also if you buy low sodium stock, you might want to add extra salt.)

Fix all the veggies first.  Chop the onions, celery, asparagus, potato.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and celery and sauté until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the stock, all the asparagus stalks and most of the tips, the potatoes and basil.  Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Skim away froth if it arises. None did for mine probably because I used premade stock.

Reduce the heat and cover, and simmer gently for about 25 to 30 minutes.

In small batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor.  Each time I finished my batch, I returned to the saucepan. When it’s all pureed, heat over low and stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper. 

Meanwhile, quickly steam the asparagus tips, for decoration, about 3-4 minutes.

Spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with asparagus tips. Enjoy.





VEGGIE SOUP WITHOUT CREAM





To celebrate the upcoming release of 



 
I'm doing a special Sunday giveaway - winner's choice of any of my cozy mysteries.
 
 

Leave a comment to enter. Do you love cozy mysteries? What's one of your favorites?
Remember to include you're email should you win so I can contact you.


SIFTING THROUGH CLUES buy link
The latest Cookbook Nook Mystery (#8), available for pre-order. Comes out April 23.

What's it about?


Book clubs from all over have descended on Crystal Cove to celebrate the library’s Book Club Bonanza week, and Jenna Hart has packed the Cookbook Nook with juicy reads and tasty cookbooks. But she’s most excited about spending an evening with the Mystery Mavens and their moveable feast, when they will go from house to house to share different culinary treats and discuss the whodunit they’re all reading. It’s all good food and fun for the savvy armchair detectives, until one of the members of the group is found murdered at the last stop on the tour.



As if that weren’t enough to spoil her appetite, Jenna discovers that all the evidence points to her friend Pepper as being the guilty party. And with Pepper’s chief-of-police daughter too close to the case to be impartial, Jenna knows she’ll have to step in to help clear her friend’s name before a bitter injustice sends her to jail. Sifting through the clues, Jenna unearths any number of possible culprits, but she’ll have to cook up a new way to catch the killer before Pepper’s goose is cooked.



Includes tasty sweet and savory recipes!

SAVOR THE MYSTERY!
 
Friend Daryl and Avery on Facebook
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Plus check out my website
Follow Daryl on Bookbub

A SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION, the 2nd French Bistro Mystery.
Can Mimi prove her chef innocent before the chef gets dusted?
Click here to order.

A DEADLY ÉCLAIR, the 1st French Bistro Mysteries, in all formats.
Can Mimi clear her name before the killer turns up the heat?
Click here to order.

SIFTING THROUGH CLUES, the 8th Cookbook Nook Mystery.
Sifting through the clues, Jenna unearths any number of possible culprits, but she’ll have to cook up a new way to catch the killer before her friend Pepper’s goose is cooked. 
Click here to order

WREATH BETWEEN THE LINES, the 7th Cookbook Nook Mystery.
Jenna Hart is busy decking the halls and ducking a killer
Click here to order.

FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, the 7th Cheese Shop Mystery by Avery Aames.
Finally there's going to be a cheese festival in Providence!
Click to order.

GIRL ON THE RUN, a stand-alone suspense.
When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare, Chessa Paxton must run for her life...but will the truth set her free?
Click to order

DAY OF SECRETS, a stand-alone suspense
A mother he thought was dead. A father he never knew. An enemy that wants them dead.
Click here to order


65 comments:

  1. I love cozies. One author I’ve read most of her books is Kathi Daley and another Tonya Kappes. Both were my first cozy read authors from a Facebook party I happened to see on my feed. So I’m new to reading them. About 2-3 years now. I look forward to reading these. Nerdsrgood@man.com

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  2. Wreath between the lines! Thank you for the opportunity to win!! Have a great Sunday!
    Kcline96@hotmail.com

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  3. My favorites are any of the Joanne Fluke - Hannah Swensen cozies. Love those 1cow0993(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. I so love cozy mysteries, I grew up on Agatha Christie and evolved to many of the newer authors of course. I especially love the cozies that include animal and/or culinary themes.

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  5. I prefer cozies. They are easier to read and I enjoy the characters that appear in each copy. My book club has been reading authors such as James Patterson, Harlan Coben and Michael Crichton. I have not enjoyed these authors....too dark and too intense. dbahn(at)iw(dot)net

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    Replies
    1. Dianne, I read across genres and have read those authors. I find I like to sprinkle them in with my other reading. ~ Daryl

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  6. I love that cookbook -- actually, all Wms-Sonoma cookbooks. We just made the beef stroganoff last night!

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  7. Your recipe sounds tasty. I do love cozies but, I don't have favorites. I tend to enjoy most books I read.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. Linda, good for you to be open-minded. Reading is fun! ~ Daryl

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  8. I love anything by Joanne Fluke!...and also adored Sifting through Clues, since I was lucky enough to snag an ARC �� My email is ibmandums@yahoo.com (and now I really want some asparagus soup. I'm quite the soup junkie)

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    Replies
    1. Amanda, so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for telling me. ! Daryl

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  9. I love so many cozies! One of my favorites is the Zoe Chambers series by Annette Dashofy. JL_Minter@hotmail.com

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  10. Taylor R. WilliamsMarch 24, 2019 at 1:29 PM

    The soup sounds great - and I love your books ! also love both by Leslie Budewitz - thanks for the contest - tr Williams 69 (at) msn (dot) com

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    Replies
    1. Taylor, so glad you're reading Leslie's books. Love them. ~ Daryl

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  11. The soup looks really yummy. I do love cozies. One of my favorite cozy series is Sofie Kelly's Magical Cats Mysteries.
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. Jana, I love Sofie Kelly's series. So much fun. ~ Daryl

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  12. The soup sounds great! Love the giveaway too. Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

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  13. Of course I enjoy cozies! And mysteries that aren't! Your soup looks good and I happen to have one big potato and some asparagus that someone, not me, bought and forgot.
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. Pat, I love mysteries that aren't cozies, too. I read across the spectrum. ~ Daryl

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  14. Wow I have so many favorites I could never chose just one.Right now I am reading books by Amanda Lee that are great. But I've yet to read any cozies that aren't great. Vicki nvictoria77(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Vicki, I know what you mean. Hard to pick just one. :) ~Daryl

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    2. Vicki, congrats. You won this giveaway. I've sent you an email. ~ Daryl

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  15. Thank you for the chance.Would Love to win.

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  16. That sounds like a great winter to spring transitional soup.

    A neat trick with asparagus and soup is you can use the tough stem parts you'd usually toss. Cook them in the broth until nice and soft, then strain them out. An extra level of flavor.

    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    Replies
    1. Libby, absolutely. Asparagus stems can be difficult but great in soup. ~ Daryl

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  17. I read so many cozies that I couldn’t pick a favorite. I never thought of having asparagus and potatoes together in soup.
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

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    Replies
    1. Sandy, I've found potato is a great base for lots of soups. Adds so much texture. ~ Daryl

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  18. I love cozy mysteries because they are a good clean read. They have relatable characters and storylines and creative plots that keep you guessing until the end. I have a lot of favorite series and your French Bistro series is one of my favorites. I like the Napa Valley setting.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  19. Enjoy cozies, especially with humor. Currently reading Plotting for Murder.

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  20. I love cozy mysteries!! I think the first ones I read were the Goldy catering by Diane Mott Davidson and the Meg Langslow by Donna Andrews. Of course now I love the Avery Aames/Daryl Wood Gerber mysteries as well. Soooo many cozies, so little time!

    Thanks for the contest!
    mlduffer(at)att(dot)net

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    Replies
    1. Mary D., thanks so much. I think I cut my "foodie" teeth on DM Davidson, too. ~ Daryl

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  21. Yes, I love reading cozy mysteries. Two that I really enjoyed reading last year are The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams and Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley. The latter was recommended to me by a friend and I think it is a historical cozy mystery. Asparagus has been on sale here in the last week so I stocked up. Your soup recipe sounds lovely.
    Little lamb last at yahoo dot com
    Lil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lil, I just finished the Secret, Book and Scone Society. Interesting read. Unusual protagonist. ~ Daryl

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  22. I love cozies. I enjoy Ellery Adams, H. Y. Hanna and so many others.!! Thanks so much for the chance to win!
    faithdcreech at gmail dot com

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    1. Faith, Ellery is a great talent. I enjoy her books, too. ~ Daryl

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  23. I love Melanie Travis by Laurien Berenson. Thanks for the contest! ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

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    Replies
    1. Riley, thanks for the suggestion. I haven't read her yet. ~ Daryl

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  24. I love them all it's to hard to choose just one. Thanks for your great generosity. lindamay4852@yahoo.com

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  25. I love cozy mysteries, especially ones that include recipes! I just finished A Deadly Eclair and it was really good.
    Thanks for having this great giveaway!
    Heidiark@yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. Heidi, I'm so glad to hear that. Thanks for telling me. ~ Daryl

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  26. One of my favorite cozy series is your cheese shop series! I haven't read the last one, but it's on my Amazon shopping list!

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  27. I’ve read most if not all your cozies. I also like the Diva series and most of Sheila Vinnollys books. My newest addition to my list is Ellie Alexander.

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  28. I love all cozies. Thanks for the giveaway. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  29. Laura Childs scrapbooking series, glitter bomb was excellent. Ellery Adams, Daryl Woods, Joanne Fluke, Nancy Coco, Jenny Hale, Isabelle Alan so many I like all of the cozy writers..

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  30. I love, love, love cozies. I love your books, and Laura Childs, Diane Mott Davidson, Cleo Coyle, Kathi Daley, and so many others!!! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  31. I love cozy mysteries and read many of them. I enjoy yours, Jenn McKinlay, Kate Carlisle, and am discovering many more as I go. tiger_of_mu@yahoo.com

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  32. Cozies are delightful. I enjoy many. Cleo Coyle's series is wonderful. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  33. I enjoy cozies for their characters, settings and story. The soup looks delectable. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  34. It's no longer Sunday,but I want to thank you for the yummy recipe. Heading to the store for asparagus. ��

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  35. I'm pretty hooked on cozy mysteries, and there are very few series that don't appeal to me. I love your Cheese Shop series ( who wouldn't love to run a shop that specializes in just cheese?), and as for the Cookbook Nook series, I love to read, I love to "collect" cookbooks, and enjoy cooking(and eating!), so how could I not like this series? Another cozy series that I really like is the Savannah Webb Glass Shop series, as it deals with such a beautiful, creative art form.
    gnluciow(at)gmail(dot)com

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  36. I love your books, cant get enough

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  37. I just had to copy the recipe for the soup, especially since it has two of my favorites, Potatoes and Asparagus. I absolutely love cozy mysteries. It is hard to name just one but I did love Deadly Eclair. Congratulations on the new release and thank you for the chance to win.

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  38. I absolutely LOVE Cozies! There are many series that I enjoy... I have most of the Cheese Shop & Cookbook Nook series (they rock!). Happy Spring 🐰🐣
    Cheers-
    Kelly Braun
    Gaelicark(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  39. The winner of this giveaway is VickinV... Congrats. I've sent you an email. Thanks to all for chiming in. ~ Daryl

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