Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: soup

Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup from Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Here in the Kitchen, we love soup! (In fact, we celebrated it last month when we gathered Around the Kitchen Table and talked about some of our favorites.)

This soup is full of flavor and all the goodness (and vitamins!) of fall vegetables. It’s thick and comforting, and just what the body needs in winter. We loved the chunky texture of soft lentils and veggies, though if you prefer a creamier soup, use a blender or immersion blender before adding the spinach. And it’s great for vegetarians, vegans, and those who eat gluten-free.

Like most of us, I suspect, I don’t usually make my own vegetable stock, buying it in cartons. Those tend to be 32 ounces or 4 cups, so for this, I used one carton and 2 cups of water, not wanting to leave half a box in the fridge. With so many veggies in the mix, I didn’t think we lost any flavor through the substitution.

In my Spice Shop mysteries, Pepper often says smoked paprika may be her favorite spice, “but don’t tell the others.” The generous amount used here adds to the lovely red color of the lentils, and gives a smoky flavor I love. If you’re worried about heat, make sure you’re using smoked sweet paprika; the amount of cumin is enough for flavor without heat.

The lemon adds a bit of brightness, but be careful, as it can quickly overwhelm other flavors. A few drops in each bowl is plenty. The zest is a delight.

Serve with cheesy bread and enjoy!

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing.

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link.

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grated ginger, fresh or jarred

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery (2 stalks)

1 cup diced carrot (about 2 carrots, depending on size)

1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup diced white or yellow potato (roughly one large)

1 1/2 cups red lentils

6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

4 cups baby spinach

1 lemon zested and cut into wedges

In a stock pot, over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and ginger and saute 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant, but stopping before the garlic changes color.

Add the onion and celery and sauté an additional 4-5 minutes, until the onions become translucent.

Add carrots, paprika, cumin, and salt. Stir well and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes and lentils, and stir well to coat with the spices.

Pour in 4 cups of stock. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until lentils and potatoes are soft.

Add spinach and remaining 2 cups stock (or water). Cover and cook until spinach is wilted, 3 - 5 minutes. Taste and add additional salt if needed.

Spoon into bowls. Add a quick squeeze of lemon and top with about ½ teaspoon of lemon zest.

Serves 6.

Is it soup weather in your neck of the woods? What are your favorites?

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF!

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills.

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket.

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf.

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Nacho Cheese Soup #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

This recipe is from Baked by Rachel and is very adaptable. I made adjustments according to what I had on hand and what the family likes. My granddaughter doesn't like onions so I omitted them. She also doesn't like green peppers so I nixed those. I didn't have a jalapeno and my husband doesn't like too much spice so that was okay. You can substitute turkey for the ground beef and I used gluten free flour. Even with the adjustments, it was delicious. You can use your imagination for toppings--sliced green onions, crumbled tortilla chips, sour cream, more cheese, etc.

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained of fat

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeds removed and diced

15 oz corn, drained

15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed well

15 oz petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

3 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup heavy cream

3 to 4 tablespoons flour

Add the ground beef to a skillet and cook until all pink is gone. Drain off fat. Either add to a pan or to a slow cooker.

Add vegetables, beans, seasonings and broth. Stir to combine.

Cook on the stove for half an hour until the flavors meld or cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

When done, stir in shredded cheese.

Mix flour and heavy cream and add to pot or slow cooker. Mix well. Continue cooking on the stove until soup has thickened and is warmed through. Or, in slow cooker, cover and cook for half an hour.

When a wealthy local benefactor is slain on the farm, Monica has to figure out who wanted to cash in on the killing . . .

As Sassamanash Farms hunkers down for the long winter, Monica agrees to let the local animal shelter host their Christmas-themed fundraiser there. The draw of the event—a chance to have your pet’s picture taken with Santa—brings in animal lovers from far and wide. But when the crackling fire dies down and the festive holiday props are all carted away, Monica discovers a very un-jolly sight next to the barn—the dead body of one of the shelter’s biggest donors. With the farm’s good name in jeopardy, Monica goes to work to root out the killer.

By all accounts the victim was a charming and generous supporter of the shelter, but Monica discovers that he was loathed by those who knew him for being tight-fisted and unscrupulous. Suspecting money might be the motive, she turns her sights on his stylish wife and her lavish lifestyle, along with the manager of the struggling shelter, who stood to collect a hefty bequest from his will. But as Monica closes in on one final clue, the culprit closes in on her. Caught unawares, she’ll have to survive the brutal winter weather, as well as a cold-blooded killer . . .

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Friday, February 27, 2026

Chicken Tortilla Soup @MaddieDayAuthor #Giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, with a toasty California-inspired soup for you, plus a California-based giveaway!

The California theme is by design, because I am currently at the Left Coast Crime fan convention in San Francisco. If you're there, please come to our Mystery Lovers' Kitchen panel tomorrow morning!

As a native southern Californian, the taste of corn tortillas and hominy, aka posole, topped with ripe avocado slices, is the flavor of my home state and the Southwest in general. And as a long-time resident of the opposite coast in northeastern Massachusetts, I often crave those tastes.

This soup is quite easy and brings a warm comfort meal in a chilly winter. My protagonist in the Cece Barton Mysteries doesn't eat chicken, so she might make a fish-based or purely vegetarian version.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, minced

1 green pepper, diced

1 yellow, gold, or red pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 chicken breast or 2 thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 quart chicken stock

1 can hominy/posole, drained

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 whole habanero or jalapeno pepper

10 corn tortillas, cut into slivers (flour tortillas won't work in this dish)

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Sour cream

Directions

Saute the onion in oil until tender. Add peppers and saute until wilted.

Add chicken and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute one minute. Add stock, hominy, and spices. Enclose pepper in a tea ball and float in the soup. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer about an hour.

Add tortilla slivers and heat a few more minutes.

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and slices of avocado on each bowl. Enjoy!

Readers: What's your favorite Southwestern or Mexican food? I'll send one of you an advance copy of A Poisonous Pour, my third Cece Barton mystery.

🌮🌶🐔

Murder at Cape Costumers is out and available wherever book are sold!

Next up is A Poisonous Pour! This third Cece Barton mystery releases April 28.

My most recent releases are Scone Cold Dead, #13 in the Country Store Mysteries,

Deadly Crush,

and A Case for the Ladies.

Check out all my writing.

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

HOW TO MAKE 1 HOUR CHICKEN SOUP to fight cold & flu symptoms by author Cleo Coyle

From Cleo Coyle: My husband and I had a rough few days dealing with the long stretch of extreme cold weather in New York City. Not as rough as some who lost power (and electric heating) and others who tragically lost their lives.

Our lesser (yet terribly unnerving) challenge occurred at 4 AM Sunday morning when we discovered our intake water pipe had frozen, and we had no water available in the house, including (yikes) the water used to allow our bathrooms to function.

After throwing on clothes and flipping on lights, we spent the next hour in our freezing cold garage with a space heater and a hair dryer, applying heat to what we believed was the section of pipe that had frozen. It worked. To our great relief, the water began to flow again, and we were thankful to have caught the problem before the pipe burst and caused thousands of dollars in damage.

Unfortunately, the stress and interrupted sleep took its toll, and we've come down with the symptoms of a typical winter cold. While chicken soup won't solve our weather problems, it is well worth making if you or your loved ones are suffering from sore throat and congestion. Why? Because...

The science is in, and our grandmothers were right. Studies have shown that properties in chicken soup relieve cold and flu symptoms. Chicken soup not only contains immune boosting properties, but it also has cold-fighting compounds that (among other things) help soothe sore throats and clear nasal congestion. You can read more here and here, although...

Frankly, I didn't need to read the scientific research to know homemade chicken soup has healing powers. By the time I slurp down a bowl, I begin feeling relief.

So, let's get our soup on!

☕ A RECIPE NOTE FROM CLEO

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery
series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

A common method for making chicken soup is to throw the chicken and veggies into the pot and turn up the heat for about 4 hours.

I prefer my method, which is done in one hour, and is just as healthful. Just be sure to use white meat chicken. I find the properties in the white meat especially helpful for cold and flu relief, and that's why I specify using 1/2 of a whole split chicken breast.

Years ago, I first made this soup for my husband after he caught a cold from me. I felt guilty for giving him my cold and was only too happy to bring him a bowl of my chicken soup. I swear, I barely made it back to the kitchen before I heard him crying out from the bedroom...

"This is great! It's helping! It's helping!"

Whether you make this soup for yourself or someone you care about, I sincerely hope it brings you plenty of foodie comfort and good health!

~ Cleo

To download this recipe
in a free PDF document you can

print, save, or share, click here.

Click here for the free PDF.

Cleo Coyle's
One Hour Chicken Soup

Makes about 2 quarts (about 6 servings)

Ingredients:
2 quarts (8 cups) cold water

2 bay leaves

1/2 of a whole, split chicken breast, bone in, skin on (see image below)

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

5 to 6 ribs of celery, chopped (about 2 cups)

4 peeled carrots, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 to 3 envelopes of Goya's Sazon without Annatto (or see my note below for other options)**
Finishing salt (such as French Grey or another coarse sea salt)

**Note: This soup will be bland without seasonings. Although Goya Sazon without Annatto is my favorite, you can substitute 2 to 3 chicken bouillon cubes (or packets) combined with a spice blend that can include your favorites or try onion powder and/or garlic powder and ground black or white pepper. Certainly, add any other herbs or spices that you enjoy (e.g., cumin, paprika, thyme, rosemary).

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Pour the cold water into the pot. Throw in the bay leaves. Bring the water to a brisk boil. Place the chicken into the pot, skin side down. (The meaty part of the breast should be submerged in the water.)

From ingredient list, this is what you want:
1/2 of a whole, split chicken breast, bone in, skin on.

Bring the boil down to a simmer, cover the pot with a loose lid, and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes. NOTE: The water in your pot may boil down a bit during this process. Check the pot after 20 minutes and add more fresh water to replenish, but do not add more water after this point. Return to a simmer for the remaining 20 to 25 minutes. ALSO NOTE: If your chicken breast is frozen, cooking time may be longer.

Step 2: When the chicken is cooked enough for the meat to be easily removed from the bone and shredded, take the chicken out of the pot. Add the chopped vegetables, and seasoning (Goya Sazon without Annatto or bouillon cubes and your own spice mix), and boil for another 10 minutes. While veggies are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken breast (and discard). Remove the meat from the bone, shred the breast meat using two forks, and save it for the next step.

Step 3: After the veggies have cooked the full 10 minutes, remove the bay leaves from the pot, and add the shredded chicken. If your chicken breast was very large, hold back a bit of the chicken meat from the soup. Add only enough to keep the ingredients balanced.(*Note: If you'd like to make this a chicken noodle soup, this is the point where you'd add your noodles and cook until they're soft.) Cook the soup for another 6 to 8 minutes. I like to serve the soup with coarse salt on the side. Then salt to taste and...slurp with joy!