HOW I BEGAN
Along with the recipe, I set the can of lentil soup can on the counter. It was certainly visible! I’d be sure to see it and use it as a starter for making a quick batch of stomach-warming soup as the weather turned cooler in October. Right?
Wrong!
The can of lentil soup simply disappeared. Ipso presto—it was gone. Gone for good, it would seem.
My suite mate, aka husband, and I went into full search mode. (My counter is not pristine, but it is semi-tidy, I would say.) Still – no can of soup appeared. I scoured the kitchen counter multiple times. Checked the pantry. Still, no soup can.
Let me pause right here to say: Don’t judge me!
If you are a purist and always make recipes from scratch, save your censure. I have a lot of irons in the fire. Busy all the time. Semi-homemade is my fallback. (Smile!)
WHAT TO DO NOW . . .
“Do I have a can of something or other I could start with instead? Something that could serve as a similar base?”
Lo, and behold, I found a can of barley soup on the pantry shelf and went to work. Technically, lentils are legumes and barley is a grain, but they have similar textures. So I begin.
Things proceeded smoothly from this point. I mixed a tiny can of tomato paste with the warming vegetable barley soup in the pan and then added chopped onions and carrots, fresh from the fridge.
The meal was nourishing, served with an end-of-season ear of corn, heated in the microwave — along with applesauce seasoned with cinnamon.
Chef Sandra Lee, a popular Food Network star of the early 2000s, advocated creating nutritious menus from ready-made sources and also from fresh ingredients. You may remember she gained even more exposure during this era as First Lady of New York, spouse to former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is once again in the news.
She developed this cooking concept, “Semi-Homemade,” which involves using about 70% store-bought products and 30% fresh ingredients to create quick and easy meals but taste like they are made from scratch. The goal is to save time and money.
If recipes from scratch interest you, here is my Best Salad Dressing recipe, shown in the carafe on my counter above. I published it earlier along with 10 Snapshots from my day HERE.
What about your household?
Do you make meals from scratch? Create semi-homemade? Or, do you use DoorDash, GrubHub, or Instacart? Maybe a combination of these? Inquiring minds want do know your secrets!
Have you ever lost something, supposedly in plain sight?
Want more soup? Another blog post about tasty soup
Good morning, Marian! No judgement at all–but did you ever find that missing can?
I’m sure your soup was delicious!
I usually cook from scratch–but I often purchased vegetable broth and canned beans if I don’t have time to cook them first. Lentils cook quickly though. I make a similar lentil soup–probably spicier than you would eat and with a touch of lemon.
This week I made soup from leftover roasted squash and chickpeas!
Sadly, It never appeared even though two pairs of eyes went on the search. Yes, I often make soup from scratch, but this was a busy, busy day. I’m sure your roasted squash and chickpeas combo was delicious. Lemon perks up a lot of dishes.
That is so strange about the can!
I think it’s great you made such a warm, comforting dish on a busy, busy day!
🙂
PS–I wonder if the missing soup can is with all those single socks that disappear and an earring I lost years ago? 😂
Ha! Single socks and lost earring–yes, a mystery.
Thanks for both of your comments, Merril! 😀
You’re welcome, Marian! 😊
Missing things baffle me. You may find it in the most unusual place (have you checked the fridge?) I like to make things from scratch but when time is tight semi-homemade works too. My spaghetti sauce is usually from a can or jar with added fresh ingredients and I always start my chilli with a package mix. There is only so much time in a day! Your soup looks delicious.
Like me, you have many irons in the (creative) fire. We have to eat and we also have to save our sanity–ha!
Thanks for checking in, Darlene! 😀
Let us know when you find the soup can! I remember a post where you were hunting, desperately, your glasses. 🙂
Yes, Melodie, I’m prone to distraction, which I guess causes losing things.
By the way, I do enjoy cooking and find it a pleasant change from housework and writing. On Monday, I made Adobo chicken (Philippines) from MCC’s Extending the Table. Delicious as always. 😀
Wow, Marian! So weird that the can was never found. But you exercised your ingenuity and made soup anyway! What a tasy meal! I wouldn’t judge you, because I have never made soup from scratch!
Love chicken adobo! A friend who is from the Philippines makes the best chicken adobo!!
Yes, I love chicken adobo. I have some leftovers in the fridge I’ll serve today. It is always tasty and pairs well with rice. Good to hear from you, L. Marie! 😀
Lentil schmentil! Barley soup to the rescue.
Isn’t it marvelous God put our brains safe and secure in our heads. It’s the memory section that keeps escaping!
Spot on ! I could not have said it better, Jean! 😀
That looks like a delicious soup, Marian! Wish I could hop over for lunch some time! The next best thing is reading about it. As to that lentil soup can, it will show up some time in the most unexpected place. I thought I had bought two cans of cranberry sauce for our Thanksgiving dinner but could only find one. Turns out I put one in the pantry and one in the fridge. Every time I looked in either place, there was only one!! Hate to say it but it‘s also an age related thing!
Of course, it’s an age-related thing. But that’s not to stop either of us for persevering. Right Elfrieda! 😀
I wonder if you had put that can of barley soup on the counter, realized it wasn’t lentil soup, put it back, moved on with life, and then forgot this happened. (This could happen to me!) 🙂
We often make things from scratch, but managed to do this more when we were on our sailboat as even less products were easily available back then. I’d like to make that lentil soup recipe from scratch but tomato paste is elusive in Chile at the moment.
I like your reasoning here. The can didn’t just vaporize; it had to go somewhere. Right?
About the tomato paste. I’d advise just skip it, and use something else tomato-y. Your mouth probably couldn’t tell the difference, Liesbet! 😀
I also had to think about that pair of glasses you lost and that you eventually found in the freezer. Did you look in the freezer for the can of lentil soup yet? 🙂
No–but I’ll check!
Oh, this lentil soup recipe went right into my recipe file to try! 😋
Great, as you know, lentils come in various types and colors: red, grey, and brownish. They would all work. Let me know how it turns out, Liz. -D
Will do!
Semi-homemade is how I roll, Marian! I add fresh ingredients to a jar of tomatio sauce, a can of soup (along with chicken stock) to a fresh bean and fresh mushroom casserole. I don’t mind a bit. Experiencing your same situation, I have dug through the trash (in the trash bin, too) for my missing item. It’s maddening. Your soup sounds and looks delicious! Bon appetit!
Thanks, Melanie. I think we creative types are more prone to such experiences. And as Elfrieda reminds me, growing older may ave a factor. 😀
😂😂
Semi homemade is great. My son’s girlfriend also makes soups for me–completely homemade with squash from their garden. And I always keep boxes of organic Imagine vegetable soups in the pantry. One box of winter squash soup tastes homemade and lasts for about 3 lunches. (Now there’s a confession from a woman who lives alone.)
I love it, Elaine!
Just like magicians, we can conjure up soups from garden items. I’m glad too you have generous son and girlfriend close by. What a boon!
I just made lentil soup the other night. Never one to faithfully follow a recipe, of course it had my twist on it, and turned out fairly good. I love to make homemade soups and stews, really relishing the smell as they cook up. But like others here, semi-homemade is still homemade!
Good point: “Semi-homemade is still homemade!” Like you, except for the ingredients, I seldom follow a recipe, which adds to the experience. Thank you, Ginger! 😀
Spot on ! I could not have said it better, Jean!
I’m losing things a lot lately too. Too many irons in the fire…or leprechauns. 🙂
Let’s pick leprechauns, Jenn. It sounds more magical.
You’ve had transitions in your family lately and a busy Etsy business. Busy-ness helps us stay out of trouble, but it also distracts our concentration! 😀
I once bought the perfect anniversary gift for my wife sixth months in advance. Not wanting her to find it, I hid it. The funny thing was that I hid it so well I couldn’t find it. About two days before the big day, I finally found it. Afterward, we had a big laugh about that.
I find barley much taster than lentils, though I can see all the flavorings in your recipe would spice it up.
Pete, I’ve noticed that whatever my topic, you come up with the perfect story. At least you found the gift before your anniversary–ha! Cliff has said that, growing up, he would hide cookies from his brother. When he found them at last, they’d be hard as rocks–inedible!
As always, thanks for your contribution here! 😀
HI,
Did you find the can that you were looking for?
I love soups. I know how to cook one or two that have become my favorite. Especially when it is winter here in my part of Europe, I cook a pot of soup that will last me for three or four days and put it in the refrigerator so that I can warm up a bowl of soup in the microwave for the next four days.
Wishing you a lovely day.
Shalom shalom
No, I did not find the can of lentil soup, very strange. Both Cliff and I looked for it. However, I had a fallback with the barley soup.
I like how you make a pot of soup and then have servings for four days; I do the same! It’s so good to hear from you, Pat. Thank you! 😀
Hi Marian, your soup looks great. I cook from scratch but only 4 times a week. Mom cooks the other days and she also does a 70% bought and 30% fresh approach 🤗
How fortunate to have a Mom around to cook; and how wonderful your kids have the influence of a grandmother too. Thanks for the compliment, Robbie. The soup was tasty! 😀
We always have to be ready to improvise in the kitchen! Personally, I don’t use canned soups. I have a few of my favs I make all the time come the fall and winter. I make a red lentil soup from scratch and add chicken. Yum! 🥰
I admire your approach. The red lentil soup with chicken packs a lot of protein–and good taste. Thanks for the suggestion, Debby! 😀
Reminds me of A Marrage Memoir when you lost your glasses and found them in the freezer. Things like this happen to me, too ..found bacon treats bag for dogs in the fridge.
Susan, finding a bacon treats bag for dogs in the fridge sounds rather benign to me: We writers are often absent-minded. Ha! 😀