Soup’s on: Capitol Christmas Tree comes to town today

The Capitol Christmas Tree from Montana will be making its way from the Bitterroot National Park to Sidney today (Wednesday)! A quick stop will be made in the Reynolds/Pamida parking lot, and there will be plenty of reasons to check things out from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Homemade ornaments for the tree will be submitted.

• Surprise contest for a chance to win $100 in chamber bucks.

• Lots of hot soup will be served at the Cenex shop, and it’s free. Coffee and cookies will be served at Pamida!

While the community is checking out the Capitol Christmas Tree from Montana, everybody can have a soup lunch, served at Cenex shop area, and you can stop and enjoy a cup of coffee and cookies at Pamida before returning to work or school. Businesses in the community have prepared a variety of hot, hot soups, all for those that want to participate in a couple hours of fun. A free-will donation, going to the Capitol Christmas Tree fund, will be accepted.

• The Seitz Insurance crew is brewing up a hot dutch oven full of taco soup.

Taco Soup

By Seitz Insurance

2 pounds hamburger, cooked and drained

1 large onion, chopped and cooked

2 cans whole kernel corn with liquid

2 cans red kidney beans with liquid

1 can tomato soup

1 package taco seasoning

2 cups mild salsa

2 cans cooked Mexican tomatoes (with regular tomatoes, add 1 can chopped chilies and/or other Mexican seasonings, about 1/2 teaspoon)

1 can chopped black olives, drained

1 1/2 cups water

Brown hamburger and onions; mix. Add all other ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until hot clear through. Crush Frito chips into the bottom of a soup bowl, and pour soup over chips. Put grated cheese on top with a dollop of sour cream on top of cheese.

Serves 12-15 people

• Millers’ Corner is serving Stone Soup (Millers’ vegetable beef soup), and it’s been simmering for hours.

Stone Soup

Stone soup is a Grimm Brother tale about returning soldiers and their guise to get a selfish, starving town to learn the lesson of cooperation and its benefits. As with all Grimm Brother tales, it offers a lesson to those willing to read between the lines. The fable of the Stone soup is about cooperation amid scarcity. In varying traditions, the stone has been replaced with other common inedible objects, and therefore the fable is also known as button soup, wood soup, nail soup and axe soup.

According to the story, some travelers come to a village, carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers are unwilling to share any of their food stores with the hungry travelers. The travelers fill the pot with water, drop a large rock in it, and place it over a fire in the village square. One of the villagers becomes curious and asks what they are doing. The travelers answer that they are making “stone soup,” which tastes wonderful, although it still needs a little bit of “garnish” to improve the flavor, which they are missing. The villager doesn’t mind parting with just a little bit to help them out, so it gets added to the soup.

Another villager walks by inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mention their stone soup, which hasn’t reached its full potential yet. The villager hands them a little bit of “seasoning” to help them out. More and more villagers walk by, each adding another ingredient. Finally, a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by all.

This fable can be thought of as “The Emperors New Clothes” in reverse, where nothing is revealed to be something, after all. The original stone was only a pretext to start the villagers sharing in a way that they would not have considered without the catalyst of the “stone soup” that they thought they were improving.

Greg and Linette Miller will be preparing a vegetable beef soup for their stone soup, but feels the community spirit ought to be filled throughout the Richland County’s sky for all the festivities that day. The more you add to the pot, the better the seasonings become!

• Another great soup that will be served is the Tomato Tortellini from Farm Bureau Financial.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

By Farm Bureau Financial

4 cans stewed

4 cans stewed tomatoes

3 cans evaporated milk

3 cans chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 stick butter

2 tsp. sugar

salt & pepper

1 bag tortilla (plain or cheese filled)

Saute carrots and onion in the butter until tender

– add carrots and onion to the tomatoes and chicken broth in large pot and bring to a boil,

simmer for 1/2 hour or longer if desired.

– add 2 tsp. of baking soda, (make sure and do this over the sink if not using a deep pot because the soda will cause mixture to foam).

– add 2 tsp. sugar

– add milk and tortillas. salt & pepper to taste

Cook for approx. 15 to 20 more minutes

• ElectricLand-Radio Shack is making a good, hearty Knoephla Soup

Knoephla Soup

By ElectricLand

recipe is from Mark Wilkinson at The Depot

1 small onion, chopped

6 chicken bouillon cubes

6 cups water

1 small can cream of chicken soup

6 cups diced potatoes

Simmer until potatoes are cooked

Add:

3 cups frozen dumplings, thawed

Simmer for 30 minutes

Add:

1 can evaporated milk

• Lucky Buckle is sharing its Hamburger Soup for the festivity.

Hamburger Soup

By Lucky Buckle

1pound hamburger

1 medium onion

2 carrots

3 potatoes

2 stalks celery

1 can tomato-rice soup

1 can tomatoes

4 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Brown hamburger, drain off grease. Dice onion, potatoes celery and carrots, add to hamburger. Add tomato-rice soup, tomatoes, water salt pepper and parsley flakes. Bring to boil and then simmer 1 hr or more.

• The Sidney Herald crew will prepare their famous Cheeseburger Soup.

Cheeseburger Soup

By Sidney Herald,

recipe originally given by Suzie Kringen

1/2 pound ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup shredded carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

4 tablespoons margarine, divided

3 cups chicken broth

4 cups diced, peeled potatoes

1/4 cup flour

1/2 pound process American cheese

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup sour cream

In a 3-quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same pan, sauté onions, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon of margarine till vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

In a small skillet, melt the remaining margarine; add flour. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts (do not boil). Remove from heat; blend in sour cream. Makes 2 1/4 quarts.

Come one, come all to the Capitol Christmas Tree festivities at Reynolds/Pamida parking lot Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Cenex Shop. You’ll be glad you did!

homespun@sidneyherald.com