Fall is here (though it’s in the 80’s here in Michigan this weekend!) and thoughts of soups and stews are starting to drift through my mind. I love soups, but I really love stews. They’re just so filling–one of my real comfort foods.

Here are a few hints/tips for the soup and stew season:

• Soups and stews when cooking should only simmer, never boil.
• Place leftover stews into individual baking dishes or small casserole dishes, cover with pie crust and bake (real homemade pot pies!).
• Don’t throw the juices from canned mushrooms and vegetables down the drain–freeze them to use for soup base.
• Soup will go farther if you add pasta, rice or barley.
• Add 1/2 cup of strong tea to the stew, it will help tenderize the meat and reduce the cooking time.
• To add a sweet taste, try adding a small amount of pureed carrots.
• To soak up a heavy garlic flavor, place a few parsley flakes in a tea ball and place in the soup.

There has been quite a collection of Soups & Stews added to Farm Bell Recipes. They all look sooo good!

See all of the Soups & Stews recipes!

And a bread bowl to finish it off!

Or, how about some crackers?

Which is your favorite–soups or stews? Do you have a family favorite? Please submit it to Farm Bell–I’d love to treat the family to some new favorites!

Cindy blogs at Our Life Simplified.

Do you have a recipe post or kitchen-related story to share on the Farm Bell blog?
See Farm Bell Blog Submissions for information, the latest blog contributor giveaway, and to submit a post.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.

What can you enter to win this month? Click here.