And Again, If You Can’t Take the Heat…
“I do not live off canned soup.” ~Charles Best
I do not live off canned soup, that’s for sure. Not because I’m against canned soup—because I’m not at all, but rather, I don’t eat much soup at all.
I do really like some soups (my favorite being the minestrone from Connie’s in Chicago) and of course I love clam chowder from just about anywhere in Boston. But I kind of think of those as categories in their own right.
Soup isn’t something I usually make, or order in restaurants. If I do, I’m probably counting calories…
But I digress.
I wasn’t really looking forward to making these two soup recipes, but they were on the list, so let’s see how they went.
Cook the 40
Why take on Food & Wine’s best-ever recipes from their forty years in publication? Well, after making so many of the recipes so far (featured in earlier blog posts), I will admit that the magazine knows what it’s doing.
Once again, I saved my not-so-best for last and wasn’t looking forward to making the next two, but hey, they say soup is good for the soul, right?
Oh, right. That’s chicken soup. Never mind.
40 Years of Food & Wine
According to the September 2018 anniversary issue of Food & Wine, and editor Hunter Lewis, https://twitter.com/notesfromacook?lang=en, what makes a good recipe is it being delicious, of course, and (I think even more important sometimes) the best recipes “tell a story worth repeating.” Well said, Hunter.
And so what story will these two soups tell…
I just wasn’t looking forward to making this recipe.
Recipe Thirty-Two: Shrimp and Corn Chowder
One thing about cooking soup I’ve discovered, is that it’s usually a pretty easy recipe.
This shrimp and corn chowder recipe was no exception: pretty easy and quick. If you like corn chowder, I recommend this recipe.
Okay. Let’s make this first soup recipe I have been avoiding.
Annatto seeds? Not an ingredient I was familiar with before this recipe. 
Annatto oil is done.
It smelled pretty good.
Cooking up the soup base.
The shrimp will for sure be my favorite ingredient.
Blended it up!
It smelled good!
I wouldn’t make it again but it did taste pretty good. The shrimp made the dish.
And so, what did I think about this one? I wouldn’t make it again, but it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever made. (That blog post is coming up!!!)
Because I love shrimp so much, I did eat this entire bowl of soup. The flavor was good, but the shrimp was the best part.
I stayed under my calories on this day, too. 😉
What Was I Doing in 2001? What Did I Eat? Where Did I Go?
2001?! That was a GREAT year for traveling. Why? Because 2001 was the year I took my first trip across the Atlantic to Europe.
Peter and I went to Spain in January of 2001. We flew to Madrid, rented a car, and drove all over the country. Besides Madrid, we stayed in Bilbao, Barcelona, Murcia, Sevilla and then back to Madrid. It was amazing!
For a very long time, Spain had been the first European country I wanted to visit. How long? Probably since I was 8 or 9 years old. Ever since a waitress at a Texas restaurant told me there was a city in Spain with our name! (Her name was Elda, too.) She told me the city was famous for making shoes. I was sold. All I wanted was to visit a place where my name would be featured everywhere. Or at least all over the place.
Mission accomplished. It was an amazing trip. Spain continues to be one my most favorite places in the universe. The country, the people, the food, the drink, and of course the names of its cities. XO
Also in 2001, Peter and I went on our first cruise together—and my first cruise ever—from Galveston to Cancun and Cozumel. It was a hot August vacation and the last one taken before the world changed 30 days or so later on September 11th.
When we flew to Boston that December to see a Bruins game, traveling was very different. I remember walking through Logan Airport surrounded by armed soldiers everywhere, being very grateful to be able to have made the trip.
No matter how dangerous the world may be, traveling is still a good idea.
Recipe Thirty-Three: Vegetable Hot-And-Sour Soup
According to Food & Wine, “when food bloggers hit the scene, a whole new slew of talent became part of the pages of F&W. Among the first was Heidi Swanson, who started writing her wonderful vegetarian food blog, 101 Cookbooks, in 2003.”
This next recipe is from Heidi Swanson. I admire her food blog success, even if I can’t recommend the flavors of this recipe. I’m sure someone out there will absolutely love it. I am not that person.
Hmm…cooking with none of my favorite ingredients. LOL
I don’t think this will end up being my favorite Cook the 40 recipe.
Bamboo shoots and fresh ginger. 
Cooked up in the chicken broth along with the vinegar and soy sauce.
Added the egg mixture and crushed red pepper. It looks right, and smells like egg drop soup.
This is not my kind of soup at all, but I can see if you like this sort of thing, it would be a great recipe to try.
Where Did I Go in 1996?
1996 wasn’t that great of a year for travel. I lived in Chicago and didn’t really have much money with which to travel.
I did go home to Texas twice that year: once to go to my grandmother’s funeral, and once at Thanksgiving. Both were road trips.
I have written about my grandmother before, and while she had really been gone from us for several years even before she finally passed away in this year (she suffered from Alzheimer’s for many years before it finally took her from this earth), she stays with me to this day. I will always miss her.
My grandmother, Sara Estela Martinez. This is one of my favorite photos of her.
Elda XO
For more information on both of these recipes, click below to be taken to the Food & Wine links:
Shrimp and Corn Chowder: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shrimp-and-corn-chowder
Vegetable Hot and Sour Soup: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/vegetable-hot-and-sour-soup#spotim-comments
