Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert is an easy dessert that you can make from a few items in the pantry and freezer at any time of the year. It works well for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, bridal or baby showers, etc. It is sweet and rich, yet somehow also seems light and refreshing. It is a rather nostalgic dessert as it reminds me a little of an orange push-up ice cream treat from my childhood. Plus, it is a molded gelatin dessert, which always reminds me of the past. As with other gelatin and fruit dishes, someone might call this a "Jello salad" in the United States. However, this recipe uses an entire quart of orange sherbert in addition to gelatin, so I can not bring myself … Continue Reading about Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert

Dairy-Free Potato Soup
I thought I would share one of my new favorite soups–a potato soup. Granted cream of potato soup and loaded potato soups have always been some of my favorite soups, but this soup is different.
This potato soup is not a cream of potato soup and it does not use any dairy substitutes. It does have a fairly creamy texture from blending most of the potatoes and other vegetables.
In addition to not having milk or cream, the other thing that makes this soup different from my cream of potato soup is the use of beef stock instead of chicken or vegetable. It gives the soup a darker color and adds to its different flavor.
The recipe came from the out-of-print book, The Cuisines of Germany by Horst Scharfenberg. It was passed down from his grandmother.
I made just a few changes to the recipe mostly in the procedure and equipment including blending all the vegetables instead of just mashing the potatoes. Although, I do prefer to use cider vinegar, I found that lemon juice does work as a substitute if you prefer using lemon for the acidic hint.
For more soup recipes: Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset
Recipe: Potato Soup
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. margarine, oil, or butter(if not strictly dairy-free)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 lg. onion, diced
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 qt. +/- beef stock, low sodium
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
vinegar or lemon juice, or to taste
1 Tbsp. fresh parley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Melt margarine (or butter) or heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven. Add onion, celery, leek, and carrots.
- Add parsley, potatoes, and enough stock to just completely cover all the vegetables.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Cook until potatoes are tender, but not quite done.
- Remove about 1/3 of the potatoes and set aside.
- Using a submersion blender, regular blender or potato masher, blend or mash the remaining potatoes and vegetables. The soup should thicken.
- Add back the reserved potatoes and cook until they are completely done, about 5 minutes.
- Test for seasoning.
- Remove from heat.
- Add 1/2 tsp. +/- vinegar or a splash of lemon juice.
- Serve warm with garnish of chopped parsley.
Copyright ©2012.
Recipe by Paula, A Simple Home Cook.
Yum! Enjoy!


