By Virginia Ellen

Velveteen Chicken Soup

You know all about the velveteen rabbit, but this is a velvetty chicken—soup that is.  Perfect for a cold winter day, but also suited for a spring luncheon.  It’s easy and so delicious!

Velveteen Chicken Soup in Handmade Soup Crock

Serves 4 as an appetizer

  •  6 tablespoons butter
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup light cream or half and half
  • 3 cups lower sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup shredded chicken
  • freshly ground pepper and Sabrosa Guerande Grey salt to taste
  • fresh herb garnish

Melt butter in saucepan and blend in flour until smooth.  Stir in milk, cream and broth. Cook, stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a boil; reduce heat and add chicken and Sabrosa Guerande Grey salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately in a beautiful hand made soup crock from Artists At Heart.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo SoupLemon Chicken Orzo Soup in Red Stoneware Crock

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken  breast or thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • salt and pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
  • fresh dill to taste
  • Juice and rind of 1 lemon

Saute chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until cooked through.  Remove from pan.  Add vegetables and cook about 5 minutes.  Add thyme and stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Turn heat to simmer.  Add chicken and season to taste.  Add lemon juice and zest and top with dill if desired.  Serve piping hot in Artists at Heart Soup Crocks.

Italian Sausage Soup Recipe

Italian Sausage Soup

Hand Made Stoneware Soup Crock with delicious Italian Sausage Soup
Hand Made Stoneware Soup Crock with delicious Italian Sausage Soup
  • 1 pound Italian sausage, hot or sweet as you prefer
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups beef stock or broth
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • chopped vegetable of your choice, zucchini, spinach etc.
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrot
  • 1-2 red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/ 2 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 8 to 10 ounces tortellini
  • grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Bake sausage at 350 about 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through.  Cool.  Slice thinly using food processor or by hand.  Over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in scant tablespoon drippings or olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add sausage, stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetables, wine, basil and oregano. Simmer about 40 minutes; add tortellini and simmer until tender.  Ladle into Artists at Heart soup crocks, top with shredded cheese and serve piping hot!  Enjoy.

This recipe is very forgiving and can be altered to fit your taste and ingredients on hand.

A hearty soup, this is great with fresh bread for an easy supper.

Nativity Scene Glühwein Mugs

Glühwein

German for “glowing wine”, glühwein is a delicious hot mulled wine served in German speaking countries around the holidays. This delicious hot beverage is often served in German, Swiss and Austrian Christmas markets, offsetting the cold weather. Glühwein is typically prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, citrus zest and sugar. Kinderspunsch is a nonalcoholic variety which can be prepared for children by adding the same spices to hot cider.

A set of our lovely glühwein mugs are a perfect Christmas gift! Celebrate the season with these handmade stoneware mugs. They are perfect for sipping hot cider, hot chocolate, Irish coffee, hot mulled wine, and best if shared with family and friends. The pottery is dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. Each mug is unique and holds approximately 8 ounces.  As you sip your hot beverage, an added benefit is that you can enjoy the feeling of warmth “glowing” through the clay.

Purchase them directly from us in Bethlehem at the Christmas City Village “Weihnachtsmarkt” or online on our Etsy Store! We also create other beautiful custom mugs and stoneware in other motifs and color schemes! We are also always happy to do custom orders, matching size, color, and design to your specifications.

Resources:  When you do purchase our mugs, you can access these great recipes for Gluhwein and Kinderspunsch!   More information about glühwein is available at Wikipedia.

Purchase nativity gluhwein mugs on Etsy

Some examples of our nativity gluhwein mugs