Valu Merchandisers of Kansas City, Mo., is now carrying the Hearty Meal™ line, including shippers, throughout the Southeast and Midwest.  Chex Finer Foods of Attleboro, Mass., is distributing in New England, and Leo Dick & Sons of Canton, Ohio, is handling distribution in Ohio, Michigan and western Pennsylvania.  FGF Sales of Doylestown, Pa., is servicing eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Frontier Soups’ Homemade-In-Minutes™ and Hearty Meal lines are inspired by traditional American regional cooking with updated recipes for today’s busy lifestyles.  Frontier Soups mixes are all natural with no added salt, preservatives or MSG, and 31 gluten free options are available.  All soups come with easy-to-follow recipes, and home cooks add fresh and pantry ingredients to perfectly seasoned dry ingredients for shortcuts to authentic homemade meals.

Suggested retail prices for Homemade-In-Minutes and Hearty Meal soup mixes are $6 and $7 respectively.  More information is available online at www.FrontierSoups.com or by calling 800-300-SOUP (7687.)

About Frontier Soups:

Frontier Soups™ has offered aspiring and accomplished home cooks a shortcut to healthy, homemade meals with 38 soups, stews, chili and chowders inspired by the finest traditions in American regional cuisine since 1986.  The gourmet soup mixes, including 31 gluten free varieties, are available in U.S. and Canadian specialty stores, such as A Southern Season, Whole Foods, Central Market, Great Harvest Bread Company, Omaha Steak stores and independent specialty retailers or online at www.FrontierSoups.com. The company is located at 895 Northpoint Blvd., Waukegan, IL 60085. More information is available online or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)

This recipe comes from an elegant 91 year old lady who hosted a magnificent family Thanksgiving dinner in St. Louis for over 50 years.  You’ll see the southern influence in the ingredients!  She, in fact, referred to them as drunken sweet potatoes.  This recipe serves 6 to 8.  Double all ingredients to serve 12 to 16, and bake 1 hour.

Ingredients:

• 3 – 4 pounds sweet potatoes, boiled in skins and drained
• 1/2  cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Syrup Filling Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 ounces bourbon
• Half bag of marshmallows

Recipe Directions:

1. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes, add butter, milk and blend.
2. Spread in a buttered 2 quart casserole.
3. Scoop out a one inch hollow in the center leaving a 1-inch rim around the edge.

Syrup Filling Directions:

1. In the top of a double boiler stir and cook syrup ingredients until it thickens.
2. Pour syrup into the center of the sweet potatoes to form a lake.
3. Place marshmallows all around the outer rim.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Or, prepare this recipe a day ahead, cover and refrigerate. Bake when ready 55 minutes.

This recipe is an Italian preparation, but we thank the Native Americans at the first Thanksgiving for making corn such a major ingredient in American cooking.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups whole milk
• 12 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
• 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 package Frontier Soups’ Roasted Corn Polenta Mix

Recipe Directions:

Follow directions on package for a 9 x 13 inch pan of white corn meal polenta.  Serves 10 to 12.

Prepare this recipe a day ahead, cover and refrigerate.  Bake when ready 45 minutes at 350.  There won’t be any leftovers, it’s that good!

For an appetizer course hostesses often serve this pumpkin soup in small bowls or demitasse cups for a fancy presentation during cocktails.  (Makes 12 6-oz. servings.)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 28-ounce can pumpkin (not pie filling)
• 2 cups heavy/whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 Package Frontier Soups’ Autumn Pumpkin Soup Spice Mix

Recipe Directions:

1. In a 3 or 4-quart pot bring broth, pumpkin, brown sugar, and half contents of Pumpkin Spice Mix packet to a simmer, stirring to blend.
2. Reduce heat and simmer on low 30 minutes.
3. Add cream slowly and continue heating on low for 15 minutes.
4. Ladle into small bowls and serve a beautiful appetizer soup.

May prepare this several days ahead and reheat to serve.  A sprinkle of sunflower seeds on top is a fun garnish!

Fall is the perfect time to stir up steaming bowls of homemade soup as an antidote to the cold. Filled with flavor, healthier than their sodium-heavy canned soups, and more natural without preservatives and MSG. Soup is easy to prepare in bulk and refrigerate for last minute meals and stretch the family budget, a varied roster of soup, stews and chili can be an invaluable weapon in any parent’s winter kitchen arsenal. Some children might not take to soup initially but using some of these tips will get your picky eater a soup lover.

1. Make it a Family Activity

Homemade soups usually require some preparation. This can be made fun by having the whole family participate in preparing vegetables and additions, measuring ingredients and stirring the soup. Many great family memories can be made in the kitchen making delicious soup for dinner when its cold outside.

2. Kids Respond to Smell and Color

When it comes to new foods, they respond to lots of the same seductive qualities that grown-ups do such as color, texture, and of course the smell of freshly prepared food.

3. Use Bread or Crackers for Dipping

Always serve bread or crackers with soup to make it a more fun eating experience. The action of dipping bread or breaking crackers makes eating soup an more unique activity. Try different types of bread such as cornbread so your children get to taste a variety of textures.

4. Immersion Blenders Work Magic

You can combine different fresh vegetables blended together that your children might not normally eat. Marialisa Calta, food columnist and author of the family cookbook, Barbarians at the Plate, says “kids will tend to accept vegetables — like broccoli, peas or even onions — mixed together in soup in a way they might shy away from if those same veggies were just sitting on their plate.”

5. Learn the Classics But Don’t be Afraid to Experiment

There’s no question that chicken soup is a kid favorite, but you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things. Use different variations or experiment from a cookbook or your own ethnic base. You could make a different version every once in awhile to keep it interesting. Try different soups based on what type of meats and vegetables your family enjoys.

Lastly, kids tend to be more sensitive to heat than adults so so serve your child’s soup slightly cooler than you might prefer. A quick fix: stir in a small, single ice cube to lower the temperature of a hot soup.

The LifeStitches project empowers HIV/AIDS women with children in Arua, Uganda to become financially self sufficient through the sale of beautiful cotton table products which the women stitch in a sewing workshop business. For more information visit www.lifestitches.org.

• The LifeStitches project directly supports a sewing workshop on the Arua Regional Referral Hospital grounds.
• These mothers who are not otherwise able to generate income need skills, materials and equipment to become financially self sufficient.
• The sale of beautiful cotton table products stitched by the women provides income to the individual mothers and their children, which improves their nutrition and contributes to schooling fees.
• A portion of all income from the table products is used by the Arua *PMTCT Peer Support Group to pay for outreach AIDS prevention education in the remote villages surrounding Arua.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons corn meal
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• Kernels from 12 ears of corn
• 1/2 vidalia or other sweet onion
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 Package Frontier Soups Green Onion Dip Mix (or 1 tablespoon snipped chives and 1 teaspoon thyme)

Recipe Directions:

1. Butter the inside of a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex pan or other casserole and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of corn meal.
2. In a food processor combine 2 cups of the corn kernels, onion, Tabasco and salt and pepper. Process until creamy.
3. In a large bowl beat eggs, stir in the cream and the pureed corn mixture, all remaining kernels, grated cheese, corn meal and green onion seasonings.
4. Pour into the prepared casserole.
5. Can be refrigerated overnight, brought to room temperature and baked, or baked immediately in a 350 degree oven for one hour. (If using a deeper casserole, may need 10 more minutes until firm.)
6. Allow pudding to sit for five minutes then slice into squares and serve.

All grains, when they grow in the field, have three parts: the bran, germ and endosperm, as shown in the illustration here. Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. Enriched (”white”) flour contains only the endosperm, while whole grain flour contains extra protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals that are found only in the bran and germ. All three parts are important!

The following are considered whole grains, when all three parts – the bran, germ, and endosperm are included:

Amaranth, Barley (lightly pearled), Brown and Colored Rice, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Corn and Whole Cornmeal, Emmer, Farro, Grano (lightly pearled wheat), Kamut® grain, Millet, Oatmeal and Whole Oats, Popcorn, Quinoa, Sorghum, Spelt, Triticale, Whole Rye, Whole or Cracked Wheat, Wheat Berries and Wild Rice.

© The Whole Grains Council / Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust. For more information on whole grains, visit wholegrainscouncil.org.

Montana High Plains Wheat Berry Chili and Washington State Squash and Lentil Soup are two Frontier Soups that contain whole grains.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil or grape seed oil for sauteing vegetables
• 1 large purple/red onion, chopped
• 2 ears fresh corn
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
• 2 small eggplants or 1 large, cut up
• 1 pint small patty pan squash or zucchini, ends cut off, cut in quarters
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves snipped into strips
• 1 cup chicken broth

Vegetable Stew Recipe Directions:

1. Heat 1 – 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet and saute onion.
2. Spread onions at bottom of large casserole or 2 medium baking dishes.
3. Cut kernels off cobs and sprinkle on top of onions.
4. Sprinkle fresh spinach leaves on top of onion.
5. Crumble and saute turkey sausage in skillet.  When lightly browned spread it in the casserole.
6. Heat additional 4 tablespoons of oil and saute eggplant until lightly browned.  Layer eggplant into casserole.
   OR, Toss chunks of eggplant and mushrooms in 4 Tablespoons oil.  Place onto baking sheet and roast in 450 degree oven about 18 minutes.  Use spatula to remove and spread in the casserole.
7. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and saute mushrooms.  Layer them into casserole.
8. Sprinkle diced tomato, feta cheese and basil on top.
9. Pour over broth, cover, and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
10. Remove foil and serve with crusty Italian bread!

Anderson’s background includes many years managing sales, operations and distribution for a number of manufacturing firms. Most recently, he was an executive with Milwaukee-based
Lakeside Manufacturing, which primarily focuses on the food service industry. There he was certified as a Food Service Professional, using that expertise to strengthen many key relationships for the company.

“We couldn’t have brought anyone on board who is more familiar with our operations at Frontier Soups,” said Trisha Anderson, the company’s founder. “Jim is my husband and has supported and encouraged me since I started the business 25 years ago in our basement. He is a great addition, and I am very happy to have him as an official part of our management team.”

Since incorporating with three gourmet soup mixes in 1986 and exhibiting at its first Fancy Food Show with six mixes in 1991, Frontier Soups has grown to 36 all natural soups, stews, chili and chowders with no salt, preservatives or MSG; 31 of the mixes are gluten free.

More information is available online at www.FrontierSoups.com or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)

About Frontier Soups:

Frontier Soups™ has offered aspiring and accomplished home cooks a shortcut to healthy, homemade meals with 38 soups, stews, chili and chowders inspired by the finest traditions in American regional cuisine since 1986. The gourmet soup mixes, including 31 gluten free varieties, are available in U.S. and Canadian specialty stores, such as A Southern Season, Whole Foods, Central Market, Great Harvest Bread Company, Omaha Steak stores and independent specialty retailers or online at www.FrontierSoups.com. The company is located at 895 Northpoint Blvd., Waukegan, IL 60085. More information is available online or by calling 1-800-300-7687 (SOUP.)