Our local grocery store, HyVee, is wonderful.  For Valentine's Day, they offered a food package (pictured here) for $35.  

 The day before this meal, we had asparagus for dinner and I wanted to do something unique.  Additionally, the crab legs can be very messy at the table.  Some meals should stand by the saying, "if it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face" but when a candle lit dinner is the goal, I don't think this applies.

 So, I added some extra pieces of bacon to the above bacon wrapped asparagus

YUMMY BACON!!!

  

Even Yummier Bacon!

Bacon Grease... which can make other things yummy!

Like chopped Asparagus

Cooked in bacon grease

Crab legs

Remove the meat which is messy, but worth it!

From here, just chop it into bite sized pieces

Add a little flour to sop up the bacon
grease (this is called a Roux).

The concept here is called a Roux.  Basically, it's simply a combination of liquid fat (which could be butter, your choice of oils or meat grease) and flour.  However, I learned a couple of things the hard way with this particular soup.  First, less is more.  You only need a couple of table spoons worth of flour to thicken up the fat or it becomes a bit too dry... 

and then requires too much liquid which will diminish the flavor. 

 The second lesson I learned is that sometimes a stock or broth is a much better companion than milk or cream.  So, imagine this with a little less flour and milk, but a far more distinct flavor....

A flavor that comes from the bacon, crab and asparagus rather than the seasonings needed to make up for the bland flavor of the milk and cream.

The great thing about soup is the ability to adjust it as necessary.  You can change, add or combine flavors; and mistakes are easily remedied.

It still worked out well with the milk and the overall meal was spectacular!

Course 1

Course 2, with moistened and warmed up baguet

Course 3, medium rare rib-eye steak
with my delicious home made
steak sauce (which I will post here
at some point soon) and a
twice baked potato.

The kids' dinner for Valentine's Day while they watched movies and let Daddy and Mommy enjoy their date.

Soon, I will explain how soups can be made in a variety of ways, including the Roux, which you got an idea about here.  They're so easy that it's like an empty canvas waiting for the flavors of veggies, fruits, meats, beans, squash or anything you decide to add to it.

A Ladle Bit About Me:

Let's start simple: I love soups and I love sauces.

There, now that you know that, you know what this blog is about, if you hadn't already figured it out.

Growing up, I was raised with casseroles that consisted of cream of mushroom soup or spaghetti sauce from a can.  By the time I was in high school, and the last of four children in the home, I was lucky if we ate at home at all.

Some people rebel against their childhood by doing the bad things they were taught not to do.  While I can't say I didn't do a little bit of this also, the majority of my rebellion that I stand by as a full fledged adult and mom of almost five awesome kids, is that I cook.  I don't just cook,  I LOVE to cook, and I'm pretty okay at it.  While I can make meatloaf and tuna casserole with the best of them, you're more likely to see enchiladas with a home made green sauce on the menu in our home.

When restaurants fail, or even when they succeed, my goal is to go home and make what I ate, just better.

So, in my blog, you'll not just find recipes, but rules.  You see, I can give you a recipe on how to make soup, but you'll have an opinion regarding how salty it is, how sweet it is or that it's too bland. One of my favorite recipe sites is www.allrecipes.com and I'm consistently amazed by the negative complaints until I realize that these people didn't understand the rules behind the recipe.  That's not to say there aren't some awful recipes, but for the most part, there are ways to make it better, or at least to your own liking.

I hope you enjoy the food you'll make when you join me in being a ladle bit crazy!