Sara Levy learned to cook from her mom and her beloved Uncle Larry.
He would seemingly use every dish in the kitchen as he turned out amazing meals.
Now, 4-year-old daughter Marrol stands on her own kitchen stool right next to her mom as she learns.
"Some of my favorite childhood memories were around the dining room table, eating," Levy said. "I'm hoping to provide the same for my family. When people are enjoying it and having fun, it's perfect."
Food is her love language. She's an adventurous cook, especially after working abroad and enjoying the amazingly fresh produce and spices of Albania and Chile.
By necessity, however, her meals have become more family friendly since the arrival of Marrol and 10-month-old twins, Del and Franklin. She and husband Stephen live in the Country Club neighborhood.
"I still try to make the menu fun so my kids engage," Levy said.
Trips to the grocery store are times to savor, not anguish over what to make. Even Marrol becomes involved, although at this stage all she wants is pickles.
Levy loves recipes, not just to follow but to figure out how she might improve them by adding her own touches. Although she has a few cookbooks, she finds several recipes on social media.
It was when following one woman's Soup September, where she posted 30 days of soup, that Levy was inspired to seek out new recipes for herself.
She put out a soup request on her local Buy Nothing Facebook page, received about a dozen recipes and has already tried a few.
Although she says nothing beats a good chicken noodle soup, as with all of her cooking, Levy isn't afraid to try something new.
"I've even experimented with breakfast soup before," she said.
Sometimes, she'll just throw things together that she has on hand.
In the soup world, she said, you want to start with the holy trinity: onions, carrots and celery, along with a good fat or oil.
"As long as you start with that, you can go through your kitchen and add whatever you want to get rid of," she said.
There is nothing better than soup, she says.
It's all contained in one pot, so there's easy cleanup. It warms the house and makes it smell good all day.
"Soup is basically like a hug in a bowl," she said.
Here are six soups to try:
Local News Photos: 4-year-old Marrol makes soup with her mother Megan Nielsen Amanda's Pasta E Fagioli SoupIngredients
1 pound ground turkey sausage
1 small onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
26-ounce container (or 3 cups) beef stock
25 ounces spaghetti sauce
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ tablespoon salt
1 cup ditalini pasta (or favorite pasta shape)
Dash or two of Tabasco to taste (Don't skip this or soup won't taste right)
Instructions
1. Brown and crumble sausage. Drain excess grease. Place in slow cooker.
2. Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker (except for pasta) and stir.
3. Cover and set slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
4. During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, add in the pasta and stir. Cook until pasta is al dente and serve with breadsticks.
Recipe from Sara Levy's Facebook friend Amanda Reed
Pumpkin and Ginger SoupIngredients
4 cups fresh pumpkin (or 32 ounces pumpkin purée)
2 shallots
4 to 6 tablespoons fresh ginger
A few sprigs of fresh herbs, such as chives, mint
Extra virgin olive oil
4 cups organic vegetable stock
Half 15-ounce can reduced fat coconut milk, plus extra to serve
½ tablespoon chili powder
1 lime
Instructions
1. Seed and roughly chop the pumpkin.
2. Peel and chop the shallots.
3. Peel and finely grate the ginger.
4. Pick and finely chop the herbs.
5. Place the pumpkin, shallots, ginger and some oil in a large saucepan and sauté until soft.
6. Add the stock, coconut milk and chili powder.
7. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes.
8. Blitz in a food processor, then serve with the fresh herbs, lime juice and a splash of coconut milk.
Recipe from Jamie Oliver
Bacon Cheeseburger SoupIngredients
6 slices (½ pound) bacon, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound ground beef
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
4 dill pickle spears, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1½ cup beef broth
2 cups milk
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
4 hamburger buns, cut into bite-size pieces
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large soup pot over medium high heat, sauté bacon pieces until browned (I like it crispy; it takes about 4 to 5 minutes). Remove bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Drain grease out of pot.
3. To the pot, add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain and return beef and bacon to pot, making sure all the grease is out of the pot.
4. Add tomatoes (with juice from can), mustard, pickles, beef broth, milk, red pepper, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this is simmering, place hamburger bun pieces on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.
5. To the soup, add heavy cream and cheese. Heat 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
6. Serve in soup bowls with hamburger bun croutons.
Makes 6 servings.
Recipe from Cindy Brison
Reuben SoupIngredients
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup sliced celery
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 cups half-and-half
¾ cup sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped cooked corned beef
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Rye croutons, optional
Instructions
1. In a large saucepan, sauté onion and celery in butter until tender. Add broth and baking soda.
2. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
3. Reduce heat. Add sauerkraut, cream and corned beef; simmer and stir for 15 minutes.
4. Add cheese; heat until melted.
5. Add salt and pepper. Garnish with croutons if desired.
Makes about 6 servings.
Recipe from Cindy Brison
Slow Cooker Ham & Bean SoupIngredients
1 pound dried northern or navy beans
1 ham hock or smoked ham bone
2 cups sliced carrots
1 medium stalk celery, sliced
½ teaspoon garlic powder or 4 garlic cloves, minced
7 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
Pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Rinse and drain beans and place in the bottom of a large (7 or 8 quart) slow cooker.
2. Nestle ham hock in the center and add carrots, celery and garlic on top.
3. Carefully pour chicken broth over ingredients and sprinkle with bay leaves, parsley, celery salt, mustard powder and pepper.
4. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours until the beans are tender.
5. Remove ham hock. Pull meat from bone, shred and set aside. Discard the rest. Stir ham into soup and add additional ham if needed. Cook a while longer to heat through.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Recipe from Carolyn Semin
Chicken Noodle SoupIngredients
8 medium stalks celery
7 medium carrots
1 whole chicken (about 3½ pounds)
2 pounds chicken leg quarters
1 medium onion, cut up
1 garlic clove, cut in half
½ bunch fresh parsley
8 sprigs fresh thyme
20 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
12 cups cold water
3 cups medium egg noodles, uncooked
Instructions
1. Cut 4 stalks celery and 3 carrots crosswise into 2-inch pieces, place in 8-quart saucepan.
2. Add chicken with neck and gizzards (not liver), chicken legs, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt and water.
3. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 2 hours.
4. Cut remaining celery and carrots crosswise into ¼-inch slices.
5. Cook noodles as label directs, set aside.
6. Remove saucepan from heat; with tongs, transfer chicken to jelly roll pan.
7. Strain broth through colander into large bowl, discard solids. Skim off fat and discard. Return broth to pan.
8. Heat broth to boiling over high heat. Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken, and cut meat into ½-inch slices.
9. When broth boils, add celery and carrot slices, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-high, cook vegetables, uncovered, 10 minutes or until very tender. Remove pot from heat. Stir in cooked chicken and noodles.
Makes 8 servings.
Note: A leftover turkey carcass can be used instead of chicken.
Recipe from Patty Coyle
Photos: 4-year-old Marrol makes soup with her mother