Monday, February 26, 2018

Green Pea and Potato Soup / Souper Blog Hop


A big thanks to my daughter, Chrys Fey, for hosting this blog hop for me and to EVERYONE who is participating today or just hopping around, gathering recipes.

Twenty years ago, I penned a children's story about a little boy who loves pea soup so much that he ate a few bowls before naptime. It was so good that Gregory dreamt about swimming in a lake made of pea soup. While he swam, he ate all the soup he wanted. When he woke up from his nap, he was green! Even his teddy bear, Sammy, was green. His mother's remedy to get rid of his green was to make tomato soup. And Gregory and Sammy wondered how'd they look all red.

Original illustration of them swimming in pea soup!

That was the original story. I read it to my children and to the children at the elementary schools I worked for.

The idea for this story was inspired by my son Danny, who loved my homemade split pea soup, and his Cabbage Patch Doll...Sammy! In my story, my son's beloved doll became a teddy bear. But when I read my stories to classes in the media center as a librarian assistant, I would act out the stories with the real Sammy. He was a huge hit!

Last year, I rewrote the story for today's generation of kids. And now Pea Soup Disaster is available in print! This time, Gregory eats pea soup for lunch at school and his classmates make fun of how it looks. Ew. Bugs! Just imagine what happens when he turns green in front of them!

In honor of Gregory and Sammy, I am sharing a Green Pea and Potato Soup recipe.

But don't eat too much or you may turn green, too. Hehehe.

Original illustration of Gregory and Sammy
trying to wash away their green.


Green Pea and Potato Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
2 cups of beef broth
2 cans of Campbell's Condensed Green Pea Soup
2 medium-size potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
Dash of black pepper

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil.

3. Add the two cans of Campbell's Condensed Green Pea Soup.

4. Add the diced potato, dried sage, and black pepper.

5. Lower heat to a gentle bubble, cover, and cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

6. Cool and pig out!

**Don't forget to share some with your favorite teddy bear or stuffed animal! ;)


And here it is...


BLURB: Gregory Green loves his mom’s pea soup, but when he eats it at school, all of his friends make fun of how it looks. He doesn’t think it looks like bugs, and it tastes good! Then at recess, his friends run from him, screaming, “He’s a monster!” Gregory doesn’t know why his friends are being mean until he sees his skin is green. The teasing gets worse until an unlikely friend comes to the rescue—his teddy bear, Sammy. Sammy usually only comes to life for Gregory and his family, but Sammy has an important lesson to teach Gregory and his classmates.

PAPERBACK:


Praise for Pea Soup Disaster:

“Bullying is not fun and, with colorful illustration and interesting characters, the author handles the topic in a simple manner, giving a clear message about how the color of one's skin is not important. It is a perfect book for children starting school or joining a new school midway as it will give them the confidence and courage to stand up to bullies in case they run into them.” - Readers' Favorite (5-Star Review)

“A charming and imaginative tale that can help children cope with being bullied.” – Sherry Ellis, author of That Mama is a Grouch

“A beautiful story about a bowl of pea soup and a teddy bear with a secret that shows the kids at school bullying is never fun.” – Beverly Stowe McClure, award-winning author of A Family for Leona



Visit the other Souper Blog Hop participants:

28 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new release and fun blog hop.

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  2. Congrats on your release day! The Pea Soup Disaster sounds like a wonderful story. It would be fun to turn the color of your food once in a while. I'd have to have grape jam or blueberries.

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    1. Thank you, Tamara! That would be a funny topic, wouldn't it? What food color would we want to turn for a short while?

      Thank you for commenting and participating in the blog hop.

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  3. Congratulations on the book release! It sounds adorable.

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    1. Thank you very much, Tara! And thanks for visiting.

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  4. Congratulations on your book release! I love how far back this story goes, and I'm glad that you'll get to share it with so many kids.

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    1. Thank you, L.G.! And thanks for your kind words.

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  5. That recipe sounds lovely, and I love the idea for the story!

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  6. Congratulations on your book launch! I wish you much success with it. It's cool that a story you made up for your kids years ago is now published.

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    1. Thank you! Publishing this story, and the others for this series, has been a dream. I tried getting it published traditionally without success.

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  7. Wishing you all the best on your new book. It sounds like fun. I like your recipe. Sounds easy.

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  8. Congratulations on Pea Soup Disaster, Elaine. A fun read with a topical message. I'm looking forward to sharing it with my step-great-grand-kids. Dutch Pea Soup (Erwtensoep) is among my favourites (although I forgot that in my post.)

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    1. Thank you very much, Roland! Chrys said you bought it for your grand kids. I hope they enjoy it.

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    2. Great-grand-kids say that the book is really good - they just read it this morning.

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    3. That is wonderful to hear. Thanks, Roland!

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  9. Congrats on your release! The cover is absolutely adorable. I love the fact that you acted out the story with the real Sammy :-)

    All the best - Ellen

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    1. Thank you, Ellen. I love children's stories and reading to children, so I couldn't help but play-act. I got a lot of good laughs from that. :)

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  10. I'll have to forward your recipe on to my significant other. He loves pea soup.

    And I love that illustration of Gregory and Sammy trying to wash away their green. Best of luck with your newest book. Hope it's a huge success!!

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    1. Thank you very much, M.J.! I had fun drawing those illustrations. :)

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  11. Oh my goodness, I love your original illustrations. This is a really cute story. This sounds like a savory and hearty pea soup. I wonder if the beef broth could be substituted for pork? For some reason, I'm always paring potatoes with pork.

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    1. Thank you, Toi! You could definitely use whatever kind of broth you want--beef, chicken, pork, or even vegetable broth. :)

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  12. Congratulations on your release! It's such a cute story! So appropriate that you would have pea soup for your recipe! Best of luck with your book. That's so great that you have Chrys helping you out with getting the word out! :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Sherry! And thank you for reading it before it was published and then again to offer a blurb. You really helped out a lot. :)

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  13. I love how you came up with the story and that it's now a book. It's just the right age for my one nephew so I'm going to get it for him for Christmas.

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    1. Hi, Patricia! That is wonderful. I've never imagined my books could be a Christmas gift, since publishing was a dream. You made my day. Thank you so much!

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