Congress And Immigration, Fake Followers On Social Media, Hearty Winter Soups

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Heard On Central Time

The possibilities of flavor in soups is endless, though we often get stuck on just a few favorites. We talk about some tasty and wholesome soup recipes on Food Friday. We also explore the role of fake followers on social media and take a look at what’s next for immigration reform after Congress failed to reach a deal this week.

Featured in this Show

  • What's Next For Immigration After Congress Fails To Reach Deal?

    After weeks of negotiations aimed at reaching a bipartisan deal on immigration, progress came to a screeching halt yesterday in Congress, after four different proposals in the Senate were rejected…with the most promising deal failing to get 60 votes after a veto threat came in from President Trump. That means that among other things, lawmakers are left without a fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, and no clear path forward on comprehensive immigration reform. An immigration and policy expert weighs in on what happened, and what could come next.

  • Fake Followers And Social Media Influence

    Some businesses, like Devumi, work to boost their customer’s social media influence by creating more followers. These followers, most frequently bots that may closely resemble the profile of a human user, help to make the user’s account look more popular. We take a look at “fake” accounts and how boosting your social media influence this way affects the platforms.

  • Beginner Tips For Making Great Soup Stock

    Soup is a classic comfort food, particularly during this time of year when it feels like winter may never end.

    Lori Skelton, a classical music host at Wisconsin Public Radio and an in-house foodie, joined WPR’s “Central Time” to share her tips for making a good soup stock.

    “If you can get yourself on the track to save scraps and then sit down once a month and make a stock, it really does make a difference” from store-bought stock, she said.

    It may be intimidating at first, but once you have it in your cooking repertoire, you can easily make it a part of your routine. Whether you’re a Campbell’s connoisseur or a DIY-stock purist, these tips will help you make a great base for all your midwinter blues soups.

    Save those scraps!

    “If you’re a really smart cook, you’ll have bags in the freezer, one for bones if you’re a meat-eater, and always one for vegetable scraps so you can always have a little something extra to add to the pot,” Skelton said.

    This reduces food waste and ensures that you’ll always have ingredients at the ready when you want to make a stock. Scraps you might want to save include bones from your Thanksgiving turkey, potato peelings, the ends and roots of scallions or green onions, corn cobs, squash skins and just about anything else that’s left over when you’re cooking.

    Be choosy with your vegetables.

    Although saving all kinds of scraps is good practice, you want to be careful with what makes up the bulk of your stock, particularly if you’re making a vegetable stock, Skelton said.

    “You want things with savory flavors, but not so strong that they’re going to overpower everything,” she said.

    Classic vegetables to always have on hand include onions, carrots and celery.

    Vegetables you want to avoid include broccoli, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy or any other member of the Brassicaceae family. If you simmer them for too long, they will become bitter, although adding them after you’ve already made your stock is fine. Zucchini and green beans will also taste bitter if you boil them for a long time.

    Potatoes might also seem like a natural choice for a stock, but they actually don’t add a lot of flavor to the stock and can make it cloudy, although adding a few potato peels is okay, Skelton said.

    Roast first for a richer flavor.

    “If you’ve got the time to roast vegetables before throwing them into the pot with water, that is going to make a really great stock,” Skelton said.

    Roasting cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms and even garlic and onions can give your stock a richer flavor.

  • Food Friday: Hearty Winter Soups

    Few things are more comforting than a hearty soup in the middle of Winter. On this edition of Food Friday, we’re talking about some of the best wintertime soups, including traditional Moroccan and Czech recipes, and some of your own favorites!

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Chris Malina Producer
  • Natalie Guyette Producer
  • Dean Knetter Producer
  • Karthick Ramakrishnan Guest
  • Steve Noll Guest
  • Lori Skelton Guest

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