Soups on!

Just before I got pregnant, I had planned a project to take on the world of homemade soups. I love soup. I love the comfort it provides on a hot day. I love the lightness of it for dinner. I love the wide variety of soups out there. However, I can't stand most store-bought soups. They are watery, tinny, or chalk full of sodium. And so I wanted to start making and freezing my own supply of homemade soups.

Then I got pregnant, sick, and then became a new mom again, and so the project was left on the back burner. But it's time to light the fire again. (Sorry for the terrible analogies!)

I've had three tries, and I can humbly admit, three excellent successes. The first was chicken noodle. We were all under the weather and wanted nothing more than the imaginary healing powers of chicken noodle soup. However we found the cupboard bare of this essential item. So mustering the strength that I had, I rummaged through our food and pulled out some chicken stock, pasta, a chicken breast and whatever leftover veggies I could find. Into a pot it all went, along with a little flour to thicken it up, and I left it to simmer. The result was a masterpiece!

The second and third attempts were from recipes, and both quite similar. One was a spiced carrot soup and the other was sweet potato soup. Both were spiced with cinnamon and ginger, and once again, both were a hit. A little bit of vanilla yogurt or sour cream added the final touch.

So I'm on the lookout now for easy homemade soup recipes. And when I say easy, I mean less than ten ingredients, made mostly from stuff that's usually around the house and cooked by throwing it all in a pot, letting it simmer, and then throwing it in a blender before serving (if necessary). Feel free to pass along any of your favs, or ask me for mine.

This project has certainly been a success. My plan for freezing leftovers hasn't amounted to much because the soups rarely last more than a day or two!