soup crazy

nutty natty would like to know about our favourite homemade soup ... well, i decided to have a bit of a soup weekend ... and i knew the bears would just love it - NOT ... but, bears aside, i was determined to give this a go ... so i got together a few recipes (available by clicking on the links) and started a serious soup making mission ...

PUMPKIN SOUP (hubby rating 5/5)

first up t and k's pumpkin soup ... i actually made this one about two weeks ago ... and i have to admit that i didn't follow it to the letter ... i used sweet potato and as i didn't have any cummin or corriander in my spice rack, i just threw in some of my favourite herbs and spices ... it was very easy to make, and tasted delicious ... it is the same pumpkin soup my sister is talking about here ...

FRENCH ONION SOUP (hubby rating 3.5/5)

thursday ... french onion soup ... this one brought me a great deal of tears (4 onions worth of them) ... i remember going on a school excursion to a cooking school and for entree we were served the most yummy french onion soup ever, since then i have always wanted to make my very own ... it was very easy to make, and i was happy with how it turned out ... it must be served with a grilled cheese toastie of some sort ... and this soup is definately an entree dish ... it isn't a soup i plan to make again in the near future (but at least i have gotten it out of my system) ... i should add that over consumption of this one may have smelly repercussions ...

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP (hubby rating 4.5/5)

friday ... my own chicken and vegie soup ... this is the soup we usually have regularly over the winter season ... i forgot to take any photos, and the leftover frozen portions don't look great on photo ... i also don't really have a recipe ...

i can say that the essential ingredients for my chicken and vegetable soup are:

• 2 packets of chicken noodle soup mix,
• carrot, celery, and onion (all chopped) and grated swede
• noodles (whateva i have in the cupboard) 
• chicken meat (which i get from the chicken used to make the stock but in a hurry you could buy a roast chicken) 
• chicken stock (i make my own, but if you were in a hurry you could use bought chicken stock)

this time i used leftovers of yesterdays french onion soup instead of adding onions like i would normally do ...

my mum and my sister-in-law make awesome chicken soups ... for a creamier texture, my sister-in-law adds a can of cream of chicken soup ... and my mums soup usually has a greated variety of vegetables (broccoli, turnip, parsnip) and herbs than mine tends to ...

POTATO AND LEEK SOUP (hubby rating 4.5/5)

sunday ... potato and leek soup ... very easy and super yummy ... our guests loved it too ... i served it with some crunchy bacon slices and some croutons ... hubby rating aside, this was probably my favourite find for the weekend ... i may need to add that i am a bit of a potato fan ... it's the hamelink genes ... i can't believe i have never thought to try this one before ...

TOMATO AND MEATBALL SOUP (yet to be hubby rated)

and today, tuesday, i have a pot of the sewing belles super easy tomato and meatball soup simmering away on the stove ... this photo was taken just after i had put all the ingredients in ... it is thickening up nicely and smells delicious ... and i have taste tested it and am looking forward to a bowl of it tonight ... i actually had a different meal on my meal plan, but this smells so good i can't just put it in the fridge/freezer for another day ... at least i have dinner mostly sorted :) ...

my favourite side to a yummy soup is a slice of fresh bread with cheese or a crunchy bake-at-home roll ...

on my to make list is still a minestrone, pea and ham, miso and a mushroom soup ... but i think i'll wait a while before i take on any of those ... i'm kinda souped-out at the moment ;)

thanks nutty natty ... the soup section of my recipe folder is now a bit thicker ... and we've enjoyed a weekend of yummy soups ...