First Day of Fall = Soup!

This picture was taken in the Adirondacks this same weekend last year! It actually has been feeling like fall here for a couple of weeks. We don't eat much soup in the summer, but now that it's chilly outside we'll be having lots of it!

I made this tomato soup for Friday night supper.

Creamy Tomato Soup

• 4 slices bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (28 oz. each) tomatoes (I like to do one can of peeled, whole tomatoes and one can of crushed, but I've used lots of variations, and they all work!)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 T balsamic vinegar (do NOT omit! [in my humble opinion!])

Heat a large, deep pot over medium heat; add bacon and cook until barely crisp. Remove bacon and reserve. Remove and discard all but one tablespoon of the drippings. Add garlic and cook, stirring, over medium heat, one minute. Add tomatoes and their juices, breaking up whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add broth, sugar and black pepper; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes with cover ajar. Cool for a while, then puree soup with reserved bacon. Be careful, hot soup in a blender can go fearfully awry! Return pureed soup to pot, stir in cream until incorporated, and heat through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar. This soup only gets better-- make the day before for best flavor!

Saturday, Rosemary made pumpkin soup for us! I have always thought, "Bleagh!" when I heard about pumpkin soup, but it was really good! It wasn't overwhelmingly pumpkin-y or spicy like pumpkin pie, just subtle goodness! There's lots of pumpkins around this time of year, I'll be making this soon.

Rosemary's Pumpkin Soup

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 3 T butter
• 2 cups cooked mashed pumpkin (Rosemary cooked the pumpkin, whole, in the microwave)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half-and-half (I only had cream in the house, it worked fine)

Saute the onion in the butter. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the cream. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Puree in a blender (carefully!), then add the cream and heat until hot (do not boil).

This next soup freezes well, and contains quite a few vegetables. A lot of the ingredients come from the can, so it's very fast to throw together.

Beef and Barley Soup

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 (16-oz.) can tomatoes, cut up
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 quart water
• 1 (16-oz) can whole kernel corn and juice
• 1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts
• 6 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup barley, uncooked
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 bouillon cubes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. basil
• 2 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• Carrots, sliced (I usually use a 10 oz. bag of frozen carrots, or 4-5 fresh carrots)

Brown meat and drain excess fat. Put all ingredients in Crock-Pot and stir. Cook on high 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 hours. Can also be done using kettle on top of stove, simmer a little over an hour.

I've got a lot more delicious soup recipes, but right now I have a wiggly 18-month old doing acrobatics on me, her personal jungle gym. Time to quit!