Creamy Pumpkin Bisque

Photo and recipe courtesy Kelly at designcrushblog


http://designcrushblog.com/2012/11/21/creamy-pumpkin-bisque/


Elizabeth has been wanting to make this soup for a while. She tried a version of it at our favorite local coffee house, Java Primo. If you have never been there, you need to drive over there RIGHT NOW, and try a Panini. Preferably the turkey. It is what sister and I get EVERY TIME. Also their sweet potato pie is HEAVEN. Anyway, sister raved about how delicious their bisque it was and how I had to try it sometime.

Here is where I admit - I had no desire to try it. Pumpkin is a dessert food. I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cookies... but pumpkin soup is a little hard to think about. But that is the whole purpose of this year long experiment. Learn to cook! Try new things!! Have fun!! Love each other!! Gain weight! Be fat!

I let sister make this one from scratch. While I had a hard time wrapping my head around pumpkin soup, she had a hard time wrapping her head around trying to sautee large chunks of carrots, celery and onion. I wish I had videoed her! She makes me laugh.

We made bread bowls for our soup... I tried to keep an open mind. I DID. But BLECH. I didn't like it AT ALL. However, she really liked it and said it was much like Java Primo's.

I am beginning to think maybe I don't like BISQUE. (bisques? bisqueses?)

Ranking:

Me: 3 - and that is because of the bread bowl.

Elizabeth: 7- Mom is weird, I thought it was great. Oh well, more for me. Ha!

Colby and dad were camping and didn't get to try it. If there is enough left for a taste test, I will update!

Asiago Bisque

http://www.chef-in-training.com/2015/03/asiago-bisque/

Photo and recipe from Nikki at Chef in Training



My cousin Julie sent me this recipe last week and we couldn't wait to try it! It quickly moved to the top of our list.

I wanted to use fresh asiago cheese, so we picked it up on a trip to Kroger which is about an hour away. Man, I wish we had a Kroger here in Arkadelphia. Don't get me wrong, I love Brookshires! But something about all the fresh food that Kroger offers just makes me want to move in. We also don't make a trip to Kroger without Elizabeth getting fresh sushi for lunch. Talk about a princess!

We started prepping for the soup by chop, chop, chopping all the veggies. My potato peeler broke last time I used it, so I had to use a knife to peel them,  like a commoner. Channeling my inner Caroline Ingalls, as it were.

Elizabeth was quite concerned that this recipe had wine as an ingredient. So we had a bit of a chemistry lesson. I explained that most of the actual alcohol evaporates, and there might be a miniscule amount left, but nothing of concern.

While cooking, this soup smells delicious.

I do not have an immersion blender, so I used a regular blender, which I admit is pretty redneck. Que Sera! It did blend a little smoother than what I wanted, I wish I had reserved some chunks for texture.

This is another soup that the kids really liked, and the adults were pretty unimpressed. Elizabeth took it the next two days for lunch and said it actually tasted better each time.

Scoring:

Marty: 5 - There seems to be a bit of a bitter undertone, and the soup is quite bland. In all honestly, the bacon is the star of this show.

(I think maybe he has been watching too much Food Network.)

Natalie: 5- Meh. It is very bland. Reminds me a bit of baby food.

Elizabeth: 7 - (and then an 8 the next two days) It's really good! You can really taste the cheese and the soup is very filling.

Colby: 7 - I really like it. I also like the bacon.

Copycat Panara Chicken and Wild Rice

Photo and recipe courtesy of Chelsea at Gal on a Mission

http://www.galonamission.com/copycat-panera-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup/

Spring break is upon us! Even though I still have to work, that extra hour of sleep every morning is AMAZING. Especially since I don't have to make lunches or hustle kids out the door! I can be super lazy, drink my coffee in bed and drive myself to work... and I don't have to listen to Taylor Swift, or Twenty One Pilots, or the new Kelly Clarkson song that Colby is obsessed with!

Marty actually took a few days off so that he can Colby can go camping with his dad at the lake. Lots of fishing and bike riding and card playing. Colby was excited to spend time with his dad and his PopPop, but was not so keen on no internet.

Beth and I decided Friday night would be a good night to make a new soup, and then we could have leftovers for lunch on Saturday before going to the movies. I still had carrots and celery leftover from our last soup so really just looked for a recipe that would allow me to use up my vegetables.

Ok... this soup was the biggest hit. It was pretty easy, took a bit of time. But it is seriously delicious. Very flavorful, and filling. In fact, it was so good, I made another batch yesterday. I had planned to take some of yesterday's batch to my neighbor, but I got distracted folding laundry and some of the rice stuck to the pan. That is my only warning... once you put the rice in, you still have to stir it every couple of minutes. The first time I made it, I didn't use a non stick pot, and it tried to stick. Yesterday I used non stick but put too much faith in that, because it really stuck!

Scoring:

Marty: 8 - This is really good. Like REALLY good. The flavor reminds me of chicken and dumplins. Delicious.

Me: 9 - YUM. Very flavorful. This is now one of my favorite soups.

Elizabeth: 8 - I did not expect this soup to taste this good. I thought it was going to be really bland.

Colby: 7 - This soup is pretty good.

Stuffed Pepper Soup - by Skinnytaste

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/stuffed-pepper-soup.html

Recipe and photo by Gina over at www.skinnytaste.com

This recipe is kind of a cheat... because we have had it MANY times. It is one of mine and Elizabeth's favorite soups. We decided to make it this week because we have had so many "fails" in a row that we wanted a winner!

This soup is super easy and delicious. It also has fewer calorie than some of the other soups we have been making.

This recipe calls for marjoram spice, and let me tell you - don't cheat. I have been out of marjoram in the past and used oregano... it's not the same. The Marjoram is what gives it that "stuffed bell pepper" taste. According to cookthink.com: "Marjoram is oregano's calmer, sweeter fraternal twin. Oregano = zesty + peppery + lemony. Marjoram = delicate + floral + round. The two are often used interchangeably but if you get up in their mix you'll see some big differences." I agree!!

Scoring:

Mom: 10 - Easy, delicious, and leftovers are even better!
Elizabeth: 8 - Very good in cold and rainy weather
Colby: 5 - It's pretty good, if you took out the tomatoes it would be a 10
Dad: 6 - It's okay, but not my favorite.