There are a multitude of things I like about this soup; #1 It is super green – one of my favorite colors, #2 It is super healthy – no roux or cream to thicken, and #3 It is super versatile.

It is just right for St. Patrick’s Day thanks to it’s super greenness (only about 23 day away – yes I do count it down- I can’t help it – I’m 100% Irish !) It is already plenty healthy as is, but even more so when prepared vegetarian style using vegetable broth and tofu instead of chicken broth and chicken. And it is perfect for Lent, just replace the chicken with cooked and diced shrimp and you’re all set for a Friday night meal.

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The second of February! How is that even possible? I still have not gotten used to writing 2010! Honestly, sometimes I still write 19—when putting down the date on something. I guess that’s because we still do have to put 19—on so many things; for instance; when you have to fill in your date of birth, your kids’ birthdays, the year you graduated from high school… it all starts with 19, not 20….so I guess it’s understandable, but really, how can it already be February 2010?

Since this is so confounding to me, how about something I totally understand, appreciate, love and might be a just a little wee bit obsessive about? Trader Joe’s! I adore Trader Joe’s! Of course, I’m not the only one – for proof of that GO TO THIS LINK and be one of the more than 528,000 people who have already viewed this little ode to Trader Joe’s.”  As I watched this video; I smiled, I laughed out loud, and I shook my head in complete agreement.  After you watch, please share your thoughts and comments with me, and I’ll randomly pick one winner from all the comments. That person will receive a bag, full of some of “My Favorite –Must Have” items from TJ’s.

In that same vein, every single ingredient for today and tomorrow’s recipes are from my neighborhood TJ’s. And to prove my devotion to them and to you, I even went there on a Sunday to purchase it all!  As a rule, I do not visit TJ’s on a weekend day, but for you…I made the sacrifice. xoxo

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I have a confession…I love Campbell’s condensed tomato soup. I mean, I really love it! I don’t know if it a childhood thing, or a sick little kid thing, but sometimes I just have to have a bowl of it. It is the only condensed soup in my pantry at all times, I feel a bit anxious when I use the last can. It must be made mixed with a can of milk, not water -eeww! And if I’m sick and there isn’t a can in the house… someone (who is not me!) is getting in the car and going to the store to get me some, and I mean now!

Whenever my brothers, sister, or I were sick; we were served a bowl of tomato soup with Saltines. No chicken noodle soup for ailing people in our house.  Or when we’d walk home from school in the rain and be drenched to the bone; out came the saucepan (this was pre-microwave, kids!), the milk carton, the familiar red and white can, and a sleeve of Saltines – all better!

I found the Campbell’s sign, pictured above, at a flea market years ago and didn’t even look at the price, it was mine! I would have fought off anyone who tried to get to it before me, not that anyone did, but I was ready for a fight! For today’s recipe, I’m not going to give you the directions to make my beloved soup, those are on the back of the can. Instead a sophisticated tomato – Bloody Mary Soup.  If you’re making it for minors, just leave out the vodka – Virgin Mary Soup for them. This is not a gazpacho, a portion of some of the vegetables are sautéed and the whole thing is pureed to a smooth mixture. It is wonderful served hot, cold, or at room temperature. I’m giving you various ways to serve it with a variety of garnishes. As always, these are just suggestions, mix them up or dream up your own toppings and report back to me.  Tomorrow’s post will use a can of Campbell’s tomato, so come back and check it out, until then…

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I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet, but I LOVE soup!  Honestly, I could have soup for dinner five nights a week and be as happy as a clam. You’ll find that just about all of my previous soup recipes call for chicken stock or broth (not sure what the difference is between broth and stock? Click HERE to find out). But now that I’m working towards the goal of eating more vegetarian, more often – I will be using vegetable stock, more often. Of course, vegetarians already know to substitute vegetable broth in any recipe, soup or otherwise, that calls for chicken broth. I will be going back and putting that option into all my previous soup recipes posted here and then listing them in the new “Vegetarian” category on The Recipe Index, for those of us who may need a little reminding.  You can purchase vegetable broth in boxes or cans beside the chicken, beef, and fish broths, or make your own. My favorite recipe for a rich roasted vegetable broth is posted here, right below the soup recipe.

Since not everyone in my house in on-board with my goal, I do have added the option to place some chopped smoked salmon on top of the soup as a garnish. It is pretty darn tasty that way, so do as you please.
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There aren’t too many dishes more extravagant than a rich and creamy lobster bisque. This is a short-cut version because it begins with already cooked lobsters, making it quicker to pull together. Both of my lobsters were female (also known as hens), which was a happy and unexpected bonus, since they included the roe which is also called the coral or caviar. Enjoy and have a fun and safe (that doesn’t have to be an oxymoron) New Year’s Eve!

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This lovely red soup is perfect for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. It is decorated with crème fraîche.

Crème fraîche is a thinner form of sour cream developed by the French. It has a slight tanginess because it contains bacterial cultures. But the amounts of cultures are far less than those in sour cream, so it has a smoother taste. One of the advantages of crème fraîche is that it doesn’t “break” as sour cream may when added to sauces. This is due to its higher fat content.

Crème fraîche is becoming more and more available in stores, but is still just as easy to make at home. To do so; pour 1 cup heavy cream in a jar, add 1 tablespoon buttermilk, cover and shake. Leave covered, on the counter, in a room temperature draught-free place for  24 hours. It is ready when it is thick. Do not worry about the cream going bad, the benign live bacteria in the buttermilk will multiply and protect the cream from any harmful bacteria. After the 24 hour “counter time” place in the refrigerator. It will continue to thicken and take on a more tangy flavor as it ages. Crème fraîche will keep in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
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We all have certain foods we have never liked and do our best to avoid.  Carrots are one of those foods for me.  I really don’t care for them raw and I despise them cooked! I go out of my way to pick them out of soups and stews and obviously don’t serve them as a side vegetable at home. So imagine my shock when I discovered that I loved them in their nearly purest form in a creamy soup! I first encountered a version of this soup when asked to make a triple batch for a Jacques Pepin book signing. I had planned on just having my husband, Dave, be the soup tester, since he loves raw carrots. Loves them so much that the palms of his hands actually turned orange after eating too many raw carrots over a short period of time. He tasted it and said it was good and the seasoning was balanced, but feeling the need to try it myself before serving it to Jacques, himself, and to the students at the signing. I could not believe it was cooked carrots I was eating. What makes this soup so great is the addition of sesame oil, it is the perfect compliment to the carrots. I served this as a first course on Christmas Eve this year and served it as soup shooters for two separate Christmas parties we hosted last year.

I used the frozen turkey stock I made from Thanksgiving, so the picture below shows the frozen solid, ziplock shaped, form in the pan with the carrot, melting over high heat. No need to thaw ahead of time, just drop it in the pot and go!
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It’s hard to beat a great homemade soup on a cold winter’s day. I love soup anytime of year, but particularly in the winter and this hearty winter soup is guaranteed to warm you inside and out. If you made turkey stock with the Thanksgiving bird, all the better, but store-bought broth will work here too. Pair it with warm crusty bread and your day will end on a high note. (In the picture, you may notice the soup is missing the grated swiss cheese on top. Don’t tell my family, but I forgot to add it… they will be sad when they find out, but it honestly was delicious anyhow!)

In addition to the kitchen ornament picture at the end of the post, here is a picture of a fresh pomegranate centerpiece I created for the season. To make; stack pomegranates and use a glue gun to hold them in place.  Put the “pomegranate pyramid” on the a pretty tray or plate and fill in spaces with fresh bay leaves, pine boughs, eucalyptus cuttings, holly, etc. Poke cinnamon sticks in to finish. This arrangement is beautiful fresh and will dry wonderfully too.
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This is our traditional Thanksgiving soup. Back in the day, I went all “Martha” and hollowed out miniature pumpkins and served the soup in those. Hey, it only took about 4 or 5 hours to cut and hollow out 8 of those little guys! I am thankful that I eventually recovered my mind and my sanity and purchased and now use darling orange and green ceramic pumpkin bowls instead!

Butternut squash can be a difficult to cut, but luckily many stores (including Costco and Trader Joe’s) sell packages of already peeled and cubed squash. If you can’t find them, look at the “Tip Index” on this site and learn how to correctly (and safely) cut a butternut squash.  Save the oil the sage leaves are fried in to use in place of olive oil for just about any Thanksgiving recipe, especially those that have herbs included in them or to saute vegetables.
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Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of hearty soup and a slice of warm crusty bread. This chunky soup has a long list of ingredients but actually comes together quickly.  Especially if you use the leftover wild and brown rice (from the Rack of Lamb dinner post on October 2 on this site) and meat from a rotisserie chicken.  As usual, I use Costco’s rotisserie chicken, which yields about 1 3/4 pounds of meat, after discarding the skin and bones. Chop up the dark meat for the soup and refrigerate the breast meat for salads or sandwiches for another day.  The chicken Andouille sausage used here was found at Trader Joe’s but any cooked sausage you prefer (such as kielbasa) is fine.  Although the sausage is fully cooked, it is sautéed with the vegetables to lend them more flavor before liquid is added to the pot.  Today was my first opportunity to use my new “Elite” Cuisinart, and I must say, it was amazing, can’t wait to really put it to the test with a big ol’ day of cooking! With the holidays fast approaching, that will be very soon!  Speaking of the holidays, this would be a perfect soup to make with leftover turkey meat and turkey stock made from the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving, so keep it in mind.

1 3/4 pounds meat from one Costco rotisserie chicken; breast meat on the left, dark meat on the right

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