Vitamix soups

I'm learning about my Viatmix blender bit by bit. One of the most mysterious settings to me was the "soup setting". I didn't understand how it could make hot soup.

Basically it blends the ingredients so fast, the friction heats them up. I decided to use it to make one of my favorite fall soups - butternut squash. Now I did pre-cook the squash... I didn't think the blender could cook those big chunks.

I love this butternut soup recipe from Wegmans because it is easy and has just a few ingredients. Some bruchetta made from our own garden tomatoes rounded out the meal nicely.

I'm excited to try some of the other Vitamix soup recipes!

These are next on my list. Acorn Squash Soup... Broccoli Cheese Soup and Corn Chowder.

Soup Season

The comfort cooking really kicks into high gear at my house when fall hits. We have been getting big heads of broccoli from our CSA farm share, which I have saved up. I saved them up to make a big batch of broccoi cheese soup. I used Pioneer Woman's recipe... she has been my go-to recipe source lately. They just pop up first in my google searches and I go with my google gut on these things.

We also got a large supply of leeks in our farm share so that meant potato leek soup. I was hesitant to make this after the big scalding hot potato leep soup and burn of 2007. It doesn't look like I blogged about it, but after making a batch of potato leek soup for our soup swap in 2007, I was taking it out of the microwave at work and spilled it on my hand. It was a surprisingly bad burn... I still have the marks on my arm.

Anyhoo, I was ready to put that behind me and this time used the Wegman's recipe. A dollop (ok more than a dollop) of creme fraiche, and fried bacon ends (have you ever had those? AMAZING!) and I was ready to forgive the soup for scarring my arm six years ago.

French Onion Soup

I love French Onion Soup. I haven't tried making it at home yet. I used Alton Brown's French Onion Soup recipe which is pretty easy. It just takes time. His recipe uses an electric skillet.

Of course the best part is the melted cheese on top.

Soupin

Thanks to Facebook and Instagram we can see our fellow Soup Swappers enjoying their soups. It's kind of funny how we seem to be eating the same ones on the same nights. We started with Tina's Tomato Parmesan Soup. She even made crostini to go with it.

Tonight we had BT & Sheila's Loaded Baked Potato. The popcorn on top was my idea.

Soup Swap 2013

Six years ago we had a soup swap. Every year since I have meant to do it again but missed this day. This year I remembered and we had a soup swap ON National Soup Swap Day. Aaron and I made a 16 Bean Soup.

We had some great soups this year - Loaded Baked Potato, Mushroom Barley... I like seeing the different containers people come up with.

For favors we gave out wooden spoons with our 2013 Soup Swap logo. Now we are all set for dinner and cold, snowy weather.

Homemade chicken corn soup

Back in 2011 I made a list of things I wanted to do that year. "Make a good homemade chicken soup" was on the list.

For Christmas this year my mom got me Martha Stewart's Cooking School cook book. Apparently it had the push I needed.

Using her chicken soup instructions I started a soup from scratch with a whole chicken and lots of veggies.

I made it into a chicken corn soup. Chicken corn soup appears to be another Pennsylvania anomaly. I don't see it in restaurants or stores here in Rochester. I guess it's another one of those Pennsylvania Dutch things! But so good! Better late than never right?

I was really torn today. Today is both National Pie Day and National Soup Swap Day. Being on my pie kick, that is what I went with. I made four mini cherry pies and took two to work to share.

Here are some of my pie plates. I love ones that have the recipe on the bottom. My mom told me she just found me a pecan one too!

I think I am still going to do another soup swap this winter... it just won't be on the "official" day.