When I lived in Portland all by my little old self after college I used to make this very soup in a hand me down pot that I acquired from my mom. Speaking of the old neighborhood, some crazy fool tried to burn it down last week. I’m trying to comfort myself with the fact that my building was at least made out of brick so perhaps he was discouraged in his malicious endeavors by that fact, because as far as I know it’s still standing.

But back to soup. I love this soup! When I first made it I felt like the Queen of the Kitchen. The company I worked for had these Panera Bake sales all of the time so I’d purchase a loaf of slightly stale onion focaccia, heat it up in my rinky dink oven, and happily dip hastily torn pieces into my steaming hot bowl of veggie and cheddar goodness. Then, I’d curl up on my cold cream leather couch (also “borrowed” from my mother) pop in some netflixed Gilmore Girls episodes and suddenly life seemed pretty good for living paycheck to paycheck and charging my blonde highlights, and mental health trips to the mall on my “emergency” Visa.

Vegetable Cheddar Soup (Based on the recipe originally published in Betty Crocker’s Easy Entertaining)

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion chopped
4 carrots sliced
4 celery stalks sliced
3 cups of broccoli florets
1/2 cup flour
10 ounces of sharp white cheddar grated
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups light cream
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Seeduction Croutons - optional. See below for how I made them.

Heat butter in large dutch oven over medium heat until melted. Cook carrot, onion, celery, and broccoli in butter until softened. Stir flour into the vegetable and butter mixture. Gradually stir in the chicken broth and cream. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils; boil 1 minute. Slowly stir in cheese until melted. Top with homemade “Seeduction” croutons and serve.

Seeduction Croutons

4 small slices of Whole Foods Seeduction bread
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the bread into bite sized squares.
Toss with olive olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Bake until toasted and browned.

Whole Foods meats are the ultimate in food porn. When I opened up my bag of stew beef I almost swooned. No wonder everything costs $200 a pound there. It’s gorgeous! The ruby red cubes were almost too pretty to put into a messy stew, but let’s be realistic people — a girl has to eat. This simple recipe was a big hit when our friends joined us to watch the Patriots beat The Chargers. In fact, my anti-vegetable cousin was totally duped into eating squash. She was shocked when I told her it wasn’t a potato that she was happily munching away on. So keep the lights dim and trick your kids the old fashioned way, without any of that ridiculous pureed carrot brownie junk. You might just get away with it. PS: if you live near a Whole Foods pick up a loaf of their phenomenal “Seeduction” bread to go along with your secret squash stew. It’s my favorite.

Herb Line-Up	Beef is Beautiful
Peel	Butternut Bites
Dust	Sun-Dried Bits
Saute	Brown
Add to the Pot	Pour, Cover & Simmer

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew (Originally published by Giada De Laurentiis)
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Marsala wine (Note: I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 to 4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley (which I forgot to add)
Crusty bread, for serving

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

I find it fascinating that as much as I hate cutting and working with raw chicken breasts, I really enjoy making meatballs. Probably because it’s the one time that I actually enjoy getting messy and I have lots of good childhood memories of making meatballs with my mom. Although, since she dislikes touching raw meat as much as I do, I’m sure she was simply grateful that I was naive enough to think that rolling out all of those little balls was fun.  Anyway, I made Rachael Ray’s Double Chicken Dumpling Soup the other day. Sorry Rachael I refuse to use the term “stoup” — although I’m sure it will end up in the dictionary eventually. Fortunately, as odd as I sometimes find Rachael’s terminology, I truly loved the flavor of the nutmeg and Parmesan spiced chicken meatballs, especially when combined with one of my absolute favorite things in the whole world - potato gnocchi.  I’m a total sucker for a hearty soup so this will definitely make an appearance on my dinner table again.

Eat the Rainbow	Get Messy!
Simmer	Meatballs First

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always loved pouring over cookbooks, marveling at the gorgeous pictures, and wondering how each one would taste. I have vivid memories of leafing through a well worn edition of the Better Homes and Garden’s Cookbook at my grandmother’s house and I can’t express how excited I was last week when I found a reprint of that very book, complete with fabulous retro images of fondue parties, shish-kabobs, and diagrams detailing how to set a table. It totally makes me want to put on pearls and host a vintage dinner party. Can I offer you a mini gherkin?

Speaking of cookbooks, I used to really dislike the Everyday Food magazine. I remember picking it up on many occasions and thinking that all of the recipes were either ridiculous or disgusting. Now I’m not sure if the magazine has changed or if it’s my attitude, but presently it’s one of my favorite new recipe resources. I’m even a subscriber (thanks to Chris’s grandmother). This month’s theme is cooking light. Now I’m not sure what exactly is light about Chicken Braised in Red Wine, but it certainly tasted like a cold winter’s night…even though it was 60 degrees today. Don’t you just love global warming?! Please note: don’t add extra stock like I did. Just because you have extra broth left in the carton doesn’t mean you have to use it. The base is supposed to be thicker than it appears in the images below. Also, I think it’s only fair to warn you that the carrots in this dish are so going to rock your socks.

A Spice Bouquet	What’s Up Doc?!
Mmm…Bacon	Mmm…Cooked Bacon
Brown, Turn, Brown, Turn	Set Aside
Carrots, Onions & Garlic	Tomato Paste to Thicken
Pour the Wine (and a Glass For Yourself)	“Sophisticated” Chicken, Anyone?

This Pea Soup is the easiest meal I’ve ever made. After a long day of errand running I was less than thrilled about the prospect of making dinner…OK…that’s a lie. I always like to cook, but I bet you’ve had plenty of moments when you have absolutely zero desire to do anything more than eat a bowl of cereal (It’s a well known fact that CK practically lived on Peanut Butter Puffins until we moved in together). Fight the Lucky Charms urge! This soup is healthy, hearty, and way more satisfying than anything that comes out of a box. Give it a try, I promise you wont be disappointed. Plus, this would be a great kid friendly dish for an upcoming Halloween themed meal. After-all, Pea Soup looks a lot like Witches Brew. Don’t forget to pick up some good, crusty bread. Dipping is the best part.

Gather & Prep	Toss in the Pot, Simmer
Slice (No Nibbling!)	Blend

Comfort & Joy

Before I started dating CK I essentially refused to eat anything spicy. In the past I’ve honestly gone out to dinner at Mexican restaurants and only ordered margaritas and snacked on corn chips, but now I’m addicted to heat. Essentially this means I tend to double the amount of spice, which is exactly what I did with the chili powder called for in the below soup as well as the chipolte pepper in the cornbread muffins.

Combine Cheese, Mix, Corn & Peppers	Spoon
Choped Onion	Sliced Bacon
Minced Garlic	Saute
Add Stock, Spices & Tomatoes	Add Beans & Boil
Stir in Oodles of Cilantro	Thicken
Fresh From the Oven	Garnish

Fire!