Tex-Mex Potato Cheese Soup... I’ve established that I used to be in a potato rut.  No longer, I am happy to report, and this recipe proves it. Potato soup is something I love to eat but never really make.   The last recipe I tried made a large pot of what can best be described as wall paper paste.  So, when I was looking at some extra potatoes that I needed to use, I decided to make some potato soup that would actually be creamy, velvety,...

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Maple S... I was not really a big fan of butternut squash until last winter.     Not that there is anything wrong with it, but I had only ever had it baked or steamed with some butter.  BORING!  So, I decided to try adding butternut squash into different recipes.  I figured out pretty early on I liked butternut squash best in creamy applications, and that is when I discovered a whole universe of butternut squash soups.   Many...

Spicy Red Bean Soup...  Sometimes you just need a good bowl of soup.  The funny thing about soup is that despite how easy most soups are to make at home we, as a society, so often turn to the cans of soup that line grocery store shelves.  Yes, they are easy to prepare, but for all their ease of use they lack any real flavor.     So, a few weeks ago, I found myself contemplating easy, filling soups that would put some roses back in...

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup... If you have been following me on Tiwtter then you know that I recently had some minor oral surgery.  For three to five days after I was to be on a soft food diet.   I know, how depressing. Well, I decided to be proactive and make some flavorful and hearty soups before I went in so my soft food experience would not be so dull, bland, and boring.  No offense, but there was no way I was going to live off Campbell’s...

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup... If you follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/bakingblog) then you know that I have been under the weather lately.  When I am sick I turn to soup for comfort.  There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup to put the roses back in your cheeks.    Of course, when you are sick you do not really feel like spending time stirring, mixing, or watching a pot of veggies get soft.  Enter my slow cooker.  It was a gift at Christmas,...

Cheddar Cheese Soup... For the last few weeks, when the Texas weather cycles between pleasant to bone chilling cold, I have been craving bowls of steamy hot soup.  Let me begin by saying I have never been much of a soup person.   It isn’t that I dislike soup, or that I think badly of soup, but when it comes to meals I am attracted to more substantial fare.   However, this year I have been making, and greedily eating, soups for the...

Leftover Turkey 101 – Turkey Chili... Last night I made a pot of chili, but rather than use ground steak I used chopped turkey breast.  Aside from being a lot better for you, and from being a clever way of using up more of the turkey meat from Thanksgiving, it was DARN tasty.  You really don’t miss the beef, and using beef broth helps punch up the meat flavor.  This is a Texas Red chili, meaning it is a bean free chili.  Beans, to me, ruin chili...