It's Soup Season Again!

I may be considered to be a bit weird, but when there's a chill in the air and sweaters become every day garb, I get excited, because it is SOUP SEASON.

At my house we've already gone through 4 pots of steamy goodness this season.

1st up was:
Gingered Carrot Soup
I had a bag of mini-carrots that was going to go bad on me and used them all up in this soup.
It also contained leeks harvested from MY GARDEN this year!!! and a large nob of ginger.
Herb-wise I added a bay leaf, and garlic powder.
When it had cooked long enough I pureed it and served it up.

It was a fairly simple soup - good for the first pot of the year.

Then I got the flu - or something very much like it - and made:
Quick for the Sick Chicken Soup
My husband bought me a pack of all-natural chicken thighs which I seasoned with salt and pepper and browned in some olive oil.
I added two large onions - and half a tsp of salt, onions are GREAT for coughs and fevers
My friend Wendy over at Wisdom of the Moon suggested tumeric for headcolds...so
I also added about a 1/2 tsp of tumeric at this point..which is also great for congestion and inflamation.
Some carrots & celery
Green beans from the garden
Some droopy cooking greens from our CSG and
LOTS and LOTS of fresh herbs from the window boxes:
Thyme, Oregano, Dill, and Parsley
That was some GOOD chicken soup!

My flop for the season was next:
Leftover Ham Bone Split Pea
Now, if you are a split pea soup lover you might have been ok with this soup.
Split pea is not a favorite at my house, and although I cooked this soup several hours...the peas were still crunchy. NOT Good Eats. Of course I made this when the Quick for the Sick Chicken Soup ran out and I was still sick, so that might have had something to do with it......

We've also been upping the amount of oven cooking we're doing - to try to keep the house warm and avoid turning on the heat...so we've made a couple of roast chickens and stock from the leftovers.

So...I have also made my usual Chicken Soup again.
And, up this weekend a return of Mario Batali's Cauliflower Soup!