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All this rainy weather meant time for some soup. Soup is an absolute must in our household during colder weather… the only question this time was what kind of soup did we feel like? Since I had already made Cream of Mushroom soup in this post and French Onion soup in this post, we thought we should try something different, that’s when Chicken Tortilla soup came to mind. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try, and after the final product was served….. decided to never lose the piece of paper with the secret ingredients, & tomato sauce stains (lucky for you I’m letting you in on the secret fabulous recipe I found) the soup was THAT good, so you have to try it !!!!!

For someone who hates onions, I’m not quite sure how my obsession with French Onion soup came about. A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and I had lunch at “That Bar” which just opened in downtown Danville. After I was done checking out the restaurants upbeat environment, which includes several flat screen TV’s and a Piano Bar, I took a look at the menu. Usually, I am the type of person a waiter wants to kill because I take forever to order, but not this time. The second I saw French Onion Soup it was a done deal. Ever since lunch at That Bar, I have been craving the soup. I was nervous about making my own at
home because sometimes (depending on the recipe) it can turn out to salty, but this recipe from Julia Child’s Cookbook, was simple perfection. Once topped with crusted french bread and fresh melted Gruyere cheese, it became my masterpiece. It also gave me an excuse to use the cute soup bowls from Crate & Barrel that my sister gave me for Christmas.

It has been so cold the past few days, that a creamy soup sounded quite appropriate. Last winter I picked up some mushroom soup from the local store, Linardi’s and ever since have been craving it (I think it’s just the time of year that brought back the craving). I found this delicious recipe which includes both portobello mushrooms (my favorite) and crimini mushrooms. The process of washing, peeling, chopping, and simmering took quite a while. But… the lengthy process led to the delicous smell from the sherry wine, fresh garlic, and mushrooms which lingered through the house all day long. It tortured every family member and guest who walked in the door that day. After pureeing all the ingredients in a blender, the soup became thick creamy goodness. Don’t forget to pick up some fresh french bread because dunking the bread in the soup is by far the best way to eat it. What could be better than a cup of creamy soup with warm olive bread on a cold rainy day!

{ Fresh Rosemary from my backyard }

{ Not a fan of onion cutting it leads to crying}

{ Mushrooms, Onions, Sherry Wine, Fresh Garlic }

{ Portobello and Crimini Mushrooms }