Week Six

With the air getting colder, the leaves getting crisper, and the scenery filled with pumpkins and halloween galore, we can officially declare it soup season. Arguably my favorite season, soup season is filled with warm, comfort, hearty meals that fill your stomach, and raise your sodium levels guaranteed. Making a soup does not have to be difficult, use simple recipes and take advantage of things like a pressure cooker and crock pot. To craft your soup recipe, follow this infographic made by yours truly (me). 

Because this is my blog and I can do what I want, we are going to dive into my favorite soups first, then go into soups for those of you with a wider taste palette. 

This was a staple in my house as soon as I declared I did not like the chunked chicken in the store-bought chicken noodle and my mom had to cave in and make homemade. Yes, the canned chicken noodle, chicken and star, chicken and alphabet (whichever variation floats your boats) are a lot easier and less time consuming. But does it really make you happy? All you need for a yummy chicken noodle soup is broth, noodles, shredded chicken, and vegetables if you choose. It does not have to be fancy pants soup, it's just soup. Check out this simple recipe by @iamcoriyanna on TikTok! 

Another staple in my house during soup season is a hearty potato soup, which I have now made my own. Once again, this does not have to be a difficult soup, at the end of the day, it is customizable to what your soul wants. There are tons of variations of potato soup, the one I follow is by @blairmcconnell on TikTok. I add chicken for some extra protein and flavor!

Today, I made what could possibly be considered a soup, or its own food group, chicken and dumplings. This is another simple soup that does not involve a ton of prep. All I use is chicken broth, half a packet of chicken gravy mix, shredded chicken, carrots and corn, and chopped up raw biscuits. Some people go the extra mile to make the dumpling from scratch, but I do not have the patience or the time, I got stuff to do! Check out this easy-to-follow recipe!

Now, let's talk about the soups that I may not like, but you do. First, let's dive into a fan favorite, tomato soup. Like I have said before, store bought is super convenient, but does it really make you feel good? You can take the route of starting straight from raw tomatoes, or by using a tomato sauce base. Check out this link for a "lazy" tomato soups recipe. 

Another popular soup for the fall is vegetable soup. You can probably guess what I am going to say next, IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE HARD!!!!! It is literally vegetable soup, just throw some veggies and broth in a pot and call it a day. I’m just joking….

But for real, hypothetically all you need are chopped up veggies like carrots, celery, and tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. @thejustrealk makes what seems to be a yummy vegetable soup. Be sure to check it out below. 

The final soup I want to cover is a soup that I love from a particular chain Italian restaurant with never-ending breadsticks. The soup is so creamy and cheesy and just absolutely delicious. You guessed it, I love copy cat Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup. This soup does require more steps than our other soups of the week, but is so worth it at the end. Check out @spoonfulofsi for a yummy chicken and gnocchi soup recipe, and check out the real thing at your local Olive Garden too. 

Gosh, doesn’t this make you want to go start a pot of broth and let your heart cook? It sure makes me feel like that. I hope that you were able to gain some new recipes or a realization that making homemade soup is not that hard. It is arguably easier than buying it in the store, plus it tastes better when you have worked for it. If you are interested in soup recipes that I find interesting, check out my Pinterest board for soups. My food boards are my pride and joy. 

Next week, we are going to dive into easy side dishes as we prepare for Friendsgiving season. Because I am not going to let you show up empty handed to your best friend's apartment.  Keep cooking and I will see you next week!