Fall into Soups this Autumn...

Posted by Lesli

AAaaah! It's fall again. I enjoy all of the seasons, but fall is the transition from cool, refreshing summer foods to colourful, chill chasing autumn foods.

Amazing things happen in the fall. There's the huge, harvest moon that hangs in the sky; the corn maze to navigate your way through; the leaves are crunchy (which even though they're dead, they seem more alive because of their colours and snappy sound...); there's those clear, starry nights that bring on frost by morning; there's Halloween and Thanksgiving, which are awesome cooking opportunities and, of course, there's a bowl full of hot, nurturing soup that awaits you at the end of the day. Bliss, really.

I have a soft spot for soups and what goes with them: fresh crusty rolls, French loaf, garlicy bread, breadsticks, whole wheat crackers, toasted rye bread, chunks of baguette, bagel chips, cheesy quesadillas, and funky artisan breads.

Toppings that accompany soups are also endless: parmaggiano-reggiano cheese, feta, plain yogurt, swiss cheese, gruyere cheese, brie (oh, my!), and sour cream.

Unlike my younger days when I would use a whole package of soda crackers in a bowl of Campbell's tomato soup, I now eat with a bit more awareness of what I'm putting into my body. Sorry, Campbell's, but I pick homemade soup over you any day, now that I'm wiser.

Fresh ingredients abound this time of year: kale, swiss chard, tomatoes, carrots, beets, onions, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash, peas, beans, corn, basil, parsely, oregano and rosemary...the list could go on and on!

And really, once you've prepared your ingredients and dumped them into your magic cooking pot, there's nothing left to do, but let the soup's ingredients meld together. In the meantime you can relax or get a few chores done.

One more soup note, I think you'll agree that although soups taste fantastic anytime, they taste the best the day after they've been created...

Happy Cooking!

- Lesli

TAGS: Campbells Soup, Fall Soups, Halloween, Havest Moon, Lesli Christiansonkellow, Soup Accompaniments, Soups, Starry Night, Thanksgiving
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