Creamy Crab Soup

1/2 cup butter 
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups clam juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 
2 cups heavy cream 
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained/ 4 cans of crab meat 

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is tender. Whisk in flour, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in clam juice and chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Season with salt, white pepper, thyme, and Old Bay. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in cream and crab meat. Heat through, but do not boil once the cream has been added.

French Onion Soup

4 onions, sliced into rings
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup white wine
1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
lots of shredded cheese
Worchestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onions in the butter until onions are tender. Next stir in the flour and ground black pepper to form a pasty mixture.

Add the beef broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and thyme and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the wine and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Preheat oven to broil.

Fill individual oven safe bowls 3/4 full with the soup.

 I sliced the french bread, toasted it and quartered it. I put the bread on top of the soup and cover with the cheese. Place bowls in the oven. Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes (2½ pounds), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices smoky bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
5 sprigs thyme (I just threw in some dried thyme)
1 bay leaf (I just threw in some dried bay leaves
One 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated peel and juice of 1 orange
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Honey or maple syrup, for drizzling
Pepper
1 cup sour cream, for passing around the table

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, add the sweet potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

2. While the potatoes are working, in a medium pot, heat the oil. Add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add the onion, carrot, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, thyme sprigs and bay leaf and cook until the onions are softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, orange peel, orange juice and cinnamon; drizzle with honey and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf (because I used dried I left mine in)

3. Add the broth mixture to the sweet potatoes in the pot and puree with an immersion blender (alternatively, puree in batches in a blender or food processor). Serve the soup with the sour cream and bacon on top.

Note: The soup had a good kick to it. I think if you put in half a chipolte pepper it would be less spicy if you don't like the heat

Unstuffed Pepper and Beef Soup

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 green, red or yellow peppers, cut into matchstick-thin strips
1 stalk celery
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 box (90 ml) Beef broth
1 cup canned, diced, drained tomatoes
1/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
3 TBSP tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

cook beef in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned, stirring often. Remove beef, pour off fat and set beef aside. Reduce heat to medium.

Add peppers, celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Return the beef to the pot.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, for 20 minutes.

Cool Corn and Spicy Red Pepper Soup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

one 16oz package frozen corn kernels, thawed

one 16 oz jar roasted red peppers, undrained

1/2 cup salad croutons, plus more for garnish

1 tsp ground cumin

two 14 oz cans chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and freshly ground pepper

hot sauce to taste

Directions:

In each of 2 medium sauce pans heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium low heat. Add half of the onion and garlic to each pain and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the corn to one pan, and add the roasted red peppers with their brine along with the croutons and cumin to the other. Add 1 can of broth to each pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer both soups, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Stir the sour cream into the corn soup.

Using a hand blender (unless you are me, then use you food processor) puree each soup in its pan; season to taste with salt and pepper. Season the red pepper soup with hot sauce to taste.

To serve, using two measuring cups, pour the soups simultaneously into opposite sides of each bow; top with croutons.

Cauliflower Bisque

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter or canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 potato, peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp curry paste 

1 cauliflower

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups 18% cream or milk

1/4 tsp each salt

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce 

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add onion, potato and curry paste; cover and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim cauliflower and chop coarsely. Add to pan along with stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In batches, puree until smooth. Strain through sieve into clean saucepan.

(Make ahead: let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate, unvoerered, until cold. Refrigerate in air tight container for up to 2 days)

Sir in cream, salt and hot pepper sauce; heat over low heat, stirring until hot. Serve garnished with and coriander.