Souper Bowl!

Now that the Super Bowl is over (and not with a particularly happy conclusion), it's time to get back to the real SOUPER BOWL.

Since Gerry is now home during the day I've been making lunch our more substantial meal, which still allows me to cook (something I enjoy doing) and still gives us the balance of the day to work off those calories.

Dinner is most often a bowl of soup and I've enjoyed exploring the Soup Boards of Pinterest for ideas.  Cooking for just the two of us can be difficult (unless one likes eating leftovers for the rest of the week) but leftover soup is an entirely different beast.  Soups often improve with a little time spent in the fridge and are better eaten leftover as the flavors have more chance to marry.

Here are some of the recipes we've tried this year:

Bloody Mary Chili from The Pioneer Woman





We enjoyed this during the game yesterday and it makes a lot.  I was certain there would be leftovers but NO!  It was enjoyed by all - even the 3-year-old (so not too spicy at all).  I did make it exactly as she did (even mixing up the "Bloody Mary" separately before adding - though I used a 4-cup measuring cup because it made it easier to pour into the pot) but here are some ideas for changes:

1. I bought actual Bloody Mary mix (V8 brand) and had the hubby try it solo.  He said spicy V8 would have worked just fine.
2. I'm trying to use up some liquor "leftovers" from bartending days so I had vodka on hand.  If you don't I would not suggest buying even a small bottle of vodka just for this recipe.  You could either buy one of those teeny tiny bottles (I call them a "nip") and they have them everywhere now and are pretty inexpensive.  One small bottle would be the 1/4 cup you'd need.  Or...just omit it.  I'm still trying to figure out the fascination with adding vodka - it's pretty much tasteless (especially when the alcohol is cooked out) but what the heck?  It uses up something I have on hand!

Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

 from A New York Foodie

This was our vegetarian option yesterday (I also figured the 3-year-old might not like the spicier chili above - kids!  They keep you guessing!!!)  My vegetarian sister-in-law suggested I could add meat to the leftovers for Gerry & me, however, we frequently eat "meatless" meals these days so this soup will neither go to waste nor have meat added to it.

The only "change" I made to this recipe was to add the parsley (dried because that's all I had) plus fresh rosemary with the other ingredients (rather than waiting until the last 10 minutes).  I was making this ahead to reheat when everyone came over plus I felt there wasn't really any other seasoning in the soup and I thought I'd like to give the rosemary/parsley a bit of time to infuse the veggies with some flavor.

~later, tw