One of my favorite foods to eat is smoked salmon.  I recently found a recipe for Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder.  It was pretty good, but not the best corn chowder.  Had it not been for the addition of the smoked salmon, it would have been practically tasteless.

I love to cook.  I really, really, really love to cook.  I lose myself in it.  It is probably the only time my full attention and concentration is so focused that the house could fall down around me and I wouldn’t even know it. I have made a couple of new dishes this week, one of them being this Chicken and Cheese Noodle Soup from Cooking Light magazine.  It turned out pretty delicious, even with the slight changes that I made.  I’ll get my version of the recipe posted soon so you can share in the delight of this tummy-warming dish.

I leave on my cross-country journey tomorrow so the next recipe you will get from me is after I have settled into my kitchen in East TN.  Wish me luck!

Cheesy Spinach Soup

Ingredients

• 2 10-oz packages of frozen spinach
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 Tbs flour
• 1 aseptic box of vegetable broth
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

The Steps

1. Cook the spinach according to the directions on the package.  Drain the spinach well and then transfer the spinach into a food processor.  Process until the spinach is pureed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then saute the onions and garlic until the onions are tender, but not browned.  Stir in the flour.  Add the vegetable broth and spinach.  Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil.
3. Stir in the milk,  light cream, nutmeg and salt.  Stir in the cheeses and continue to cook until the cheese melts and the soup is heated through.  Do not bring to a boil.  Serve the soup and garnish with the remaining grated parmesan.

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 – 2 garlic cloves (depending on how garlicy you like it), minced
• 1 7.25 oz jar of sun-dried red peppers
• 1 cup milk (I only use skim, but it’s your preference)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 – 2 tsp sea salt (once again, based on your personal tastes)
• 1 family size can of tomato soup (or make yours from scratch)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp honey

Directions

1. Place the olive oil in a sauce pot and once it it heated, add the garlic to saute.
2. While the oil is heating, place the peppers, milk, cayenne pepper and salt into a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Once the garlic has sauteed, add the can of tomato soup, then the red pepper mix and stir. Add bay leaves.
4. Heat on medium low heat for 7 – 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove bay leaves and stir in honey.
6. Serve hot, preferably with a nice sharp cheddar and muenster grilled cheese!