The weather outside was certainly frightful for most of January–creating the perfect backdrop to celebrate National Soup Month! Who doesn’t love a good pot of something warm on the stove this time of year? So, some of our friends and local cooks shared what they had cooking.

Of course, there’s nothing quite like Mom’s homemade chicken soup, and Julie Paladino kindly shared her mom Sally Wilson’s very own recipe. The recipe is simple to make … but gets a super cozy twist from the surprise ingredient.

Mom’s Chicken Soup

Cooked chicken

1 carrot, grated

1 small onion, chopped

Fresh spinach

5 cups chicken stock

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour (I used Wondra)

2 cups milk

salt and pepper

4 oz.  Velveeta cheese

Directions: Cook veggies in chicken stock. Make white sauce (butter, flour, and milk) and add everything to chicken broth. Heat until cheese is melted.

Greek Egg-Lemon Soup

Diana Fotinatos shared a traditional recipe for Greek egg-lemon soup call Avgolemono. And it looks absolutely delicious!

Avgolemono – Greek egg-lemon soup

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock

¾ cup. short grain rice or orzo pasta

4 eggs, well beaten

Juice of 1-2 lemons

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Directions:

1. Bring stock to a boil, and the rice and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Combine the beaten eggs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
3. Add a ladle of the hot stick to the eggs, beating constantly.
4. Remove the soup from the heat and, while whisking constantly, slowly add the egg mixture to it. Adjust the seasoning.
5. Serve hot sprinkled with the mint.

More more more …

Barbara Lemos teased us with photos of two of her own creations, one for leftover turkey soup, and another for a traditional beef stew. And Tracy Barton shared two vegan favorites from her expansive Pinterest collection: Thai Coconut Red Lentil Soup from the Family Style Food blog, and Vegetarian White Chicken Chili from Content Contessa Cooking.

Ginger Carrot Soup

In my kitchen, I’m blending up a batch of Ginger Carrot soup courtesy of the Food Network. (It’s a bit rich, so I usually use low-fat milk instead of the whipping cream.)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sweet cream butter

2 onions, peeled and chopped

6 cups chicken broth

2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 cup whipping cream

Salt and white pepper

Sour cream

Parsley sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are limp. Add broth, carrots, and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced.
2. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Don’t fill the blender more than half way, do it in batches if you have to. Cover the blender and then hold a kitchen towel over the top of the blender*. Be careful when blending hot liquids as the mixture can spurt out of the blender. Pulse the blender to start it and then puree until smooth. Return to the pan and add cream, stir over high heat until hot. For a smoother flavor bring soup to a boil, add salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Ladle into bowls and garnish with dollop sour cream and parsley sprigs.

Thanks for sharing all these great recipes … nothing takes away the chill quite like a bowl of warm soup. Now if only we didn’t have to wait until November for National Bread Month!