Soup's On!

Fall is in full swing by now in most of the country and you are seeing colder temperatures, I’m sure! Here in my neck of the woods, it’s been fairly mild, not too cold. We’ve seen many windy and rainy days here though and that always makes me think of soups and stews.

What could be better than coming home to a pot of homemade soup, stew, chili or chowder? Maybe coming home to that and fresh bread? Yum! Thankfully, if you have a crock pot and a bread machine you can easily enjoy these fall favorites even with a busy schedule.

So much can be done if you plan ahead just a bit. A few minutes in the morning to throw everything in your crock pot, set it to cook for the desired time and walk away. How easy is that?

Looking for some tasty soup ideas? Here are a few ideas to get you going:

• Thick Chicken Soup
• Asparagus Soup
• Tomato Soup
• Mushroom Soup
• Leek and Potato Soup
• Italian Soup
• Pumpkin Curry Soup
• Quinoa Kale and Veggie Soup
• Hearty Tomato and Pasta Soup
• Creamy Red Pepper Soup

How about Chowder? Here are a few tasty ideas:

• Corn Cheddar Chowder
• Amazingly Good Gluten-Free Chowder
• Sausage Cheese Chowder

Now on to stew:

• Tanya’s Stew with a Twist
• Irish Stew

We can’t forget the chili! In my house, nothing says fall like a steaming pot of chili. Top it with chopped onion, sour cream, cheddar cheese and even sometimes rice. So amazingly good!

• Kitty’s Throw Anything in Chili
• Cindy’s Sweet Chili
• Easy Chili
• No Bean Chili with Mexican Spice
• Tealeaves Rosemary Pork Chili

No matter what soup, stew, chowder or chili you choose, your family will be thrilled and dinner time will be much easier with the use of your trusty crock pot.

A few things to remember though, when cooking with a crock pot, don’t add dairy products to your soup, stew, chowder or chili until just before you serve. You will end up with a curdled mess if you do. Just add them enough before serving to heat through.

Also, be careful that if you are going to cook your soup all day (for 6-8 hours) to cook on low unless your manufacturer suggests otherwise. You do not want to come home to a house smelling of burned soup.

Now, for that loaf of fresh bread to go along with your meal. A few hours before you want to serve your meal, get that bread machine out and get it going. The smell of fresh baked bread along with the aroma of the soup or stew simmering away will bring them all home hungry for sure!

Here are a few ideas:

• Bean Bread
• Swedish Rye Bread Machine Bread
• Potato Bread
• Teff Flour Bread
• Tanya’s Best Ever Bread
• Jackie’s Great Bread
• White Bread

Enjoy the season of fall and all of the tasty soups and stews you can create for those cold and blustery fall days. Your crock pot and bread machine do all of the work for you, giving you more time to enjoy the season with your family...or maybe just rake up all of those leaves. Enjoy!