Soup's On

The kids were with their mom last night, so Mrs. and I had a quiet evening at home. One of our frequent activities on such evenings is to cook together. (Interpret that however you will.)

After telling each other about our respective day, we headed to the kitchen to figure out what our meal would be, as is our normal pattern. When the kids are with us, our meals are planned in advance, but when it's just the two of us, we tend to decide at the last minute. This works out really well, because the kids get input on what they're eating (and know in advance what's for dinner that week), but we get the freedom to make whatever we want and to get creative in the kitchen. (Again, interpret that how you will.)

Last night was a night for some creative cooking. As we inventoried the available ingredients, we discovered that we had no thawed meat, except for some bacon bits. After briefly discussing whether or not we would go to the grocery store for meat, we decided to have make due with what we had, go with the flow and see what we end up with.

While considering our options, I remembered a recipe for cauliflower soup that I had read a couple of days earlier. Up to that point, I had never heard of -- much less tasted -- cauliflower soup, but it sounded interesting, so I filed it in the back of my mind. It was a good thing that I remembered the recipe, because that was the basis for a soup that I whipped up last night. I don't have a real name for it, and I don't have a real recipe, but here's an overview...

Let's call it Creamy Veggie Soup

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - approximately 1/2 head
Onion - approximately 1/4 large onion
Bell Pepper - one whole pepper, color of your choice
Mushrooms - approximately 8 ounces, sliced
Butter or margarine - approximately 2 tablespoons
Milk - approximately 1/2 to 1 cup
Chicken Bullion Cubes - 3 to 5
Bacon Bits - A pinch or two
Salt, pepper and other spices according to your personal preferences

Preparation:
Steam the cauliflower until soft. Saute the other veggies in the butter until soft.

Once the cauliflower is soft, throw it in a blender with a couple of cups of water and a couple of chicken bullion cubes. Blend until it's roughly the consistency of a creamy soup, put the cauliflower mixture in a large sauce pan and simmer over a low heat.

Once the sauteed veggies are soft, throw them in a blender (juices and all) and blend until they're roughly the consistency of a creamy soup. Put the veggie mixture in the sauce pan with the cauliflower soup and stir.

Add another chicken bullion cube or two, the milk, the bacon bits and spices according to your personal preferences. Taste as you go, you'll know when you've got it right.