Who doesn't need a list of soup recipes for winter?

You can skip all the talk and go straight to the soup list, below. OR you can listen to me share why I love making chicken stock and---though expensive---why I splurge on organic and/or farm-raised chickens:

I am a big fan of farm-raised chicken. I actually buy 4 chickens a month (remember: I have two teen sons who eat a lot!) from a tiny new farm in my area. It is a pleasure to know the farmers---and they like knowing their chickens are appreciated. But note: their farm chickens are about the same price as the [somewhat pricey] organic chickens at the grocery store. Why?

Over the years, chicken has become an affordable meat---less expensive than other meats. On my tiny little soapbox: chicken is inexpensive because they have been bred to plump up really fast on inexpensive food, are kept in a tiny environment so they don't take up room, then are processed rapidly... sometimes up to 90 birds a minute.

Chicken used to be very expensive; some 60 years ago folks ate rabbit instead (rabbit was less expensive than chicken). Why do today's 'organic' chickens cost so much? It takes twice as long for them to become market size, on more expensive (GMO and often soy free) feed, and they roam so it adds time/space/cost to manage.

Needless to say, when I do make chicken (I buy them whole), I try to use as much of the parts as possible! I save chicken livers in my freezer until I have enough to make pate. Beyond the obvious breast and thigh meat---I religiously make chicken stock from the carcass and feet. Which means: it helps to have a list of 'soup recipes for winter' on hand. (Learn to make chicken stock and freeze it---it's easy!)

1. Mushroom brie smooth and complex, deep earthy flavors. Secret ingredients: sherry and brie.
2. Onion Soup this soup as a nickname: alcohol cabinet soup. Find out why!
3. Pear Fennel I love fennel. Roasted, sliced thin in salads, tucked into soup or under a whole-roasted bird. Yum.
4. Pumpkin Ginger Soup perfect for using up scraps of squash!
5. Cream of Carrot Soup I like curry in this soup.
6. Broccoli Stem and Cheddar Soup a family favorite: I use all sorts of leftover cheeses and heaps of black pepper.

Do you have a favorite soup? Have you ever tried to make chicken stock? So worth it (and saves you money). Pick a soup, any soup and a few warm bites will have you all ready for winter.