Forgive me if you live in the South, but around here it is time for soup. Last night I heated some turkey broth, added a chopped onion, carrots, corn and some garlic. I brought this to a boil and then cooked some bow-tie pasta in it. Served with garlic bread, and some different kinds of pickles. Vary warming and hearty.

Also cheap, only thing I bought was the pasta, on sale for 2 bags for $.69, I used one whole bag, and we ate all we wanted, and there is enough left for another meal. The bread was free also, from a relative who gets old bread from a local store (it is still good but has reached it's sell by date). Pickles were home-canned, and carrots, onions, and corn were from our garden. So it was a 35 cent supper for 6 people with left-overs for Saturday lunch!!!

Please add your favorite soup and I will add some more later!!

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), October 18, 2001

Answers

Potato soup! Mummmm, I can taste it. I just boil our potatoes-from our garden- until tender.Drain and add milk-usually from our neighbor and fresh and free or some times canned milk I can get 4 for a 1.00.I then add fresh homemade butter-made with the cream from the free milk- salt and pepper. You can't beat it one a cold day with homemade corn bread.

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), October 18, 2001.

Potato soup has my vote too, but we add carrots and corn for color. Try it with left over mashed potatoes. It's really thick and creamy. I know what I'm making this weekend.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), October 18, 2001.

Our "Autumn Soup" is just that... every autumn we get the urge for soup. Brown steak bits in a soup pan, salt pepper, season, etc. Dice some onions, toss with the meat, when all is browned, add water and veggies. Carrots, potatos, celery, a small can of tomato paste (some tomato diced also), parsley, oregano, and 2 bay leaves (be sure to remove bay leaves before serving). Low boil or simmer for 40 min. Serve with homemade rolls or bread. YUMMY!

-- notnow (notnow05@yahoo.com), October 18, 2001.

I am sitting here eating the last of the vegetable beef soup as I read this!! Even here in the South it is definitely soup time. It's in the 50's outside today, but the wind chill is 41! Besides veggie, we really like potato (so easy!) and corn chowder. That sounds good for dinner. I always add cornbread or cheese biscuits with our soup for filler. Sometimes we have chicken strips with the potato soup, in fact that is our Christmas Eve dinner, and has been since before I got married and my husband and I have kept the tradition going. My sister and her husband do the same if we aren't together on Christmas Eve.

-- Ivy in NW AR (balch84@cox-internet.com), October 18, 2001.

MMMMMMM!!!!! It sounds pretty yummy! I am one of those who always had the soup kettle or two going on the wood stove and always enjoyed local fame for my soups.

Day 1: Too bland, but don't look in the kettle Day 2: Yum! Day 3: The best! Day 4: Add noodles or dumplings and maybe a little water to make it stretch, start another pot. Day 5: Add dog food to the old pot and feed to critters and eat from the fresh pot.

I don't have a woodstove now, and if I did our climate is too warm to keep a woodstove hot enough for soup so I am back to stovetop favorites like Little Bear's birthday fish soup, aka salmon chowder. sometimes it takes creative names to get the kids to eat what's in front of them.

I will share my soup secrets with all you folks because you're so nice and your families deserve the best.

Whatever your soup base is going to be, roast them for a deep rich flavor before simmering. You can do this stovetop in a dutch oven. I make my broths from scratch out of what most people throw away. Chicken heads, feet and bones, fish trimmings and bones, pigs feet, you get the idea. (don't let children or guests look in the starter kettle until it is strained.) Meat and vegetables roasted together first makes a rich broth, too.

For bean soup with not enough beans and way too much soup, make cornbread dumplings. Follow your regular dumpling recipe making the flour half cornmeal. If you know how to do it, convert the recipe to buttermilk cornbread dumplings.

My favorite: Vegetarian Split Pea Soup from the Barrio

Add your split peas and water to kettle according to package or your accustomed directions. Set temperature to medium-low.

Add to kettle:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 Thin sliced potato 2 Thin sliced carrots 2 Finely minced cloves of garlic 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon Spike seasoning

You can adjust these seasonings to suit your tastes. Add a pinch of pepper or a dash of lemon pepper or hide kelp in this soup or grated zuchini or anything else your family may squack about putting on their plates.

When serving, garnish with chopped cilantro, chopped green onions or chives, piquante sauce, sour cream or ricotta cheese.

Serve with hot corn or flour tortillas or tortilla chips.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), October 18, 2001.

Actually right now a big pot of chili sounds good. I have also started making my own chicken noodle soup. I would like to try making my own dumplings but that will probably have to wait til I get moved again

-- mindy (speciallady@countrylife.net), October 18, 2001.

Start with cr. of celery (homemade or canned) add turkey, grated carrots & green chilis. This is GREAT stuff!!

-- DW (djwallace@ctos.com), October 18, 2001.