Tomato Tortellini Soup

Here is another delicious soup recipe to try. I love this one - I make it fairly often. This one comes to me from my sister. Thanks Sissy!!

2 14 ounce cans reduced sodium chicken broth
9 oz cooked tortellini
1/2 of an 8 oz tub chive & onion cream cheese (room temperature)
1 10.75 oz can tomato bisque soup
snipped fresh chives for garnish - optional.

1) In a medium saucepan, bring broth to boiling. Add tortellini; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

2) In a bowl whisk 1/3 cup hot broth into the cream cheese until smooth. Works best if the cream cheese is room temperature.

3) Return all to saucepan along with tomato bisque soup. Heat through, sprinkle with chives if desired.

Creamy Carrot Soup

It is wintertime here in New England, and lately we have had a lot of very freezing, 20-below days. This is the time of year when I start craving soup, delicious warm soup that feels so comforting to eat and smells like wintertime all over the house when I am cooking it.

I always make lots of minestrone and beef soups, but here is an unusual choice that I tried recently when I discovered a surplus of baby-cut carrots in my produce drawer. This soup is easy to make (less than a half hour), and it is delicious and filling. Now I'm not saying the men and children in your family are going to slurp this up like gangbusters (mine didn't), but it's a nice treat for you on a cold day! I like to top my bowl of carrot soup with shredded cheddar cheese while hot and let the cheese melt in... yumm.

3 cups of carrots, sliced
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
4 T fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 T dried parsley)
3 cups milk
6 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
6 T butter

1) In a large saucepan, boil carrots, broth, onion, and parsley until tender.
2) Place carrot mixture into a blender and blend well.
3) In a skillet place milk, flour, salt and butter, cook as though making gravy. Once mixture is thick, combine with carrot mixture. Makes 4 servings.