Red pepper and tomato soup (so shouldn't this be red?)

Another recipe from James McNair - and you'd think from the name, it would be much redder. OK, Patricia Brabent's photo in his cookbook is much redder but in the interest of full disclosure, my photo is unretouched. Tomatoes available lately in the great state of Massachusetts have been most unappealing and unappetizing. But come on, if they are shipped all the way from California, shouldn't they be better (sorry Barbara Kingsolver, I am weak. Although I will probably make due without until spring). All that aside, this was a very good soup. I got lots of good red pepper favor and I will make it again.

Soup, mmm (part 7)

This cream of mushroom soup is second only to Butternut Squash Soup (found here: http://lifeonplanetpatricia.blogspot.com/2008/11/soup-mmm.html).

And guess what? Here's the recipe. OK, it's not crystal clear (focus wise) but it's my first successful scan on the new printer (all the others were cutting off below the ingredient list). I used a combination of white and portabello mushrooms. Next time I make this, I might decrease the wine a little and add a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream before serving)

Soup, mmm (part 2)

Here's what I'm cooking - pasta fagioli. I usually make this with cannellini beans but this time I tried it with kidney beans. I either didn't use enough beans or used to much of everything else because the ratios seemed wrong. I want at least one bean in every spoonful. But nothing to be done about it - I'm not soaking more beans overnight and adding them; that just wouldn't work. And the tomatoes - ehh - not the greatest. Still the soup was good. I had doubts about my stock this go round because it seemed a little cloudy but it seemed fine. One picture is of soup, one is of soup with cheese and cookbook (OK, sorry, I bought a camera, I started a blog. What did you think was going to happen?) - James McNair's Soup. He has a whole series - soup, fish, pizza, pasta, chicken, more. The recipes I've tried are fantastic; some are way over the top ingredients wise (for me anyway). The photography by Patricia Brabent is fantastic. She makes you want to cook and eat everything.