recipes – By the Brooke

I know I may be a little late buuut…

Happy fall everyone!

Did you know it’s my favorite time of year? The weather is perfect- I love that midrange of temperatures. It’s the time of year when I get to pull out my forty gazillion jackets and give them enough wear to justify the amount of space they take up in my wardrobe. It’s also campfire season, yet another added bonus. I’m an avid loved of s’mores, marshmallows, and the oh-so-good smokey smell.

You want to know what else I love about the weather getting chilly? The appeal of soup increasing by 100%.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore soup normally however, my love only grows when it’s nippy outside and I’ve got a steaming bowl of yummy in front of me. I could have soup all week.

So, in the spirit of fall, I wanted to share some of my favorite soup recommendations with you guys! I know this it totally different from my regular types of post and is more reminiscent of what you’d find on a lifestyle and cooking blog but I can’t help myself. I simply must share the deliciousness of these soups with the world!

Or at least… the five of you who are out there reading this post!

Tomato Basil

I adore tomato soup.

Strangely enough, as a kid, I hated tomatoes but tomato soup? I could eat that stuff for three meals a day. I had a sort of ritual when I ate them too- I’d eat them with ten saltine crackers and would often crunch up the crackers into the soup itself to give it a little crunch. Now this wasn’t always the best idea as halfway through the cracker chunks would become super mushy but my 7-year-old self would not be deterred and persisted in doing this.

Now, while I’m saying it’s not the best way to eat it, Tomato Basil soup still is kind of the bomb, cracker chunks or no cracker chunks.

Zuppa Toscana

My friend. If you have not had this soup, then I implore you to look up a recipe and try it soon. I didn’t even know this soup existed till I worked at a tea shop here in the deep south and they introduced it as one of our soup specials.

And ya’ll.

It. Is. Immaculate.

It’s creamy, has kale but doesn’t taste like it has kale, has a nice zing of Italian sausage, and smells heavenly. This soup can also be enjoyed with saltines which is definitely an added bonus. Please give it a shot if you haven’t tried it already.

Southwest Chicken Soup

For those of us who are Mexican food type people. I love this soup because it tastes amazing, especially when you add an ungodly amount of cheese and maybe even some fritos if you’re feeling spunky. This soup is a solid go-to for my family because it can also be an easy crock-pot recipe.

Loaded Potato Soup

Friends, I must admit, my favorite vegetable is actually not a vegetable but a root. But you must admit, potatoes are quite a blessing that frankly I don’t think humanity deserves, but by the grace of God we have ‘em anyways. And I can’t tell you how much I love my starches. And if you love them too, I guarantee you’re going to love this soup. Or if you just love bacon. This is one of the few soups that you can get away with adding obscene amount of bacon too and it’s still good to eat!

This soup is kind of reminiscent of a loaded potato (as the title may suggest) in addition to being super creamy. I’ve had it a couple times and once while I was sick, and it felt amazing on my scratchy throat. Though one thing I can promise you, if you’re a potato girl, you will enjoy this soup both in sickness and in health.

Beef Stew

Okay, yes, technically this is a stew, but they aren’t that different right? At least, according to google… and you’re not calling google a liar, are you?

Either way, this stuff hits the spot during cold weather, and I’d be ashamed to not include it on the list seeing as how growing up, it was my favorite liquid-based meal (I’m just trying to avoid saying “stew and “soup” now if you can’t tell).

Stick this stuff in a crock pot and let it summer over the course of the day and you will come home to the most glorious of smells.

I personally recommend making fresh bread to go with along with this meal, especially if you have a bread machine so you can avoid the hassle of having to time it to where both things are ready and warm at the same time.

Either way though, bread or no bread, I think Beef Stew is one of God’s great blessings and it’s no wonder humanity has been making stews for goodness knows how long.

And I think that’s it! Those are my favorites anyways. I hope I’ve made you thoroughly hungry, so you feel compelled to quench it with steaming bowl of soup. You’re welcome!

See you readers!

Yet another little fun personal post. I caught covid over a year ago and while I am thankful that it is over and I got better, it has left me with my taste buds rather… altered. This list of my favorite foods would have looked vastly different before catching the illness. I used to adore savory, well seasoned foods but now I find myself enjoying much sweeter things that are a bit easier on my palette. All that being said, welcome to my list of five favorite foods! Who knows, you may find a new food you want to try?

Beignets

This was the first food that really tasted amazing after I recovered from Covid. It was about four or five months since I had caught it and I was finding out that many meats, eggs, and a lot of easy protein foods tasted rotten and weird. Event things that I could eat smelled wrong and funny to me now. But then I went to a restaurant with my sister when we were visiting the city of Saint Louis… and I had a Beignet. And it tasted and smelled amazing, as it should. Turns out sugar and cinnamon a flavors that Covid left untouched and it was incredible. You might think I’m being dramatic and maybe I am, but at the time, It was a big deal to find a food that actually smelled and tasted good. Up until this point I was craving flavors I could no longer taste correctly like egg salad, fried chicken, or roast. But they smelled rotten. Then I had a Beignet and it actually tasted amazing and familiar.

And that’s the story of how they’re my favorite food, dethroning my long standing favorite food of tacos.

Greek Gyros

What to Serve with Gyros (16 Tasty Ideas) - Insanely Good

Oooooooh, greek food. Lovely, lovely greek food. We have a scrumptious greek food place about twenty minutes from our house and it is amazing. With the perfect balance of meat and salad and seasoned just right, I adore these wraps as they don’t sit on your stomach like a brick and leave you feeling gross like a lot of takeout.

Fries

Hehe… speaking of feeling gross…

Even as an adult, I still really like McDonald’s fries A LOT. I mean, as long as they’re hot and I don’t eat too many of them as they can definitely make you feel icky after too many. But those first few fries are so good, especially if they’re salted just right. I know they’re terrible for me and I try to limit the amount of fast food in my life but dang, they really are my Achille’s heel sometimes.

Funfetti Goey

Funfetti Gooey Butter Cake - Fake Ginger

If you’ve had a good funetti goey butter cake piece then you KNOW. I don’t really know how to describe this dessert. I used to serve them when I worked at a tea shop and they were INCREDIBLE. They’re kind of like cake flavored brownies but goey-er (as the name implies). If you haven’t tried them before then I STRONGLY encourage you to look up a recipe and give ’em a try, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Some people eat it with ice cream, but I personally like it plain. Either way, they’re awesome even though they’re basically diabetes in a square.

Chocolate Moose Tracks Ice cream

Fun fact, I’m slightly allergic to dairy. But also fun fact, I don’t always let that stop me. Another guilty pleasure of mine is ice cream in general but especially moose tracks ice cream but especially, especially chocolate moose tracks ice cream. Chocolate is just good, man. What can I say? It’s also worth mentioning that I had a chocolate moose tracks milk shake once and that was divine. So if you ever get the chance to order or make one, I implore you to take it!

Aaaaand that’s a wrap! Just a fun little light-hearted post for you to enjoy. It’s definitely not a list of the healthiest foods but sometimes the best stuff is simply terrible for you. So what are your favorite foods? Feel free to tell me down in the comment below! Let’s discuss, this is important stuff you know!

Thanks for reading!