{ Comfort in a Bowl }

Well after months of almost "autumnish" weather, the bitter cold of January has finally appeared. Last night I had to remind hubby to put salt down because of icing on the driveway and sidewalk. Winter has officially come to NJ. My favorite thing to make for my family when the chill of winter is here is soup.  We have many favorites here: Beef Stew, Broccoli Soup, French Onion Soup, Spinach Gruyere, and a new favorite Potato Kale and Sausage Soup.  Most of my favorite recipes are from the The Pioneer Woman's website. Her website is full of great ideas, recipes, stories and photography tips but I primarily go there for the recipes. I especially recommend checking out her site if you are new to cooking because she has many step by step photographs of a meal being prepared that show you exactly what to do as you are making a recipe. 

I serve soups frequently in our home- prepared from scratch and I often have the children included in the process so they can see how it is made. I think it makes them more likely to try something new if they can feel like the helped create it.

Our favorite recipe from her site is her Cauliflower Soup recipe. This soup is seriously one of the most delicious soups I have ever had. It is the perfect combination of taste, texture and is very simple to make. And my children love it!  I love to serve this with homemade bread or rolls but any kind of bread or crackers will do. My kids love to add goldfish to soup.  If you've never made soup before, now is a perfect time to start.  Enjoy!

putting the cauliflower in the pot

cooking away

the finished product (I often use my stick blender to blend the soup up a tiny bit if the cauliflower is too chunky)

adding goldfish crackers seems to be a favorite ;)

yum!

even the picky 3-year old likes it

The Pioneer Woman's Cauliflower Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 stick Butter, Divided
• ½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
• 1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
• 1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
• 1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
• 2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
• 6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1 cup Half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
• 1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

Preparation Instructions

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.
Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.
Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.
In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.
Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.
Serve immediately.