soup!

I've been in the mood for soup since the weather started getting colder & after having some awesome pumpkin soup at Aunt Marie's house, I thought I would try it out at home. I found a recipe online that sounded good & changed it a bit for my taste. It was definitely delicious & super easy.

Ingredients

1 (15 -ounce) can of canned, solid-packed pumpkin filling
2 (14 ½ -ounce) cans of fat free, chicken broth
2 cloves minced garlic
½ cup of chopped onions
½ cup skim milk
1 tsp hot sauce
Pinch cayenne
Pepper and Salt to taste
Light sour cream

Directions

In a non-stick pot, sauté the onions over medium heat until tender (about 6 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add in the pumpkin, and then gradually add the chicken broth and milk. Season with hot sauce, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook the soup until heated all the way through. Serve soup over a dollop of sour cream.



Tonight I made the pumpkin soup with steak tenderloin (for the boys) and parmesan orzo. Zach called the orzo a more sophisticated mac & cheese. Caden (who is normally not a cheese or pasta lover) ate every bit on his plate. The picture doesn't really do it justice. We were too eager to eat it to manage a decent picture!

Ingredients

Olive oil
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 and 1/4 cups orzo
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 to 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (don't use the green can cheese!!)
Pan with a lid (I used a wok like pan)

Directions

Sauté the onions in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the dry orzo to the pan, and allow it to brown a bit (takes about 5 minutes). Add the chicken stock & bring it to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Fold in the parmesan and serve ASAP!