I am in a soup mood these days…tonight I made my pumpkin soup, flavored with Indian spices such as curry and garam masala. I will puree the final results to yield a smooth, thick pool of pumpkin heaven, and then I’ll garnish each bowl with goat cheese and a drizzle of honey (tupelo). Whole Foods offered a bleu cheese-walnut bread today which I will serve with the soup. A hard apple cider pairs well and rounds out the meal. If I used vegetable stock insead of chicken stock it would be vegetarian. I usually serve a salad alongside the soup, but I just didn’t feel like it tonight! I figure I am getting enough vegetables with the pumpkin, carrots and onion…Right?

The weather has turned cold, and that is not only cold by TX standards, but by most folk’s criteria! I made a pot of tortilla soup Saturday night, and for lunch today I finished any remnants still hanging around. Soup is such a cold-weather comfort food…I prefer a thick soup, a soup that sticks with you. My tortilla soup is filled with smoked chicken, brown rice, diced tomatoes, and corn. I top it off at the end with cilantro, fresh lime juice, tortillas, sour cream, cheese and avocado or guacamole. Like I said, I like it thick! There are many versions of tortilla soup floating around…some are creamy, some brothy, others somewhere in-between the two. Some have chicken, others are vegetarian. Mine is a combination of all those aspects of different recipes I liked. I try to keep it healthy, and as long as I watch the amount of cheese and tortillas I add to my bowl it is.

I pondered my menu for the week as I savored the final spoonfuls of my soup. I find it difficult to come up with healthy meals which everyone will happily eat (key words being ‘happily eat’). My oldest son, the one in college, has always been a picky eater. He is home for another (oh-so-short) week, and I am trying to include foods he likes. My younger son is much more adventurous and willing to try most anything I make. And my husband wants food that is healthy…which happens to be the exact opposite of the food my eldest finds acceptable…I love my food, and I prefer it to eating out most of the time. But in the end one is only as good a cook as those who eat their food determine. Hence, the dilemma I now face. Had I been a smart mom, I would have established from the very beginning that my kids would eat the meal I cooked – no special offers, short-order cooking, etc…I suppose I could still do that, but I know I won’t…so back my planning!