3 Bean Escarole Soup with Garlic Oil & Homemade Croutons

Growing up my mom would make what my grandfather & father would call ’scroll & beans. For those not familiar with this language ‘scarole means escarole. If you’ve never had escarole I encourage you to try. It’s actually a lettuce but it tastes really good, almost sweet, when it’s cooked. I’ve always had it in chicken broth with canellini beans, grated cheese & crusty bread so when I found this recipe I channeled my youth & conjured up my take on this classic (to me) combination. I used three different kinds of beans because I didn’t have three cans of cannellini beans, so if you want to stick to one kind - go for it! You can skip the croutons & extra cheese if you like - but why would you want to do that? This is a quick & satisfying dinner especially while this weather continues to flirt with spring (it was 37 degrees yesterday & I think that’s pretty close to spring - today not so much.)

PS: For those observing Lent this will be a great meatless dish for your Friday dinner. Enjoy!

PPS: if you're gluten-free - skip my beloved croutons!

Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Spicy Homemade Croutons

If we have broccoli in the fridge I usually make this pasta dish. It’s a house favorite & is super easy to make from memory - no recipe needed if you make it as much as I do.  Every now & then I do like to change up even favorites which is always risky, but this time my friends it was a win - a big fat win. In fact, Chris calls this soup “the best soup I’ve ever had.”  I don’t mean to brag but I’ll take it.  It has all the same flavors of our favorite pasta dish with all the comfort of a soup. Plus, I added some spicy homemade croutons for a bit of crunch on top.

Besides being super tasty this soup is EASY! Give it a try & let me know if you like it as much as we did.

Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup

I'm no stranger to the Food Network & have spent much couch time taking in the recipes from (my mother-in-law's fave) the Barefoot Contessa.  After watching her make this soup, I needed to make it.  I jazzed it up with some of my own garnishes.  Click through for easy ways to make a new take on a homemade crouton (hint: it's made from corn bread!) & a simple way to make sage fancy.

Oh & a super huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Dulcie! Love you little lady! Hope this is the best year yet! XO