How about a broccoli cheese?....just add steamed broccoli florets to this recipe....or leave out the broccoli....or a carrot soup?...or roasted red pepper...I think you need something with assertive color. Recipes included....scroll down. Cheddar Cheese soup 1/2 cup onion chopped very fine 1/2 cup celery chopped very fine 1/2 cup shredded carrots Melt 1/2 a stick of butter in a heavy pot and sautee veggies. When they are no longer crisp but not brown, add 4 T flour Stir and cook about 1 minute and add 1 qt chicken broth, slowly whisking so there are no lumps cook at a simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Mix: 1/4 cup ( or if you really like a thick soup 1/2 cup) AP flour with 2 cups cold milk until smooth. Slowly add to cooking soup. Simmer for 5 or 6 minutes to thicken and cook the flour.Add: 1 Tsp worchestershire sauce pinch cayenne pepper of a couple of dashes of Tobasco. Add: 8 oz grated sharp chedder cheese...and heat and stir until smooth...do NOT boil! Serve! LESLIE'S RED PEPPER SOUP "My husband and I spent a weekend in Mendocino, and one evening out we were served a red pepper soup," says Leslie Cohen of Loomis, California. "Not being a red pepper aficionado, I was surprised at how delicious the soup was and vowed to replicate the recipe." Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr 6 large red bell peppers 2 onions, chopped 1/2 stick unsalted butter 8 cups chicken stock or low-salt broth 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon Dash of cayenne Accompaniment: sour cream Preheat broiler. Quarter peppers lengthwise, discarding stems, seeds, and ribs. Put skin sides up on rack of a broiler pan, and broil about 2 inches from heat until skins are blistered and charred, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered with plastic wrap, until cool enough to handle. Peel peppers and thinly slice. Cook onions in butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in peppers, stock, and herbes de Provence and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Pur�e soup in a blender in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids). For a smoother texture, force pur�e through a food mill into a large bowl. Return soup to pot and season with salt, tarragon, and cayenne. Reheat soup. Cooks' note: � Peppers can be roasted 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Serves 6 to 8 (10 1/2 cups) Gourmet October 1999 Ginger Carrot Soup 2 tablespoons sweet cream butter 2 onions, peeled and chopped 6 cups chicken broth 2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 1 cup whipping cream Salt and white pepper Sour cream Parsley sprigs, for garnish In a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are limp. Add broth, carrots, and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Don't fill the blender more than half way, do it in batches if you have to. Cover the blender and then hold a kitchen towel over the top of the blender*. Be careful when blending hot liquids as the mixture can spurt out of the blender. Pulse the blender to start it and then puree until smooth. Return to the pan and add cream, stir over high heat until hot. For a smoother flavor bring soup to a boil, add salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with dollop sour cream and parsley sprigs. *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth. Recipe courtesy Maxine Bonneau Show: All American Festivals Episode: Carrot Festival

Cheryl, I often get that response from my husband too..and then I will make something I want..that I know he'd prefer not to have..lol...I cater to the guys most of the time.. Kamren was just looking over my list and said I like #12 the best..What's that? Patty Melt..lol..he even likes his with a bit of basalmic grilled onions! He's a foodie..that one..appreciates flavors! He wants to be a chef..we have a highly accredited Culinary Program at our High School..he is so excited to start taking the classes next year. Yes, I will be happy to share the recipes..now mind you Ellen, the two you requested are not tried and true in my kitchen yet..they've been on my to do list for a while..and I jumped in this time around. Almost all the recipes are pinned at Dinner Plans on my Pinterest. TerriM or terri_memos Baked Cauliflower Broccoli Cheddar Cashew Chicken I have made the Broccoli Chicken that is pinned and we loved it..the chicken fat left on the thighs melt away by the time the dish is served..which is huge with my boys..they will pick apart a chicken thigh and eat very little usually.

Nope. What we eat depends on what's in the fridge/freezer and how hungry we are. In supply are meat, vegetables, rolls and bread in the freezer, some canned or dried soups, and whatever produce looked good last trip to the grocery. There are hunks of ham and cheese on hand, crackers, butter, eggs, milk, cream, cereals. We have cereal, fruit, and toast or an English muffin or fruit muffin most mornings. Eggs once or twice a week -- always on Sunday w/bacon and muffin or Danish. (We divide most muffins and sweet rolls in half.) Lunch can be soup, meat or chicken, and cheese w/crackers -- or something left over from last night's dinner. We eat no bread or 'hamburger' buns, but do have a roll with dinner. We don't eat chips or french fries. I don't fry anything -- use a bit of olive oil. Teatime is a pot of tea and a cookie or piece of chocolate. Dinner is usually meat, starch, veggie. Sometimes leftover chicken or beef stir-fry w/rice, cheese pizza w/added black olives and frozen meatballs, leftover chicken and spaghetti, etc. Evening: Small dish of ice cream or gelato, or a slice of cake or pie -- not homemade. An English friend said the menu at his childhood home seldom varied. It began with the Sunday roast and varied only after the last of the roast had been consumed as hash. His mother made full English breakfasts with eggs, bacon or bangers, beans or mash, and tomato. "Butter" was always at the top of her shopping list.

In the summertime, I like this fruit salad for a dessert. FRUIT WITH CANNOLI CREAM (4 servings) 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 1/3 cup sugar 3/4 tsp. orange zest 3 Tbs. orange juice 2 Tbs. mini chocolate chips 1 apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges 1 pear, cored and cut into 8 wedges 1 plum, pitted and cut into 8 wedges 1 pint strawberries, hulled In a blender or food processor, combine the cheese, sugar, orange peel and orange juice and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in 1 Tbs. of the chocolate chips. Place the fruit on a platter and spoon the ricotta mixture over it. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips, and serve. Note: You can also arrange the fruit in four large goblets or wine glasses and top each portion with some of the sauce and chips. Other fresh fruits can be substituted. Apricots, raspberries and blueberries are all good in this recipe.