This one is fantastic. It's the only one I make now. Cream of Asparagus Soup 2 Lbs Fresh Asparagus 1 Medium Spanish Onion, Chopped 1 Stalk Celery, chopped 1 Carrot, chopped 6 Tbs Butter 7 Tbs Flour 3 Sprigs Thyme 1 Bay Leaf 1/2 Cup Heavy whipping cream 1 Tbs white wine 1 Tbs Sea Salt 1/2 tsp White pepper 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper 1 Snap the asparagus to reduce eliminate the woody portions and cast the woody parts away. Cut the asparagus tips and set them aside. Cut the balance of the asparagus spears in 3/8 to 1/2 inch portions. 2 Bring to boil a large pot with 2 quarts of water and set aside a small bowl of ice water. Place the asparagus tips in the boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Place the cooked asparagus tips into the ice water to stop cooking and set aside. Place the reaming diced asparagus spears in the boiling water along with the onion, carrot and celery along with a garnish bag and boil for about 12 minutes. Discard the garnish bag. Remove the contents from the pot separating most of the reserved liquid and place the balance of the liquid and vegetables in a blender and puree. Hold. 3 Melt the butter in the pot and when hot, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. Re-introduce the reserved liquid and puree to the pot and return with heat reduced to a simmer and keep covered. For 10 minutes. 4 Whisk the cream, wine, salt and white and red peppers. Season with additional salt and pepper as desired. Place in individual soup bowls and place several asparagus tips in each bowl along with a dollop of sour cream.

CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP (serves 2) 1 medium head broccoli 1 medium potato, thinly sliced 2 TBL butter 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped 2 TBL flour 1 cup warm chicken broth 1 cup warm milk 1/4 cup warm heavy cream Salt & pepper to taste 1 tsp dried basil Cook the broccoli & potatoes in salted water until tender. Set aside 4 flowerets of broccoli for garnish. Heat the butter ina saucepan & add the onion. Cook stirring until the onion is transparent, but not brown. Add the flour & cook, stirring until smooth. Place the remaining broccoli & potatoes in a processor or blender & puree the vegetables. Gradually add the broth & milk. Add the cream a little at a time until the soup is of the right consistency. Return the soup to the saucepan. Add pepper, salt & basil & reheat. Garnish each bowl w/the reserved flowerets of broccoli & serve.~~Simply Superb

Hi Ginger,I just wanted to follow up and let you know I made the Tuscany Peasant Soup you suggested above. It was delicious. It was ever-so-slightly different from the one I had at that gathering BUT equally as yummy...and surprisingly easy!! A grade of: A+...and thanks again for the help! :) Cremin

I just found this one and it looks like a winner. Ultimate Breakfast Casserole: 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 4 cups cubed bread 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 cups cheese, grated 8 eggs 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup sour cream salt and pepper to taste additions, to taste You can substitute 3/4 pound (or 1 1/2 cups) sausage or ham or ground beef or Whatever you have! You can get away with 1/4 cup butter. Or even margerine. If you must. I would never!! If you don't have any sour cream, you can use 2 cups milk instead. Add 1 cup chopped sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, or other vegetables, if you like. This is, as you can see, like so many of my recipes, a standard that you can rely on to then change to suit your own family. I love recipes like that. How do I come up with recipes like this? I take recipes from other places and start changing them to suit my family, and over the years, as our tastes and their ages change, I adjust them. I sometimes forget where recipes come from to start with. (And really, this is a very ordinary recipe what's special about it is how you can make it your own.) The important part is the standard, the quantities that work within the recipe. Once you deconstruct that part, the recipe is anything you want it to be. I hope you'll make it something that is perfect for your family. Try it! You'll like it. (Note: You can also easily cut this recipe in half, if that suits you, and bake it in an 8x8 pan. I've never done that, but there is no reason you can't (I would recommend watching the baking time as that would probably not take as long.) Cook and crumble bacon; set aside. Cube bread. Grease a 9x13 pan. As you can see, 4 cups of cubed bread to meis 4 overflowing cups. I cut big cubes, and that makes a difference in what fills up a cup. Also, I'm using thick-sliced Grandmother Bread. If you're using a different sort of bread, it might be different for you, so adjust accordingly. You want the bread to loosely cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan. When I lay it out in a 9x13 pan, here is what the bread cubes look like. Melt butter (or margerine) and pour over the bread cubes in the pan. Toss with shredded cheese. I'm using a Mexican Fiesta blend. Use whatever cheese you like. Whisk eggs, milk, and sour cream. If you're adding sauteed vegetables, add them to the eggs, milk, and sour cream after you've whisked them. Add salt and pepper if you like. I use peppered bacon. Bacon is pretty salty, and it's peppered, so I don't add anything at this point. Pour mixture evenly over bread cubes and cheese. Sprinkle bacon (or whatever) over the top of the casserole. I like to toss chives over it, too. Then the teenagers start crying. "What is that green stuff?????" CHIVES. I grew them, chopped them, and froze them. It makes me happy to use them. I love them. The teenagers just barely let me get away with that. Or most likely, by the time I get done telling them all that, they want to smack me and just get on with the pigging out. Cover with foil. You can cook this right away, or let it sit in the fridge overnight. Bake at 325-degrees, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Here is a link that might be useful: ultimate breakfast cass