Clam Chowder

2 - 6.5 oz cans of clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup chopped celery
2+ cups potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 quart half and half (don't try to skimp)
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper

Saute onion and celery in butter until soft.  Add potatoes and simmer.  Add remaining ingredients.  Add clams last and clam juice to taste.  If you cook the clams too long they will be chewy.

Nana's Creamed Tomato Bisque

1/4 lb butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup flour
2 (1lb 12 oz 1 can whole tomatoes) drained and chopped
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil

1 tsp marjoram
1 bay leaf
4 cup chicken broth
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/2 tsp curry powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp paprika

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Saute celery, onions and carrots until tender.  Stir in flour.  Cook 2 minutes.  Stir up constantly.  Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, marjoram, bay leaf and chicken broth.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.  Stir up occasionally and discard bay leaf.  Puree 1/3 of mix at a time in blender.  Add cream, paprika, curry, and pepper.  Stir to blend.

My mom uses 2 14 1/2 oz cans of whole tomatoes and 2 14 1/2 oz cans of Italian style stewed tomatoes.

French Onion Soup

This is from America's Test Kitchen.

2 Tbs unsalted butter
5 medium red onions (about 3 pounds) sliced thin
table salt
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 cups low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh parsley leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
ground pepper
1 baguette, cut on the bias into 3/4 inch slices (2 slices per serving)
4 1/2 ounces swiss cheese, sliced 1/16 inch thick
1 1/2 ounces grated Asiago cheese (about 3/4 cup)

Melt butter in large soup kettle or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add sliced onions, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to coat onions thoroughly with butter.  Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are reduced and syrupy and inside of pot is coated with very deep brown crust, 30-35.  Stir in the chicken and beef broths, red wine, parsley thyme, and bay leaf, scraping pot bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, and bring to simmer.  Simmer to blend flavors, about 20 minutes and discard herbs.  Stir in balsamic vinegar and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.  (Can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated in airtight container up to 2 days; return to simmer before finishing soup with croutons and cheese).

For the crusts, adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the bread out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Remove the bread from the oven and turn the oven to broil.

Set heat-safe soup bowls or crocks on rimmed baking sheet and fill each with about 1 1/2 cups soup.  Top each bowl with two toasted baguette slices and divide Swiss cheese slices, laying them in a single layer if possible on bread.  Sprinkle each serving with about 2 Tbs grated Asiago Cheese and broil until well browned and bubbly, 7-10 minutes.  cool 5 minutes and serve.

Tortilla Soup

1 large onion
garlic cloves
1 can tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 small can chopped ripe olives with jalapenos
2 large cans of chicken broth
cumin
sharp cheddar cheese
pace picante sauce
tortilla strips

Pumpkin Soup

4 Tbs butter
1 large onion chopped
1 med leak chopped
1 lb can pumpkin
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup Half and Half add at end

chopped parsley and sour cream on top

Saute the first 3 ingredients.
Stir in next 2 ingredients, lower heat and simmer with by leave.  (remove leaf before serving)

Carrot Soup from Mt. Kenya Safari Club

This is from My Grandmother.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion

Cook until soft

3 2/3 cup minced carrot
1 cup flour
8 1/2 cup chicken stock

add. stir, cook constantly 2 min

add grated rind of one orange to stock

1/2 cup whip cream - blend in

slat and pepper to taste, add and serve immediately

Chicken Mushroom Soup

salt and pepper chicken
1 can of corn
1 can of cream of chicken
3/4 carton sour cream

Do not cover. No cheese.

Tortilla Soup

2 large onion chopped

3 cloves garlic pressed

saute together

add 1 can tomatoes chopped

add small can of olives

2 large cans chicken broth (or top ramen flavoring)

1 tsp cumin

salt

pepper

pace picante sauce to taste

saute bell peppers and serve on top with grated cheddar cheese