Stuck on Soupid

Maybe it's because this cold weather is so mind-numbing, but I can't stop making soup. It all started on Monday, with the roasted chicken that we had for dinner . On Tuesday, I broke down the bones and made a stock. Then I picked off all of the leftover meat hiding it the nooks and crannies and threw them in to a pot with said stock and some leftover rice and broccoli from the night before. I drizzled it with some olive oil, added some grated parmesan cheese and some fresh pepper. Voila! Classic Chicken Soup!

The next night, I was inspired by the big chunks of carrot left over from the original chicken stock, so I diced them.

Then I dug a red onion out of the fridge and diced that too and sautéed it with some butter in a small pot.

I added the carrots and sprinkled it all with some curry, salt and pepper. In went my handy, dandy chicken stock from Tuesday night. I let it all simmer together for an hour. Then, I pureed it all in a blender. Boom! Curried Carrot Soup!

The next night, I spied a lone, chubby butternut squash in my basket of produce on the kitchen table. So I peeled it and I diced it and I spread it out on a roasting sheet and tossed it with a diced onion and three whole chicken thighs.

That went in to the oven for thirty minutes. I pulled out the last of my chicken stock and poured it in to a big pot. The butternut squash and onion followed. I diced the chicken thighs as the veggies boiled. When they were soft, I mashed them to make the soup more of a stew. I added the chicken, a squeeze of lemon and some cilantro to brighten things up a bit. Pop! Roasted Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup.

My soup fetish is not finished. My fever is fed by the freezing weather and I am still stuck on stupid. As I write this, I am stirring a big pot of lamb stew with chickpeas. Tomorrow is another day. Who knows what inspiration the cold winds will blow in? Short rib stew? Onion soup? Bouillabaisse?...