Kitchen Adventures|:| Soup and Bread

I love this time of year because I can make some of my favorite foods. One of which is SOUP. I love soup. It is warm and comforting and makes me very happy. I also love bread. At any time. With anything. Last night I made both of these. The bread was AMAZING! The soup was ok. I have had better. But I am determined to add a really good creamy chicken and wild rice soup to the recipe mix.

So first--the BREAD.

 It turned out to taste a little like sourdough and I think if I had let it set out longer, it would have enhanced that flavor even more. I found the recipe on a blog called Cheap, Healthy, Good. (I'm not sure that they are writing new articles, but I have had a lot of fun reading the old ones.) It was SUPER easy. Mix ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap. LEAVE IT ALONE for 24-ish hours. form into a ball. LEAVE IT ALONE for 2 hours. Bake in a pre-heated dutch oven for 45 minutes. Easy-peasy and OH SO delicious.

Next--the SOUP. 

I got the recipe out of this months Cooking Light. It had all the right elements-onion, celery, carrot, rice, chicken. But the creamy factor only came in at the end-by adding half-n-half. AND Corey noted that he would prefer more rice (that is after I had already doubled what the recipe called for). It might be that the only way to achieve a good, creamy soup is to go the traditional way-with a roux. But in an effort to try a healthier version first, I followed the rules. Next time...it will have butter--cause you know, it makes everything better.