I wish I could help! I've never actually made soup that didn't come in a can! :-) LOL

I will say that I did have this really awesome strawberry bisque on the ship when we were on our cruise. I know that if I ever have an instance where I can't eat solid food, I will HAVE to find a recipe for it. It was SOOOO wonderful.

Here is a link that might be useful: This looks about right.

Mmmmmm- soup!
I'll give you my favorite Cream of Mushroom, but if you're not much on mushrooms it works for asparagus, potatoes, whatever...
1 Tbsp butter
2 C sliced mushrooms, (I use whatever I find outdoors in season, but this time of year I'm partial to shittakes. They're more chewy, though, so even if you like them, they'd probably not be your choice right now.)
1/4 c chopped onion
2 Tbsp flour
2 C chicken broth
1/2 C light cream
Dash of nutmeg

Melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes. Add the onions and sauté them until they're clear & soft. (If you're subbing potatoes, chop, boil and drain them, and add them after the onions are cooked. Asparagus you might want to steam, but you could add a couple Tbsp of stock and sauté it if you wanted.) Mix in the flour, sprinkling it around as you add so it doesn't lump up. Stir in the chicken broth and let it reach a low boil until thickens...keep stirring so it doesn't get lumpy. Turn the heat down until it quits boiling, and then add the cream and dash of nutmeg. It'll want for a little salt, but I really don't know how much. I seldom use salt when I cook; we add it to our own taste at the table. A little pepper is good too. If you're making it for company and don't want them concerned with what the little black flecks are, you can use white pepper. Black pepper tastes just as good--- less than 1/2 tsp for this recipe.

It just so happens that I recently bought a big container of bits and pieces of pre-cooked bacon (a heck of a deal...It was from our local grocer, whom I trust not to have gotten them off people's plates at Perkins...Freegan I'm not!) so I'm going to try the corn chowder! That sounds good.

Tomato soup

Blend a large can of stewed tomatoes. Simmer a bit. Meantime warm a can of milk. You pour the warm milk into the stewed tomatoes but you need to add a scant teaspoon of baking soda to the tomatoes before you add the milk. The tomatoes will become frothy and when you add the milk it won't curdle. I really like to add a can of cambells cream of tomato soup (with another can of milk) to this. I have a grilled swiss cheese sandwich with this and dip the sandwich into the soup.

mmmmm foood

Cena, I make squash soup sometimes. I just cut the squash in half and roast it in the oven until it's soft, blend it, then cook it on the stovetop with bouillon/stock and some herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, cinnamon, etc). It's really filling and pretty tasty. I remember eating a lot of squash soup when I had my oral surgeries (though never had anything approaching the severity of yours).

Good luck!

hi cena,

i feel for you! AND i have a really filling soup recipe that's great for this time of year. it's wonderful if you have leftover turkey, but if not, this is the time of year to find those huge turkey drumsticks in the meat section for cheap!
now bear with me, i don't usually measure things out...

TURKEY & LEEK SOUP

Ingredients:
* 2-3 Leeks, use both the white part and any green that isn't too tough
* 2 whole turkey legs, skin and all or the carcass/bits and pieces of leftover turkey
* 1 whole onion
* 3 or so carrots
* several stalks of celery
* 1/2 pint of whipping cream
* potatos--optional if you don't want too many carbs
* optional: turkey drippings (absolutely! if you have some)
* chicken stock, if necessary
* kale, if you like (optional)

this makes a big soup pot full

1. chop and saute the veggies in olive oil until soft and then add in enough water to cover the two turkey legs or whatever bones and bits of leftover turkey you're using

2. bring to boil and then simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, but definitely until the turkey legs are cooked through.

3. strip meat from any bones and blend everything.

4. put the mix back on the stove and add as much cream as you like--i add the whole half pint because i love it!

5. salt & pepper to taste. add additional chicken stock or turkey drippings if you think the soup is too thick. you can add water if you don't have stock, but it may dilute the flavor.

6. i like to simmer in some chopped kale to add texture, but it's not necessary.

7. VOILA! serve with a dollop of sour cream or some cheese grated on top, if you're not counting calories.

i made this soup for geoff's family right after thanksgiving (they were going to throw the turkey carcass out AND the drippings--blasphemy!). it was a big hit even though i think i added so much turkey that it overwhelmed the taste of leeks.

maybe because i don't measure, but this soup always turns out different for me, texture-wise. i don't often add the potatos, but i have when i've had some i needed to use up. it really thickens up the soup, though, so be warned. this time of year, leeks should look their best in the supermarket AND kale (especially the lacinato variety) is especially sweet.
at other times i've sauteed the veggies with various herbs in the first step, but i find the soup is hearty and flavorful enough without them.

happy holidays, cena, and hope you make the switch to solids soon!

-ming