Day Fourteen: Autumn Soup in Winter

As usual I bought some Johnsonville smoked sausage on sale. As usual I found a lovely Taste of Home recipe to utilize it. Soups on!

Autumn Sausage Corn Soup

10-12 servings

1 lb fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 1/2 cups water
1 pkg frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1/4 tsp salt, optional
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 In a large skillet, cook, and stir sausage over medium-high eat until browned; set aside.

2 In a dutch oven or soup pot, cook and stir flour in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add the onion, green pepper and green onions; saute until tender.

3 Stir in the water, corn, canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, cayenne pepper, ans sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Day Six: Fast Fix

I haven't had tomato soup since I was a little kid. Instead of popping open a can of Campbell's I decided to try this recipe from Lanaee O'Neill featured in the latest issue of . . . you guessed it, Taste of Home!

Simple Tomato Soup

2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, undrained
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 carton chicken broth

1. In a blender, process tomatoes with juices until puréed; set aside. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, stir and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in flour until smooth. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth. Add tomato purée and bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan if desired.