Fall is the time for cozy, and cozy=homemade soup!

Once you learn how easy it is to make a good homemade soup, you will never buy another can of soup. (I'll bet it's been 5 years since I bought one!)

So, for a normal sized pot of soup, you start with a mixture the French call a mirepoix: a couple of onions, carrots and sticks of celery (formally a 2:1:1 ratio, but it all depends on size), and saute in butter or oil with some salt. There is no hard and fast rule here--it depends on what is in the fridge. Don't skip this step, though, because it really adds a lot o flavor to any soup. Throw in your bay leaf while you're doing this, as well.

Next, you need some broth. I am a vegetarian, so I use one of 2 things: for soups that would use a chicken broth, I use this vegan broth powder that my old roommate's sister would send her from Italy, called Brodo. It is delicious, and if I ever go there I am stocking up. Otherwise, use any broth powder, just watch out for sodium content and adjust your salt adding, as most broth powders and canned broths are very salty.

For soups that want a beefy broth, here is my little trick:
In my freezer lives a large zip-loc bag. In this bag go the parts and skins that we remove from onions, tomatoes, garlic, carrots, potatoes, beets, peppers, and other non-bitter vegetables. When the bag is full, dump it in a pot and cover with water. I usually throw in a handful of lentils and a splash of tamari, and if I happen to have it, a spoonful of tomato sauce or paste and a splash of red wine. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes to an hour or so. Strain well, and there is your broth. This goes very well with Moosewood's French Onion soup. I usually try to have some of this broth in the freezer in plastic containers.

With the combination of the mirepoix and the broth and a bay leaf, you are good to go--anything from here on out is easy as pie (that comes later). Search the internet for recipes, but usually with soups, I just put whatever stuff needs to be used up in the pot, then find some matching herbs to add just before serving, and it comes out lovely and cozy. Hopefully this is enough direction--I am just not a recipe follower when it comes to soup!