Winter Weather Getting You Down? Try Making a Delicious Bowl of Soup!

In her book, Sunday Soup: A Year's Worth of Mouthwatering Easy-to-Make Recipes, Betty Rosbottom offers recipes for soups that are perfect for any season!

Sunday is the perfect day to slow down and enjoy a heartwarming meal. From spicy chilies to steaming chowders, Sunday Soup features 60 recipes: one for each Sunday of the year, and then some. Gulf Coast Shrimp Gumbo is best for staving off the winter cold, while Dreamy Creamy Artichoke Soup welcomes the bounty of spring's vegetables. When it's too hot to turn on the stove, chill out with Icy Cucumber Soup with Smoked Salmon and Dill. A great selection of "Soup-er Sides" will turn any bowl of soup into a hearty meal. No matter the season, Sunday Soup offers all the inspiration one needs to pull out a stockpot and start simmering a new family tradition.

CommitmentNow.com:  Sunday Soup: A Year’s Worth of Mouthwatering Easy-to-Make Recipes is a book with over 60 mouthwatering soup recipes!  What makes soup so special?

Betty Rosbottom:  It’s the ultimate comfort food and perfect to serve year round. In cold weather a bowl of spicy chili or hot steaming beef and barley soup counters the freezing temperatures outside, and during the hot humid days of summer, what could be better than an icy gazpacho or a chilled cucumber soup or vichyssoise.  It’s even what people want when they’re not feeling well. For a bad cold, sips of chicken soup or another favorite are what many people crave—not another pill!

CommitmentNow.com:What is the secret to making a really good pot of soup?

Betty:  Using the freshest and best ingredients, and that means using what’s in season.  In Sunday Soup the recipes are arranged by season to help readers focus on what’s at hand.  There are luscious creamy pumpkin and butternut squash soups for the fall, chilis and chowders for winter, lovely verdant asparagus, watercress, and sweet pea potages for spring, and soups prepared with zucchini, tomatoes, melons, and other seasonal fare for summer. 

CommitmentNow.com:  How did you become interested in soup?

Betty:  I’ve been a long time fan, ever since I started cooking over 30 years ago.  In fact, when entertaining or even when planning a family meal, my motto is “When in doubt, serve soup!” It’s simple, delicious, and always a crowd pleaser.

CommitmentNow.com:  Your book is divided into sections based on the four seasons.  Is it best to cook with seasonal foods?

Betty:  Absolutely. Seasonal fare tastes better and is definitely more economical.  And, when you use local food grown near where you live, you’re doing your part to help the planet overcome its environmental woes.

CommitmentNow.com:  Are most soups difficult to make?

Betty:  No!  Soups are among the easiest dishes to prepare.  Most can be made ahead so you can make a big pot of soup on Sunday and enjoy it during the week. In my book I give the amount of “prep time” and “start to finish time” for each  recipe so you can see what is involved.

CommitmentNow.com:  Most of us consider soup to be a cold weather staple.  Can soup be enjoyed in warmer weather?

Betty:  Soups are for all year round--warm and filling ones for cold weather and light and chilled varieties for hot weather days.

CommitmentNow.com:  For those of us whose experience with soups has been limited to Chicken Noodle and Tomato,  recipes for Carrot Soup Scented with Sesame and Chives, Cauliflower Soup with Crispy  Prosciutto and Parmesan, and Coconut Lime Soup with Scallops may come as quite a shock. How did you come up with such exotic recipes?

Betty:  I grew up eating those first two soups you mentioned, but once I started cooking (as a young woman in my twenties) I discovered how vast the world of soup was.  All those “exotic” soups you listed are actually quite easy to prepare and the ingredients needed to make them are readily available in most grocery stores. 

I called upon my many years of experience as a cooking teacher and syndicated food columnist when selecting the soups for this collection. Many of the recipes are favorites of my students and my readers.

CommitmentNow.com:  Which are your favorite soup recipes?

Betty:  That’s hard for me to answer because I love just about every soup, but in my book, I am particularly fond of: Fabulous Fall Roots Soup, Cold Weather Potato Chowder, Paella Soup, and Cold Curry Creams.

Betty Rosbottom is the author of The Big Book of Backyard Cooking, Coffee, and Waffles. She lives in Massachusetts.  Visit Betty at www.bettyrosbottom.com.

To purchase Sunday Soup, click here.