Cooking - It's Soup Makin' Time!

It's been snowing all week ... the snow that should've been non-existent in this so-called temperate climate here on the west coast of Canada.  The snow and cold that drove us away from the interior, where -20 deg. C in winter is a balmy day.

I made my first pot of soup for the season yesterday, and it was delicioso, if I do say so myself.  This is how I made it:

I slightly braised a large chopped onion in a blob of butter (just until it was cooked through, not too browned), then chopped a red pepper and added it to the large pot with the onion.  In went two celery stalks, 1 large sweet potato (the white kind), a bunch of carrots (I think I had about eight medium sized ones left in the 'fridge) and a potato, all peeled and chopped.  I also added some chopped ginger, all the while adding a dash of water here and there to prevent burning.  The stove was on medium.  Then I poured in a whole carton of pre-prepared chicken stock - 500 ml, and a teaspoon of crushed garlic, and let the pot simmer for a long while at medium/low (about 30 minutes or so, until all the veggies were soft).  Once that was done, I whizzed it with my immersion whisk until everything was slush.  I continued cooking, threw in some salt to taste, white pepper, and a small carton of half and half cream.  Also, 2 teaspoons of hot curried mixture (I like a bit of a bite). I cooked everything through for about another half hour, then left it to cool just a tad - five minutes or so.  I served it with hot rosemary bread.

It was so scrumptious! The kids loved it too.  Does anyone else have off the cuff soup recipes you'd like to share? It's one thing I know how to cook well, so I make it a lot during the fall/winter season.