Soups & Stews

You ever have one of those days where all you want is a big ol’ bowl of something warm, simple, and made with love? That’s what this soup is. No bells and whistles. Just tender chicken, slurpy glass noodles, and a broth that tastes like someone gave you a hug and said, “You’re okay.” I first had this soup at a backyard potluck in Maui. There were folding tables, paper plates, kids running barefoot, and this one quiet auntie in the corner stirring a big pot. She didn’t say much—but honey, her soup spoke. I’ve been trying to recreate that …

I don’t make this soup every day. It’s not a Tuesday-night-chicken-and-rice situation. This is the soup I make when I want to feel a little spoiled — like maybe I’ve earned a treat. It’s creamy, it’s rich, and if you bring it to the table with a basket of warm bread, people will think you worked a whole lot harder than you actually did. Bisque sounds fancy — French restaurants love to make it seem mysterious — but really, it’s just slow-cooked veggies, good broth, cream, and in this case, sweet crab and tender shrimp. The magic is in how …

Ridiculously cozy. Slightly dramatic. Unapologetically creamy. I’ll be honest—this recipe has a silly name, but I swear, it lives up to the hype. The first time I made it, I wasn’t aiming for anything fancy. Just one of those days where you’re staring at a few sad fridge leftovers, thinking, “Please become dinner.” And somehow, through a little sun-dried tomato magic and a whole lotta stirring, it did. When my husband took the first bite, he looked at me like I had just rewritten history. “You better write this down,” he said, mid-chew. “This tastes like something you’d propose over.” …

If you ever pushed a bowl of soup away as a kid with dramatic suspicion, you’re in good company. Childhood taste buds are curious, sure — but also fiercely loyal to what feels safe. Smooth textures? Great. Sweet flavors? Even better. Anything murky, chunky, oddly colored, or unfamiliar? Nope. Hard pass. Funny thing is, many of those “absolutely not” foods grow into quiet favorites later in life. Somewhere between learning how to cook, paying attention to ingredients, and discovering what comfort actually tastes like, our opinions shift. Slowly. Sometimes reluctantly. Let me explain — here are ten soups that most …

You ever have one of those days when all you want is something warm, creamy, and downright comforting — but you don’t have the energy to fuss with anything fancy? Well, that was me last Tuesday. It had rained off and on all day, the kind of September drizzle that leaves your jeans damp and your mood soggy. I was still in my slippers at 2 p.m., flipping through old recipe cards looking for dinner inspiration, and there it was — the scribbled note from my sister-in-law from 2008: “Ranch Chicken Rice Soup — kids loved it!!” And just like …

Is there anything more soothing on a snowy day (or, let’s be honest, after a day where everything just kind of fell apart) than settling down with a big bowl of creamy cauliflower soup, homemade with love, spiked with a cozy touch of cheddar? This soup always takes me straight back to my mom’s kitchen—the windows fogged over, a pot bubbling away, and me lingering just close enough to sneak a bread dunk if she turned her back for a second. If you’ve ever felt like you need to be warmed from the inside out (which, let’s face it, is …

So the other day, I was standing in my kitchen in my favorite pajama pants (you know the ones, with the mystery stain and the loose waistband), staring into the fridge like it owed me answers. It had been one of those days — nothing dramatic, just the usual chaos that somehow feels louder when it’s cold outside and you’re two hours past your ideal dinner time. All I knew was: I needed something warm. Something hearty. Something that didn’t require a trip to the store or a culinary degree. This soup? It checked every single box. And now I …

There’s just something so nostalgic about walking into the kitchen and catching the smell of beef and macaroni soup bubbling away on the stove. It always takes me straight back to chilly fall evenings—my brother and I trudging in after tackling leaf piles, faces all pink, just in time for Mom’s “hamburger soup.” There we’d be, cradling our steaming bowls, savoring every bite and trading stories about the day. Now, whenever I’m feeling a little worn out or the weather’s dreary, this is the recipe I pull out. It’s hearty, loaded with flavor, and somehow feels like wrapping yourself in …

Some nights just call for a big bowl of something cozy — and if you grew up like I did, that “something” was often my mom’s chicken pot pie. But let me tell you, on those extra-busy winter evenings when the snow was coming down sideways in the Midwest, she’d skip the crust and turn it into soup. I still remember her shooing us out of the kitchen — not because she didn’t want help, but because we’d “just get underfoot.” You could smell the onions and butter from the hallway, and you knew that in about half an hour, …

There are days when nothing — and I mean nothing — hits quite like a big bowl of old-school comfort food. You know what I’m talking about… those hearty, homey dishes that smell like your mom’s kitchen and taste like a warm hug after a long day. Well, this Beefy Tomato Macaroni Soup? It’s that kind of meal. I first made this on a chilly Wednesday night last October when the fridge was nearly bare and I needed dinner in a hurry. I had a pound of ground beef, a can of tomato sauce, and half a box of elbows …