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There was no measuring when cooking this comforting dish. I made it up when my daughters were elementary school age. It’s a vegetable-filled and cheesy-sauced soup accompanied by hot homemade corn bread. Just about everything was homemade by me when the girls were growing up–even their baby food. I never bought one single jar of baby food for them. It was so easy to take a bit of fresh steamed veggies or fresh fruit and puree them to make the ideal food with no added sugar, preservatives or additives. But I digress–I was talking about that soup that they loved so much–that we all loved so much.
I started with cooking the diced potatoes, carrots, broccoli, yellow squash, celery, onions, and garlic altogether in one large, deep pot. I may have used vegetable stock. Then I started the cheese sauce by heating milk on the stove, grating the cheddar cheese and dusting it lightly with flour before adding it to the pan of hot milk–not boiling. It always came out perfectly smooth–the grated cheese melting lump free and the flour adding just enough “bulk” to thicken the sauce to the perfect consistency as I gently whisked it in the milk. When the vegetables were tender–I drained most of the cooking water off and then added the sauce–salt and pepper were the only spices. Although sometimes a splash of tamari may have been added too. Served with a side of hot cornbread with butter and jam or honey, it finished the dinner off just right.
And another thing that made this dish so particularly enjoyable was using the special soup bowls that we had bought at the Mikasa outlet. They were a beautifully pleasing deep, cobalt blue ceramic that had a handle on one side in which you could use to keep from burning your hands on the hot surface of the bowl. The girls loved those bowls and I think I mainly used them when I made that favorite, nourishing soup.
I cherish the memories of bringing those girls comfort.
Monday Morning Writing Prompt–Comfort Food: http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/monday-morning-writing-prompt-comfort-food/
Bodhirose's Blog 
liv2write2day
/ October 10, 2011Oh, darn. I’m drooling on my laptop. That can’t be good! Thanks so much for sharing, Gayle.
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011Haha–no that’s probably not good. You’re welcome, Victoria.
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Betty Hayes Albright
/ October 10, 2011Sounds so delicious and wholesome! Thanks for sharing that. (Just ate dinner but now I’m hungry again…. 🙂 )
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011I need to remind myself to make this when the weather gets cooler. Thanks, Betty.
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siggiofmaine
/ October 10, 2011Sound delish…reminded me of a soup from Everybody eats, the cook said her secret ingredient was a touch of “curry”…
will have to try your recipe.
Ah, comfort soups, home made and heart and soul warming.
.☮ Siggi in Downeast Maine
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011Well, when I make lentil or split pea soup, I do add a dash of curry powder too. It really adds some nice flavor. Chunky, robust soups are comforting.
Thanks, Siggi, for coming by and sharing with me.
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vivinfrance
/ October 11, 2011Lovely jubbly. Great soup, great post, full of love.
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011Thank you, Viv–I appreciate that.
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Jamie Dedes
/ October 11, 2011Nourishment for heart and soul. I have such memories too and also of preparing baby food from scratch. I could never see buying it either, when it could so easily be made fresh and pure. Thanks for sharing you experience and recipe here, Gayle. I might try your soup…rainy days here, which I love and are just perfect for a nice hot dish.
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011Like you, I found it no trouble at all to make my own baby food.
Rainy and cooler days would be a perfect time to serve that soup–and it’s easy too–my favorite kind of recipe. Thanks for sharing your memories with me, Jamie.
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Explorations in Sacred Space
/ October 17, 2011… and no sooner did I say that it’s getting cooler and rainy than we have another Indian Summer coming in. Phew! … I love to write in the rain … Just can’t wait …
Jamie
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Bodhirose
/ October 17, 2011We’re due for some rain this week and a dip in our temperatures too–I can’t wait either! We can have warm days throughout our winters here–so I’m used to the temperatures always heading up. 🙂
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Sharmishtha
/ October 11, 2011you are an amazing mother. you brought them up in the way every child should be.
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011Aw, how kind of you to say that, Trisha. They were very loved by me that’s for sure!
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S Basu
/ October 14, 2011well, i believe love is the main thing that children crave for, and you have lots of it in your heart. thats why i said the above thing so confidently.
the new look of your blog is really great, the fonts are crisp, clear and pleasant to read.
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Bodhirose
/ October 14, 2011I agree–love is the key ingredient that children need. Thank you, Trisha, for your vote of confidence in me and my loving heart. I sure did love being Mommy to those two little girls.
I like the new look too. WordPress is getting ready to “retire” my previous theme and had updated it to this one called “Dusk to Dawn”. If you scroll down the page, it turns from blue to a yellowish gold, “dawn” color. Pretty cool, huh? It is nicer to read I think–a nice, clear font.
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mish
/ October 11, 2011Gayle, you are so right about preparing home-made dishes for little ones. I was also brought up in the “old-fashioned” way and when my son was little, I cooked wholesome and nourishing meals in a pot on the stove top (no quick and easy microwave meals like today)
Your soup sounds delicious !
My contribution is at http://writer-in-transit.co.za/loaves-4-u/
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011I learned that way from my mother who was a wonderful cook and most everything was from scratch back then. We ate very little prepared foods. I feel very fortunate that I was fed that way too. A lot of children these days don’t enjoy that.
Thanks, Mish, for sharing with me.
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Androgoth
/ October 11, 2011You know there is nothing quite like a good wholesome soup Gayle, well there is but I’m not going to tell you so hard lines 🙂 lol seriously now, I always enjoy home made soups and this one looks enticingly ravishing…
All we need now is some home made bread to go with that and a nicely chilled glass of wine or three, actually I am quite hungry now thinking about that soup… Well I think it is the soup I am thinking of 🙂 lol Kidding…
Have a wonderful rest of day and evening Gayle and thank you for offering your soup dish as it is rather delicious looking…
Androgoth XXx
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Bodhirose
/ October 12, 2011Your visits always bring a smile, Androgoth–you’re a cute one!
Yes, I think you would enjoy that soup and homemade bread would go with it perfectly. Do you know how to cook? You could give it a try–let me know how it turns out. 🙂
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zongrik
/ October 13, 2011soup is one of my favorite foods, and you can’t beat hot soup in the winter
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Bodhirose
/ October 13, 2011Mine too and it has the added benefit of being so comforting!
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Lorna's Voice
/ October 13, 2011I love these recipes that are in your heart and head. They just come together, maybe a bit different each time, but wonder-filled all the time. That’s true comfort food.
I rarely follow a recipe and whatever I concoct is usually so good people want the recipe. Then I frustrate them with a description rather than a recipe. Cooking, like writing, is an art. There’s no formula that creates beauty, only consistency.
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Bodhirose
/ October 13, 2011I seem to have many recipes that are like that. And yes, when people ask for the recipe–then I’m stumped! I don’t usually measure spices, etc.–just throw them in “to taste” as they say. And I am one for substituting one ingredient for another too. A very individual piece of “art” that I end up with for sure.
Thanks for sharing, Lorna.
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Inside the Mind of Isadora
/ October 13, 2011YUM … YUM … YUM …!!! My favorite thing to eat soup. It is always so flavorful and literally warms me to the bone. It is the first thing I learned to cook. How could you mess that up??? It’s what I love about fall:eating hot soup. I am making myself hungry.
Nice one, Gayle. I made baby food, too. I’ve always been into health food, natural, organic and meatless. I suppose we’re all from that 60’s let’s change how things are era.
Have to wipe my chin now …
Hugs,
Izzy
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Bodhirose
/ October 13, 2011A good soup is great isn’t it. A whole meal in itself when you throw in lots of great ingredients. When I became a vegetarian at age 18 or so one of the first foods I learned to cook was lentil soup. I added potatoes and carrots, onions and garlic and it came out great. Still one of my favorites too. Yes, I’m with you, Izzy, I’m from that same era too of health food and natural products–I learned how to make my own yogurt, granola, sprouts, etc. Boy, those were the days, my friend! 🙂
Hugs,
Gayle
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bardessdmdenton
/ October 15, 2011Hi Gayle! Just catching up on your posts. Thanks for sharing such a delicious memory.
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Bodhirose
/ October 15, 2011Hey, DM–so nice to have you visit–yes, a very delicious memory!
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Bodhirose
/ October 14, 2011Thanks for linking me into your soup blog.
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