{creamy tomato bisque}

I am a HUGE fan of the tomato basil bisque at Dish in Charlotte, NC. Its simply fantastic. Since discovering it, I've been searching for a recipe to try on my own and well, I've found it. Not only is it very simple to put together, but the flavors are incredibly delicious and it does a great job of warming you up on these cold winter nights. Serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich and don't be shy about dipping it in the bisque for extra deliciousness.

I do need to mention that I was not only excited about trying this recipe but was also very exciting because I was able to break in my brand new immersion blender! I might have been a little too excited about this but man did it make puréeing the soup a breeze. If you do not own one (get one! you won't regret it), you can let the soup cool and then transfer it to a blender to puree.

Recipe after the jump

{creamy loaded baked potato soup}

Its been nice and chilly outside giving me the perfect opportunity to use my crock pot to make all sorts of stews and soups. This week I attempted a loaded potato soup and I must say that it came out pretty delicious. I was all out of cheddar cheese so there is none in the soup but I felt it tasted just as good as if it had it in there. Leaving it out also made it a good bit healthier! If you have cheese I'd say leave it out of the soup but maybe add a little on top with the sour cream and bacon crumbles. Serve this up with a delicious sandwich or salad and you have a meal to warm you on these cold winter nights.

Recipe after the jump

{vegetable + meatball soup}

This is my second attempt at a vegetable soup and I think I finally got it right. This soup was absolutely delicious and I think one of the best things I've ever made. Since I had ground beef I decided to add a few meatballs to the mix but you could easily leave them out and sub a vegetable stock for the chicken stock to make this vegan. You could really put any veggies you have on hand into this and it will come out good.

Recipe and pics after the jump