Belgian Soup

Other names that I thought of for this soup: Why Didn't I Think of That Soup, Jazz Soup (improvisation), or just Cream of Vegetable Soup. But I'm calling it Belgian Soup because it is modeled after my Belgian friend Carol's soup, which she says her mother often makes. As far as I can discern there is no recipe or one correct way to make this soup, but my first attempt at turned out so satisfying that I wrote down my recipe so that I can hopefully repeat the delicious results. What a delicious and easy way to eat your vegetables!

Belgian Soup

(one version )

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets

7 small zucchini (I use those with light green skins), cut in the chunky pieces

5 carrots, chopped (doesn't have to be too small)

1 Tablespoon All Season*

1-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

Saute the onion and then the garlic in a little olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Add the rest of the vegetables and saute with the All Season for about five minutes, stirring.

Cover all the vegetables with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer until all the vegetables are cooked and soft.

Let the vegetables and broth cool a bit and then process all in the blender. I need to do about three batches.

Return to pan, salt, and add a little water if needed. 

Perhaps due to sweet carrots I used, this vegetable soup looked and tasted like a creamy squash soup. I thought it was Fantastic.  Dear Husband gave it a rating of only very good but that is because he considers creamy soups something you eat when you are sick or as a starter before a heartier meal. So, this will probably make it back to our dinner table only once in a blue moon, but we'll definitely be eating it for lunch this winter.

*I've begun substituting a homemade All Season mix for bullion seasoning as all the bullion seasoning available in Jordan is processed and includes ingredients I'm trying to stay away from, such as MSG and hydrogenated oils.

All Season 

1 cup salt

2 T sugar

2 T garlic powder

1 T curry powder

1 T chili powder

1 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. allspice

6 T paprika

1 t. dry mustard

2 T black pepper

1 t. ginger

1 t. nutmeg

Mix all spices in a bowl and store in a jar.

Cross-Country~Cheering Artist Son on from Afar

Last spring Artist Son informed us that he planned to go out for the men's cross country team at Gordon College, where he is now a first-semester sophomore.  One benefit of attending a small school, where athletics aren't super competitive, is that students with an interest and some aptitude for a sport can give it a try. Spending the summer in hot, dry Mafraq meant rising at 5am or so for his long runs. Now Artist Son is back in cool, green Massachusetts enjoying the running, scenery, team camaraderie, and some scoring success for his school.

Artist Son, #43

Here's the news brief about Saturday's meet from Gordon's site, and the important paragraph from that report.

Wes Nelson (Charlton, Mass.) and Andrew Manning (Amman, Jordan) finished second and third for the Scots, as they have for much of 2013. Nelson finished 21^st overall with a time of 28:31.40, while Manning crossed the line six spots later 26 seconds after Nelson.


We sure wish we could be there to cheer him on. Go Artist Son! Go Scots! All the best as you prepare for regionals.

Flowering Jordan Calendar~November 2013