Au Bon Pain (and Soup)

I feel so excited with the oncoming of crispy Autumn weather for so many reasons. One of them is the change in our dinner repertoire. During the summer we rely heavily upon our grill and fresh salads- nice, but not very comfy. The cooler months allow for a much cozier menu: soup and bread. I make some version of each pretty much every day in the fall and winter. Although some may argue the endless qualities contained in a good loaf of artisan bread, especially with the influence of current carb-less diet trends, I simply cannot part with it. More on that in a moment. First, let me touch on my reasons for loving soup.

-it is foolproof (for the most part) and I don't follow recipes well
-with just a few ingredients on which are easily kept on hand, one can create an endless variety
-it is a "one pot" meal...less clean up
-things can easily be disguised (this is a good thing if you are the cook)
-it fills you up inexpensively. My husband is always hoovering in the kitchen to make sure I am preparing enough food for his oh-so-manly appetite.
-it can be made any time of the day and still be warm. I am always worried about dinner getting cold with a spontaneous and unpredictable husband.
-it makes the house smell yum

I got this book last year, and have used it as a guide to know what flavors can be combined successfully. It is full of good stuff. It is vegetarian themed, but meat can easily be added.
Okay, a serious weakness regarding the bread I would make daily...and consume daily...mostly by myself is just that. Well, and that it would take hours to prepare and .25 hours to disappear. I have about three recipes that I would rotate- a regular soft honey whole wheat, an Argentine crusty bread, and an herbed focaccia. I would always use whole wheat, add flax, only use natural sweeteners, but my mass bread binge would outweigh the healthiness factor. So, here is this season's resolution- spend less time making it every day and more time eating less of it...every day. I fully intend to do so with help from Jeff & Zoe:

Watch this for the master recipe!