Panera Bread

Hi again from the Windy City! That's the nickname for Chicago because it gets soooo windy here at this time of season. As I said before in one my earlier blogs, this time of year is the best time for eating soups...good and tasty soups! It gets really chilly around town and nothing is more relaxing when you can pull up to the table and eat one of your favorites. Well with that said, let me tell you about the soup I had over the weekend. It was called VEGETARIAN AUTUMN SQUASH SOUP which was sweet from the apples included in the recipe along with the maple syrup as well. It also had a nice surprise right on top of the dish which were pumpkin seeds. It was very delicious and I even asked my "picky eater" son to try a little and he LOVED IT! Therefore, I highly recommend it!

In addition to the soup being great and the service being speedy, going to Panera Bread on a Saturday afternoon was not a good idea, I should have waited until the evening, as the place was like a zoo. It seemed like the whole town of Skokie decided to have lunch at the popular dining place. Also, I like to order online so once I'm in the door of Panera, my package is ready, however once in, I still have to walk down a short isle to grab my package and in doing so, I think I said the two words, "excuse me" seven times or more. Yes, the place was really crowded. Despite all that, make your way there and see for yourself how wonderful the VEGETARIAN AUTUMN SQUASH SOUP is. That is all.

~ Gerri 

The Chill Cafe

Its soup time again! Now, this time, the winning dish is CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP, which I have found, has turned out to be a great choice. I say that because, I was trepidatious at first as I had never tried this dish before. I kind of figured it would taste something like a chicken soup dish but with a little kick, however, I was wrong. The CHICKEN TORTILLA is nothing like a regular chicken soup dish. As a matter of fact, it has amazing ingredients like:

1. Corn
2. Chopped Green Chile Peppers
3. Red Peppers
4. Green Onion
5. Crushed Tortilla Chips
6. Chopped Chicken

I believe there are one or two more ingredients that I have left out but that's okay because I am not the cook. Luckily, I am the sampler! With that said, and since I love to cook, I'm contemplating on making this dish even though its a little more complicated than what I am used to cooking but will still give it a try. Wish me luck!

Below is a couple of pictures from the café that I recently visited which is called, The Chill, which is located at Swedish Covenant Hospital. The café offers two amazing soups each day.

Thanks always for reading my blog and stay tuned for more samples of soups from eateries, in and around the Chicago land.

~ Gerri

Second Stop, Swedish Covenant Hospital Cafeteria in Chicago, Illinois

Hi. I'm back and this time we are going to talk about another favorite soup of mine, which is called TOMATO BISQUE which was on the menu at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. Have you ever tried this soup? If not, why not? It's a perfect fall soup that you can have depending on where you are in the world. If you are in the midwest, it'll work just fine since we are into sweater/jacket weather.  Well, here is another question, as a child, were you ever a big fan of Campbell's Tomato Soup? As for myself, I wasn't a big fan and basically only ate tomato soup if I was sick in bed so when I had the opportunity to try TOMATO BISQUE, I turned my nose up and didn't think I was going to enjoy it, but boy was I wrong! TOMATO BISQUE is a real treat as it carries a better punch than regular tomato soup. Its thicker, sweeter and has more ingredients like celery, honey, parsley, garlic, onion and heavy cream. All these ingredients make the soup what it is and if you like, you can also throw some carrots in the mix as well. If you do, you'll add a much brighter dark orange color to the dish and it may be a tad bit sweeter. As far as the the heavy cream ingredient goes, I'm not ecstatic about it because of the fat content, but I'll take it. This ingredient gives it the thickness. Therefore, I say, on a fall day, eating a hot, thick soup like TOMATO BISQUE is what makes a day go all too well.

If you need more information on this great soup like how to prepare or what the nutrition facts are, go to www.skinnytaste.com/tomato-bisque. Here, you will find many interesting facts. Its also a great website to find out about other tomato soups. Better yet, if you are in the vicinity of Swedish Covenant Hospital, take a walk into the Café where you'll find the best Tomato Bisque ever made!

-Gerri