Cooking is not my favorite thing to do.

Like most married people, responsible for feeding the mouths in the house, I’ve perfected a few favorites. And when all else fails, there’s always sauce from a jar dumped over spaghetti.

Yes – I can hear all you chefs, and cooks, and gourmet people who actually LIKE to cook gasping… 😉

There’s one glitch in my philosophy:

My husband likes to eat!

Robert is pretty easy to get along with about food. He’s happy with left-overs, and never complains about having “that” again. But a great meal is certainly one way to perk him up.

I do make his favorites – but sometimes a new recipe can add some spice…

Encouragement to try something new.

One of my favorite blogs to read is by two friends – Tammie &  Alessa – called Carolina Heart Strings.  A few weeks ago they wrote about a recipe for Sweet Potato-Cider Creamed Soup.

I was intrigued. It had all the ingredients to perk up my hubby…

  • Rob likes soup
  • Rob likes creamy things
  • Rob likes sweet potatoes
  • Rob likes apple cider

AND it seemed easy!

It sounded like a winner…

Off to the Raleigh Farmer’s Market I went to get the ingredients…

raleigh market fall 2013

 And then it was time to cook…

I cheated a bit and cooked the sweet potatoes in the apple cider, but did follow the instructions by sauteing the onions and garlic in bacon drippings. It smelled delicious!

cooking sweet potatoes for soup

(Robert came out of his office and down the hall to investigate the yummy smell – anticipation is part of the joy, eh?)

After mashing the potatoes I added the spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. (the ginger was suggested by another commenter on the post) I couldn’t find any paprika in my cupboard, so I left it out…

Then I finished the soup according to the directions, and served it!

Sweet Potato Cider Soup from Carolina Heart Strings

 

Robert was impressed – it was sweet and tangy at the same time. He said this would fit into a fancy restaurant any day!

And since we’ve become soup connoisseurs after our 12 days of soup, I think you can trust him 😉

Thanks for the encouragement, Alessa!

Sometimes the cook needs to be encouraged to try something new – and that, in turn, encourages her/his spouse!

Want to try the Sweet Potato-Cider Soup?

Click HERE for the recipe!

When was the last time you tried a new recipe that you knew your spouse would like? What was it?

Encourage Your Spouse – Support with Action!