Good Morning Everyone!

It's still chilly here in Central Florida but I bet it's even colder somewhere in the U.S. today. Still in soup mode...

Tonight we will enjoy a Carrot & Yellow Bell Pepper Soup along with a Cheese-Herb Bread.

Keep Warm! Gina

Carrot & Yellow Bell Pepper Soup
Serves 8

6 T. butter
6 large carrots, pelled
2 yellow bell pepper
2 c. sliced leeks
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
ground cumin to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 c. homemade chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan over med. heat. Cut the carrots into 1/4 inch slices and the yellow bell pepper into 1 inch squares. Add the carrots, leeks, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary and cumin, mix well and cook covered over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, salt and pepper and mix well. Simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes or til the carrots are tender. Discard the rosemary sprigs. and process in food processer or blender til nice and smooth and creamy. Serve soup hot with herb-cheese bread.

Cheese Herb Bread

1 t. sugar
1 1/4 c. lukewarm water
1 env. dry yeast
3 c. flour
2 t. salt
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
2 t. chopped fresh chives
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 c. finely shredded chedar cheese

Preheat oven to 350
Dissolve the sugar in the water in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the yeast and let stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Sift the flour, dry mustard and pepper into a bowl, mix well and stir in the chives, parsley and 1 1/2 c. of cheese. Add the yeast mixture stirring until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes, then place in a buttered bowl. Let rise covered with plastic wrap in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf and place into a buttered 5x9-inch loaf pan. Let rise covered with plastic wrap for 40-50 minutes or until doubled in size.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: This bread should not be frozen.