OK, I seem to recall last year in Lake Charles it was NOT this cold. I don't remember frost on my windshield, 40 degree nights, or 70 degree days. Do I take the top off the car in the morning only to put it back on at night? I have heard stories in other cities about waiting 5 minutes for the weather to change, but this past 2 weeks has been very curious indeed.

I woke up the other morning at 8:00 a.m. and it was 44 °F. By 10:00 AM it was 70° F, the sun was shining, and this was on the last day of November. No wonder people I have been working with are talking about the weather changes affecting their sinuses. If I had not worked in so many different weather extremes before, my sinuses would be doing flips, too.

How do you fix meals based on a weather pattern that refuses to be consistent from one day to the next? This is technically soup weather, but only if you eat it after midnight, when the temperature really drops. Otherwise, your soup in the daytime needs to be cold to cope with the 70° F temperatures. 

Under the assumption that the cold spell will continue, at night at least, soups are the natural choice to eat. They make wonderful meals to combat the cold temperatures, fight off infections that cause colds and flu, and provide a balanced meal -- all in one bowl. You can't beat that with a spoon. 

Varieties of soups include broths, vegetable based, and cream based. The "fun" of soups is that you can add whatever ingredients you like into a flavored stock base to achieve the taste of your dreams. The more you cook soup, the more tender the ingredients become, the more the flavors will blend, and the more your guests will enjoy it. Vegetable-based soups are better nutritionally; however, cream based soups should not be dismissed so easily as they have their own unique flavors and nutritional balance.

Here are some vegetable-based soup ideas for the colder days of December to keep us all warm and healthy. Bon Appetit

Provencale Seafood Soup 
Serves 8

1 medium red bell pepper 
1 medium yellow bell pepper 
1/3 Cup (2/3 dl) olive oil 
1 bunch leeks white and green parts 
1 bulb fennel, chopped 
1 medium onion, minced 
1 Tbsp fresh thyme 
1 tsp turmeric 
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
1-½ Cups (3 dl) white wine
4 to 8 bottles clam juice
1 lb plumb tomatoes, chopped
2 lb mussels, cleaned
½ lb medium shrimp, peeled
1 lb oranges, roughly cubed
½ lb sea scallops
½ Cup (1 dl) shredded basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the bell peppers over a gas flame or under the oven broiler, turning often, until the skin turns black on all sides. Place them in a paper bag and let them steam for 10 minutes. Under running water, remove the blackened skin, seeds, and ribs. Slice the peppers 1/8 inch thick.
In a large cast-iron skillet or pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped leeks (washed well to remove all soil), fennel, and onion and cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the thyme, turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Cook 5 minutes longer, stirring often, until fragrant.
Add wine and boil 5-7 minutes over high heat until almost evaporated. Add the clam juice and boil 12 minutes until reduced by half.
Stir in half the tomatoes, the mussels, and the shrimp. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add the chopped orange and scallops and cook 3-4 more minutes, covered, until the seafood is just barely cooked through.
Stir in the remaining tomatoes, the bell peppers, and basil and cook 3-5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Manhattan Clam Chowder 
Serves 4

1/4 Cup (½ dl) salt pork/bacon, chopped 
1 small onion, chopped fine 
2, 8 oz (240 g) cans, minced clams 
2 Cups (4 dl) potatoes, cubed 
1 Cup (2 dl) water 
2 tsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp dried thyme
4 Cups (1 liter) diced tomatoes
1/3 Cup (2/3 dl) celery, finely chopped

Cook and stir salt pork/bacon and onion over high heat in large pot until the onion is translucent. Drain clams, reserving liquor. Add clam juice, potatoes, water, and celery to onion mixture to cover potatoes, adding more water if necessary. Cook 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add clams, tomatoes with juice, and all remaining ingredients. Boil 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors. Serve immediately with French Bread, if desired.

Spicy Tomato-Mussel Soup 
Serves 4

1/2 Cup (1 dl) + 1 Tbsp olive oil 
12 cloves garlic, peeled 
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes 
5 large tomatoes, peeled and seeded 
Sea Salt to taste 
1 small onion, minced 
1 Cup d(2 dl) dry white wine
Handful parsley stems
¼ Cup (½ dl) parsley, chopped
4 lbs mussels, scrubbed
Pepper to taste
Toasted garlic bread

In a heavy saucepan, combine 6 tablespoons oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant and the pepper begins to color the oil. Place peeled tomatoes in the blender and puree. Add directly to the garlic mixture. Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Season to taste with sea salt.
In a flame-proof casserole dish or medium saucepan, combine remaining oil, with the onion, wine, and parsley stems. Bring to a boil over high heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the mussels and sprinkle generously with black pepper to taste. Cover and cook 5 minutes until the mussels open (discarding any that do not open). Remove the mussels as they open; do not overcook. 
Place 2 slices of toasted garlic bread at an angle of 4 warm shallow soup bowls. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to the bowls. Line a fine sieve with cheesecloth and hold over the uncovered tomato sauce pan. Strain the mussel liquid through the cheesecloth into the tomato sauce, stopping when you reach the grit from the sauce at the bottom. Simmer tomato soup 1-2 minutes to blend flavors, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon soup over the mussels in the bowls, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.