Dear Folks, Yesterday I realized I was out of homemade soup for my lunches and after much thought I remembered the carrot soup I had made once (and only once) back around 1973. It's called Imperial Carrot Soup and I had clipped the recipe out of a women's magazine or some such many years ago. I remembered that it had tasted good the first time around and I remembered that it was a pureed soup. Last evening I thought I'd try it again. This is the recipe: Imperial Carrot Soup 3 cups sliced carrots (I used a bag of frozen carrots) 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 3 whole cloves 2 tablespoons water 1/8th teaspoon white pepper (Add a generous shake or 2 of powdered onions--my addition) 2 chicken bouillon cubes 2 cups hot water 1 cup rich milk or half and half (I used 2% milk) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4th teaspoon coriander (I was out of it) 1 teaspoon freeze dried chives (I used a generous sprinkling of the fresh frozen chives I've had since last fall) Slice carrots on the diagonal about 1/4th inch thick. Melt butter over low heat. Add whole cloves, water, pepper and carrot slices (and onions). Cook covered about 1/2 hour or until carrots are tender. Use a blender or mixer and mash carrots (My note: forget about the mixer. Mine just couldn't manage to mash all of them up.) Dissolve bouillon in hot water, add rich milk, salt, coriander and mashed carrots (and frozen chives). Bring to a boiling point. Garish with chives. Serve hot. Makes one quart or four servings. Things went well enough for me until I tried to mash the carrots up in my heavy mixer using the large bowl. Therefore, I had to get out my food processor. It did a good job and only took two batches. I dumped the mashed carrots into the other ingredients in the pan on top of my stove and finished up the soup. One taste told me that it was as good as I had remembered over 30 years ago. However, by that time it had taken me 1-1/2 hours to cook it up and my legs were about to give out on me. All of that work for only four servings (well, in my case it's probably eight servings). I was really in a grumpy mood. However, since I had my first bowl of the soup for lunch today, I knew that I needed to have another try at making it. In the first place, I can see no reason not to use my microwave to cook the carrots until tender and to add the other ingredients accordingly. Not only that, I see no reason to puree it at all. A pureed soup may be more eloquent but I have the feeling it would taste just as delicious without making such a mess in my food processor/mixer. It's too tasty to give up on it. Hey, you never know. Maybe the next time I make it, I'll throw in some cubed potatoes. Now that sounds like a heartier soup. vee