Finally, a soup my husband likes

That's not fair; I'm sure he has enjoyed many of my soups. But I love soup and soup-making above all other foods and forms of cookery, and don't indulge as often as I would like because no one else in my family is a soup-lover.

I made a fish chowder this evening, adapted from a recipe in New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant. Of course, my son wouldn't try it, but my daughter liked "the broth," and my husband raved about it.

This would be good with a lot of different veggie combinations, and if I didn't happen to have the parsley and dill, it would have been fine without.

Fish and Vegetable Chowder

Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Saute 1 diced onion  and 1 minced garlic clove until onion is turning translucent. Stir in 2 diced celery stalks and 2 cubed potatoes; cook about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 medium zucchini and half a green pepper, both diced. Add 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or 1 can broth plus a cup of water (even better would be fish stock, but I didn't have any); a bay leaf; and 1/2 tsp dried marjoram or thyme.  Simmer 15-20 minutes, until veggies are tender.

Taste for salt and pepper and add some to taste (I put in about 1/3 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper at this stage; I had used broth + water). Add 1 or 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut in chunks. Stir in 1 lb. cod (or other firm white fish), cut in bite-size pieces, and cook gently until the fish is done, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in 1 cup half-and-half, and cook on low heat about 5 more minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed, then stir in some chopped fresh dill and/or parsley. It's done!

Of course, the reason this was a big hit was the butter and cream. I've often made fish soup by this basic technique, but this combination of vegetables was new, and, although I sometimes will add some milk, I almost never use cream. Try it your own way: with olive oil, more tomatoes, and Italian, Middle Eastern, or even Indian seasonings (leave out the cream), or as a winter chowder with leeks, carrots and/or parsnips, and potatoes (my usual combination).

Dessert was Apple Cake Cockaigne from The Joy of Cooking, made with apricots and peaches. It's similar to my Great-Aunt Ruth's peach cake recipe in some respects. I'll have to try out Aunt Ruth's recipe again soon and perhaps post it here for the perusal and pleasure of anyone who happens to find his or her way here.