When autumn arrives, it’s time to make soup

It's always a clear sign that fall is approaching when I feel the unyielding need to belly up to the stove and create something warm, comforting and -- most of all -- brothy.

It's as if the very air outside is dictating my next meal. Will tonight be hearty beef and potato stew, a classic chicken noodle, or perhaps something more exotic, like a slow-cooked Vietnamese beef pho?

Once the leaves alter their hue, the bees become sluggish and the garden produces the last of its bounty, the warmth of the kitchen calls. As if almost on cue, those of us who relish an afternoon of dicing, pouring, simmering and stirring start perusing our tried-and-true cookbooks or hit up our friends and family for just the right recipe designed to satisfy the soul.

While the deliciousness of braised meats and homemade breads along with the heartiness of pastas, fried dishes and decadent sweets most often make the grade when it comes to fall cooking, it's the soups, stews and chowders that truly warm from within. There's something organic and familial about spending an entire Sunday afternoon skimming the perfect chicken broth before carefully dropping dumplings or noodles into a concoction that you painstakingly hovered over for several hours.

Perhaps it's memories of our mothers and grandmothers doing the same in their cozy housecoats and slippers, or maybe it's a fond recollection of a gaggle of ladies whose pride knew no bounds as they scurried about the church kitchen creating their very best for a hungry congregation at a Wednesday night supper.

It has been argued many times that food is love, and frankly there's not much to debate. Those of us who look forward to an afternoon of cooking do it not just because we find cooking irresistible, but because we love those we cook for.

Take soup, for example. What better way to care for someone in need than to bring them a hot, steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. Think of what you crave when you're sick. For many, it is that bowl of chicken soup. For others, it might be a spicy Thai tom yum, a Mexican tortilla soup, or maybe a classic matzo ball. However you spoon it, the basics remain the same -- warm soups and stews make us feel better, and the people who love and care for us want nothing more than that.

In effect, how we cook in many ways defines who we are. For me, when I am lucky enough to have a treasured family recipe shared with me, I am reminded of home, church, my grandma's house in West Virginia, and potlucks and covered-dish affairs.

When a warming soup comes my way, I can't help but recall those sick days as a child when my mother fed me spoonfuls of hot wonton soup. So when my mother, grandmother and a dear family friend from our church insisted on sharing their cherished soup recipes with my readers, I didn't hesitate to take them up on the offer.

After all, the best foods warm from within, with much of that glow coming straight from the heart.