Lentil Soup recipe is.
There's lots of Lentil Soup recipes out there, different variations and
I've tried several.
I really always come back to this particular recipe though and
I can't figure out why.
I kind of think it has something to do with this...

Yup, probably the bacon thing.
It has to be the bacon with the marjoram that makes this Lentil Soup almost spicy tasting, although there are no additional spices other than black pepper.
Lentil Soup
5 slices of bacon, sliced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps dried marjoram
1 1/4 cups dried lentils, picked over
6-7 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
In large heavy saucepan or dutch oven, saute bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside.
Add carrots, onion, celery, garlic and marjoram and saute until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes.
Add lentils, chicken stock and bay leaf, and bring just to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. If soup becomes too thick, add more stock. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with crispy bacon.

And then I make it and everyone is always amazed at how wonderfully different tasting and fulfilling this soup is. There's rarely leftovers.
So let's begin this Lentil Soup recipe that was given to me by a nice gal named Sadie...

In a heavy pot or dutch oven, fry bacon until crisp.
Oh gosh, sorry to hear there's BACON in this recipe *wink, wink*
Remove and set aside.

See all that leftover brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan...THAT'S YOUR FLAVOR for this tasty soup. The broth is going to soften all that bacony bacon candy stuff up (deglazing in cook-speak I guess) and flavor the soup broth which in turns flavors the lentils as lentils like to soak up lots of flavor and moisture.

Add the vegetables and marjoram.
Ta-Da! The wonderful aroma in the kitchen begins.....

And the cooked vegetables should look something like this.
Only less blurry.
Drain and rinse the lentils.
Add the lentils, stock, and bay leaf to the pot.
Then take a real blurry picture of the broth being poured into the pot because you are the worst picture-taker in the history of the world. No, universe.

The lentils are going to soak up a lot of broth.
Keep some extra broth on hand if you need to add more liquid after simmering.
Season to taste. Remove the bay leaf
and serve with crumbled bacon to sprinkle on top.

And most of all, be surprised at how nourishing this soup really is!
So are you wondering where the
cake pops are in this here post?
After all, I did mention cake pops at the top in the title.
Well, HERE THEY ARE!

goodness,
don't they
look
yummy?
And she surprised us with a little Cake Pop gift!!!
I'd been hearing about cake pops a lot recently but never really knew what they were.
They are cake and frosting on a stick.
And these were fantabulous!!!
We couldn't wait to eat them.
We devoured every single Cake Pop that night because we were curious about all the flavors. There was chocolate, white, apple, pink lemonade, cookies and cream, yum!!!
Here's their business card which is totally colorful, cheery and adorable!
Don't ya just want to eat those cake pops right off their card?
I would totally order these pretty treats for a wedding, birthday, baby or wedding shower, or simply just to give as a gift.
And I guess they make cake pop bouquets too. And their prices are so reasonable, I really could not believe it!

Oh my! These would make a nice Christmas gift too. Or for Christmas parties. Or for the lady who sells cars and lives in the yellow farmhouse. :):):)
Hey, have a good
Wednesday!!
Angie's quick add-on....Oh, by the way, I have made this Lentil Soup recipe with turkey bacon and it was tasty as well!
I've also made it with fried provolone instead of bacon and vegetable broth for a vegetarian version and it was good too, less tasty but I would definitely make it again for a vegetarian meal.