Sticking to resolution with superbly smoky soup

This is how Milk Pail Market, one of my favorite Mountain View grocery stores, encouraged visitors to kick off 2015:

That’s a resolution I can get behind every year, and sure enough I recently picked up some fantastic oak-smoked cheddar from these guys. Great on its own, but also quite delightful melted into this soup.

Smoky Cheddar Potato Soup 
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced small, ¼ cup reserved
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced
48 ounces vegetable broth
2 cups grated smoked cheddar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Warm olive oil in a large pot. Add garlic, onions, smoked paprika, cayenne and bell peppers and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Increase heat, add potatoes and broth to pot, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Using a ladle or glass measuring cup, scoop three cups of soup into blender. Puree soup and stir back into the pot. Remove soup from heat and stir in cheese until it’s melted into the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of red bell pepper.

Firing up the barbecue? Try these burgers

It was a beautiful early spring evening, and I was determined to do some grilling. Good thing I had ground turkey in the fridge and a produce drawer full of flavorful goodies. These burgers ended up quite flavorful, with a nice little kick from the spices and the chipotle cheddar.

Spicy Turkey Burgers
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Chipotle cheddar or pepper jack, one slice per burger
1 strip cooked turkey bacon per burger
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons hot sauce
Red bell pepper, sliced
Avocado, sliced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
4 Kaiser rolls, sliced open and toasted
Salt and pepper, a dash each

Whisk mayonnaise and hot sauce in small bowl and place in refrigerator.
Combine turkey, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in bowl. Form four patties and place on plate. Place patties on grill, cooking roughly five minutes on one side before flipping over. Add cheese to each patty and cook for another five minutes or so, until cooked through.
Place burger on half of bun. Spread mayonnaise on top half of bun. Garnish each burger with a slice or two of avocado and red pepper, a pinch of chopped cilantro and strip of turkey bacon (tear or cut it in half first).