Name: Crab and Avocado Soup
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter; 1 cup chopped onion; 3 tablespoons all purpose flour; 2 8-ounce bottles clam juice; 1 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth; 1/2 cup half and half; 2 medium avocados, peeled, pitted, diced; 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño chili; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice; 1/2 pound crabmeat, flaked, picked over

"I literally didn't know how to boil an egg until I was in my 20s — when I tried to impress a guy by making dinner for him," writes Sally Siegel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "I didn't have much success with the dinner or the guy, but I regrouped and put together a repertoire of fairly elegant dishes I felt confident making. Luckily, my husband, Loren, likes to cook as much as I do, so we really work as a team when we give dinner parties. We're both real estate agents, and we like to entertain clients — we've made some great friends by selling houses to them."

Silky and light, this blender soup would make a delicate summer starter. Bonus: It comes together very quickly.

Recipe notes

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