Soup #13....Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

I'm not sure why but for some reason I was really looking forward to this soup.  Maybe because I like spicy so I was hoping for some kick! I love, Chinese, Thai and Japanese food (I so miss Village Wok, Sawatdee and Benihana in Minnesota. Ahhh....Great food.  There's something about Benihana when you go to other states that's just not the same.  The food is pretty similar, but the sauces and the atmosphere....just not the same as in Minnesota.  It's almost worth making a trip back just for these few restaurants.

So that's part of what inspired this recipe I guess, which was really easy.  And when I say easy....All you had to do was throw everything in a pot and simmer.  You cant get any easier than that.  What I realized after making this soup; I'm not a fan of shiitake mushrooms.  I will probably NEVER use them again and if a recipe calls for them...I'm making substitutions.  I'll stick with my portabella mushrooms thank you very much.

So I rate this recipe about a 7 out of a ten.  It was a little more than average.  Hubby and Daughter thought it was great, while I thought it was just ok.  It's not one that I'd be in a rush to make again.  I did a spicy slaw salad which I though was a pretty good combination.  Me and the Daughter liked it, although the recipe called for just a little too much mayonaise..I used this:

 I really like this mayo and it tastes like the real thing to me.  Hubby is NOT a mayo person and he didn't care for the slaw salad only because he felt there was TOO much Mayo in it...which it was.  The recipe called for a cup and I'd probably use about a half instead next time.  Otherwise I thought it was pretty tasty and about as simple to prepare as the soup. I don't have a lot of pictures because all the ingredients were just thrown in together, so here's what I've got:

Finished meal...had to throw in vegi potstickers (store bought)

Finished soup....looks good right?

Spicy Slaw

So there you have it.  The recipe that I was SOOO looking forward to that I was a little disappointed in.  I haven't had Chinese food from a restaurant in several years.  I'm thinking I need to go sample this recipe from an authentic restaurant and then do a comparison.  Not sure if my taste buds are a little off or not.  lol  So that's it.  Come back tomorrow to see what I'll be serving.  

Peace and Blessings all!!!!