Settle into 2018 with soothing home-made pumpkin soup and sage bread.

Now that the decadent holiday feasts are over, you can’t help but long for something simpler, born of total ease and comfort.

Soup fits that bill like nothing else.

Portland, OR food writer Ivy Manning comes to the rescue with her clever “Easy Soups From Scratch with Quick Breads to Match” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy.

Sure, you could make a batch of soup and serve it with a purchased baguette. But why not up your game by pairing a soup perfectly with an accompanying bread that takes little time to make fresh at home?

That’s the premise of the book, which includes 70 recipes for soups and breads, which you can mix and match, though Manning gives a bread recommendation or two for each soup in case you find yourself overwhelmed by the choices.

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