Quick cream of artichoke soup can be made with canned cream of mushroom soup and a can of quartered artichoke hearts. Drain the artichoke hearts and rinse to remove the citric acid. Puree the artichokes in a blender and discard the long fibers that result. The fibers may get stuck in the blender blades, by the way. Add the pureed artichokes to the cream of mushroom soup, heat slowly, and voila, you have cream of artichoke soup. It's not the real thing, which would have to be made with fresh, steamed artichokes, but it's a lot faster. Andrew K. Rindsberg (who is reminiscing fondly about his California days, and wishing he were there, at least for lunch) Geological Survey of Alabama