Snow= Soup!

The Mr. and I have been enjoying the cold weather for only one reason... homemade soups! I love making my own MMM goodness instead of eating the preservative and sodium filled alternatives from a can.

I found this recipe by accident on AOL foods. The Mr. and I LOVE black beans and roasted red peppers, so it sounded like a great fit for us.

I made a few adaptations from the original recipe, but I think it turned out wonderfully. Savory, full of nutrients and protein, perfect for the 6 inches of snow falling outside our window right now! When the soup has cooled, we like to separate it into individual containers so it is easy to grab on the go for work or dinner.

Bean, Pasta and Roasted Pepper Soup (from AOL foods)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 large carrots , diced
2 stalks celery , diced
1 large onion , chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic , minced
1 can (49 1/2 oz.) Swanson® Chicken Broth (I used 8 cups, or 2 boxes of low sodium Chicken stock)
1 can (about 15 oz.) black beans , rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta (I omitted this... didn't want the extra carbs)
1/2 cup roasted sweet red pepper strips
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

***I added 1/2 lb. of sweet Italian turkey sausage

Instructions:

HEAT oil in sauce pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, parsley and garlic and cook until tender. Add broth, beans, tomatoes and pasta. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook 15 min. or until pasta is done.
ADD peppers and vinegar. Heat through.

Adventures in Homemaking

Busy and productive weekend! Well, after a rather languid and snuggly Saturday morning, that is. I spent my afternoon shopping for all things domesticity. Michael's for Fall garland and a fake pumpkin, Target for baby gifts and cards, Macy's to pick out a new (FREE) Crock pot and some fabulous pans. Grocery store and local fish shop rounded out the list.

So Sunday rolls around and I just HAVE to try out the shiny new Rival 6 qt. Crock pot (with attached hinged lid and digital programming). So sleek, so large... so many possibilitiesBut I settled on comfort food: namely, chicken and dumplings. I found this recipe through my Saturday morning Googling. After reading the reviews and jotting down a few words of advice, I exchanged the water for a carton of chicken stock, added a can of corn along with the biscuits after 4 hours of cooking on High. I let the biscuits simmer in the liquid on Low for another 1.5 hours. The results= Delish!

I also whipped up a huge pot of chili using the amazing red cast iron pot from our wedding registry... and the biscuits mentioned in my previous post. The MR. was in Heaven! Everything turned out just dandy and we will be feasting for the rest of the dreary work-week.

I heartily recommend all of the recipes from this weekend!

Cheers!

MM