Veggie Soup a la Fridge

Due to Popular Demand (thanks, Amber!) here is the super simple recipe for quick and easy vegetable soup that not only warms the cockles, but cleans out the fridge too. I learned from my boss' wife to just open a can of Campbell's and then tinker with it. So...

A can of Vegetarian Vegetable (or Minestrone or Vegetable Beef...you get the idea)...open and pour into your soup pot with the requisite can of water.

Open your fridge and look over the leftover containers. Mine happened to contain a can of refried beans, slightly dried out, but still usable. Sometimes there is leftover rice, or a smidge of yesterday's meat, or some spaghetti remnants. Dump in a judicious amount, you don't want to overwhelm the Campbell's, just dress it up. I had about 2 Tbs of refritos added to my can of soup the other day. Dried out beans don't sound too appetizing, right? but put them in and your soup suddenly has some texture and body.

I love fresh veggies in my soup! I grab the bag of frozen peas and another of sweet corn and dump a quarter cup or so into the soup pot. Hey! The soup is looking more colorful already.

My sweetie had some of those little bitty carrots leftover from a trip that were just drying out in the veggie drawer so I just chopped some up, added some water, nuked them in the microwave for about 8 minutes and dumped the result in the soup pot.

Somehow my spice rack came into view at this point and I chose to add a sprinkle of cumin and another of garlic powder, but I frequently choose some oregano or basil, it just depends on my mood.

Grammy had just dug her potatoes--little bitty guys--so I cooked them in my trusty microwave and chopped them up, skins and all, and added them to my bubbling pot. She and I both planted zucchini this year and while she is willing to add them to her cookie dough I believe you have to draw the line somewhere. Zucchini, after all is a vegetable. I love to grate my zucchini and microwave it with a little water, so I added a couple spoonfuls to my soup pot.

If I'm in the right mood, I'll start dinner early and let things simmer on the stove for ages. This was not one of those times...so I just ladled it into our biggest bowls, sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top and set them on the table. I put some whole wheat bread in the toaster for me and my sweetie grabbed the saltines for himself.

Twenty minutes, folks, start to finish. Savory, hearty, delicious, healthy and easy. We've been known to call it Kitchen Sink Minestrone because the best minestrone I've ever had (in a little restaurant along the Russian River in northern California) was constructed along those lines. This is one to play with and the ever-changing contents of the fridge make it fun. Remember, it's not brain surgery and Martha Stewart isn't gonna grade the end result. Enjoy!

Soup

Made some.

Yummy!

No complaints because the weather is cooler and rainy or because it's really officially Autumn and summer is already a distant memory or that the garden has slowed to a crawl with fewer flowers and veggies that ripen in geologic time.

Why? Cause I actually get to cook something different! Farewell to the summer menu of dinners whose primary requirement is that they don't heat up the kitchen. Hello to pots of apples transforming into sauce, to soups simmering on the burner, to chili from scratch and stew and...and...comfort foods.

Love change, hate boredom.

By the way, the veggie soup had leftover refried beans, grated zucchini, white corn, peas, fresh potatoes skin and all, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. It's still sticking to my bones and warming my marrow.

Spoiled

This is my car. It sparkles. It shines. It is clean inside and out. Even the tires shine.

I did not wash, wipe or vacuum one square inch to get it that way. I'm the one with carpal tunnel, remember. I am not allowed to clean because that would mean using my fingers, hands and wrists. That would be very very bad and my OT would not be happy.

Those two lovely men were a gift. They came to me. They brought a trailer filled with lovely cleaning juices and magical potions. (For the car, people; what would I do with car shampoo, wax and Armor-all? No, wait, don't answer.) They had their work cut out for them and worked for well over an hour removing dirt, dust, garden soil, rock chips, dried soccer grass, pollen, and a year of puppy.

It's called Detailing (courtesy of last year's morning class) and I love it.

Happy Feet

Sometimes the cosmos just shines, the planets are in alignment, and all the lights are green. That's the way my shoeshopping expedition with Grammy was yesterday.

After lunch, we headed for Shoe Pavilion hoping to find a replacement for my old, comfy, well-loved Dexters. It's not uncommon to spend an entire kindergarten morning on my feet, moving constantly and my pedometer can prove it. So my shoes have to meet some stringent teacher-shoe standards. I'm quite capable of walking away empty-handed (or should that read bare-footed?) when I'm looking for shoes.

Instead I found four fabulous shoes that have wonderful arch support, nice leather, fit perfectly and at a reasonable price. I exercised great restraint and only bought three pair.

First, I ran across some Avia running shoes--my old runners are way past their expiration date, so these were a needed item.

Then the Clark's sandals caught my attention. I became a Shoe Pavilion fan when I found my wonderful blue Sunbeats there two years ago so I was thrilled to find these tan babies to add to the collection. I mean, the blue matches almost everything, but tan is so wonderfully neutral.

Then Grammy pointed out a brown, MaryJane-style Ecco shoe that fit wonderfully so we grabbed our shoeboxes and were waiting for the customer ahead of us, when I remembered that the front window had some shoes that caught my eye earlier. What a dilemma when I found the cute brown Dexters!

Did I need two brown pair? Not really, but how often does one find two shoes that fit and look great?

Which one felt more comfy? The Eccos were quite comfortable and the Dexters were pretty comfortable. Either would work.

Which looked better? Grammy thought the Dexters were cuter and I had to agree. I really liked the Eccos, but they might have been just a tad clunky for my admittedly teensy feet.

Which were cheaper? Sometimes a girl just has to ignore price and make a decision based on what's best for her feet.

In the end, the Dexters won and I somewhat reluctantly left the Eccos behind. I feel like I won a jackpot with my three new shoes. Just like any kid, having new shoes makes it seem easier to face going back to school!

p.s. I might have come away with three pairs of shoes, but I got my sweetie SIX pairs of socks! He really came off best. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Holy Smokes!

My baby has turned 24! Don't know how time sped by so fast that I know have to dabble in subtraction to figure out how old my kids are.

We spent 45 minutes looking for a good birthday card. I'm more likely to be drawn to the silly cards about heredity (good looks vs. intelligence), or the nutty things all moms say. It's easier than getting all weepy over the sappy verses extolling pride and love. I pretended that my allergies were acting up yet again as I wiped my eyes.

Naturally we chose the sappy (but totally true) card about loving a tiny baby, a little boy, and a tall young man. We are so blessed to have two incrediblewonderfulcaringkindhandsomeintelligent sons. Love you both!

Pins and Needles

It's the main reason that there have been no recent posts--it's hard to type when I can't feel my fingers. I have carpal tunnel in both wrists (note to self: next time you want to start distance training runs, make sure your bike is perfectly fitted to you). The doctors and therapists call it "tingling", but the truth is that my fingers have felt as though they've been asleep for close to two months now.

They are gradually feeling better, sort of half asleep. That's from a combination of therapy, wrist braces and letting the nerves rest.

Resting is pure torture when you are as active as I (usually) am. I can live with not using the shovel and pick as I re-landscape my front yard. I found that I can get Erkie to come over and he's great about taking directions from me and I'm happy with any sort of progress on the landscaping that got derailed by carpal tunnel.

Unfortunately, resting also includes a ban on fine motor activities. Just try and find something that doesn't use your hands. Can't use scissors. Can't hold a pen or pencil for any time at all. Even reading is frustrating. Paperbacks are bad enough; trying to find a comfy way to hold the last Harry Potter (all 759 pages of it) was nearly impossible. The solution turned out to recline the sofa, hold the book open on my lap and only use my hands to turn the pages.

Oddly, using the keyboard is one of the easier things for me. I can't do it for very long, but at least it doesn't make my fingers swell or my hands hurt. So...short posts. Like this one.

Over and out.

Sneak Peek

Yeah, I've been on vacation. Still am.

Plus it's been way too hot upstairs in our house, not to mention in our computer room, to want to be there. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

But...I just went on a Pond and Rails tour locally and just can't resist sharing photos of some really wonderful ponds. I was inspired.

Enjoy!