Soup's On!

My favorite thing to do on a cold weekend is make a huge pot of soup. Since we were off today (Thank you Martin Luther King Jr.), I decided to try something new: Sausage and Bean Ditalini

Recipe:
Add diced onion, carrot, celery also known as a mirepoix to a big soup pot and saute in butter. I also use the leaves of the celery chopped up very fine. Creates a nice leafy texture. Why waste it.
Throw in some chunks of carrots and zucchini and saute til softened. Add some more butter if needed.
Toss in a can or 2 of diced tomatoes undrained, some garlic ( I put in 4 cloves).
Add a box of low sodium chicken broth and throw in some cooked and crumbled sausage (what ever kind you like). We prefer Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage because it is mild. Italian sausage would be perfect in this but it kills me the next day.
Throw some bay leaves, basil, parsley into the pool.
Toss in a can or 2 of canneloni beans undrained.
Take the empty can and fill it up with water 3 times and add it to the pot.
Add half a box of ditalini
Salt, pepper
Simmer simmer simmer
Taste, adjust, simmer
Serve with some nice crusty Italian bread and grated parmesean cheese
I dont measure so you can add more or less water to your liking. We prefer a less watery soup.

I filled 4 big containers up which I will give away to my friends and family. Rob's mom gave us some homemade Italian wedding soup the other night. I cleaned out the container and before returning it, I filled it up with the soup I made today. Make someone's day and give them a container of soup and ask that when they return the container, they fill it up with some of their yummy leftovers!! This freezes well too! Enjoy!

Today's blog isn't as animated as usual because I got a little too rummy last night at a local bar with some friends which is causing my head to sting a bit. I will tell you that I enjoyed a nice little shot or 2 called an Oatmeal cookie! It is made of 1 part Baily's, 1 part amaretto, and 1 part Goldschlager. YUMMY!