Pantry Soup

So, I got to go home to NC after my first few weeks in Puerto Rico. I was a happy girl. The kids have been keeping the house in pretty good shape, although my puppy was in desperate need of a bath. It took me a while, however, to get back into the swing of things in terms of being in charge of the household again. I hit the ground running with doctors appointments, meeting friends for coffee and following up on construction projects that we had started.

I wanted to cook something for everyone who would be home that night, but I was tired after a long day of running around, and the last thing I wanted to do was hop in the car and go out for groceries. This is when one's culinary skill is tested: what can you make with what you've got in the house?

There had been several cans of beans and peas in the pantry for months. I don't know if someone bought them for a food pantry and never delivered them or if they were the collected leftovers from some retreat. But I was tired of seeing them in there and put together a plan to turn them into something delicious. A can of peas is nothing special on its own, but with the combined magic of oil, garlic, bacon...mmmmm.

I don't have any photos to share, so you'll have to use your imagination. But I've learned when working with beans, though filling and satisfying, they need some help in the flavor department. A basic beginning to any bean based soup is a combination of oil, some sort of cured pork product (think bacon, sandwich ham, smoked ham, sausage), thyme, basil, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, a cube of chicken boullion, salt and a lot of black pepper. Once you get all that going, simmering the vegetables down to a nice soft consistency, you can add the beans. If you are using dry beans, of course soaking them and cooking them first would be necessary. But since I was cleaning out the pantry I used the cans I had on hand: cannelini, peas, limas, black. I drained all of them first, using the liquid as needed to make a soup. I warmed all the beans in the oil and vegetable mixture, to spread all the flavors around evenly. I added the liquid from the beans a little at a time, and some water. And then as I was finishing up, it seemed the soup wasn't quite thick enough. I thought about blending half the soup to create a thick consistency, but I saw a lonely can of refried pinto beans at the back of the shelf. In the pot and give it a good stirring. Instantly perfect consistency! I made some cornbread and we had a very veggie meal.

This made a pretty huge pot of soup, so it was great for lunches, etc. To me, it always feels good to clean out the pantry. I like to wait until I've made use of almost everything in the house before I go shopping again. That way, I know we are eating everything I buy and nothing is going to waste.

A couple of photos are always a good idea on a blog...even if they have nothing to do with the entry! So, here's what else we did while home on this little break from PR:

I really enjoyed my fall garden...

...and we got in a great visit with our kids in the mountains!

Out Like a Lamb??

"March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb!"

Each year, I led my Kindergarten classes in this declaration of Spring, as we glued cotton balls onto outlines of baby lambs. But this year, on precisely March 29th, I awoke to clouds, frosty temperatures and sleet! What happened to that lamb?!

So, Monday as it was, soup would have to be on the menu for Cooking Night with the girls. Two warm, flavorful comforting soups for a cold night. Some of the gals were exhausted from a conference they worked on all weekend, and couldn't attend (we missed you!). But we had the privilege of a welcoming a few new faces; Lucinda, Enid, and little Rosie, Mattie, and Christen - who always make the occasion extra fun!

Menu: Butternut Soup, Taco Soup
Cornbread
Fruit
Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

Often butternut soups are a little on the sweet side, but I like it with a little kick at the end. Cayenne pepper does the trick in this recipe. Also, I'm not a huge fan of too much 'squashy' flavor, so a potato does a good job of mitigating, and creating a smooth soup. I must give a nod to my friend, Nan, who is an amazing cook and homemaker. She passed along the recipe for Taco Soup, which has become a staple around here in the cold months. We use ground beef, but chicken also works great.

The other great thing about these two soups? They can easily be multiplied to feed a crowd. Or you can make some rice to pour the Taco Soup over to make it stretch.

I'm a cheater when it comes to cornbread. When m y kids were little, and time was of the essence, Jiffy cornbread mixes were cheap (remember when they were 20 cents a box?), easy, and yummy. My family still prefers it. And with honey. It's kind of like having cake for dinner.

The soups have so many veggies in them, that they really are a stand-alone meal. But I always like to round out the table with a bread and a side, so a few fruits arranged on a plate work well for this meal. Plus it's a great job for a four-year-old. When there are kids around at meal prep time, it can be very stressful. They are hungry, thirsty, whiny. There's food everywhere, and they can't have it yet! So get them involved. Give them a task. Even if they make a mess or do it wrong, it's food, right? So it will be fine. Don't sweat the small stuff. I used to say, "As long as a washing machine or a bathtub can fix it, it's not really a problem."

Our current little lambs!