Italian Chicken Soup.....Yum!

While making my Chicken Soup last week...

I inadvertently turned into something very special...indeed! 

Instead of adding 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes...

I added....

Well....

Now...

Before I go any further...let me explain!

I added the tomatoes to my last batch of chicken soup...and discovered that it really added a deep richness to the soup...

I had frozen the other 1/2 can...in a small plastic container... 

 I decided this time...I would once again...add the tomatoes...

Over to the freezer...grab the small container...set it on the counter to defrost...while I prepared the rest of the ingredients...

When it was time to add the tomatoes...it was defrosted around the edges...but not all the way through...

Being a hasty nut...as I usually am in a hurry to get to the next thing...I plopped it in...still frozen...put the lid on the pot...and went about my business...

When I returned a while later...to stir it...I noticed a few ingredients that I had not put in!

Red peppers...zucchini...mushrooms...bok choy....blah blah blah...

I asked my boyfriend if he had added red peppers to the soup...and honestly...as soon as the words came out of my mouth...I thought..."Really Linda??? Boyfriend... chopping veggies and adding to the soup??? Get a grip on yourself.....geesh".....hahaha!

What I had actually added to the soup....was the vegetarian spaghetti sauce I had made the week before...frozen what was left...for future use...

Anyhoo....

It certainly gave the soup an even richer more robust flavour than the plain tomatoes...I like both...for different reasons...

A most happy mistake...for sure!! 

**** Hey Deb....I added the Basil Sprig again! Always makes it look so darn professional,EH???  tee hee hee....:o)

Add some crusty bread...a green salad...DEEEELICIOUS!

         Hope you are all having a great day.....

               Very dull and drab here...not even a hint of sunshine...1*c...

                  At least those insane winds have gone elsewhere...bye bye!!

                        Had Miss V for lunch and the afternoon...

                               After her 2 hour nap....

                We got outside with her...more raking at the front...  

           And I cut some greens from the backyard...for my planters!
                    
                          I really gotta get some decorating started...

     The boyfriend and I are dining on Pepper Steak over No Yolk Noodles...

               With a loaded spinach salad to start...

                         Enjoy your evening...

                  Got a new crochet project to start...very excited!

                       Cheers!  :o)
                            linda

You Asked......And I Delivered!

As requested by my millions of faithful readers...

Here is the recipe for "Skinny Beef & Barley Soup"...

Found this on Pinterest... 

Hands up...

Who loves...

PINTEREST

I sure do...

Once I got the hang of it...

Anyway...

Off we go...

Skinny Beef & Barley Soup...

* 2 containers of low-sodium beef broth
* 1 lb lean ground beef
* 2 carrots  {sliced}
* 2 celery stocks {sliced}
* 1 zucchini {diced}
* 1 small onion chopped
* 1 small can diced tomatoes
* 1 cup barley
* 3 cups raw spinach
* freshly cracked pepper
* sea salt
* tsp thyme 
* 1 bay leaf
* tsp ground sage
***********
Brown the ground beef and drain excess fat...
Add to the beef broth and barley...
Bring to a boil...simmer for 15 minutes...
Add everything except the spinach...

Simmer uncovered for a couple of hours...stirring occasionally...
I let it go all day...covering for a while, and then uncovering...
I also added a cup of water and an Aurora beef cube...
Couple of pinches of sea salt...
Plenty of cracked pepper...
Spinach at the very end...
I also added some lentils and beans...dry...not next time, as they did not cook all the way through...
I also added a small bit of tiny macaroni...

Apparently it freezes well....I don't have enough to freeze!!!!
It is also recognized by Weight Watchers and has about 100 calories/cup...

If you make it...let me know...it is one of those soups that you can really clean out your fridge...bok choy would be good!!

SO...there you go...hope you enjoy it!!!

Hope you all had a great day...

Still having some questionable weather here...some sun...mostly cloud...
And that relentless wind....geesh!!

We got a new car today...very happy...very snappy...Infiniti Q60S coupe!
Replaces our G37S...sad...but happy...beautiful car♥️

I have a ham bone in the slow cooker...
Pea soup is up next!!
I really do prefer cold weather comfort food...don't you??

Having crispy pork chops...roasted potatoes and carrots...bok choy...


Enjoy the rest of your day...

Cheers!  :o)
linda

7 Things I Did Yesterday.......

Here is the sky at 2pm...since then ,we have had 2 big downpours!

 

                
                                                 *******************************


                   1. Made 2 Banana Lemon Fruit Loaves...we hadn't had any for months!

                 2. Made Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry freezer jam.....

                 3. Made delicious Scotch Broth from some leftover Lamb from the weekend...

                   4. Made Bean Salad with fresh Basil for the street get-together...

                 5. Made Tea with Fresh cake, berries and yogurt for my tea buddy and I....

                   6. Painted my scruffy toe nails...I really SHOULD get a pedicure!

                 7. Got dressed for the party...and we certainly had a great time!

                                           *********************************


                    Hope you all had a great day...

                       How is your weather?  We have cooled right off...Polar Vortex Summer!

                          Supposed to get humid again starting Sunday...

                            I do enjoy the cooler temps mixed in...how about you???


              Boyfriend picked up a small peameal bacon...

                  Roasted...with some scallopped potatoes...bok choy and zucchini...

                     Sounds perfect for a cool, dark, damp day!


                              Enjoy the rest of your day...

                                    Cheers!  :o)

                                      linda

                       ps...guess who will be 2 on Saturday????    3 guesses! 

                 

Bits & Bobs......

The sky and clouds for most of this week...

Finally got the seat cushions for the sunporch dining chairs recovered...decided to do two different fabrics...all ready to flip over for a new look....

Hens & Chicks back outside....

Deck at home all repaired...notice the new lattice wall...much better! The boards were rotten...you can see the new boards...and I had a large step removed...more deck space now..more work to be done in the fall...

2 Banana/blackberry/strawberry spice cakes all ready for the oven....yummy! Topped off with a combo of cinnamon,walnuts and brown sugar....

Pea Soup fresh from the slow cooker...also Yummy...I use a ham bone...How do you make pea soup?

The tiny Kalanchoe that just won't quit!!!

Raindrops on Peony leaves...

Best thing ever....I put clean flannel sheets on our bed at the cottage, when we were there last Saturday...All I have to do is crank up the electric blanket...and snuggle in...

Reflections in the back yard....as you can see...the pool cover is still on!!! perhaps we will open that next week...so much to do!!!

Jolly-jump-ups...♥️   She almost looks like an Iris!!

You can see a few of the paint-by-numbers I have collected on the wall...there are many more in one of the other bedrooms...I find they give a real cottagey feel...

The bedroom furniture came with the cottage...probably from the 20's...we painted the walls yellow...each bedroom is a different colour...we left the walls and ceiling the original wood...too much painting!!! No curtains....just blinds....when we bought the cottage there were heavy drapes in every room...we said good bye to those very quickly...My daughter painted the one dresser yellow for me...to match my room♥️ The mirror from that dresser is on the hall wall...you can see it to the left...The nightstand was stamped by my sister and I many moons ago...

Isn't our bedroom soooo cozy?? Looks out over the Lake....love when there is a full moon, and the room is lit up!!

Saved the best for last...Last night, after her bath...all snuggly in her housecoat...her sweet face aglow from Grandmas IPad...watching her favorite Bubble Guppies...or...Buppies as she calls it!♥️

                                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   So...those were a few things from the past week...
   It is now Friday afternoon...
   The wind is blowing...the clouds are swirling...limited sunshine...
   Needless to say...we are not going to the cottage today...   :o(
   It will be even chillier out there...so...
   Home tonight...
   Cottage in the morning...
   Where there is...
       Wood to be chopped...
          Winter shutters to come off the sunporch...
            Perhaps the first lawn cut of the season...
               Chicken thighs to bake...
                   Pea soup to enjoy...
                         Perhaps some sunshine on the old bones...
                                          and...
                                                  Pictures to be taken.....
 

              Hope you all have a great long weekend...to my Canadian friends...
                   To the others...your time will come soon enough!

                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

         On the menu this frosty Friday night...they say a frost warning!!!

             Leftover Summer Fresh Pasta...even better the 2nd time!
                Toasted Rosemary bread.....with parmesan cheese...
                    Greek Salad...
                         Lots of red wine...
                                       To drown my sorrows!!! hahaha!


                      Cheers!  :o)
                       linda

Last Night.....

This is how my boyfriend and I spent New Year's Eve....

Luckily I had made a pot of Turkey soup the day before....

I had a small baguette in the freezer....

Buttered and added Parmesan cheese...and then toasted...

And...

There is always salad fixins' in my kitchen!.....

As our tummies are still a wee bit "sensitive"...

This seemed like the perfect meal...

For a cosy night in..... 

 After our meal....

We retired to the family room...

Struck up the fire...

And settled in.....to think over my resolutions.....savor the coming Seasons....

Dream of sitting on the deck at the cottage....

Painted toes in the air! hahaha!

Need to make some new headers.....

This last picture I took with my new Ipad mini...

Another challenge for me to overcome!!

My son is coming on Sunday....with his latest Apple cast off..{he bought a new one}

And...

Apparently...

He is giving it to me...and is going to set me all up!!!

I have never worked on an Apple...other than my new Ipad...

I am kinda scared....don't like new things....but...I guess...I gotta go with the flow!

Do any of you publish blogs using your Ipad????

I have to get it up and running for when we make our trip to FLorida....

I have been reading...there is an app called "Blogsy"....anyone used it???

                                                           ********

Hope you all had a great New Year's evening.....

Slept in again today....lovely!

Don't you just hate not knowing what the heck day it is??!!

Got 95% of my Christmas decor put away today...

Also a few bags for the thrift shop....tomorrow is the tree!!!

Enjoy the rest of your evening...

         On the menu tonight...

         Roasted peameal bacon....roasted taters,carrots and sweet potatoes....
                  Side Ceasar salad...


                                 Cheers!  :o0
                                     linda

Perfect Potato & Luscious Leek Soup....

The other day...I decided it was time for some soup...

I had always wanted to make Potato Leek soup....

One of the blogs I follow  "The Crafty Gardener"...inspired me, with her recipe...to get started...

Her recipe was very easy to follow...[in my sidebar]

I "tweeked" it a bit...to suit my tastes...

I prefer a lot of seasoning in my soup...

After thinly slicing the leeks...[2..white and pale green parts only]

Softening them in butter...[you decide how much]

I added the chopped celery...[3 stalks with leaves]

I also included the celery leaves....as I find they add a ton of flavour...

Generous amounts of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper...

Sauteed those ingredients until tender...

Added the chicken broth, and water...[3 cups broth...1 water]

Added the diced potatoes...[LOTS...as i love them..5-6]

Some dried Thyme...

A few Bay Leaves...

More Pepper...:o) 

Bring to a boil...then....

Let that simmer until the potatoes are tender...

That took quite a while...but well worth the wait....

Added the milk...[2 cups]

Simmer again...[do not boil]

When fully cooked, you may puree 1/2 of the mixture...and add back to the soup...

I did not puree mine...

I used my potato masher...just to break down the potatoes...

Enjoyed with some fresh crusty bread...

Delicious!!!

Bon Apetit...  


 
     

Nothing better on a cold Winters night...

          Thanks for the inspiration Linda [AKA Crafty Gardener]

                  Hope you all are having a great day...

                     Off to feed the cats...ONE  last time...

                        And to get our Tree...HO HO HO!!!!

                             Driving to the cottage tomorrow,see what's happening
                                     out there...

           Have a great evening...

               Lamb Chops and Wild Rice are on the menu...
   
                      With a Greek Avacado salad on the side...yummo!!!  



                                                 Cheers!   :o)
                                     linda