I will miss winter...part 1

Oh, I am going to miss winter. I love to make soup...can you tell?? I think I have already talked about trying to make a meatless, more budget friendly dinner once or twice a week. When feeding a bunch of guys it can get hard...so the soup needs to be pretty hearty. I scoured my America's Test Kitchens cook book and found the recipe below. Lee loved it! I did leave out the balsamic vinegar...because I do not have any. I substituted dried parsley for fresh and I was out of bacon as well...so you can see there is a lot of room for ad-libbing with this recipe. I sauteed the vegetables in a tablespoon of canola oil and was pleased with the result. It was really good and easy...and did not take all day to make. I served it with some fresh french bread.

Enjoy.

I will miss winter....part 2

Hearty Lentil Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Note that cooking times will vary depending on the type of lentils used. Lentils lose flavor with age, and because most packaged lentils do not have expiration dates, try to buy them from a store that specializes in natural foods and grains. Before use, rinse and then carefully sort through the lentils to remove any small stones.

3 ounces (3 slices) bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped fine

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 cup (7 ounces) lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Fry the bacon in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the lentils, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the vegetables are softened and the lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes

Uncover, increase the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken broth and water; bring to a boil, cover partially, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30 to 35 minutes; discard the bay leaf.

Puree 3 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth, then return to the pot. Stir in the vinegar and heat the soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of the remaining parsley.

The soup can be made up to 2 days in advance. After adding the vinegar in step 3, cool the soup to room temperature and refrigerate it in an airtight container. To serve, heat it over medium-low until hot, then stir in the parsley.

One of my favorite things...

I love mu Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker!!! I got it in Port Townsend (WA)...when the kids and I drove up there on a whim...we stopped in Port Gamble and then went on to Port Townsend, both are beautiful parts of Washington. We also had great ice cream in both places...Arrielle and I fell in love with huckleberry ice cream. Both places we stopped at had homemade ice cream and flavors that were a little unusual...but delicious. At the end of the day, when I asked everyone what they wanted as a souvenir....Elliott said he wanted the ice cream maker we saw at this awesome kitchen store in Port Townsend...it was on sale so I thought...what the Hell!! The rest of the summer we made ice cream...oh and if you put orange juice in it and let it do its thing...amazing!!! It makes about a quart of ice cream at a time...2 cups of heavy cream, a cup of whole milk, 3/4 cup of sugar, a splash of vanilla and whatever else tickles your fancy!!

These pictures come from my first failure in the ice cream department. I was making ice cream for Elliott, for fun and to use in his birthday cake. I decided to make him some mint chocolate chip. I got the supplies, including the mint extract the recipe called for. I made the ice cream...it smelled great...I even put it into small containers, so Elliott could have it whenever he wanted. I did not taste it...and maybe I should have....because when Elliott tasted it, he had the weirdest look on his face, like he was not quite sure what to say....then he told me the ice cream tasted like toothpaste. The mint extract I picked up was wintergreen flavored....I should have grabbed the peppermint! At least the cookies and cream ice cream I made was good enough for Lee to say that it was the best he had ever had.

Oh...and for dinner tonight....chili!!!