Apres Souper Bowl
Although most of us on "Glenlivet" Court are sad to see football season end, many of us are already gearing up for the Final Four! Go Cats! In the meantime we are all focused on our expanding group. Taylor is going to be a big sister and we are excited that we'll soon know if she'll be welcoming a baby brother or sister. Speaking of expanding, her mom is doing fine!

This week I prepared one of my go-to soups, Minestrone.  This recipe feeds a big group so I rarely have to double or triple the recipe.  I have fixed the soup several times and it always comes out a winner. It freezes really well, so even if you don't have a big family or a neighborhood to feed, make it as written and freeze some for another meal. When reheating, you may need to add a little water or more broth to thin the soup.

I honestly wish I knew where this recipe came from, but if I had to guess, probably Southern Living magazine. (Love that  magazine and the Annual Recipe Cookbooks!) Don't let the long list of ingredients put you off - this soup is definitely worth it!

Vegetable Minestrone

3 large carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (12 oz) package of frozen cut string beans cut
3 TBS olive oil
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained [ I didn't even know this existed until I made this soup!]
2 (32 oz) containers of beef broth
1 (15.8 oz) can of great northern beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can of dark red kidney beans, drained
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups of uncooked ditalini pasta
1 (6 oz) package of baby spinach
2 1/2 TBS jarred pesto
Freshly grated Parmeasan cheese

Preparation tip: I always cut my vegetables up ahead of time.  It is the most time-consuming part of the preparation and makes the cooking process much easier!

Saute the first 6 ingredients in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 7 minutes of until crisp tender. Add both cans of tomatoes and the next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Add pasta to soup. Cook 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach and cook for about a minute or until the spinach wilts. Stir in pesto and serve. Top each serving with Parmesean cheese.


 I served this with some crispy garlic Italian bread. Barbara made another fabulous salad - this one with coated walnuts and mandarin oranges.  Alrene out did herself with a delicious dark chocolate cake - infused with cherry-flavored liquor, of course! BTW, the dark chocolate went perfectly with the cold bottle of Arrington Vineyards Raspberry wine I had chillling! PS, Arrington Vineyard ships, too!

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did. If you try it, please tell us how many "spoons" (0-5, 5 is best) it was.