Missions....

I am the self proclaimed queen of the mission and it seems i am always on some sort of mission....

Monday's mission was soup. It was the perfect weather and not only had Wendy invited me over to cook it i had just picked up my share. I had some zuchini and yellow squash that were begging to be made and the rest of my basic soup fixins. When i had finally finished unpacking and putting away my share it had started to pour again. I decided to shower and see if it would let up. Of course it didn't do i resolved to wear rain friendly shoes and make a run for it, and as always, the rain slowed down when i got in the truck. I thought i was in the clear, but the next half hour was a torrential battle to get to Wendy's. In between sheets of rain i couldn't see the lane divisions in the under construction mess that is the poor excuse for a highway i am forced to travel on daily. I breathed a big sigh of relief when i made it though. Wendy had also left me her parking spot and after five minutes of raining i put my rain boots on and grabbed the food bag and laughed the whole way running in the rain. It was refreshing but kind of cold.

To make the soup:

1/2 head of garlic
1 large onion
Olive Oil
Large can of diced tomatoes
1 carton of Low Sodium broth
any veggies cooked or uncooked that you have lying around and need use and any spices other than salt that you think compliment the mix.

Sautee the garlic and onion until the onions are soft in olive oil at the bottom of your soup pot. If you have carrots or any other really hearty veggies that need to be softened you can sautee those for five minutes to soften them up. Toss in the broth and the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Toss in any uncooked veggies and lower the heat. This time i used the zucchini, and yellow squash. Let that simmer for about twenty minutes. Add salt and spices to taste. If you use low sodium broth get ready to resalt a few times.
After the simmer you can add any cooked veggies you have lying around. I happened to have corn on hand as well as some rutabaga and green beans. Those made it into the pot as well. After it has been spiced and flavored to your liking you can toss plain kettle or potatos on top for a crunchy addition if you didn't add potatos already. I think that speeds up the cooking time because potatoes take forever to cook. Leftover french fries do make a good addition to the soup because they are already cooked and are soft. The tomato base works well for a veggie soup and adds some complexity to the flavor. You can also garnish with lime, cilantro or sour cream depending on your taste preferences and combinations.

Tuesday's mission was to find the supplies that was lacking for JoAnn's birthday basket. I am making everyone a homemade basket for the next year (maybe longer depending on how it works out) for birthday gifts. JoAnn of course is the guinea pig, and she has already told me her preferences. I planned on flavored oil, bread, crackers, cereal, waffles, and whatever other creations come to mind before i hand it over. It will be chock full of homemade goodness! I needed the bottles for the oil and i have been aggresively searching for them but haven't had too much luck in finding empty bottles at thrift stores with good stoppers. I also needed a basket. Last night i went to my closest goodwills and found something else i needed!!! I found some Italian glass jars with the rubber gaskets that seal for my flour. I found three that were 2 dollars each and just needed new rubber. After the goodwills and a slight detour to make the final purse/sunglasses decision i went to the container store and found the gaskets, some bottles and clear bag for my yellowstone trip and the bottles for the oil. I haven't found any labels i like in particular so i'm going to get creative with what i got. I really like challenges like this and who knows....maybe i find another think to add to my dream business!

and btw...if someone shows me how to do links and stuff i could post pictures of the finds and final product and food stuffs!