What is your go-to comfort food no matter the season?

A steaming bowl of homemade soup served with a smile is my ultimate comfort food. The best soup isn’t fussy and pairs well with a loaf of lovingly made bread or plain white saltine crackers from a box. 

Soups invite improvising. You can substitute ingredients without worry—nobody makes soup exactly the same way twice! Not me anyway.

    Be creative, bold, and be ready.

    Stock up on soup staples. Our pantry has cans of tomatoes, broth, and all varieties of beans—garbanzo, cannellini, lentils, black and red beans, and more. We have egg noodles and lots of dry pasta choices handy too. Bags of frozen vegetables fill the freezer, awaiting their turn in the broth.  

    Canned goods and frozen veggies are available, nutritious, and cheap. Adding them to broth with a dash of hope, and lots of love creates satisfying soup anytime. 

***

   Reflections 

    My ended the year with 50^th blog post. Yay! The data are not exact but worthy of sharing. 

    Reflecting on 2024’s most read posts, I found those musings were among the most fun to write including, “The Story of Boots,” (Dec. 30), "High Five! for all the Dads,” (June 16) “How do you Connect with Nature?” (March 19) and “Summer Rites," (July 3).  

    I received the most feedback on “Authentic,” “Magic Closet,” “Old-Fashioned Buffets,” and “Snowy Days.” And I tickled a few funny bones when on a whim I tried fiction with a Brat summer quiz, and introduced you to “Sparkle” the purple unicorn.  Sparkle is still on the fence.  

    Thank you for a wonderful year.

New Year's Day Soup 

Prep time: 10 minutes/Total time: Less than one hour
Calories: 110 calories per cup   

Guaranteed to get a healthy start to the New Year

Ingredients (Makes four quarts)

1/2 white onion
½ cup celery (Use the celery leaves too.)
1 sweet peppers red or orange
1 can of cannellini beans
1 can of black eyed peas *
3 tbl olive oil  
3 cups (one bag) chopped kale
1 can diced Italian tomatoes
6-12 garlic cloves (In our kitchen we go heavy on the garlic.)   
2 tbl fish sauce (Optional ingredient to boost flavor. Check the Asian section of the grocery store or find a bottle in Asian market.)
1 tsp of hot dry red pepper flakes (Optional, more to taste. )
1 tsp of ground black pepper.
4 oz. dry pasta Ditalini
1 carton (4 cups) organic broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
4 cups of water
3 tsp of chicken base (Better than Bouillon brand)
Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

 

* Southerners believe eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings good luck. We used the whole can, however, if you aren’t a fan, try a half a cup, or use another can of cannellini beans. 

DIRECTIONS

Wash kale and remove greens from the stems. Chiffonade the kale greens. Crush and chop the garlic cloves.

Dice celery, peppers, carrots, and onion. Sauté the celery, carrots, peppers, and onion in olive oil in a large pot under high heat until they sweat.

We ‘sweat them’ because one apple in the fridge went bad and we had to find out what he had done! As you know, one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch.

Add the garlic, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Pour broth and water into the pan. Add enough water so not to overflow.

Add the chicken base. Then add the cannellini beans, black-eyed peas, and Italian tomatoes.

Bring to a boil, then add in the kale and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the pasta to the boiling broth for 20 minutes.

Taste and season with salt. Simmer for another 5 mins. 

Present in the bowl with a splash of olive oil, and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serve with a smile.

If you’d like a PDF of the recipe, let me know. Questions? I have answers.