A soup stroll

Now, be honest, who doesn’t love soup?

Can you really look me in the eye and tell me,
“Jen, as a matter of fact, I hate soup!”

No. You can’t. And if you can, I’m very sorry that you are missing out on the delightfully comforting and delicious bowl of goodness that is soup. It’s so warm and tasty and absolutely PERFECT for fall. I took a look at some other blogs to see what soup’s on the stove of some other folks, here’s what I found.

• If you’re feeling Italian a nice bowl of Pasta e Fagioli may be for you.
• Perhaps a creamy Corn and Vegetable Chowder is more your taste?
• I know that I can never say no to a cheesy bowl of French Onion Soup.
• Try transforming the southwestern flavors of your next taco night into  a simple Black Bean Soup instead.
• The fall is the perfect time to indulge in a bowl of Butternut Squash Soup.
• Kale, Sausage and Mushroom Stew would be a delicious way to round out your weekend.

And just in case you’re not hungry enough, lets end on a great big bowl of
Sausage and Shrimp Stoup a la Rachel Ray, it’s what I ended on last night!

Here’s my dinner last night.
A simple Sausage and Shrimp One Pot meal courtesy of Rachel Ray. Topped off with fresh basil and parsley served with a big hunk of crusty ciabatta bread!

An evening in Italy – sorta

The sensational aromas of garlic, tomato sauce and olive oil are still permeating in the air of my little apartment. Tonight’s meal was like a little trip back to Italy – sorta. (I say back because in the summer of 2008 I was privileged enough to take a two week Mediterranean cruise to Italy, Spain, France, Croatia, and Tunisia. It was an absolutely amazing trip! But lets get back to dinner, shall we…) My intention for tonight’s meal was a simple, traditional baked ziti. Yum. To my dismay, when I checked the pantry, all I had were farfalle (bowties) and spaghetti. LIGHTBULB! Spaghetti Pie!

I think one time I watched Giada De Laurentiis make a spaghetti frittata once, maybe that was my inspiration? Maybe I was just hungry. Either way, I decided to serve it was a lovely italian side dish – broccoli rabe.