I wrapped my pipes…..didn’t get frozen when it snowed in December…..what happened??

Call my youngest son at 6 a.m. to tell him we have NO WATER and could he come home and fix it??  He was just getting off work across the lake but said the bridge was closed!  “You should have run the water last night, Mom.”  Really, son??  “Can’t you call Jason??”

Called Jason and his pipes were frozen, too.  Said he would come over when he could.  Oh well, I’ll just go outside and fix it myself.  With hair dryer in hand, I proceeded outside and blow-dried  my pipes for a total of 30 minutes with the wind blowing and the wind chill at 10*F.  I laid hands on the pipes, prayed and held the dryer in place.  Thirty chilly minutes later….SUCCESS!!!!

Came inside to let my body defrost, cooked breakfast and had my second cup of coffee, ahh…..Thank you Lord for answered prayer!

So I decided to clean out the fridge and pulled out some leftover Pot Roast and a few veggies…….so guess what I’m making now???

Homemade Vegetable (Beef) Soup  Page 128 & 129 in my cookbook.

 

Or maybe you want a real easy soup without meat but really satisfying and a real comfort on a chilly day!

Cannellini Soup with Parmesan

This hearty soup makes delicious use of the flavorful 1/4-inch-thick rinds that remain after wedges of Parmesan have been grated away; they infuse the soup with a nice salty bite as it simmers.  (I always grate my own Parmesan and Romano cheeses so I always have these in my freezer.  I sometimes put these rinds in my red gravy…….so good!!)

Makes 6 to 8 servings

 

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional oil for garnish
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
• 3 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), drained
• 6 cups low-salt chicken broth (preferably homemade)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage or 1 teasp. dried
• 2 2×2-inch Parmesan cheese rinds
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped or cooked Bacon (meat is optional)
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add beans, broth, sage, Parmesan rinds, and prosciutto or cooked bacon; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend and soup thickens slightly, about 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove cheese rinds.
2. Puree about 5 cups soup in processor and return to pot. Season with salt and pepper. (Soup can be made 2 days ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm before serving.) Ladle soup into bowls and serve, passing grated Parmesan cheese and additional olive oil separately.

This blog post was written two years ago in December but somehow never got posted!!  Better late than never, especially since some states are still experiencing cold temps!

 

Bon Appetit…..until next time

 

Chiqui