Well, it’s clouded over and started to snow… I am too lazy to wander outside and pick a pork product to cook or the other freezer for some beef! I look in my fridge at the last head of cabbage from my garden and some left over jalapenos, broccoli, baby kale and of course my staple lately…. bacon!
Well, soup is always simple, warms the house and can be for lunch tomorrow or a basis for another invention! So lets start by cutting up the bacon there were 7 strips left and starting them in the pot, next I chopped one onion and 4 cloves of garlic minced, added it to the bacon to sweat down. I took a half of the cabbage and roughly chopped it added it to the pot, a green pepper chopped, one head of broccoli coarsely chopped, one big jalapeno chopped finely. Next I added two small cans of fire roasted chopped tomatoes, one large box of chicken broth and about a cup of water. Lastly, I added two big handfuls of spinach and two big handfuls of baby kale. Don’t forget the course ground pepper and salt to taste!
It’s a wonderful soup that was simple, rustic and warmed the whole house. Of course it made a pot full of soup, but I am already thinking of adding some tortellini tomorrow, maybe some pork sausage… I have some of Maybelle’s cream… I could turn it into a creamy veggie soup!! The ideas are endless!!!!
Winter for me, is a fun time when I can experiment with baking and cooking (much better than doing my book work!) And when it gets frosty outside, I love to slow cook roasts and hams – really warming the house and filling it full of wonderful smells! And I think all of us can find winter long and dark, but baking and cooking to me passes the time and makes for a good chance experiment for the ranch clinics we do through out the year!
I am hoping this winter all my cowgirls will come up with new recipes and ideas that are unique to them! and take that chance of being a cooking cowgirl!!! I get a lot of emails from readers saying they aren’t great cooks, or don’t have good ideas… I will say Pinterest is a great help for that – you don’t have to follow their recipes to a T but you can get ideas of things to do or try – I have noticed to that there are alot of really simple recipes you can try to get you started — but I suggest you try the recipe with a twist of you! Don’t just make what everyone else is making!
I had my soup with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a few saltine crackers… but I’m sure some sharp cheddar would be awesome and a slice of rustic garlic toast…
PS – 6 more Christmas shopping days…. yikes!!!!