Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Cold and Cloudy Calls for Soup

We've had many cloudy days of late which means cooler weather, too.

40's at night and 60's during the day.

Funny how people complain about the heat all year and then winter comes and they complain about the cold.

The only thing I can't get used to is the fact that it is still dark when we get up in the morning.

Although I make soup year-round, a big bowl of hot, hearty soup is especially enjoyable when it is cold and cloudy. I made Herb Lentil Soup last night from a recipe I tore out of a 1996 Country Home magazine.

Rinse and set aside one cup of brown lentils. Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a large pot and saute one cup chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic til tender but not brown. Stir in lentils, one can of chopped tomatoes, 4 cups of beef broth, 1 TBS of worcertershire, 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme, 1 tsp of fresh chopped parsley, 1/8 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp of black pepper and 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of chopped carrots and 1/2 cup of chopped celery and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes. Discard bay leaf before serving.

I never follow any recipe to a tee. I only use vegetable broth. Didn't have fresh herbs so used Italian seasoning. Didn't have celery so used green pepper. And always add more spices than what is called for. I like to jazz things up to suit my taste. A sprinkle of red pepper flakes never hurts either.

I'm headed this evening to a Textile Group meeting where crochet is on the agenda. Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday.

21 comments:

Linda said...

Hi Tammy,
Looks like you're having a wonderful day. :)

Love soup as well year round and hey, last week our weather would have been completely matching what you're having right now. But, we're now much cooler with 40s only as our high temperatures. It's a lovely day out here though - Sunny, clear blue sky, NO wind (a biggie for me you know) and 39 degrees right now. It was a great day for my lunchtime walk.

I soooo very much agree with your statement about complaints about the weather - so many people are just never truly happy with anything, I think.

Have to find joy in every day and you seem very good at that. It's inspiring.

Have a nice evening at your textile meeting.
Linda

Yesteryear Embroideries said...

It is funny how we complain with the weather. I love soup no matter what time of year it is! The textile group sounds like a wonderful thing to belong to! blessings,Kathleen

Pearlin J said...

I went to the morning meeting today after a long long time.It was so nice seeing everyone. Hope you have fun in the evening meeting.Can't wait to hear what you did there :)

Anonymous said...

We like soup, too. It's easy to make and you can have so much variety. My old crock-pot died a month ago so I bought a new one that is a bit larger. So now I can make bigger pots of soup!
Your's sounds yummy, too. Hubby loves barley in his soups! Or quinoa.
Yes, dark in the morning and dark at night. Whodathunk???? At least it's not a million degrees outside, right?
Something is coming this way because the wind is a whipping and the news people said something about an Arctic front. Figures that it's been nice until my husband has to drive to Denver to get on a plane. That must be some sort of Murphy's Law, huh?
I'm staying inside today and helping him pack. It's amazing how much stuff he has to take. A beer may be the ticket later!

Hugs
Jan

Doniene said...

Haven't visited in a while - been sidetracked!! The soup looks yummy - I'll have to try it. Love the header picture!!

Blessings

Kathleen said...

I don't think I'd be complaining about cooler weather if I lived in Kuwait - I'm sure I'd welcome it with open arms! I'm loooking forward to your next post on your textiles meeting.

Anonymous said...

I love homemade soup especially when it is cold out. Last week I made some turkey noodle soup & homemade rolls..... Mmmmmmmm.....
We are more seasonal now as it has been quite warm. Today it never got out of the low 40's & we actually had enought snow to whiten the ground!!
Marilyn

Susan said...

Hi Tammy....Isn't it the truth about people complaining about the cold when it's winter and the heat in the summer? Human beings are fickle at times, ha ha ha

Glad you are going to the textile group. You could teach the class!

Take care. Susan

Tanna said...

Crushed red pepper gets added to pretty much everything (except desserts) around here. LOL! I'm with you on the recipe business. That soup looks perfect for tonight's chilly weather. Enjoy (or hope you enjoyed) your Textile gathering! blessings ~ Tanna

Unknown said...

It's soup weather here too, as you can imagine. That looks so yummie. We are all turkey'd out here and a nice pot of veggie beans would do a soul good, not to mention the stomach... Glad to see you have cooled off, but you are talking to the gal with snow on the horizon. I can feel it in the air.

Mariette's Back to Basics said...

Dearest Tammy,

People complain about the weather because it's the only thing they cannot change...
Soup becomes soul-food for the colder season when the daylight leaves us.
Love to you and stay warm!

Mariette

Hearts Turned said...

I never complain about the cooler days...love them the most, I think! I think better, work better...just better!

Love the look of this soup, too, Tammy. You always find the most wonderful recipes--thanks for sharing them with us!

Wishing you a beautiful day, dear friend...

Julie

Kay said...

Soup sounds good.

:-)

Diane said...

Your home looks so cozy and soup sounds like the perfect supper. I'm going to try the recipe. Your weather doesn't sound too different than here if you drop both by about 20 degrees. And when the daylight savings time changed everybody had to completely change their dog walking or be caught in the pitch dark. I'm really glad it's cooler there. Have a great time at the textile get together. Diane

Sheila R said...

I just love soup too on cold cloudy days. It is comfort food for the soul! Wishing you a wonderful week.

Love your Christmas music!

Serena Lewis said...

Your soup looks delicious, Tammy! YUM! I never complain about our winters because they're so short and a pleasant change to our hot, humid summers. Like you, I find it hard to get used to it still being dark when we get up. We officially started summer today!

Btw, glad to hear your ankle is doing much better now.

Love,
Serena xo

Lotusblommans vardag said...

It´s just a sign that you are a great cook. Experimenting and adding your own touch to the food. I love lentils soups. :)
And cozy dark mornings. Your home radiates a great atmosphere!
Hope you are enjoying your day to the fullest!
Peace and harmony!

Catherine said...

We had lots of snow yesterday. Oh how I would love some of your yummy looking soup! Yum!
xo Catherine

Helen Philipps said...

Your soup looks and sounds delicious....It's soup weather over here now too, thoughI love soup all year round and have it for lunch almost every day! Have a happy weekend.
Helen x

The Stubborn Knitter said...

Hi Tammy!
I think you left a comment on my blog The Stubborn Knitter ( previously Yarn, needles and a cup of coffee) regarding knitted jar covers? In my email it came up that it's from you but on the blog as anonymous. I haven't got a knitted pattern for jar covers, but there are some nice ones on Ravelry, such as this one: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easy-candle-cozy
If it wasn't you who left the comment, than sorry, ignore this. Hope you are well!

Kristina

glor said...

Oh goodie, another soup recipe. Will print this off and add to my to make collection. The last one was so good that I have to make this one as well. Have a wonderful day/evening, blessings.

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