Sick? Soup!


Hey Ma-

So, I had plans. Not big plans, but fresh vegetable plans. I was going to make egg noodles with green beans, mushrooms, those little grape tomatoes (I could eat these by the cup) and fresh grated parmesan cheese. It wasn’t going to be fancy, but it was definitely going to be good and I was really looking forward to it.

And then the plague happened.

Not the real plague, but our first full-on, everybody’s-down-for-the-count family-wide illness. I thought I had been sick before, but I now know that you have NEVER been sick until you’ve had a baby (ok, not really…I’m only talking about illnesses that come and go within a week’s time). I did not know what it was like not to be able to sleep all day and all night, waking only to blow your nose or pull the tissue out from your sweatpants that somehow weaseled its way in there while you were snoring (blissfully!) through two nostrils with–yup, you guessed it–tissues stuck in them. I did not know. But I digress…

The byproduct of the arrival of the plague was a complete and utter lack of desire to make the aforementioned dinner. In fact, I can’t even remember what we ate during those days of disease. What I was left with, then, was a bunch of vegetables on the brink of turning.

As I know I’ve mentioned before, we often have portions of homemade chicken stock in our freezer. As of late, I’ve been saving our vegetable bits in a bag in the freezer to, all in the name of letting them accumulate and turning them into soup one of these days. Yesterday was just the day.

M and I thawed the stock, chopped the veggies, sauteed them and combined everything. A sprinkle of that parmesan from the dinner-that-never-was on top, a piece of toast, and I am one happy eater.

(Ok, maybe M was more into her new dinosaur booties than our kitchen project, but I can dream…)

XXOO
-R


Potato Salad, Take Two or Is It Three?

Janet here: Regular readers know that I have a thing for potato salad. I wrote of my love for it here, which started when I was a child and has basically continued ever since. Summer is just an excuse to eat a lot of potato salad (and ice cream, but not together of course) in my book.

Anyway, if you’re looking for an alternative to the mayonnaise rendition, this one could be just what the doctor ordered. It’s got a little zing, thanks to the mustard, and is ridiculously easy to make. I served it up with marinated grill shrimp and tomato mush (another fabulous Reynolds specialty coming your way soon so get excited).


Red Potato and Green Bean Salad

6 side servings.

ingredients
3 pounds of red potatoes, halved
about 1/2 pound of green beans, de-tipped and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
1 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

method
Cook the beans in a large saucepan of boiling water for about 4 minutes. Drain and stick in iced water to stop the cooking.
Halve the potatoes and cook in boiling water until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the vermouth, toss and let sit for a few minutes. Whisk the vinegar, onion and mustard in a small bowl. then pour over the potatoes. Cool completely. Add the green beans and parsley. Season to taste. Can be served cold or at room temperature


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