Everything but the kitchen sink soup recipe!

That describes the weather for the next ten days to two weeks but if you want the real recipe, see below. Nonetheless, everything is on the table including rain, strong storms, wind, fog, snow, high temperatures in the 60's and low temperatures in the 20's. The good news is that the hint of strong storms showing up will not be severe, just noticeable. Real Winter is still on hold until January. The CFS has backed off on the extreme cold but it's still there.

Thursday 11/16/21

Saturday 01/08/22

Sunday 01/09/22

 Everything but the kitchen sink soup recipe

1 pound lean ground meat, such as hamburger, elk, or turkey

2 medium or one giant onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cooked brown lentils

2 cups cooked black beans

1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced2/3 cup chopped celery (about 2 large celery ribs) 2 cups frozen corn

2 cups kale or spinach

4-6 potatoes, sliced thin

1 cup a blend of uncooked rice (wild rice and long grain white rice work great)1 1/4 cup green beans (chopped, ends removed)4 ounces pancetta or chopped uncured bacon2 cups shredded cabbage

1 medium zucchini, quartered and then sliced

1 quart whole tomatoes, about 4 cups (if you don’t bottle at home, store-bought whole or diced tomatoes work well too)

1 quart broth

1 T. fresh chopped rosemary

1 T. fresh chopped thyme

2-3 T. fresh chopped basil

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 T. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

In a skillet cook the ground meat, onion, and garlic until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Add the meat mixture to a large 6-quart crock pot. Add all of the other ingredient. While you are pouring the tomatoes in, crush them with your hands before they fall into the crock pot.  Place the lid on the clock pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hour on high. If you aren’t a crock-potter just cook the meat in a large stock pot and add everything to when the meat is cooked through. Let it simmer on the stove for 45 minutes to an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with hot bread.

Notes:

This makes a huge batch of soup. I froze half of it for a second easy meal and then just let it thaw in my fridge overnight when I was ready to use it.

Don’t have all those fresh herbs? Dried will work fine too, just use about half as much dried and then test for taste a few hours into cooking.

This soup is super forgiving. The tomatoes, broth, and herbs are the base but you can swap/add/remove just about anything you like to suit your tastes. It’s a great recipe to start with and make your own.