This and That for Tuesday and a Soup Recipe

I'll be posting my critter pictures later today. We aren't linking up to the link party anymore, because so many have dropped out. The patterns will still be up every month.

Last night was crazy here. The weather was horrible. We heard that bad weather was coming on TV and our satellite kept messing up. All of a sudden the wind just howled. As it continued, we heard pellets of ice on the overhead skylights. I was watching out the sliding glass doors and told Joe it looked like a hurricane out there. The lightening was horrific. Buckets of water were overflowing our gutters. There were flood warnings, severe storm warnings, and tornado watches. It all came to an end at bedtime. Only a distant rumbling and a few flashes of lightening were outside our window.
This morning....the sun is shining and we have a peaceful world here in Byron.

I got everything cleaned up yesterday.... from the company on Sunday...so there's not a lot to do today. I wondered what to have for dinner, and then thought about all the veggies left on the tray. I decided to brown some Italian sausage links after cutting them into rounds. Then in another deep soup pot I sauteed a lg chopped onion, the leftover carrots, leftover peppers, and leftover celery. I added the sausage to this mixture and then added a can of diced tomatoes, 32 oz chicken stock, can of Italian cherry tomatoes, can of garbanzo beans, kidney beans, small amt.leftover Bushes beans, small can of corn, oregano, pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley, small amt. seasoned salt, fennel, a Tbs of chopped garlic, and pinch of thyme. I really didn't need much salt. The seasonings I used made it pretty tasty without. Now I have two or three meals...using leftovers and a little bit of sausage.

I was just thinking...what did we do before diced tomatoes? I use so many of these in my recipes. I like to go to a store that specializes in Italian brands. The tomato products are so much better. Tins with San Marzano tomatoes are the best in my opinion. When we go to Valli market in Rockford, I stock up on  everything tomato.I use a lot of them during the year. I find that canned tomatoes are better than fresh....during most of the months. I know that there is nothing like a fresh tomato....just picked from your home garden, but these are a close second. The tomatoes that I find pretty good in our local market are the ones with Canada labels on them. During the off season...these are a pretty good substitute on a BLT.

This soup is bubbling on my stove now....I have enough to freeze some for another day. I was going to put some pasta shells in it, but we have had quite a bit of pasta this past week and I didn't feel we needed anymore. We love soup...any time of the year. This bowl with a piece of crusty bread and some iced tea will make a really nice meal.
Balisha

I just wanted to add that Audra came to visit and was here when the soup was served. She's 11 and lives next door. We asked if she would like to join us and she said that she didn't want soup, but she would like a fudgsicle instead. She sat there while we ate and Joe kept handing her peanut butter crackers. We had a nice visit with her. She doesn't visit as often... but she and her brother haven't forgotten us....We talked about all her goings on this summer....girl's nights, ball games, trips, Dixon for the 4th, camping, favorite foods, and of course school ahead in the fall. She's such a help...running like a deer to get things for us. We really look forward to her visits. She and Bryce have been coming here for several years. It's fun to watch them grow up right next door. B