Girlfriend, I can’t believe I’m getting excited about soup, but apparently that’s where I am in life. HA HA HA!
I’ve been craving minestrone something serious lately, and the stuff at the store just won’t do. Side note: Is it just me, or does store-bought soup sometimes taste metallic? As much as I like it for convenience, I’m not as fond of it as I used to be.
Anywho, I finally got around to making a big ol’ pot of it yesterday (I used this recipe), and seriously, it was just what I needed. It was like a hug in a bowl!
This was my first time making minestrone from scratch, and I’m definitely going to do it again. Not only was it delicious, it seems like one of those recipes you can endlessly customize to whatever you like or happen to have on hand.
Case in point. The original recipe called for green beans, which I swapped out for zucchini. I’m glad I did because green beans don’t do much for me; zucchini, however, took it to the next level!
Bonus? It’s easy to make. Seriously, try it. You’ll get quite a few satisfying meals.
On a beauty-related note, this morning I realized I’ve hit that point where I absolutely need to get a haircut, and if I don’t do it soon, I’m going to chop it all off in the middle of the night with craft scissors.
This got me thinking about how one knows when they’ve reached their maximum hair threshold…
What are the signs for you? How do you know when you’re overdue for a cut?
For me, the tell-tale sign is weight. When I have my hair down and it feels just a touch too heavy to wear it comfortably, and I’m putting it up all the time, that’s when I know it’s time for a choppity-chop-chop.
Oh, I can also tell when it’s too heavy by how I have to position the topknot on my head! At a certain point after my hair gets too long, I can only wear it comfortably up in a bun only if it’s at a very specific angle. LOL! Super weird, but true.
I’ve got a meeting in five, but here’s one last thing before I head out. I was at Trader Joe’s the other day (buying the zucchini for the soup, ha) and a song was playing that I haven’t heard in ages!
No money man, can win my love!
Do you remember this ’80s banger from Neneh Cherry? I used to think she was so cool! I gotta say, the song holds up, and so does her style.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Girl, we’re soup sisters! I made a pot of soup last night but I started with a mix from my favorite gourmet shop and added butternut squash and diced tomatoes. The mix had some dried vegetable and spices and quinoa.
It was delish and there’s enough for tonight and possibly tomorrow night too!
I haven’t been able to eat canned soup from a store in a while. It does taste metallic to me but also just not that great.
I would rather eat broth with whatever scraps I can find in the fridge than canned soup.
I can’t relate terribly to the hair because I get my cut and colored pretty much every five to six weeks. Otherwise it just looks really crappy and ages me even further.
I don’t think I can do canned soup anymore. It’s not just the metallic taste; I feel like everything is so salty now!
I’m trying to see what my hair will be like a little longer so I’m definitely a bit overdue but it’s still pretty manageable. For me, I just start getting lots of knots and bird’s nests when I’m overdue for a haircut.
That soup looks SO good. I can’t do canned. Too much sodium. I made this Hawaiian Veggie soup and surprisingly, my husband LOVED it. It’s easy and so good. Saute 2 cloves garlic (I used jarred garlic) with one small chopped onion in a teaspoon of olive oil. Add 3 cups of veggie stock, add 6 cups of chopped veggies such as squash, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, etc., 1 small can of unsalted drained diced tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, 1/3 teaspoon dried ginger, 1/2 teaspoon no-salt herb seasoning (I used Frontier brand), 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos (less sodium than soy sauce) and a couple shakes of hot pepper sauce. Simmer covered until veggies are tender adding more water or broth if needed. Just before serving stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch or whole wheat flour into a little broth, then add back in and simmer an additional 10 minutes to thicken IF desired.
Congrats on the soup success! As always, I’m very envious of your love of veggies. Good luck with your hair cut. I just got a color haul and am thinking about foiling in some highlights when the weather warms up – in like 3 months here. HAHA! We’ll see how that goes. 🙂
Canned soup is really only for emergency/laziness meals. I actually have a good minestrone recipe (pasted below). As for hair, it’s thick enough (and there’s enough slicing in it) that when it grows in, it’s very thick and hedge like. Now that’s it’s closer to chin length, I have to get it cut every 8 weeks.
MINESTRONE SOUP
1 lb Italian sweet sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 cup sliced carrots
1 teaspoon crumbled dried basil
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 28 oz. can Italian pear tomatoes, undrained
2 cans beef bouillon or 3 beef bouillon cubes plus 1 1/2 cups hot water
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1lb can great northern beans, undrained
dash cayenne pepper
Slice sausage crosswise about 1/2 inch thick; brown in oil in deep saucepan/stockpot. Add onion, garlic, carrots and basil; cook for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, tomatoes with liquid, bouillon, cabbage, salt and pepper. Bring soup to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add beans with liquid, cook at least 20 minutes.
Soup is even better the second day!
I know it’s time for a haircut when one lock of hair hangs straight down and the one next to it wings out at a weird angle.
Glad you put zucchini in your minestrone. Green beans have the potential to go really mushy. Minestrone, the clean out the veggies from the fridge soup. I love it.
I was always a huge fan of Salt-N-Pepa.
I adore the versatility of minestrone—delicious soup for any season. I’m particularly fond of Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone as my base recipe and adjust it to include whatever seasonal veggies strike me as tasty. I also cook a batch of cannellini beans rather than using the canned. The freshly cooked beans hold up better when freezing soup portions. My husband dislikes pasta (other than spaghetti) so I omit it and just add a greater variety of veggies. A basket of garlic bread is perfect along side the soup.
Apropos canned soup: Yes, it does have a metallic taste, but I always have some canned soups in my pantry as part of my emergency supplies along with plenty of water and other canned goods. Having grown up in earthquake country, planning for a major disruption in food/water supply just seems like common sense. Every year I donate the canned goods to the local food pantry and restock my emergency stash.
Hair! My goodness, I haven’t had my hair cut at a salon in over 40 years. I wear my grey hair quite long and so I just have my husband trim it every other month.
Yes…I can sympathize about the haircut situation. I was supposed to have one the other week, but I came down with a really bad cold, and it’s hanging on. I hardly ever get sick. But, I need to wait a little longer, because I don’t want to make anyone sick. Anyway, I have mid length hair, but my layers are bananas right now!! It looks so messy!! My hair needs to be coiffed stat!! I try to get my hair cut every 8 weeks. I really do…I try. LOL!! It makes me feel better about myself too, when I keep up with my hair. Words of wisdom: Just do it!! You’re going to feel so much better mentally and physically. Don’t forget to show us your new haircut!!
Hi Sherry!
Will do. I made an appointment; it’s in two weeks. I’m thinking curtain bangs again? I found out that the stylist I went to last time now works closer to where I live, so going out for a bang trim should in theory be easier, ha ha ha!
Don’t you love the feeling of a fresh chop? I can’t wait to feel that lightness again.