Wednesday, December 11, 2013

lately....

lately we've been seeing lots of temperatures with a minus sign in front of them. 
so lately we've been eating lots of soup.
www.inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com
lately I am craving a run--my feet on the trail.....I don't care if it's buried in snow......I need to get out.  It's been almost two weeks and my brain is feeling it.

but lately it's been gorrrrrgeous.
white sparkly snow and frost dancing on top of everything.
foggy mornings with sun peaking through the mist.

lately I've been doing some research on essential oils. I know I know, I am so late in the game. But I am hearing more and more and I am definitely curious.....I just like to do all my research.
Do you use them? Why? What? Tell me all about it.

lately I've been enjoying the following friends on Instagram
@alliefinch (pretty photos and words)
@waywardspark (off grid living)
@carolinegleich (professional skier)

lately I am getting so close to having my Christmas shopping done.
 And I haven't left my house one time.
bless you, internet.

lately we've all been quoting Elf. I laugh so hard at that movie every time....is it just me?
What are your favorite Christmas movies?
(two of my all time favs are It's a Wonderful Life (of course) and The Family Stone)

lately it's been cold......did I mention that?
www.inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com
Hearty Minestrone
this makes a GIANT batch of soup. I freeze half of it and pull it out when I need a quick dinner.
minestrone is such an awesome soup because you can add any veggies you have on hand. 
throw in sweet potatoes, squash, chard--whatever is in your kitchen. 

2 small onions, diced
6 large carrots, sliced
1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2TBS chopped fresh rosemary
2 TBS chopped fresh thyme
4 cups of diced tomatoes
2 cups pumpkin puree 
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups kidney beans
2 cups cannellini beans
2 cups pasta (I used farfalle)
6-8 cups chicken broth
1TBS Italian seasoning
splash of balsamic vinegar
S&P to taste

In large pot, saute' onion, carrots, and kale until onions are tender. Add a large pinch of salt and some cracked pepper. Add in potatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs and cook for a few more minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except the pasta and simmer for at least 30 min or up to a few hours. (I like to simmer my soup all afternoon if I have the time) 15-20 minutes before serving add pasta and vinegar. salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Bacon Minestrone HERE

What are you up to lately?
What soup are you eating?


12 comments:

Rania said...

I put a few drop of essential oils in my bath sometimes, or use it as a mild perfume. I've just run out of all of my oils though...

This soup looks and sounds delicious! I will def. do it soon, but with my own twist/whatever we have at home.

I made a salmon soup yesterday with ginger, some wine, honey, onion, carrots and potatoes.

Lately I'm up to doing my accounting (yay...) and packing my bags before heading north for almost a month (finally!).

Thank you, once again, for a lovely, homey and cosy post with wonderful pictures and a great recipe to top it all off!

Heather || Heather's Dish said...

I really would like to look into essential oils too; I literally know NOTHING about them but they seem really interesting!

And YES to the run thing you mentioned first; I have been craving getting outside but the ice is still holding me back. HOPEFULLY this weekend...?

Kaitlyn Luce said...

I have a friend who is selling oils and uses them for everything. They've changed her sleep and skin and everything! I've heard good things about them.

Lately, I've been finishing finals, enjoying time at home, decking the halls, drinking tea, and waiting for cooler weather to come to Florida.

Camille said...

Thanks for the mention, Sheena!

I just made this soup: http://coffeeinthewoodshed.com/2013/10/08/id-like-to-sip-my-cider/ for the first time and loved it.

Carrie said...

I feel so late in the game with essential oils, too. PLEASE do a post on them when you figure it all out for us, haha!

I do use eucalyptus oil, mixed with jojoba oil, or any other kind of "neutral" oil, when we are sick, rub it on my kids feet when they get a bad cough at night, rub it between my hands and "wipe" them down on their chests and pillows.

I do the same with peppermint oil when they get a tummy ache. My son's kindergarten teacher also swears by peppermint oil in the bath when they get a fever. I also put a drop of lavender oil on the core of a toilet paper roll to make the bathroom smell amazing.

Other than that, though, I would love to learn more about all the things you can do with them..

[eeny] said...

that minestrone looks delicious. i got to give it a tray sooner than later.

definitely not just you quoting elf. i do too. i just like to smile. smiling's my favorite. ha ha. my favorite christmas movies are the holiday and miracle on 34th street.

Summer Lynn said...

Well, doesn't this just look absolutely delish?! Thank you for posting and for providing me with the perfect TGIF dinner on a cold snowy night here in IL! :D I use essential oils in a lot of my cleaning - laundry, house etc. I would love to learn more about using them for health/homeopathy.

MommyG said...

I agree with you about Elf! Funniest Christmas movie ever!

http://maybetodayistheday1.blogspot.com/

Kris said...

Yummy, can't wait to try this soup too. I bought a bunch of kale to make your barley and chicken soup and I was wondering what to do with the rest of my kale. Problem solved... make more soup!

Amanda Fetters said...

I've been using oils for a loooong time for bites (lavender) and coughs (eucalyptus, mint, and tea tree in a vaporizer), but haven't really started using them for actual everyday health concerns until now. My sister got me involved with Doterra, and they really are the real shazizzle. I like their OnGuard blend and have been using it every day to ward off the winter sickies. I'm also using their Balance blend for one of my kids' eczema and their Digest Zen blend for another kid's frequent tummy aches. Modern Essentials is a really great, really accessible book if you like to read about it. Shoot me an email if you have questions - I've been reading up a ton lately. amandafetters@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

This soup is DELICIOUS! I was excited about using pumpkin puree in here. I altered slightly because I forgot to pick up tomato sauce, and used my homemade turkey broth,frozen kale instead of fresh, and lastly since my garden is covered in a foot of snow I used dried herbs instead of the fresh. Next time I will use 8 oz pasta, I used all 16 oz since recipe calls for 2 cups, but it really soaked up all of my broth ( which I used about 10 cups!)It's more of a pasta stew but the flavors are perfect, this will be a staple in my recipe box! Thank you for sharing.

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