A Hint of Summertime on This Winter Evening

 

When the weather outside is frightful, I find a steaming bowl of soup to be quite delightful.

This afternoon I gathered an assortment of vegetables from the fridge and went to work chopping them up.  That shriveled zucchini that's been lingering since Christmas was still fit for the soup pot.

On this damp and chilly day I was thankful for the basil and garlic chives I had dried late last summer.  Before adding them to the pot I rubbed them between my fingers and was reminded of the fragrance of the summertime herb garden.  A very pleasant thought I might add.

As the vegetable soup simmered, my crusty no-knead bread was baking away in the oven.  I've made this bread before and am always amazed at how easy and delicious it is.  I was inspired to make it again after watching this.  If you've never made it, I can assure you it really is just as simple as it looks and if you like crusty bread, you'll love this.

While the bread was baking

and the soup was simmering,

the wheels were turning :).

 

Hey, I just remembered something else I tucked away last summer.

Into the freezer I go to fetch that little bag of green ice cubes.

Once melted... fresh basil pesto.  So nice to spread on that fresh from the oven bread on this wintery evening. 

I had never frozen pesto before as I had read once that it would turn dark and be unappetizing.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the bright green color once the ice cube melted. 

Note to self:  freeze and dry more summertime herbs as they are such a welcome addition to wintertime meals.