Tuesday, January 13, 2015

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.

  





8 comments:

  1. Soup and bread on a chilly January day is the perfect meal. I used some basil pesto from the freezer tonight on our chicken cutlets. It's like a taste of summer in the wintertime. A most delicious looking post here, Kim.

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  2. Wow! Look at you go, Kim! YUMMY! Can I come over?

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  3. As yummy as it looks, it sounds even better. Off to follow your link.

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  4. Kim, SCRUMPTIOUS!!! Your meal looks so delicious. I also went by and saw the video...Gah! I wanted to make it right then and there...maybe someday.

    Blessings,
    Marianne

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  5. Oh everything looks positively delicious.

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  6. I think I would like to plant my feet under your table right about now. It looks most yummy over there!

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  7. Does your family know how fortunate they are to have you? That soup and bread looks so good, even though it breakfast time as I type this. How is it possible that you make vegetable soup look that delicious! Makes me want to go right now and gather up all the veggies in my refrigerator, after I wipe down all my counter tops:) Thanks for the inspiration I gain with every visit here!

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  8. Looks delicious! I love homemade soup and crusty bread in the winter. I think I will dry and freeze more herbs this year, too. The basil pesto looks wonderful!

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