a good trip

I went to Homestead to see a very dear friend. We had such a nice time. She is a very special person to me, and one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

lentil soup

This is my new favorite.
Ingredients:
1 large soup pot
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic
2 cans tomato paste
2 lbs carrots-sliced
1 large bunch celery with leaves - sliced
1 bag lentils- rinsed and drained
1-2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt-free seasoning
Greens: 1 bag spinach chopped OR 1 bunch kale rinsed and chopped, OR 1 bunch escarole rinsed and chopped
1/2 to 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
sliced yellow squash- optional

Using non stick spray, saute the onion, carrots, and celery until the onion is clear
add no salt seasoning and cook for a few minutes
add tomato paste and mix
add lentils, bay leaves, and water to fill the pot
cover and simmer until lentils are soft
add yellow squash, if using, and simmer until tender
turn off heat, add greens, and cover
let sit a few minutes until leaves are wilted
stir in liquid smoke

my pot is probably 10 qt to 12qt so this make lots of soup to freeze for later

wow its been a long time

With my computer broken, and Matt's laptop broken, we have been sharing the Matt's old computer. So, I have not really had a chance to post. Lots of stuff has been going on though:
I got to go with my mom and sister to take the kids to DW. Lots of fun, and they are such great kids. I only took a few pics:

beautiful birds

yippee
-the weather was beautiful, so we made a day of it-

• we went to sarasota jungle gardens and had a nice time. the parrots were beautiful

• one of the flamingos was very angry at me and tried to eat my sweater

• we went to the muscle car museum, here is a picture of ang with one of his favorites

• we had a picnic lunch by the water and watched dolphins and pelicans (of course the batteries in the camera died)
  

- we took a LONG bike ride around town and got some errands done at the same time. (Petco, blockbuster, the bike store, walgreens) Dummy me didn't bring the camera, but on the ride we saw a medium sized alligator, a medium size snake, and some type of hawk. The hawk was sitting on a stop sign just watching and waiting for someone with a camera.

- we rode our bikes to the park to play basketball. This time I brought my camera. Used the timer on it for the first time to take our picture on the basketball court. It is crooked because the camera was sitting on my bike seat:




I had to take a picture of this weed just because it is one of the biggest weeds I have ever seen. Bigger than my bike. covered in thorns, too.


We also went to the farmer's market, and bought some fantastic tomatoes and some other goodies. I made the best version of the butternut squash soup yet. Here it is so I don't forget:
1 or 2 florida sweet onions
a few cloves of fresh garlic
2 cans cut up tomatoes (no salt)
4 or 5 small butternut squash (or 1 or 2 med or large) -peeled and cut up
1 can white beans (no salt) -cannelini or white kidney or any mild bean -undrained
about one cup chopped carrots
3 bay leaves
2 TBS no salt seasoning
water
1 cup plain soymilk
1/2 cup cashews
cayenne pepper
1 bunch fresh kale - washed and chopped into bite sized pieces

roast the whole onions and garlic cloves (still in skin) in the toaster oven @ 400 degrees (garlic- about 30 min, onions- about an hour)
meanwhile- clean and chop the other veggies, and let the cashews soak in the soymilk

when the garlic is done, remove it and peel the skins
add the garlic to a big soup pot along with the undrained tomatoes , undrained beans, no-salt seasoning, bay leaves, squash, and carrots
when the onion is done, peel it and add it to the soup pot
add enough water to cover
bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 min, until the squash and carrots are done -if it isn't already, turn the heat to low
remove the bay leaves, and add some cayenne pepper or white pepper (I usually cover the top of the soup)
*stick the cashews and soymilk in the blendtec and blend until smooth
add them to the soup pot, and blend the whole thing with an immersion blender
add the kale, cover, and turn off the heat
let stand for about 10 min before eating to allow the kale to cook