Minestrone Soup

Simply the best minestrone soup ever!

I decided not to follow an old tradition this year for our Christmas Eve meal. Luckily the guilt didn't last too long - haha!! We usually have oyster stew and a couple of other soups but this year I decided to replace the oyster stew with minestrone soup. I also made cheesy potato and ham soup (for the meat lovers in the family). I baked a smoked turkey for sandwiches, a variety of dips and of course goodies. Most of us still love lefse so I was busy making lefse on Christmas Eve morning. I just don't think I can give up on my lefse! The minestrone was an absolute rock star move on my part (or so I was told). And to top it off with grated Parmesan cheese was the best! My secret for the best flavored soup, use fresh ingredients or frozen from the garden. I know there are many varieties of minestrone soup so substitute as you like. For example, I don't like kidney beans so I use pinto beans or navy beans. I also love that you can make this in one large soup pot! Also a great recipe for our gluten-free family members!
Minestrone Soup Ingredients and Directions:
1/2 shallot, diced (you could use an onion)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 T olive oil
Over medium heat in a large pan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and shallots. Stir them around for a few minutes but make sure they don't burn, I cooked mine about 3 minutes. Add the next 6 ingredients and heat for about 15-20 minutes, then add the broth and beans and boil another 10 minutes.
2 cups of sliced carrots or one small bag of baby carrots
1 tsp celery seed
2 cups of green beans (fresh, trimmed and cut into smaller pieces)
2 tsp Italian seasoning (or basil, oregano, thyme and a pinch of rosemary)
3 cups diced tomatoes or a 28 oz. can with the juice
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes or a 28 oz can
8 cups or 2 boxes veggie broth
2 cans (14 oz each) pinto beans, rinse and drain juice from the can
2 cups (dry) rotini pasta (I used gluten-free) but use your favorite
Salt and pepper to taste
Add the pasta when the soup is boiling and boil for another 7-9 minutes, then reduce to a simmer until you are ready to serve it. I simmered mine and stirred it occasionally for about an hour. When you are ready to serve, don't forget your grated Parmesan cheese as a topping over the soup. Yum!

Blessings for a Happy New Year and thanks for visiting!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Vintage Table Setting

Vintage quilt for a tablecloth 

I'm not too fancy at my house but I love vintage and one of a kind decor. My aunt recently visited with a great idea for a unique setting for the dining room table, use a quilt instead of a tablecloth. I loved it!! For the holidays I am using a vintage quilt from Mom. Even though we are a family of "spillers" (every meal someone spills something) I figure everything can be washed. But if you do get nervous about spilling, etc., you may not want to use the vintage quilt, maybe something less sentimental, like from the store. Mom gave me a set of her white china so I am using that, then of course I always use the ball jars for drinking glasses because I like to mix the fancy with the not-so-fancy. I always use cloth napkins so the girls folded them in the shape of a rosette. This is really simple. Start with a square cloth napkin and lay it flat so it looks like a diamond shape. Take the point at the bottom of the napkin and bring it to the point at the top of the napkin. Now you will have a triangle with the folded end closest to you. Start rolling the folded (bottom) edge to the top. It'll look like a round tube. Begin rolling the left side toward the right side until you have a pinwheel looking circle. When you get to the end, tuck it under and place your beautiful rosette in your cup. I used different colored napkins because I like variety!

Fold cloth napkin into a rosette

Have a Merry Christmas and wonderful Holiday season!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

No Bake Marshmallow Bars

Chocolate peanut butter marshmallow bars

My holiday baking marathon has begun! I decided to use a few recipes this year that I haven't made for years and this was the first one I found. I had forgotten about these yummy bars but back in the day, they were a favorite from our family friend Delores. She was our neighbor, an excellent baker and had a heart of gold. During the holidays I find myself getting distracted by taking a little time to reminisce about those no longer with us. The happy memories are so heart warming and the kiddos love hearing the stories from the past. So I smiled when I found this recipe that our Grandma S. had received from Delores and of course Grandma (the teacher) had dated it, 11/15/1978. It made me smile. The great thing is that these are also gluten-free so everyone in our family can eat them. And we all like the part that they are easy to put together, no baking!
Marshmallow Bars Ingredients:
1 bag chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, the 11.5 oz size)
1/2 bag butterscotch chips
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 c peanut butter
Melt these ingredients together in a double boiler. I don't have a double boiler so I used a medium size pan filled halfway to the top with water and placed my ingredients in a glass bowl over the pan of water. I turned my stove on medium low. You don't want to heat them to quickly. When the ingredients have melted add:
3 c Rice Krispies (I used gluten-free)
1 bag mini marshmallows
Stir all ingredients together and spoon into a 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper or foil.
Cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and cut into bars. Makes 24-30 bars depending on the size you cut them. You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to serve them at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Kitchen Organizing Tips

Use file folder holder to organize kitchen bowl lids

I'm not sure why in the middle of shopping, quilting, baking and a million other things happening during the holiday season, I choose to reorganize my kitchen cabinets. Well, that's just what I do!
To keep it simple, I donated any containers that I didn't use and only saved my favorites.
I used a file folder holder for my lids. I also decided to store my blender under the cabinet instead of on the countertop. The biggest hurdle for me is deciding what to keep. This year it was simple, if I use it, I keep it, the rest of the stuff has been given a new home!
Happy organizing!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi