It's soup in no time!

QUESTION: What is better than a good hot wholesome soup on a chilly day?

ANSWER: Making that good hot wholesome soup in less than 30 minutes!

The great thing about this soup is that it is a guideline for making YOUR favorite soup, not a set in stone recipe.... The best part is that you get to use up all those leftover bits and bobs you have in your freezer, refrigerator, and pantry that you can't seem to use up...

So, what do you do?

First, go take stock of all the things you have in your wares that you haven't seen or used in a while. See that can of beans, or that bag of funny shaped pasta? How about the leftover chicken from last nights dinner? Oh and don't forget those frozen veggies that you bought on a whim because they looked interesting and have been taking up space in your freezer ever since.... just gather together a bunch of those misfit ingredients and come back..... I will wait....

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Ah, you're back!
Ok now, go and get a big pot, because invariably when you just throw ingredients at a pot and add liquid, you always wish you had a bigger pot, so go get your biggest pot, trust me... go... really.

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Now that you have your main ingredients, and your biggest pot, go to your kitchen and put those ingredients in your pot, except any pasta you have decided to add.

Now, look in your spice cupboard and decide whether you want your soup to taste french or italian or mexican or japanese... whatever turns your fancy... and pull out the corresponding spices, for example... italian, my favorite... I add garlic, basil, italian seasoning, and sometimes those pine nuts or sun-dried tomatoes, and a teaspoon of lemon or so.... For mexican, I would add chili powder, cumin, and the last 1/2 cup of salsa that has been kicking around my fridge for the last week....

Add water, stock, milk, whatever you like to your concoction to JUST cover the ingredients... you can always add more liquid, it's much more annoying to take out liquid.

Now turn on your stove burner and bring your concoction to a boil. TAKE A SPOON AND, being careful not to burn yourself, TASTE YOUR SOUP!!!!!!!! Adjust seasonings to taste. Add any pasta and cook till pasta is the desired doneness.

Ladle your beautiful new soup into big bowls and serve with a pretty garnish, like a twisted lemon wedge, a sprig of parsley, some crumbled feta, maybe a dollop of sour cream, or crusty bread.

Now for the best part.... ENJOY THE PRAISE!

Oh, and freeze the leftovers, make sure to leave an inch of head space in the container before sealing and freezing as liquids expand when frozen.

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For those of you looking for a hard copy recipe....

MINISTRONE al la pantry....

Ingredients
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag of frozen mixed italian style veggies
1 large-ish jar of tomato based meat spaghetti sauce
1 cup of mini pasta
garlic, basil, and italian seasoning to taste
Water to cover ingredients

Directions
SEE ABOVE