Winter Has Arrived in Florida!
Winter has arrived in Florida and boy-oh-boy…. it was certainly cold this morning!
Granted, 50 degrees is not cold to those of you looking at 20 degree weather…but for down here, for those of us who are spoiled by the balmy weather….50 degrees is cold!! Sweatshirt cold! Light Jacket cold! Warm, woolen socks cold!
Seriously, my dear readers….you try padding around barefoot on icy, cold tiles in the early morning at zero dark thirty, to let the little white Pom (who thinks he is a person) ….outside, because he decides he absolutely, positively has to go out! On top of that, I always go out with him because one never knows when a critter might just lunge from behind a palm tree and carry my little one off into the deep dark night!
Well, it could happen, …..so I am always there to fight off any lions, tigers or bears! (Actually, Florida is home to panthers and bears and alligators).
So now, my little piggy toes are on even colder concrete/cement/sidewalk or whatever is under foot and I am doing the jumpin’ bean dance, begging Jesse to hurry, while I chastise myself for not stopping to put on flip-flops or slippers!
I tell you all that, to tell you this…..THIS is Soup Weather. Hearty Soup Weather!
I didn’t know that a simple soup could taste so good on this cold chilly “soup day”…..But then I made THIS bowl of soup and was amazed. We know some soups might be considered boring and oh hum, but I am here to tell you this soup was tossed together in just a matter of minutes and the wonderful aroma of veggies and meatballs was almost more than I could bear. By that I mean, I wanted to eat it long before lunch time. I think the ole veggie soup has been given a bad reputation. The way I look at it, most soups are like a blank canvas. There are so many ways you can change the flavors by mixing it up a bit and this soup becomes just dang-right good eats!
I started with a package of frozen Italian Meatballs that I had intended to use for a football tailgate party but when I saw that little red package sitting in my freezer…I knew this was going to be my base and I would create around these flavors. Of course, you could make your own meatballs from scratch and that would certainly be delicious. But remember folks, my feet were cold and once my feet get cold….it takes hours and hours for them to warm up again…I don’t care how many pairs of socks I put on and a quick and hearty soup was just the ticket!
I checked my pantry and found several small cans of V-8 juice, rice and two individual cartons of peas and carrots…these are excellent for a recipe that does not require a large amount of veggies, whether canned or fresh. I find when cooking for one or two….these are the right amount, especially for a soup.
My fridge provided those cute little baby rainbow carrots in red, yellow and orange, parsley and a small head of cabbage. I like textures and I like colors, so I was on a roll and I went with it. Tossed in diced potato, garlic, onion and man-oh-man, I knew I was on my way to some delicious soup.
Seasonings were easy! Oregano, Poultry Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, a few shakes of Hot Sauce and…wait for it….the last of the chile sauce. You see, I had a bottle of chile sauce in the fridge that had about an inch of sauce in the almost empty bottle and I thought…why not? So in it all went into the soup pot.
All of this took just minutes to prepare and then the difficult part was letting the soup flavors meld and marry, which was sending my taste buds into a mouth watering anticipation. Incredible and Delicious!
Try this soup by making it your own….just grab ingredients from your freezer, pantry and fridge and before you know it….Soups On.
Do you have a favorite soup that is a quick Go-To?
I would love to hear about it.
Have a great and blessed day and keep warm, where ever you are.
- 1 package frozen Italian Meat Balls
- 2 1/2 cups of V-8 Juice, low sodium
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 medium potato, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup of shredded cabbage
- 3 baby rainbow carrots
- 1/2 cup of uncooked rice
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 cup of chile sauce
- 4-5 shakes of Tabasco
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- 1 individual container of garden peas
- 1 individual container of cooked carrots
- salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with warm crusty Italian bread if desired
- Pour V-8 juice into medium sized pot and add frozen meatballs
- Meanwhile, chop onion, potato,cabbage, raw carrots, and garlic and add to the pot
- Add the rice, oregano, poultry seasoning, chile sauce, Tabasco, parsley, salt and pepper
- Just before serving, add the peas and cooked carrots
- Be sure to taste to see if additional salt and pepper is needed. If you prefer your soup, soupy...add more V-8 juice
