Avoiding the Dark Side

I got home from work today and the age old thought popped into my head. What am I going to make for supper? As usual, the little person that whispers in my ear said "avoid work at all costs". The picture of my open refrigerator runs through my head. Hot dogs, fresh cherries, cheese....... vegetables..........no.....not the vegetables. Hot dogs it is! My 2 teenage boys will certainly not mind. Unfortunately they survive on only a few food groups; processed meats being one of them!

While I was tidying up in the kitchen I started hearing things from my refrigerator. "Cook me!" "I belong in a soup, please help me!" I opened up the fridge and there they were:

• 3 kinds of peppers
• Summer carrots from the Farmers Market
• Zucchini
• Half an onion
  
• tomatoes that were too ripe to stay at room temperature
• leftover chicken stock
  

I looked outside.....Fresh basil, oregano and thyme.....

They're ganging up on me! What is a girl to do? Minestrone.

It really only took about 15 minutes to make. I threw the chopped vegetables with onion in a pot with some olive oil. Sauteed it and then tossed in the stock, tomatoes, herbs and some small pasta. Cooked it for about 8 minutes. Salt and pepper, and then half a can of fava beans. Another 5 minutes cooking and there it was....smiling at me from the pot. It said "you must avoid the dark side....Making good food doesn't take that long".

We ate the soup on the patio with a crusty baguette and a nice Chilean Rose. What more can you ask for?