Gorgeous Day!

What a beautiful day we had today!  Our high temp was +19ºC (+67ºF) and very calm.  We took advantage to have our last afternoon break/cold drink on the swing out back.  Jim has his favorite: orange soda, packed with vanilla ice cream.  I had my usual: diet cola.  I had to hunt around for a place to balance the camera, set the timer, and hurry back to sit next to Jim.

I did a bit of cutting and sewing on a new "angel quilt" project (no picture yet).  When I went to buy thread yesterday there were three remnants in the bin that called my name.  For just under $20 I have enough to make a lap quilt top.  I will add borders of another remnant to "stretch" the size a bit, and that will add another $6.49 to the price.  Still a big bargain.  I'm using a "rail fence" pattern, and being sorry that I decided to make 3 1/2" square blocks.  That means a total of 216 blocks for the modest sized top.  What was I thinking!  They could just as well have been 5" squares and saved lots of sewing time!

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to head downhill, so after our nice little break I came inside and made a big pot of "my kind of minestrone."  When I make soup I don't fool around.  This is a five quart Dutch oven, about as full as can be without boiling over.

I like to start with a package of soup mix, and this is Bear Creek Minestrone. I find Bear Creek soup mixes very good.  They can be hard to find here, so when I saw some the last time we were in the States, I bought all the packages on the shelf.  There were about five, I think.  Then I add some or all of the following: onion, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, fresh green beans, corn kernels, green and red peppers, Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, broken uncooked spaghetti, canned tomatoes, a can of beans in sauce (pork & beans without the pork) and the following seasonings: oregano, thyme, anise seeds, and cumin.  Amounts vary, depending on availability.  It always turns out well and is a very hearty soup, almost like a stew, as you can see.

When we were on the way to Fort St. John for Thanksgiving we had supper at a Subway Restaurant.  The sandwiches were great!  But the soup was a sad shock.  I think it came out of a can.  I guess we're spoiled with all our "made from scratch" foods.