QUICK & EASY SNOW DAY SOUP

My area is supposed to be getting a tad bit of snow today. This will be the second snow day we've had since December and I'm amazed because I live in a place where snow is as rare as a 2 dollar bill.....(and yes that really is a picture of a rare 2 dollar bill that I saved as a kid from 1976).

On chilly days like this, I like making something warm and comforting for the family to eat for dinner. Early this morning, I preprared a little SNOW DAY SOUP. I think making soup in the morning and letting it simmer on "low" in a crock pot all day lets the flavors really meld together. Even picky soup eaters will like the taste of this soup.

This recipe is hearty, healthy, quick and easy because some of the recipe items are frozen or canned. Canned items do tend to have a larger sodium content so here is a good tip......anytime you use canned items, pour the canned item into a strainer and rinse the item with water. This will help to lower the sodium content a bit.

SNOW DAY SOUP

1 package of Knorr Tomato & Vegetable soup base

1/2 of a 13.25 oz. box of Barilla Whole Grain Penne Pasta

1 can of diced tomatoes

4 cups of water

1 can of Cannellini or Navy beans

1 can of Red Kidney Beans

1 can of corn

1 package of frozen vegetables (your choice)

Optional........

1 dash of dried basil

1 dash of garlic powder

1 dash of onion powder

1 dash of red or black pepper

Directions: Place all of your ingredients in a crockpot and let it simmer on high until fully cooked then lower the crockpot to the "low" or "keep warm" mode. Serve and enjoy!

A WEEKEND MINI VACATION TO NEW ORLEANS

I celebrated my Valentine's weekend by visiting New Orleans, Louisiana. I wanted to post a few of the pictures that I snapped as a little tour for those of you who may have never visited this location before. Sorry if some of the pictures are cut off a bit. My photography skills are not so great.

My family and I had quite an enjoyable time but I am thoroughly exhausted.
Something that we didn't seriously take into consideration was the fact that it was also Mardi Gras weekend (which I don't celebrate) and that meant that there were lots of tourists. To complicate matters, there were evem more tourists than the usual Mardi Gras crowd because the Saints football team just won the Superbowl. The French Quarter was completely bustling with people during peak hours.

I am a leisurely type of person who doesn't really enjoy big crowds so I mapped out a plan of action for us to avoid the crowds as much as possible. We completely stayed away from Bourbon Street and other such known "MARDI GRAS PARTY STREETS". We visited the French Quarter Market, other shopping venues and historical landmarks early in the day while everyone else in town was oversleeping from their previous nighttime activities. We hit our favorite restaurants during the lunch hours, took a good look at the parade floats prior to the parades actually starting and we also took advantage of some fabulously wonderful, free Jazz concerts. I must say that I had a fantastic weekend but next time, I will plan to go to New Orleans during the off season like I usually do. I hope you enjoyed the view.

Until next time..................... Hugs