It’s officially soup season and I am here for it. I had a bit of a freezer stash that I’ve worked my way through and was bummed when I realized I had heated up my last portion. Restocking the freezer was on my list and yesterday I made it happen. But first, let’s back up for a minute. How was your weekend?
Ours was deliciously cozy. Friday was cloudy and cool. The house was was fully decked out in Christmas decor and tidied up. We had friends come over with pizzas for all. We usually play Samba, a social card game, but we couldn’t find our 6 decks of cards so they taught us Euchre instead. It’s such a staple of Midwestern culture it seems and it was so much fun to finally learn how to play!
The girls had basketball practices on Saturday and David took them both and was gone for several hours. This gave me the opportunity to pull out all the ordered gifts that had arrived, update my spreadsheet, and wrap some presents, too. What a treat it is to feel organized in that regard.
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We all showered up and got cozy for some football watching! Unfortunately it was not Georgia’s night and watching them lose to Alabama in such a manner was painful. Why is Bama always our kryptonite?! Despite the loss, being cuddled up with family with a fire burning in the fireplace is always a win.
On Sunday after church we did a little family food shopping, then returned home. I made a quick lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, then the girls ran outside to take advantage of the temperatures in the mid-60’s and I got to work in the kitchen. It really was so cozy thanks to the clouds and the fact that David pulled a TV into the kitchen so I could put on Christmas movies to keep me company. I made a coffee, added some peppermint syrup, and got to it.
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The plan was to make the following:
It sounds like we’re sick. We’re not (knock on wood) but I wanted some nutritious options stashed away for whenever we needed a boost. The onion and garlic soup takes several hours to make, though it’s mostly hands off with the onions caramelizing, so I got started with that one first. Then I got the rolls going so they’d have time to rise. Then, the final two soups. All in all it took about 4 hours from prep to a clean kitchen.
I let each soup cool, then froze them into 2 cup portion Souper Cubes. If you are not familiar with Souper Cubes, I’m so happy to introduce them to you! They are durable silicone freezer trays that make freezing and storing such a breeze. I freeze the soups in the cubes, then pop them out and transfer them to a labeled freezer bag. They trays are easy to clean and don’t absorb any smells or colors. Then when I’m ready to eat, I take a cube, put it in my mini slow cooker in the morning, and have a perfect portion of hot, homemade soup waiting for me by lunch.
They work for so many foods. I even made spaghetti with meat sauce and froze it into the cubes to gift to a neighbor going through a tough time to keep in their freezer for a quick weeknight meal. They even offer perfectly sized baking dishes to reheat your cubes in; they make a great gift!
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Oh! I also want to mention that my favorite kitchen knife, Nakano, is having their holiday sale right now and my affiliate code, AHEALTHYSLICE, will get you an additional 30% off! They are made of Japanese steel and used around the world at high end restaurants because of their sharpness and durability. Highly recommend.
I might have let my rolls overproof a little on the second rise, but no matter, they turned out fluffy and delicious. I’m always quite surprised at how simple rolls are to make; they just take a little hands-off time because of the rising. For dinner we chose our leftover soup of choice, I made a quick tuna salad, and we had the rolls. Then we watched The Grinch together to top off a cozy weekend.
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This week is a full one! Both girls are in full swing with basketball, have their creative writing class, Hailey has art, and Kaitlyn is officially in PLAY WEEK. It’s her first year doing musical theater and this week they have practice for a couple hours every night. I’m so excited to see her on stage this weekend! We’re also transitioning into our unschool month. I’m pulling out our Gather Round Christmas unit and getting ready to sit down together and write our priority list for the season. I love December.
I hope you have a wonderful week and that you hold on to your peace during the hustle and bustle of the season. Thanks so much for stopping by today! <3
