it’s funny how different our personalities are. anytime i get sick i’m looking for that one person to stay at my side and answer to all of my needy requests. i like to have my forehead rubbed, fresh cold water at my bedside, my favorite ice-cream in the freezer and pretty much anything my heart desires at the moment it desires it. needy?? i know. i’m the worst. but i don’t get sick often, so when i do i like to milk it. ale is the polar opposite. when we first got married anytime he’d come down with something i would jump to bring him orange juice, medicine, and fresh water. i’d make him soup and want to rub his forehead every hour on the hour. it wasn’t long until i found out that all he wanted was for me to leave him ALONE. no water, no soup, and absolutely no forehead rubs or any kind of human contact.
gracie is just like her papa in almost every way. she looks like him, likes the same things he likes and most of her mannerisms are identical to his. however, when it comes to being sick our little girl is just like her momma and i LOVE IT! she likes to cuddle, likes to have her belly rubbed, loves it when it’s time for her medicine and knows for a fact that all sick girls get ice-cream. it’s a serious rule at our home.
gracie was sick for a few days last week. she ran a fever for a couple of nights and was a bit stuffy (she’s great now thank God). it’s so hard to see your own kid sick but man oh man i loved tending to her. the stuffy part wasn’t fun but the belly rubs and the ice-cream sure was. during one of our cuddling sessions she looked at me with the sweetest face and said “mommy i’m sick. i need MINNIE-strone soup” i nearly fell off the bed. i’m sure that she picked minnie-strone from an episode of mickemouse club house but goodness hearing her tell me she wanted minnie-strone soup because she was sick was the highlight of my month!
i quickly told her she could have whatever she wanted and then ran to the store to pick up all of the ingredients. she was so excited about her soup and i was so excited that i was there to tend to her. it was a win win!
the soup actually turned out pretty good and i thought i’d share the recipe for when your littles are in the mood for some minnie-strone.
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 ounces of ham, bacon or pancetta (whatever’s in your fridge)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound coarsely chopped kale
1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans of low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup of mini shell pasta
1 tbs of Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese for serving
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat
- add the diced onions, carrots, celery, ham, and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes
- add the kale and potato and cook for another couple of minutes
- add the canned tomatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes
- in the mean time, mash up 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a bowl- this will help thicken the soup
- add the bean mixture and the remaining broth to the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes
- stir in the rest of the beans, the pasta and the italian seasoning and simmer for another 12 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through
- season with salt and pepper
- serve warm with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top
(confession- i bought the pre diced onion, carrot and celery package because seriously… who has the time to dice stuff up when you’re trying to be super mom??)
sorry for the blurry picture but this face!!! and she insisted on wearing the purple necklace to dinner. go figure!
