Cold days = cooking days

I'm not quite sure what it is about a cold weekend day that makes me want to cook.  Some of these days it's nothing for me to cook 3 or 4 different things.  Not too long ago I had a cooking frenzy that ended up in 4 meals of stuffed peppers, 6 meals of sauce w/meatballs, and 5 meals/6 lunch portions of sloppy joe.  We had stuffed peppers that night for dinner and everything else was packaged up for the freezer.  It makes for quick dinners on nights I don't get home until almost 6:00 pm.  I'll alternate those meals with others for about 3 months.

Today is one of those days.  It's pretty cold outside and it's snowing a bit.   Pantry Vegetable soup, Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Italian Pasta Salad (requested by Son #3).  I'm not a huge fan of Pasta Salad in the winter, but he asked me yesterday if I would make some.  I'll share about the soup today, and save the others for another time.  I haven't made a Vegetable soup in a while and today I'm going to wing it with what I have on hand with the exception of some escarole I bought yesterday.  Last weekend I made a vegetable broth from some veggie scraps I didn't want to throw away.  I froze it and thawed last night for use today.  Visit allrecipes.com to learn how to make your own vegetable broth or use canned.

Pantry Vegetable soup

64 oz vegetable broth                                                    6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 - 14.5 oz cans low sodium beef broth                        2-3 stalks celery, sliced
28 oz can stewed tomatoes, chopped                            1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
1 envelope dry onion soup mix                                     whole small head escarole, chopped  or 1 pkg
1 TBSP italian seasoning                                                         frozen chopped spinach
1/2 TBSP marjoram   
1 tsp worcestershire sauce                                             1/2 red pepper, diced
pepper (easy though, escarole is a slight                       3/4 cup frozen peas
               bit peppery in itself)
1 TSBP chopped garlic                                                  - other vegetables as desired or
16 oz can pinto beans                                                                    switch out for others

In a large pan or dutch oven combine all ingredients except pinto beans and simmer for several hours or until vegetables are tender.  Add pinto beans and simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve in bowls, sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.   Goes great with crusty bread or fresh baked biscuits.