The power of soup

Hi Marianne,
We're back home from Philly. It was a longish journey, especially long because Stella was recovering from a violent bout of stomach flu that hit her over the weekend. We had feasted during the weekend on all things Philly: hoagies, cheesesteaks, soft pretzels from Wawa, Tasty Kakes, and more.... By the time we arrived back in Boulder midday yesterday I knew our bodies were craving a good, simple meal. I had an onion, garlic and frozen tomatoes from the summer, as well as a bag of frozen white beans. It was a start. Went to the store and bought an oversized bunch of kale and came home and made a very simple tomato-based kale and white bean soup. The kicker: basil. Last summer I followed the advice of my dear friend Jen who runs one of the country's first CSAs in northern Michigan. She told me to harvest my basil and just freeze it as is - no need to chop and dice or puree into pesto, just simply wash, dry and bag in a freezer bag. I have used handfuls of these frozen leaves of summer all winter. That basil flavor came full-force through the soup and made our meal. I also made a simple oatmeal whole wheat bread to accompany the soup. It was a simple meal, but so comforting and satisfying. My children won't remember the meal, but hopefully somewhere in their brains the imprint of it will remain and when they are adults they will create the same simple comfort in the form of good, pure food for their families.

See you,
Annie