Cold and Rainy Day = Homemade Minestrone Soup for Dinner

It may be almost the middle of April in Salt Lake but the weather has reverted back to cold and winter like.  So I tossed our menu to the side and decided to make soup and off to the store I went.

I wasn't sure what of soup I'd make, but Cheesy Broccoli and Cauliflower soup  or maybe some kind of veggie chowder were sounding quite tasty.  As I was shopping, soon my shopping cart is full of kinds of veggies and other yummy soup making ingredients.....carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, chicken stock, chicken tenders.

While cutting up all the veggies and getting everything ready it occurred to me that a cream-based soup may not be the best thing for Randy since he wasn't feeling well.  So instead I made minestrone soup.  So for those who want the recipe, here you go....It's super easy.

Lori's Low-Sodium Minestrone Soup

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 - 3 bay leaves

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2-3 medium carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped 

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb

1 tablespoon dried basil 

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons minced ginger 

1 small can of tomato paste

2 15 oz no-salt canned chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

48 oz of low sodium chicken or veggie stock

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (optional)

1/2 cup of pearl barley

1 large crown of broccoli, coarsely chopped 

1/2 head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped 

1 small to medium zucchini, coarsely chopped

15 oz can of no-salt canned dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

1 lb of fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

Salt -to taste

Croutons 

Parmesan cheese 

Minced fresh basil

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, Mrs Dash, dried basil, and dried oregano.  Saute until veggies start to soften.  Add tomato paste and cook about 2 minutes or until the tomato paste starts to caramelize.  

Add canned tomatoes, chicken stock, optional chicken, pearl barley and balsamic vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, kidney beans, fresh basil and fresh spinach.  Cover and simmer 5-7 minutes or until the spinach has wilted and the veggies are soft but still firm.  Taste and add salt as needed.

Serve with a couple of croutons, Parmesan cheese and garnish with a small pinch of fresh basil.

Restaurant Review - Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse - Draper

Let me give a little background on our experiences with new restaurants.  Our history typically has been that if a new place opens, especially a new local restaurant opens up and we visit the establishment just after it opens, chances are if we like the place, it will close just after our visit.  If we don't like it, it will stay open.  I know, I know we are restaurant killers.

However, there are those rare occasions that a new restaurant opens and we enjoy it and guess what...they will will stay open.  So tonight I'm considering my real first blog to be my first restaurant critique.

So tonight, Randy and I tried a new place.  It's called Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse just off State Street and 114th South in Draper. 

We walked through the door, we were greeted with the comforting smell of delicious varieties of smoked meat wafting through the air.  Can you say  "aaaahhhhhh!!"

We were greeted by the menu-knowledgeable cashier, less her happy face.  No really she was really quite helpful in guiding us towards our selection.  We choose to share the 3/4 lb combo plate.  This combo plate includes your choose of three of  the several varieties of smoked meat including pulled chicken, pulled beef, jalepino sausage, pulled pork, chopped or sliced brisket, and smoked ham.  We decided to try the smoked pulled beef, the smoked pulled chicken and the chopped brisket.  Plus two Southern-style comfort food side dishes.  So we chose the coleslaw and home-style green beans.

While we were waiting for dinner to arrive, a very happy gentleman by the name of Thomas stopped by our table with this enormous bowl of fresh out-of-the-oven home style rolls.  These rolls were so warm the butter didn't have a chance...it was melted before Thomas gave us the rolls!!!

We had just barely finished devouring these oven-fresh delicacies when our meal had arrived!  I went to the "FIXINS" bar and grabbed a bottle of Sonny's Famous Sauce.  The sauce was in recycled glass bottles and it's tastes like it's made fresh...not your ordinary grocery store barbecue sauce.

I have to say how impressed we were that even though Sonny's is the typical sit-down fast food restaurant our meal was served on individual enamel-ware dinner plates and real stainless steel utensils.

The food was wonderful!  The chopped brisket was my favorite and Randy really enjoyed the pulled chicken.  And then came even more fresh rolls.

As we finished up with dinner, we noticed that there was constant flow of customers streaming through the door and the place was beginning to fill up.  During this observation, we really noticed the decor.  Sonny's originated from Dallas, Texas in 1910.  The interior walls are decorated with exposed weather-worn wooden slates, corrugated steel roofing panels, neon beer lights and Texas memorbila throughout.  Also the walls are lined with matted frame after matted frame of nationally acclaimed restaurant critiques, including a framed letter to Sonny's grandfather from Julia Child herself thanking him for the suburb service and excellent food!!

We will most definitely be going back to Sonny's to try their ribs!!!

As a family, we have had some very interesting experiences when we eat out for dinner.  Many times, these experiences have provided free food, not that we would want to re-create these experiences.

Since food is my passion, not only around my waistline, but I tend to be inspired by many of the entrees we experience and try to reproduce these entrees at home and even for our restrictive diet restaurant we plan to open someday.  Also I feel it's important to support our local businesses.  So I hope to provide a friendly place to highlight local businesses.

Please enjoy my musings as I journal our dining out experiences.  I look forward to hearing from you my online friends and family.  Who knows you too, may have some similar experiences you would like to share.

Have fun!