Rich and Creamy Pasta Fagioli

 

Our weather has been so strange this year. We had the hottest summer on record, the driest year on record, a record number of days that were over 105, the list goes on and on. It was a tough year. By the time we reached “winter” I was so ready for something different.

Once we reached December, we finally started to have nights cold enough to justify soup, and for some reason, this year in particular has called for some serious comfort food.

 

 

Honestly, I have not been a big soup fan in the past. Something about this year has kicked me into gear. It could be the wonderful relief that winter has brought. It could be trying to find ways to make our strange online school year more comforting. It could be a weight management attempt as lockdown at home has upped the desire to have bread and sweets all-day-long!

 

 

Whatever it is, I am answering the call and searching for soups that I enjoy and my family will eat. We are not huge tomato fans, but we like marinara for sure. I searched for a tomato-based soup that had all the nutrient packed yumminess of tomatoes without the chunks of tomato themselves.

 

This recipe hit the mark! And a bonus; it also has carrots in the broth for an added boost of healthy! They’ll never know. Ha! The name is also a bit deceiving… there’s actually no cream in it at all. The “creamy” comes from the pureed veggies helping to thicken the broth and make it rich and wholesome. The sausage helps to make it a complete meal with protein and everyone is happy for the night. I’m really starting to like the idea of having soup more often.

 

Rich and Creamy Pasta Fagioli           

 

2 sausage links, cases removed

2 Tbs EVOO, divided

½ c onion

1 c carrots

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 c chicken broth

2-3 c water, depending on how liquid you want

1 6oz can tomato paste (about 1/4 c)

2 Tbs fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 tsp thyme, oregano, basil, black pepper

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1 15oz can cannelloni beans, rinsed

1 c ditalini pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Optional: shredded cheese and chopped parsley for garnish

 

Heat the oil in a cast iron pot. Brown the ground sausage and then remove and set aside on a paper towel to drain.  Meanwhile, add another tablespoon of oil to the pot. Any little bits left from the sausage will add to the flavor and will come up with the broth. Brown the onion for a couple minutes. Add the carrots and allow them to brown and soften, a couple minutes. Finally, add the garlic and give it one more minute.

Pour in the chicken broth, the water, and the tomato paste. Blend together with a whisk or spoon and bring to a boil. Add the seasonings and reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, puree the carrots and onions in the broth. Pour the browned sausage into the broth and add the bay leaf and beans. Allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Taste for flavor and add salt and pepper (I added about 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper). Add the pasta and allow it to soften, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the soup sit a few minutes to cool before enjoying.

 *Sometimes, I'll make the soup without the noodles for freezing. When I'm ready to eat, I heat it up and add cooked noodles to it before eating.

Quarantine UFO Series #13, Blooming Flowers Quilt

 

Once again I start a story with, “Long, long ago there was a fabric collection lost deep within a closet.”

 

Back in 2013, I went on one of my many trips to Seattle and discovered a new quilt shop. It was in a sweet little shopping area that had a pioneer theme, which entertained the kiddos while I shopped a bit in the sale section. I found this amazing black fabric with a pattern of flowers in red, yellow, blue, and green. The fabric was a yardage sale, so I purchased a 2 yard cut.

 

 

I was already thinking of snowball flower patterns and what fabrics would compliment this amazing fabric. With a plan in hand, I went to Rosies Quilt Shop during a San Diego trip and found a line of fabrics that was color on color dots in bright primary colors. I also found a great black fabric with multicolor dots. Perfect for the background of the snowball flowers.

 

 

I was so excited to get to work, but when I got home life took over and I was distracted. The few minutes I had to work, I was a bit overwhelmed by the math to figure out the flowers and ensure I had enough fabric to do what I wanted.

 

During the quarantine, I’ve been able to complete many of my other UFO projects. This one still sat there… and it was time.

 

 

I’ve actually come a long way with my ability to calculate fabric needs, which really helped my confidence level. I made up the snowballs and constructed the flowers. It felt like it was missing something so I added a border on each flower in the black multicolored dots fabric.  I had just enough to border each block, phew.

 

 

I wasn’t sure if the flowers should be on-point or squared, but after much debate and lots of others opinions heard, I went with on-point. I used the original flower fabric in between each of the flower blocks and matched the color pattern with the pattern on the flower fabric.

 

 

It still felt like it needed a little more but I was out of fabric from the original collection, so I just went with a simple solid black. It created a really nice frame and I used the same black for the binding.

 

 

The last step was finding a backing. I recently discovered that one of our local quilt shops sells yardage cuts for $5/yard in bundles. I have found so many backings this way, and this is another example. I absolutely love it! It was the perfect size for this project; totally meant to be!

 

 

This quilt was such an awesome finish. It’s exactly what I envisioned all those years ago when I bought the first fabric. I actually did finish it in 2020, which is what the label says, but I haven’t been able to get it on the blog until now. That said, we are still in quarantine doing online schooling, avoiding going out, and wearing masks when necessary. I have a feeling that will continue until at least June. So, here’s to many more quarantine quilts to come in 2021! I’m ready for it!

 

Birds on a Wire Quilt

After finishing the UFO #9 Sunset Quilt, I was left with several half square triangles and some scraps of fabric about the size of fat quarters.  I wasn’t sure what to do with them. Do I throw them away? Do I take them apart and save their scraps? Do I find another quilt to complete with them?

 

 

Another project it is! I couldn’t throw them away, but I knew if I tried to “save them for a later project” they would end up more clutter in my fabric pile that I’m trying to work down. I found a basic star pattern that used the half square triangles and then framed the squares with white to pull it all together. It meant a lot of white for this project, which I kind of like.

 

 

While working on this, I started to run low on white and looked in my stash. I was relieved to find a white that I thought matched pretty well and continued on with the project.

 

For the border, I used a fabric from the same line that didn’t make an appearance in the Sunset Quilt, and once again it felt good that I was using stash fabrics.

 

 

I finished it with one more white border and used the same honeycomb fabric for the backing as I did in the Sunset Quilt. They are both about the same size, which is pretty much an oversized baby quilt.

 

 

I finished the project with the same brown binding as the other one, and was proud to have yet another finish for the year. I did, after all, finish it in 2020 even though I haven’t been able to add it to my blog until now.

 

 

I fanned out the quilt with a whisk of air and let it softly land on the floor so I could look at my finished project.  The light from the window hit the white fabric and I noticed there was a yellowing color on some of the pieces but not others. I picked up the quilt and moved it into better light and realized the 2 whites that I thought matched… actually didn’t.

 

 

I was so bummed, but at the end of the day I realized it just adds to the unique qualities of the quilt. It was made of scraps from other quilts, it was a design that included an incorporation of other patterns and designs I’ve seen and used before. It was fabric from different makers, manufacturers, and designers. This is one more element of this quilt that makes it a great finish in my books.