Rhonda's Rose Cottage

www.rhondasrosecottagedesigns.com

Best gift ever!  Okay, I have been eyeing everything Rhonda creates, and I want everything!  I found her gorgeous creations on facebook, and have been a fan ever since!

pretties

 

 I ordered the rose cupcake, but not only did I receive that, but also the cutest little floral candy and a hand painted wooden plaque!

 And...everything was wrapped in pretty pastel tissue paper and tied with ribbons!  Be sure to check out Rhonda's amazing shop here:  http://www.rhondasrosecottagedesigns.com .

Happy weekend!

Jen

Soup of the day!

I love to make soup, even in the summer!  After a tennis and run workout this morning, I decided I needed to make a yummy soup!

I was inspired by the fact that I had so many fresh veggies in my fridge, and some potatoes from the roadside stand.  Instead of waiting for them to die a horrible death in the refrigerator, which does happen on occasion, I grabbed them all and started working.

I lined a cookie sheet with foil (easy clean up), added some olive oil, and cut up my veggies in uniform pieces.  I happened to use yellow and orange peppers, tomatoes, red and white onion, zucchini, and squash.  Season with salt, pepper, and some italian seasoning.  Roast at 350 for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then I added my mushrooms, and roasted a bit longer.

While that was going on, I sauteed my potatoes (cut up pretty small), carrots, and onion in olive oil and butter, cooking until just about done.  I then added chicken broth (I use no sodium broth) and then add my own salt to taste).  Add the roasted veggies to that.

I like to take some of the soup mixture (about a cup or so), add blend it in the blender (of course!), to give the soup a bit more creaminess.  I add scallions, black beans, and elbow noodles, and cook for another 10 minutes, check to make sure the potatoes are cooked through.  I also added some sprigs of fresh thyme and basil leaves.

I love a bit of fresh cream in my soups, but I just add about a teaspoon to my bowl (I find that if I add it directly to the soup it just gets kind of "icky").

So good and so good for you! If I was making this for my daughter Katherine, "the vegan", I would just use veggie stock, and leave out the butter, and probably use coconut oil instead of olive oil.

Substitute veggies with whatever you have and make it your own!

Enjoy!

Jen