Homemade lentil soup and....

chocolate chip cookies.

We recently had a new gas stove installed and it

really makes me feel like a chef.

And as you know when DH returns from out of town

I like to cook dishes that can be eaten at any time.

Like soups.

And cookies.

So I decided that Alton Brown's Lentil soup recipe

was the way to go.

For the chocolate chip cookies - well you can't go

wrong with the back of the Nestle's semi-sweet package.

I have/had really stopped baking since even before WW but

every now and then I have decided a treat is good.

All things in moderation right?

Alton's recipe......................

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
• 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise

Directions

Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

I diverged from the Chef's recipe as follows:

I added to 2 cloves of minced garlic

AND hot italian sausage removed from its casing and dopped into the soup in bits.

Anyway if you ever had the lentil and sausage soup at 

Carrababa's - my additions get it pretty darn close.

Since we had company - the soup was scarfed down and I gave the

cookies away so we wouldn't be too tempted.

Of course I didn't think to take pictures of it. My bad.

I do have a scrapbook page in progress. I picked up some new TH alcohol

mists at Michael's yesterday and liberally misted some white

cardstock. The rest appears to be coming together

S L O W L Y!!!! 

Shocking I know.

Now to come up with something for dinner tonight. sigh..

Have a great weekend.