Its that last bit of baking that took me out.

Ahhhh the holidays.  The lead up to them for me are full of planning and spreadsheet filled precision. Lists of presents.  Lists of decorations to be purchased.  Lists of guests invited.  Lists of how I plan to decorate; I try a new somethin somethin every year.  Lists of baking ideas.  And finally the menus.  Starting with the menu, then the prep lists, and then the groceries.  Like a well oiled planning machine I am.  Don't worry, it does all dissolve into chaos eventually, but I begin well.  This year, we packed all the presents, coolers of prepped food,  and ourselves into the car and made the trek over to Vancouver Island to my sisters house.  What followed was a condensed three days of eating, drinking, movie watching, present opening, football playing, more eating, kids laughing, followed up by more eating.    Every breakfast starts with coffee and my sisters insanely good biscotti.  My mother is a great baker and always brings many many Christmas goodies.  After every meal or sometimes in between the tupperware containers come out and next thing you know you are 4 deep in pecan tarts or mexican wedding cakes, or caramel nut bark or even pistachio cheese cake.

After the return from my sisters we cleaned the coolers, did a monster grocery shop, pre prepped more food, packed some flannel, filled the coolers again and headed over to another Island for a week off the grid.  For the uninformed, that means no electricity, no in house plumbing, no usual conveniences that most of us take totally for granted.  On Lasqueti Island, for that is where we were, if you are cold, get yourself outside, cut some wood, haul it to your cabin, chop it into kindling and manageable pieces, bring it inside, start a fire and repeat...  This place is gorgeous.  Everything is covered in different hues of green, ferns intermingling with moss and lichen of every texture and colour.  The air is so fresh that gasping great lungfuls of it feels like it can clean out a full years worth of extravagant living.


(Photo by Noel Hendrickson)



We went into the week with an action plan.  Meals were planned out, people assigned.  It went like clockwork.  Smoked salmon bagels for breakfast segued into Ribollita Tuscana soup for lunch which then turned into Marinated pork tenderloin and warm barley beet salad for dinner.  We ate extremely well in our beautiful island cabin.  Much wine was consumed.

Upon return to real life, my thoughts turned to the new year and all that could entail.  I am not a big advocate of New Years resolutions.  I think they are usually unsustainable and so serve to merely make you feel shitty about yourself and ideas that are supposed to be positive.  By all means make a list of things you would like to change, then look at it realistically and see if small steps can be made toward the change.  For example, if stated goal is "Live healthier this year", that can be broken into smaller actionable things, like designating two days a week meatless, covering half your plate with greens or colourful veggies and making sure you do a physically active thing three times a week.  

Everywhere you look right now,  someone is trying to do something healthy for themselves.  The red rose cleanse is out in full force.  Magazines are touting a healthier way of living, from exercise regimes to heart smart recipes.  Everyone is feeling over indulged from the holiday season.  My solution to the after holiday, "I ate too much and I don't feel good" blues?    SOUP people, soup.

I love soup.  I love to make it, serve it and eat it.  Making it is so simple, use great fresh ingredients, some flavourful stock and let it do its thing.  I serve a soup shooter pretty much every time we entertain.  And there is nothing better for a quick lunch.  My recent favourite  soup was the Ribollita Toscana soup we had over the holidays on our cabin vacation.  Italian wedding soup.  It is a white bean soup with sausage meatballs, crunchy croutons and shredded kale.  So hearty, so good for you and yummy.  Make this on a rainy cold day when you feel you need to do something good for your self and loved ones.

Ribollita Toscana: (serves 6)
Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 small onion,  peeled and rough chop
1 carrot, peeled and rough chop
2 celery stalk, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 cups dried white navy bean
1 15oz can diced tomato
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
3 cups chicken stock
fresh rosemary and oregano
1 bunch lacinato black kale, remove the ribbing in the middle and rough chiffonade
1 pkg of italian sausage
4 slices of country bread, torn and toasted with olive oil into croutons
grated parmesan

Saute the garlic, onion, carrot, celery and fennel in the olive oil until soft. Add the beans and stock.  Simmer about an hour until beans are soft.  You might need to add more stock.  Add tomato and aromatics.
Remove the sausage casings from the sausage and form into mini meatballs.  Bake in oven at 350 for 10 min until meatballs are firm and cooked in the middle.  Set aside.
Add the meatballs to the soup to warm up.  Add kale and continue simmering until kale is tender.

To serve:
Place croutons in a bowl.  Ladle soup over top making sure there is even distribution of meatballs, and kale.  Sprinkle parmesan over top and enjoy.