"This is a SIMPLE SOUP, completely dependent on the quality of the broth." That's what the cookbook says and I couldn't agree more.  I followed the recipe, but then again, I didn't follow it.  The original recipe called for canned ingredients.  I had to take the home cooked approach.  For you, I'll write the original recipe, THEN I'll tell you what I did.  You pick the one that fits your needs best. Okay?  Okay. Let's COOK!

Recipe from 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains
Serves 4 to 6 servings

• 6 cups high-quality chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 store-bought or homemade roasted red bell peppers, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups cooked or canned cannellini or other white beans
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 basil leaves, cut in shreds

Heat the broth to simmering.  Add the bell pepper strips and cooked white beans.  Heat through.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.  Pour into soup bowls.  Sprinkle the basil leaves on top.  Serve hot.

Here's the Home Cooked Method

• 2 cups dried Northern White Beans
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• water

Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cover with 2 inches of water.  By cover I mean from the top of the beans to the water surface, should measure 2 inches.  Do NOT measure from the bottom of the pressure cooker; that will not be enough water.  Moving on.

Secure lid and lock, put the pressure regulator on top, set heat to medium high.  When pressure regulator begins to chatter, turn heat down to medium-low and set cooking timer for 40 minutes.

Heat oven to 450ºF.

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
• olive oil
• salt & fresh ground pepper

Place the chopped pepper on cookie sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Toss with hands to evenly coat the peppers.  Season with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

(I had Spinach Bread dough in the frig; so I quickly shaped up a loaf for dinner and let it rise while the peppers roasted.  I already had the pizza stone in the oven so it would be hot too when the peppers finished.)

Finally, I had

• 4 cups of homemade chicken broth in the freezer
• fresh basil from the garden

I defrosted the frozen broth in the microwave, then went out to pick the basil.

When the peppers were finish roasting, I slid the bread onto the pizza stone, set the timer for 30 minutes, then removed the peppers from the cookie sheet and set them aside in a medium saucepan.

When the bean timer went off, I removed the pressure cooker from the heat.  And allowed it to cool down on it's own accord.

I poured the cold chicken broth into the saucepan with the peppers and heated it up over medium heat.  When the pressure dropped on the pressure cooker, about 10 minutes later, I carefully removed the lid and scooped out 2 cups of cooked beans.  I was careful to avoid the bay leaf. Added the cooked beans to the hot broth.  Tasted for salt and pepper.  Poured into soup bowls and topped with shredded basil.

The bread timer went off at that same time!  We had a steaming hot loaf of spinach bread on the side. It was very good to dip into this brothy soup.  Any bread would have worked, really.

There.  That was our dinner last night.  All fresh, made at home in about an hour.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Debbie K., a Simple Daily Recipes email subscriber, emailed me the other day.
She said,

"I'd really like some great lunch ideas that I can take to work maybe heat up in the microwave, things that can be made before hand that are hopefully tasty and healthy."

HERE'S WHAT I'VE COOKED UP BEFORE

• Minestrone with Pasta and Beans
• Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup
• No Heartburn Beef Chili
• Very Delicious Cream of Zucchini Soup
• Red Bean Tortilla Soup
• Butternut Chicken Stew
• Organic Italian Soup
• REAL Chicken Chili

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

This one is for those nights when you're in a big hurry.....

3 maybe 4 ingredient White Chili

• 1 can Northern Beans
• 1 jar Salsa (mild, medium or my favorite, Hot)
• 1 pound ground turkey, browned

Mix together and enjoy...
If you do like it thinner, add a can of chicken broth

yummy good!

From a loyal Simple Daily Recipes reader
Jo K., Michigan

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Another example of the beautiful and scrumptious bread recipes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I can't stop the wonderful madness of baking bread.  It's a part of me now; I've stopped buying store bought bread all together.

When Deli-Style Rye Bread is compared to the recipe for Bran Enriched White Bread, the only difference is the list of ingredients.  The instructions are the same (which makes it easy to find my mojo no matter what recipe I bake).  So here's the list of ingredients, and you can click over to the Bran Enriched White Bread for the step by step directions.

If you'd like to have it all on one page, I highly recommend buying the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I know there's recipes in there you will love that I may never publish here.  Like the one for Bread Pudding or Braided Raspberry Almond Cream Pastry or Philadelphia Stromboli with Sausage, the list of yumminess is incredible and so do-able.

DELI-STYLE RYE BREAD INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 cup rye flour
• 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• Cornmeal for pizza peel

I was suppose to paint the top crust with a cornstarch wash and then sprinkle the additional caraway seeds.  I dropped my spoon and forgot.  I mistakenly dusted the top with flour, slashed the top with deep parallel cuts and popped the loaves in the oven.  Oops.  At least I didn't forget the broiler pan and hot water for steaming.

All turned out magnificent! I shared two loaves with family and we took down the third for smoked turkey sandwiches. Oh yeah, they were awesome.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Completely worth your time to make at home!   Simple vegetable broth made in an hour, and serves you several times a week.

You know, there was a time when store bought broths and bouillon cubes were ONLY purchased when the cook was out of homemade broth or stock.  Nowadays, we don't hesitate to buy a carton or can of  broth, and making it from scratch is the rare occasion.

Don't misunderstand me, folks, I've been known to stock up, no pun intended, on the ready to go broths many times.  But I've been doing a lot of reading and filling my head with information that reminds me that I've bunny trailed onto a path God never intended.  Out of pure convenience, I've become very dependent on food manufacturers deciding what goes into my food, instead of me making those choices.  So, I'd like to turn myself around and start with making a simple, homemade vegetable broth.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks with leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, whole
• 8 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In large dutch oven or soup pot, combine all ingredients.  Bring to a boil, cover, REDUCE HEAT and simmer 1 hour.

Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer.  Discard vegetables.  If you have a lot of herbs floating through the broth, rinse the strainer, line it with a strong paper towel, and strain the broth again.

Divide into cooking portions and store in good freezer containers.  Freezes very well.  Serves 7-8 cups of broth.

REMEMBER, You can use broth, instead of water when...

• cooking rice & other grains.
• making soup
• thinning a thick soup

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
Do you a vegetable broth recipe that you like to make?
What herbs and spices do you prefer when making broth?

I'm really interested in experimenting with other vegetable and herb combinations.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Real quick, I just wanted to share with y'all my favorite time saver in the kitchen.

In my home, we gobble up cheeses of various flavors. Most of the time I need it shredded. For a while, I bought the pre-shredded packages out of pure convenience. And just so you know, long ago, I did the math. An 8 ounce block of cheddar is the same price as an 8 ounce bag of shredded cheddar. So, why am I bothering to make my own? Taste, better flavor and variety.

Have you ever tasted the difference between a good block of Wisconsin cheddar and the other cheddars? Wisconsin, HANDS DOWN! makes the better tasting cheese. I can't go back to anything else now that I know the difference. However, the Wisconsin cheddar I find in the specialty cheeses cooler in front of the deli section does not come shredded. (Wisconsin makes a delicious Monterey Jack as well.) Now, I've created the habit of shredding a large bag of cheese, and having it ready when I need it.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 pound Wisconsin cheddar
• 1 pound Wisconsin Monterey Jack
• 1 (1 gallon) resealable freezer bag

You will need a food processor to do this job quickly and efficiently.
First, you must cut the cheese *immature snicker* into blocks that will fit into the feeder. (See left side of picture above.)

Feed the tube with each flavor of cheese in order to get the mix blended well. (See right side of picture above.) Empty processor bowl into a one gallon freezer bag. Remove all air and seal up securely.

You're ready for the week ahead!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

This is as simple and delicious as bean soup can get, next to opening a can. Don't make me open up the can!

Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this recipe. It's loaded with good flavor and very filling. It's was created from NOT having enough leftover cooked pinto beans, but LOTS of bean broth.

HERE'S ALL I DID

I mashed 1 1/2 cups of cooked pinto beans, very well.  Then added enough bean broth to make it soup.  Warmed it up over medium heat, seasoned with salt & pepper.  Served with shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, and tortilla chips. (I added a few drops of Tabasco to my bowl, yum!)

It's not gourmet cuisine, but it's still good eats when there's not much to eat.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

HERE'S ALL I DID 

I opened two cans of Grands!® Cinnamon Rolls from Pillsbury.  Placed the rolls in a greased 13x9 inch casserole dish, and baked according to package.  I removed the cream cheese frosting from it's packaging and transferred it to a 1 quart freezer bag.  I pushed all the frosting to one corner of the bag, removed all the air, then sealed it tight.  When the cinnamon rolls finished baking, I piped all the frosting evenly over the rolls.  They only took 12 minutes to bake, and everyone had a good time.

WARNING: Do not attempt to eat two of these sweet things in one sitting.  No matter how bad you think you want it, don't do it!  They are large, soft, sugary, packed with cinnamon, gooey, chewy, melt in your mouth, get a glass a milk good.  One is all anyone needs to eat.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

For the past four years, I've attended my fair share of little kid birthday parties.  I've observed and experienced that no matter how delicious the cake tastes or doesn't taste, it's the icing that gets all the attention.

Party after party, I watch kids ONLY eat the frosting off their cupcakes.  Leaving behind a half eaten, crumbly lump of sweet bread.

Now, I'm just as much a kid as the next kid.  I recognize there should be a proper ratio of icing to cake in EVERY bite.  And with regular size cupcakes, we always end up with more cake than icing.  This year, I needed a low-mess, one bite wonder that was too small to leave behind. Therefore, for Max's 8th birthday, I baked mini-cupcakes.

These mini-cupcakes were absolutely perfect!

I started from scratch with a traditional yellow cake recipe.  I considered buying a cake mix.  But honestly, I had all the ingredients on hand.  In the time it would have taken me to load the kids in the car, drive to the grocery store, herd my kids through the store, and head back home - my homemade cake batter would be in the oven already.  Same goes for the creamy homemade icing.

The real sweet treat I wanted to share with you is HOW I prepared the cupcakes for baking. After mixing up a LARGE bowl of batter, I was suddenly struck with the task of dividing it up to make all these tiny cupcakes.  Spoon it in? Too drippy.  Ice cream scoop it?  Again, too drippy.  I wanted clean and efficient.

AH HA - PIPE IT!

I used a 1 qt. zip lock freezer bag as my piping bag.  I cut one corner to fit a piping tip, which had a 1/4 inch opening.  Even though I used a nonstick pan, I still sprayed it with nonstick cooking spray. It makes a difference.

I found my frothing pitcher had the right depth and top to hold my piping bag.

I made sure the top of the bag would not slip into pitcher, then pushed out the air to open up the bag.

I poured about half the batter in the freezer bag. Before I pulled the bag out, I secured the zip lock top, while pushing out the extra air.  I was ready to pipe out the batter.

Turn the piping tip up, to stop batter from pouring out.

Pictures really help tell the story.

Tomorrow, I'll write out the recipes for the cake batter and creamy icing.  That's enough for today.  As for the fate of these mini-cupcakes, not one was wasted or left behind.  Only the decorative sprinkles and remnants of wrapping paper were left as evidence of a great birthday bash.

Have you ever cooked a pot roast in a slow cooker and forgotten to throw in the vegetables?  I do it EVERY TIME!  I've done it for so long that I have evolved to cooking the carrots in the microwave in the meat broth.  And no one, not family, not other good cooks, not me, can tell the quickly cooked carrots from the slow cooked carrots.

HERE'S WHAT I DO 

Peel and slice up 3 large carrots.  Place into microwavable bowl and cover with 1 1/2 cups of beef broth from slow cooker.  Microwave on high for up to 5 minutes, until fork tender.