Pasta Fagioli Minus The Pasta...

So...we fed the missionaries again this week. I was at a loss as to what to feed them since we just had them here last week. I had decided that with the weather still cold and blah that soup and bread would be perfect. I am not usually one to do "big" cooking, but found this recipe and thought I would try it out. I had helpers here and there. Caiden was helping me with the carrots, until he grated his own finger, and then he was done. Kaeli helped with the beef stock and taking picts. As things started to go together, the house smelled lovely and taste tests confirmed that I was doing everything right! It was exciting to know that I was making something extra yummy and that it was working.

Dinner went off well (besides the fact that Elder T wolfed his down to fly to another appt and Preston had taken the big boys off to scouts and completely missed dinner) I got lots of good compliments about the soup ("I would have NEVER eaten stuff like this before my mission, and havent eaten it on my mission until tonight. This is REALLY good") We also treated the elders and extra guests to Italian sodas (which they had never had before and I forgot to take picts of) AND "mile high" choc cake from a local restaurant (which is so rich and yummy you almost die trying to eat the last bites :) and I also forgot to take picts of )

Something kind of funny happened concerning the soup tonight. Finally, Preston got to sit down and have a bowl after church today. He thought it was great and as we were talking Kaeli mentioned that the soup would be really good over pasta. I about dropped dead right there - in all the chaos of making the soup the other morning before all of our back-to-back appts- I had completely forgotten to add the macaroni to the soup! All I could do was to start laughing. Not only had I forgotten the pasta in the first place, I didnt remember that I had forgotten it until 5 days after I made it! Really my brain is so empty sometimes.

Even without the pasta, the soup turned out absolutely amazing and one I will defintately make again - WITH the pasta added.
Lots of slicing and dicing going on. Kaeli took lots of picts and had fun getting different angles

Before....

After....

I kind of got a light bounce off this one, but still thought it was a fun image