Minestrone

I believe I mentioned that my G-Mom was a wonderful cook.  We loved most everything that she made, and one of the favorites that I make to this day is her Minestrone Soup (the grand kids love her potato soup, so I will have to share that another post!).  There are a million variations of this recipe on the internet, but the concept is the same as the soup G-Mom made for us at home for years and years.
 
We had a rainy day here on Saturday, and soup was just the fix.  Mr. Bryant didn't want chicken noodle, and so we made up some rich Minestrone.  We added a little olive oil to a pot and added some onions and garlic to saute.  We cut up carrots and celery and added them along with basil and stirred.  A little salt and pepper went into the pot, and then we added a can of chopped tomatoes and some wonderful white beans (Cannellini).  Shortly I added some vegetable broth that I had in the refrigerator along with some chunks of chicken.

I let the soup simmer for about an hour, and then added some water and rice.  I chopped up about half (maybe 3/4) of a small green cabbage and added it, along with a bay leaf and some spaghetti that I had broken.  Another 30 minutes of simmering on the stove and the soup was ready.  Mr. Bryant added a little bit of grated cheese to his bowl, as you can see below.

Absolutely Yum.  And, in case you were wondering, it is an honest fact that this soup is even better the second day.

I do miss my G-Mom, and know that I am fortunate to have her recipes written in her hand to follow and enjoy.  Love you grammie.