back in the day!   Too funny!  Since I shared that story, I might as well admit that a poster of Leo from Romeo and Juliet hung above my bed for quite some time in high school. Ha!

Onto the food, shall we…

I’ve been eating this soup most the week…I can’t seem to get enough.  Once I read Cat’s blog and spotted this delicious soup, I knew I was making it this week.  I love the simple Mexican flavors all rolled up into one simple soup.

Refried Bean Soup (courtesy of Breakfast to Bed)

Ingredients

• 1 can fat free refried black beans (or pinto)
• 1 can black beans-do not drain
• 16 oz vegetable stock
• 1 large can or carton (26oz) chopped tomatoes-do not drain
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 lb carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup corn kernels (sadly, I forgot to buy)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• tabasco to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro-optional

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large stockpot on medium-high.  Add in onion and sauté one minute.

Add in garlic and sauté one more minute.

Add in bell pepper, carrot, and taco seasoning.

Pour in remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes to one hour.

Although throwing it in the pan is super simple, you can also use a crock pot (YESS!).  Just combine and stir all ingredients and set it to medium for 6 hours.

That’s it!

In less than an hour you have a delightful and filling soup right at your fingertips…or should I say spoon.

I loved the creaminess the refried beans added to the soup.

Chockfull of vegetable and beans, this bowl is just packed with fiber!

I will make sure NOT to forget the corn next time.  I heart corn and it was sadly missed.

Scrumptious!

A piece of advice…

Be careful not to cut your finger opening a can like I did.  I guess it’s bound to happen being as clumsy as I am. (Thought I’d spare you a picture ).

Have a great Friday!

Are you clumsy in the kitchen?  What is your worst kitchen mishap?

Since I didn’t give you “typical” weekend post as usual, I thought I’d share it today.

Saturday we celebrated swanky mother’s birthday.  She couldn’t seem to decide on a spot for dinner, but eventually went with Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza .

I can’t tell you the last time I had dinner at Sammy’s.  Their food is pretty yummy so I think I’ll be making a trip back soon.

Since appetizers were half off (yay, happy hour!), we started off with a few different ones to share.

Hummus

Garbanzo beans, lemon, tahini and garlic dip, extra virgin olive oil, with grilled herb flat bread.

Parmesan Crusted Artichokes

With goat cheese, served with creamy herb dressing.

Garlic Cheese Bread

Roasted garlic sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh oregano, imported Romano cheese.

This cheese bread was so delicious; I swear I could have eaten the whole basket.  Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been trying to cut back on cheese that sent me in overdrive.

As I perused the menu, my eye kept going back to the vegetarian pizza so I happily went with that as my entrée.

Grilled vegetables including eggplant, onions, zucchini, bell peppers, red onions with fontina, roasted garlic sauce, tomatoes.

This pizza was packed with lots of mouthwatering vegetables (well one would hope given the name, right? ).  My point is they didn’t skimp, that’s for sure.

I think my family was a bit jealous because I ended up sharing a slice with each of them.

Can we just talk about dessert?!? 

Um..we hated it, can’t you tell?

I love that Sammy’s offers lots of options: gluten free pizza crust, vegan dairy-free mozzarella.  That’s great to see!

Let’s talk about Sunday.  After a long hiatus with the holidays, my friends and I met again for book club to discuss Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

I have to confess, that I didn’t read the book.   I know what you’re thinking…why do I attend book club if I didn’t read the book?  Well, mainly to chat with my friends. I’m not going to lie.  It gives us all an opportunity to see each other every month and I look forward to it.

And have you seen the size of this book?? It’s over 1000 pages.

We also watched the movie (which is also really long) and I brushed up on the story via wikipedia.

I know I can’t make a real opinion since I only read the summary and watched the movie, but I’m not sure that I loved the story. Gasp!  I was a bit surprised it being a classic and all.  Those of you have read it, what did you think?

Swanky sister was too sweet and made all kinds of vegan goodies for us.  (She watched Forks over Knives with me).

With a side of wine!

And of course we always have lots of furry company.

All in all, it was a great weekend!  How was yours?

Gone With The Wind: yay or nay? What is the longest book you’ve read or movie you’ve watched?

Titanic was pretty lengthy and I watched that movie seriously like 6 times in theaters.  I had quite the thing for Leonardo DiCaprio..but didn’t everyone at that time??  I can’t be the only one.