Soup Day

This is a loooong post...so buckle up and enjoy the ride!

I absolutely LOVE to make soup!  Today was a soup day for a couple of reasons...my husband BBQ'd the BEST flank steak on Sunday and there was leftovers to use up, a friend of mine just got discharged from the hospital after surgery and I wanted to make her and her family a dinner, and I woke up to 15 cm (that's about 12 inches) of heavy, wet, slushy snow and no power this morning.  Yep, it was a soup day!  Not only did I make the best soup, I also made an awesome card to share with you!

So, here's the card...

I bet you're wondering what set I used...right?   Well, it's a new set from the Summer Mini called "Elements of Style".  You can see this set in the mini soon...if you're one of my regular customers your mini is on it's way to your mailbox soon!  If you don't get one of these cattys in your mailbox, you'll want to contact me to get a copy (Canadians only)!

It's a gorgeous set and part of the Shelli's Signature line.  Shelli gave each of us at Leadership (in Phoenix in January) the set for FREE!!!!  Can you believe it!?!  It was really exciting and funny to watch 1000 women get so excited to receive free stamps and start to dance...in unison!  Priceless!

Anyway, I wasn't sure about this set at first because it's not my usual style and I probably wouldn't have ordered it.  But, since Shelli gave it to me, I figured I should give it some special attention and ink!  I stamped the gorgeous flower image on Naturals White cardstock with black StazOn ink.  Then I watercolored it with Pretty In Pink, Old Olive, So Saffron and Soft Suede classic inks.  It was super pretty when I was done, but it looked too perfect...so I scrunched it up (a lot!), smoothed it out and rubbed some Soft Suede ink all over the image with a sponge.  I also sponged around the edges.  The result was so pretty, soft and vinatge looking.

I used Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbon, and Vintage Brads for embellishments.  The ribbon was a bit too bright against the rest of the card, so I gently rubbed Soft Suede ink on it.  Check out that bow...*wink*!

It's hard to see in the picture, but I stamped the swirl image from the set with Pretty In Pink (stamped off once on scrap) all over the kraft background of the card.  The result was soft and subtle...and exactly the look I was going for!  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (since it's for my friend who just got out of the hospital, I thought a get well card was appropriate).  I sponged Soft Suede ink around the edges of all the pieces of cardstock I used.  I had to tone down that pink a bit!  Once I had the whole card together, I used my Color Spritzer Tool and a Soft Suede marker to splatter it.  Very vinatgey, don't you think?

Ok, on to the soup!  In addition to the card for my friend, I'm taking her some yummy soup and cheddar biscuits tomorrow for supper.  Soup always makes me feel better and it's so nice to be surprised with supper, so I hope it will do the same for both her and her family!

I made the best Beef, Vegetable and Barley soup.  Now, I don't really follow a recipe when I make soup, but I'm going to share how I made it....sorry no specific measurements!

Here's the cast of characters...

Celery (I used three sticks), onion (I used the whole onion), Pearl Barley (the whole bag), Frozen Mixed Veggies (the whole bag), a large can of diced tomatoes (I used the whole thing, juice and all), two containers of Vegetable Stock and two containers of Beef Stock.  And, finally that mouth watering flank steak my husband made on the weekend.  Can you believe we BBQ'd on Sunday and two days later it was snowing!?!

So, I chopped up the celery and onion and threw it in the pot with the all the stock.  Then I added some spices...

Pepper, Salt, Garlic Powder, Dried Basil, Dried Dill, Epicure Beef & Steak seasoning, Epicure Beef Boullion and Dried Parsley.  I added each spice to taste.  The Boullion was added as per the package instructions, mixed with water becuase I needed more stock...I made a LOT of soup!

After I added the spices, I added the can of tomatoes, and the barley and let it boil until the barley was almost cooked.  Then I threw in the frozen veggies and let it cook a bit more, and last I added the beef.  YUM!

Fresh made buns are great with soup, but I don't make buns very often, so tonight we had Cheddar Biscuits.  I've been using this recipe since high school (I learned it in Grade 10 Foods!) and it always turns out and my familiy LOVES them.  I think I could make them in my sleep!  Here's the recipe.

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups flour (I use a mixture of Whole Wheat and All Purpose Flour)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup firm shortening (I use butter)
3/4 cup cold milk (approximately)
1/2 cup grated old or sharp cheddar

Mix the dry ingredients and the cheese together in a large bowl.  Cut in the shortening until you have a crumbley mixture.  Add enough milk until a ball of dough forms around the spoon.  Now it's time to take your jewellery off and get your hands dirty!  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead about 10 times.  Don't overwork the dough or you will have tough biscuits!  Roll it out to about 1/2 inch think and cut your biscuits out.

As you can see, I use a highly technical tool to cut my biscuits out!!!  Don't mock it till you try it!

After you've cut them out, bake them at 400 for about 15-20 minutes.  They will be slightly golden when you take them out.  Cool a bit and then enjoy!

And here's my supper...

It was soooo yummy and the perfect meal for a day like today.  Just looking at that picture makes me want another bowl!  I hope my friend and her family enjoy it as much as we did tonight!

Have an inspired day!