You know how some women would see that their youngest was nearing 6 months of age and sign themselves up to run a marathon.  They will train and run the extra pregnant and nursing weight off, and you’ll see them a few months later high fiving their baby at the finish line?  Yeah, so not my style.

Instead, I have agreed to participate in Elsie Marley‘s Children’s Sewing Week Challenge this week.  That means that I declare here that I will work on sewing something every single day this week for at least an hour.  While that may not seem like a marathon, for me right now, it is akin.   There are so very, very few spare moments in my day.  Here is how my sewing list looks for the week ahead:

1. Two Oliver + S Class Picnic Blouses (one for G and one for M)
2. A pillow slip for Liev’s poor battered up but completely beloved quilted pillow.  It took me months to get him to agree to let me swap the old one out.  We received it as a present from an Indian friend when he was a baby, and the cotton is so soft and buttery, that it’s completely understandable that Liev would kick up a fuss when I suggested taking it off.  Still, it passed the ragged phase a few months back and is in the quilting-batting-is-falling-out-onto-the-bed phase now.  We’re afraid he’ll aspirate batting in his sleep.
3. Two Oliver + S Apple Picking Dresses (one for G and one for M)
4. If (and I know some part of myself is giggling at this) I finish everything above, I will try delving into the holiday dresses.  Like something for Thanksgiving?  You know.  Which is only a month and a half away?

To fuel up for all this business, we really needed some minestrone.  My friend Avery and I made some last week when the weather was chilly, and it is definitely a recipe that needs to be shared.  My idea was to have a very simple framework of what the soup should be and to have seasonal items to swap out all year long.  We didn’t have any canellini beans, for instance, so we used canned chickpeas in a pinch and added chopped butternut squash and fresh tomatoes where, in another month, we will be using jarred or boxed tomatoes.  My children are obsessed with orrechiette (“little ear”) pasta for some reason, so we used that instead of elbow macaroni, gluten-free, alphabet pasta, or whatever small pasta is currently all the rage around your home.

Minestrone

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c. vegetable or chicken stock
• 2-3 c. water
• 1-2 t. basil (fresh, when available; dried. when it isn’t)
• a bay leaf
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• switch these out as available: 2 c. Cannelini beans. chickpeas, or navy beans; 1 c. chopped swiss chard, kale, spinach; 2 c. chopped red potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, pumpkin, etc.
• 1 c. small pasta or quinoa

1. Have your mini-chef wash and prepare the veggies with you.  You chop, and they can measure.
2. Big Person: Heat the olive oil in a big heavy bottomed pan over medium low heat.
3. Add all the veggies except the leafy greens, the basil, and the bay leaf.  Saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook one more minute.
5. Add the stock, turn up the heat, and cook for about a half hour, stirring occasionally.
6. When the squash, potatoes, etc. are cooked, add the leafy greens, remove the bay leaf, and puree (We use an immersion blender) about 1/2 of the soup.
7. Return to the stove, bring to a boil and add the pasta or quinoa and the beans or chickpeas.  Cook the pasta till it’s al dente (time will depend on what type you are using).
8. To bring your mini-chef back into the game, you can make cheese toasts- or just regular toasts if you are dairy-free- to serve alongside your minestrone.
9. Serve warm!