Pantry Challenge Day 14 - Lovely Lemons and Sausage and Bean Soup

This past week was a very trying one. My dear friend lost her sister to cancer and her 15-year-old nephew to suicide within a few hours of one another. Sometimes there are just no words for the grief. I haven't given much attention to food or cooking since Monday.

So, it was a delightful surprise to come home yesterday to a UPS delivery on my front porch. It was a box of sunshine! Really! My friend Anile in San Francisco sent me lovely, fresh Meyer lemons from her neighbor's back yard (I hope her neighbor knows.....). Oh what a wonderful sight and smell on a cold, snowy Kentucky day! Paul laughed at me and suggested he give me some "alone time with my lemons" when I started dancing around the kitchen, sniffing in their fresh citrus-y scent!

I have several ideas for their use - hummus, to begin with. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks, Anile!

On a savory note, last night's dinner was a concoction of leftover. Paul always says he loves my "concoctions" the best. The photo may look just like a soup I made last week but it is quite different. And quite tasty!

Here is the list of leftovers. You can come up with your own "concoction" based on the leftovers in your fridge!

about 2 cups of leftover tomato-spinach pasta sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes (fire roasted, of course)
2 vegan sausages, sliced, then slices quartered
about 1 1/2 cups leftover basmati rice
about 1 cup leftover vegetarian baked beans

Threw it all together in a soup pot, brought it to a simmer, and left it there for 10 minutes. That's it. And it was hot and spicy and satisfying while the snow was falling outside and we watched reruns of "The Unit" inside.