Fall Day Comforts

The day started off a bit dreary in Salt Lake. Cloudy gray skies, thunder cracking in the distance with impending rain. It was the perfect atmosphere to make soup! I went for simple and comforting and choose a tomato based vegetable soup. I didn't follow a recipe, I just used what I had on hand and tossed it all in a crock pot.  Sometimes these are the best kinds of soup!

And of course I needed something sweet and comforting to go along with my chilly day soup... So, I made Big Soft Ginger Cookies. These cookies are so yummy! They're loaded with fragrant fall spices and they are absolutely heavenly warm from the oven. They also make the house smell delicious!

With a chill in the air, you can't go wrong with a bubbling pot of soup, a nice loaf of crusty bread and some freshly baked ginger cookies.

Soup
To my crock pot I added:
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15oz) cans chopped tomatoes with juices
2 cups water (or stock)
1 can garbanzo beans (or white beans)
1 can red kidney beans
6 celery stocks, chopped
1 1/2  cups baby carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen peas (added towards the end)
1 cup frozen corn ( added towards the end)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tsps. parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basi
pinch cayenne

I threw all the ingredients in a crock pot (except for the peas and corn which I added the last 15 minutes) and set the soup to cook for six hours. Stir soup occasionally and add more liquids if needed. Also, taste before serving and add salt or more seasonings to taste.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

For your dipping pleasure...

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

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Instead of sour cream, I served non-fat greek yogurt on the side. It was a great substitute for sour cream (if you're putting a dollop on your soup).

 The kiddos got cheese quesadillas for dipping.