Soup De La Nuit

Sometimes wonderful things happen just out of sheer luck. Like taking a random shot in pool and hitting the cueball off several sides and knocking two of your own balls in without scratching. Whenever something crazy good like that happens to me I try to act cool, you know, like, "I totally meant to do that" but I'm usually so shocked that it happened that I just laugh like a little girl. Last night I was laughing all through dinner over the soup I made, it was so amazingly good.

Mr. Hotness came home at the usual time, and as usual (these days) I hadn't even thought of what to make for dinner, let alone started making it. He comes home late in the evening so if dinner isn't ready it means we go to bed much too late. I had to think of something quick, and I was sick of getting bailed out by McDonalds, Subway, and Little Ceasars Hot-n-Ready $5 pizzas. But what to make? I was tired and in pain and in an, "I don't care," attitude I started gathering ingredients pell-mel. I'm hoping I can remember exactly what I did, though, because the results were fantastic. This made a soup that could easily have become Shrimp Sausage Gumbo if I had just added rice and some heat. So, without further ado, here is what I call Mish Mash Soup:

Mish Mash Soup

Half of a large onion diced
3 large stalks celery sliced
3-4 large carrots sliced (or more if your kids will only eat carrots)
Sautee onion in a large, hot pot with 1 tablespoon bacon grease until starting to brown, then throw in the carrots and celery and continue cooking and stir for 4 minutes.
Sprinkle on about a teaspoon of garlic salt and a little pepper while stirring.

Add:
A can of Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes with the juice
2 teaspoons of Dried Basil
4 Beef Bullion cubes
and 4 cups of water
1 can Kidney Beans drained and rinsed
1/2 of a Hillshire Farms beef polish kielbasa sliced (7oz.) Or you can add the whole thing. I'm just stingy with meat, but the kids wished there had been more "hot dogs" in the soup.

Let this stew for about 10-15 minutes

Throw in:
1 large Zucchini cut in quarters and sliced into thick chunks
3 big handfuls of frozen corn (about 1 cup or more)

Season to taste with more garlic salt

Let stew for 5 minutes. Throw in about a pound of large, raw Shrimp. Let cook just until shrimp are done, and serve.

Mr. Hotness and I both had about 3 bowls each, Cookie had two, Pablo actually ate half of his, and Monster Man and Sweet Terror at least picked out the "hot dogs," carrots, corn, and slurped up the broth. And in our family that is a huge success.

I know there should be a luscious, mouthwatering photo here for you all, but I can't seem to find my camera. As soon as I do I will take a picture and post it here.