It's been a hectic couple of weeks packed with appointments, tests and so much nasty rain. Thankfully I'm in North Carolina rather than South, so there was minimal flooding in my small part of the east coast when the tropical storms and hurricane Joaquin hit. When I wasn't studying or plotting to steal my neighbor's canoe, I was filling my home with the savory smells of warm, comforting soups.

  Since I had a left over rotisserie chicken, I whipped up homemade chicken noodle soup by boiling the bones and removing the left over meat. After adding carrots, celery garlic, fresh herbs, pepper and pasta to the saved broth, I tossed in some salt and enjoyed it while watching the rain.





I also tried my hand at my very first bean soup. I can't remember how many bean types were listed on the bag, but there was quite an assortment. I froze a ham bone months ago, (sooooo not healthy), and added it while they simmered. My boyfriend was awesome enough to make some cornbread to go along with it, which made for a perfect North Carolina rainy day combination.





  Last, we made turkey chili, subbing turkey for ground beef and adding fresh spinach for extra nutrients. My Dad, who used to be a Chicago fire fighter, was a huge chili fan. He used to make it every fall when football season started so we could eat chili and watch the Chicago Bears play. It's my most favorite fall and winter meal, and I could probably live off it for the rest of my life if I had to.

 Eat well..... and stay dry!