Sausage Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Dinner was wonderful last night.  I used this recipe http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2923 but I differed ever so slightly.  I added italian sausage meat  and browned it first.  I also used Kidney Beans and Navy beans, and added some chopped mushrooms as well.  I also was out of paste, so I used canned sauce.  It gave a nice LIGHT tomato flavor.  I served this with crunchy french rolls (Alexia brand) that I bought at BJ's in bulk.  These are great to have in the freezer for meals like this.

Now, I mentioned before that my 5 1/2 year old set the table for me, and I would post a picture:  

You might notice the tablecloth is very rumpled, napkins are very rumpled (she rolled the silverware inside) and you can see her little hand putting out the bread plates.  She also hand-made all of the flowers in the centerpiece before the snowstorm last week, and they have become a permanent fixture on our table.  There is also only 1 water glass on the table.  I'm not sure if it was old or new, but it did not get used!  I was afraid to drink it.  She also made cards for each and every one of us as place mats.  We celebrated our first family meal together at our own house using our fine china for the soup.     

The soup was very good.  Could have used some extra spice and thickness, which I think was missing because of using the sauce instead of the paste.  It was almost TOO chunky, with too many veggies in it.  I think next time I will add more beans and less carrots and celery.  Shannon loved the soup and is planning on having it for lunch today.  I think Tim just pulled out the sausage and pasta and left the rest behind.  The baby decided that she wanted ninas for dinner instead, but it turned out they were on top of what she really wanted, nine-nines.  In our house, ninas are bananas and nine-nines are clementines, which she has developed a love for recently.  She is only 19 months, so I let her have that for dinner.  Holly decided half-way through dinner that she was not feeling well and did not want to eat.  Brian and I are looking forward to this for a second meal, probably lunch today.  

So, some more reviews... last time I was making the meatballs.  They came out great, and were a huge hit at the party.  This was prior to putting them in the sauce.  The mozzarella had leaked out a bit, but they were still very good.  My daughter had two subs for dinner that night, as did I, but I had been looking forward to them for a week.  

Tonight I am trying Pork Roast with Mole sauce, served with baked potatoes and green beans.  I might try to throw a loaf of bread in the bread machine this morning too, but I have someplace to be today, so it will depend on how much time I have this morning.  I plan to prep the pork roast, pop it in the oven on a delay start and having my husband take care of popping in the baked potatoes and green beans before I get back.  I've never had mole sauce, but it sounds interesting with chocolate, chili powder, tomato sauce, and other Mexican spices in it.  I will be sure to post a review and picture after giving it a try.

So, what have you been making lately?