Awesome Winter Meal

For whatever reason when it has snowed this year it makes me want to make homemade bread. And for us, there's nothing like homemade bread and soup on a snow day. This is what we had on saturday when it snowed:

 

Homemade country white bread and ground turkey, white bean and spinach soup. It was really good :) (and healthy!) Below are the recipes for both

Italian White Bean, Spinach and Turkey Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (15.5 ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium chicken stock
12-14 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) In a medium stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, season with a dash of salt and pepper, break into small pieces and brown for 3-4 minutes. Drain excess fat, if necessary. Add garlic and onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until onions are soft.

2) Add cannellini beans, thyme, rosemary and chicken stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in chopped spinach and simmer 5 more minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.


(I used small white beans instead of cannellini beans)

Country White Bread

Ingredients

• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, oil and 3 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into loaves. Place in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

(I added a tablespoon of honey to the recipe)