It's a beautiful day out there today...sun is shining, it's warm and the Fall Colors are Fabulous. It is great weather for a walk a hike or a bike ride...enjoy it, because the cold stuff is on the way! It is supposed to be a brutal 29 DEGREES here on Friday night!!! BRRRRRRRRR

I have been digging out my Winter clothing, and have had to purchase a few thing to kind of fill in the blanks. If you are a full-figured woman, you might want to check out the ad on my page today...they have some great deals for girls like us!

I love having the change of seasons, but I must admit that I am not crazy about the thought of 20 degrees. At least there won't be any snow....not yet anyway!

Sounds like time for some ice warm soup and grilled cheese sandwiches to me...how about you?

Here's a great meal even the kids will love. Italian Wedding Soup. My kids always loved the tiny little meatballs as well as the petite pasta stars I used. So, have a little fun with this one and enjoy the warmth! Next best thing to a cozy fire.

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Ingredients
For the meatballs:

* 3/4 pound ground chicken
* 1/2 pound lean ground pork
* 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
* 3 tablespoons milk
* 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*

For the soup:

* 2 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1 cup minced yellow onion
* 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
* 10 cups homemade (or Swanson's boxed) chicken stock
* 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
* 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
* 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, pork, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. Form tiny meatballs and place onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!