Smiley Family Vision and Copy-Cat Pasta e Fagioli Soup

So many, many years ago when Andrew was still teaching we both felt a calling to help children by way of adoption. We both have come across several students over the years that made us wonder how that child's life could be different given the chance of a stable home. We have both felt like we wanted to adopt an older child (upper elementary/middle school) that needed a chance to thrive. Several people have given us advice and one piece that we took to heart was making sure that we kept birth order by keeping Lilly the oldest. Since making that decision we have been praying for the  child that will someday join our family and talk about it fairly regularly. Both girls are excited about someday adding to our family.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago as Andrew and I both were "hit" with multiple situations where we were running into families that had grown through adoption and we were invited by our church to check out a new ministry they were starting called Sacred Homes. Through this ministry, our church is partnering with an organization called Safe Families. (https://safe-families.org/) Safe Families is similar to foster care but it is run through churches instead of the government. It is designed for parents that yearn to keep custody of their children but circumstances are making that difficult (homelessness, hunger, medical problems, etc.). These parents can contact safe families and apply for help. Host families take in children with the end goal being reunified with their biological parents. Placements can run anywhere from a night for generally up to a year and host families are given power of attorney for medical and educational purposes. Both Andrew and I agreed that this was a perfect opportunity to get started helping even as we wait to adopt.

Our home we built 11 years ago is a decent size for a family of 4 but for more than that it's going to get a little cramped, not to mention that we have dreamed of someday having a little more land. See this floor plan on our fridge?

That is our vision. A home that has plenty of space for the someday Smiley Fab FIVE as well as a guest room for our parents and/or still hosting through safe families. It's going to take some work to get there so we have started buckling down. Goal is to pay off our current home and use the selling price as a hefty chunk towards this new home! We are excited and hope you will be thinking of us and praying for us as we embark on our journey. Some ways we hope to save a little extra to put towards our dream is to really cut back on eating out and to vacation/travel only when we can do it cheaply (camping, staying with family in FL, etc).

Enter the Pasta e Fagioli soup! It was rainy and chilly this weekend and since we weren't eating out I turned to a favorite recipe of Andrew's. He loves the Pasta e Fagioli soup from Olive Garden. I paired it with a Caesar salad and a loaf of Pillsbury french bread and voila! Bon Appetit!

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

  

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 lbs lean ground beef

• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

• 2 cups diced carrots; sliced thin

• 2 cups diced celery 

• 2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes

• 2 (48oz) cans beef broth

• 1 Tbsp dried oregano

• 2 tsp pepper

• 1 cup dry ditalini pasta

• 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

• 3 (16 oz) jars spaghetti sauce

• 1 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

What to Do

1. Saute the beef in the oil in a 10 qt pot until the beef starts to brown. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Simmer for about 10 min.

2. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the pot along with the beef broth, oregano, pepper, Tabasco sauce, spaghetti sauce, and pasta. 

3. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls.