Is it Soup Yet?

Jeff and I were once doing a crossword puzzle together and the clue was "Is is ____ yet?" We had no idea what the answer could be but it turned out the answer was soup. Trust me. We even cheated and looked on the answer page at the back of the book. Does anyone out there know what this means or where it is from? Anyways, we now ask each other this whenever there is soup simmering on the stove.

"Is it soup yet?"
"Not quite! It is still just a can of condensed yuck mixed with a can of water."
"Is it soup yet?"
"Almost, it just needs to come to a boil."
"Is it soup yet?"
"Ugh. Yes."

I hate soup. Or I should say I mostly hate soup. Whenever we have soup in our house it comes from a can. I look at those little cubes of veggies and meat and question the validity of their claim to be "real food." I pick around the unknown chunks in my bowl and wish it was a bowl of Ichiban noodles... at least all they claim to be is flavoured noodles.
We usually have one night a week that is a simple dinner - usually soup or sandwiches - and this year we have instituted Meatless Mondays and thus I see more soup on my horizon. We have started experimenting by adding rice and corn to a can of tomato soup or peas, carrots, and lima beans to a package of Lipton's chicken noodle soup. These are both substantial improvements, but I want more from a soup. I have had several DELICIOUS homemade soups (made by other people) and I know that I should be able to succeed at soup. Back in September I attempted corn chowder and it was mediocre at best. Twice in December I made veggie noodle soup with my frozen turkey stock from thanksgiving and it was good, but not great. So last night (it was our first monday of the year) I made Minestrone. Here's the recipe from the internet. I had to make some serious edits because I didn't have everything I needed and I made it in the slow cooker and it was delicious. Jacob even ate two bowls! (He loves kidney beans) I used beef bouillon powder to make the broth because that was what was in my cupboard. We even had just enough left over for lunch today.
Here's my recipe:

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Easy Minestrone
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Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

1/2 yellow pepper, diced

1 large tomato, diced

1/4 cup dried kidney beans (prepare in advance)

4 cups broth

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup pasta

Directions:

Saute onions and carrots in olive oil.

When done, add pepper and tomatoes. (And optional zucchini)

Put broth (veggie or beef) in slowcooker. Add spices. Add cooked veggies. Add beans.

Simmer 4 hours.

Add pasta when almost ready to eat.

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