We have been lucky enough to have had nearly 3 straight weeks of visitors in Jackson Hole – a combination of beloved family and friends (see pictures below) so even though I have done some entertaining and cooking, there hasn’t been anytime for blogging.  I know – poor me, right?  I’m not complaining!!  But first, I thought I’d write about a soup I’ve been making that is perfect in what continues to be very chilly weather out here (9 degrees when I woke up yesterday – 1st day of Spring you lie!).  Lately I have been on a chickpea – or garbanzo bean as they are called – kick (you might see some falafel or chunky hummus spread popping up here in the near future) and can’t seem to get enough of these pudgy little beans.

This recipe was derived straight from Mom per usual.  She was home one night and sent me a photo of the soup she had made for dinner.  I thought it looked so delicious and easy that I made it that next day and have been hooked since.  It’s perfect for making at night and then heating up again for lunches and like all soups gets better with time.  It is healthy and chocked with protein, but doesn’t taste like it should be so healthy – in other words, it’s enjoyable to eat and you can dig in guilt free.

Vegetable soup – in general – can get really watered down from all of the natural moisture extracted from cooking down a pile of veggies so you want to make sure you buy regular or low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.  Sodium-free (while I know it’s more appealing for a variety of health reasons) will make the soup taste far too watered down.

Sprinkle with a spoonful of nutty grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!

And now for a little timeline of our past few weeks.  We kicked off the end of February/beginning of March with some of my very dear and old friends from college. The first night got a little rowdy after we received our shot-ski wedding gift from the Male’s :

We took a scenic sleigh-ride through the National Elk Refuge with a whipper-snapper tour guide in some cool chaps that filled us in on more information about the elk than I ever dreamed I’d know about in a lifetime:

The next set of visitors included Chris’s parents and siblings who are all really good skiers and luckily we got some fresh powder just in time for their visit:

“Just Horsing Around”

After they left, Chris’s best friend from college arrived and Chris’s youngest brother Sam stayed for another week.  We did a snow shoe hike one day in the park:

And the next day my family arrived.  Their first night here we went out to eat and were seated next to a table that included a very A-list celeb that was shoulder to shoulder with my brother who got to briefly chat with her baby son at one point in the night.  Can you guess who it is?  That’s right – Sandra Bullock.  Kind of a big deal.

The fam was here for a full week – there was lots of skiing, meals at the condo, and laughs.  My Aunt Leslie went down her first black diamond at Jackson Hole – no small feat!

My Dad stayed a couple of extra days past everyone and proved to be just as classically lion-hearted as always skiing full 9am-4pm days, riding the tram regularly, and hiking the Headwall – go Jack!

Thanks to everyone for making the long trip out here to see us – we loved every minute of it!