Cheese and Bacon Muffins & Minestrone Soup

This weekend was really overcast and rainy so I thought I'd make one last pot of soup for the season before summer hits us. I made Donna Hay's Minestrone soup. I also made from my written book of favourite recipes my Mum's Cheese and Bacon Muffins. These muffins are always a hit with a bowl of hot soup ... enjoy! 

Mum's Cheese and Bacon Muffins

Makes 9 large muffins
10 minutes prep
20-25 minutes baking - unless you put extra cheese in them (like I do) then you'll need to cook for about 40 minutes and they'll be soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside .... delicious!

Donna Hay's Minestrone Soup

Serves 4-6

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 gloves garlic, sliced

1 carrot, chopped

1kg smoked ham hock

400g can peeled tomatoes

5 cups beef stock

1/4 cup small pasta, such as macaroni

150g broccoli, chopped (I put in 3 celery sticks, chopped instead)

100g green beans, chopped (I put in 1/2 cup frozen green peas instead)

310g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

sea salt and cracked pepper

2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook the oil, onion, garlic, carrot and celery in a large saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the skin and visible fat from the ham hock then add to the pan with the tomatoes and stock. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes Remove the hock, cut the ham from the bone and dice. Add to the pan with the pasta, beans, salt and pepper. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the frozen peas for 5 minutes. Stir through the parsley then ladle into bowls and serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

Playing along with linky parties Hummingbird's Song Baking Bliss and Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesdays