We had a very grey, icy weekend. After hibernating most of Saturday, hubby and I spent Sunday afternoon taking in a movie (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is great, by the way), shopping and running a few errands to prepare for the week.

By the time we got back home I was so cold and ready to warm up in some cuddly clothes and some kind of hot tasty soup. I decided to whip up a yummy white bean, bacon soup and tried my hand at making cheesy garlic knots. Whatcha think?

White Bean & Bacon Soup

2 cans of white beans (Navy, Northern, whatever you have)
bacon (I used 6 slices; hubby loves bacon!)
half a large white onion, diced
chicken stock, 1- 1.5 cups
herbs (thyme, oregano, black pepper)

1. Dice up your bacon and toss in a pan on medium heat until crisp.
2. Add your diced onions to the bacon and cook until they become tender and slightly transparent.

3. In a large pot, pour in your beans and let simmer.
4. Add onions and bacon.
5. Add herbs of your choice. I used approx. 1 Tbsp of dried thyme, a pinch of dried oregano and lots of ground black pepper.

6. Add your chicken stock and stir to combine all ingredients.
7. Cover and let simmer on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Garlic Knots
Found here.

1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated bicuits (I used Pillsbury Southern Style)
1/4 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese (I used Romano instead)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I increased this a bit too)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1. Roll each biscuit into a 12-inch rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Here I combined the remaining ingredients and stuffed about half of the mixture in to the crevices of the knots so the flavors would bake in. Next time I think I will roll the dough in the mixture before tying into knots.

2. Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown (mine took about 13 minutes)

4. Brush remaining mixture over warm knots.