A recipe and a cute photo!

Lately I have been having lots of good memories of childhood, whether it songs I heard when I was a kid, crafts I did, or old photos, it's put me in a warm nostalgic mood. The recipe I'm sharing today is one my Mama used to make, and it was one of my favorites! It's a white bean and escarole (or spinach) soup. Maybe this is where my love of white beans first began! 
It is a very simple soup and therefore each ingredients really shines. I highly recommend it for these cold days of winter.
The original recipe calls for escarole (a bitter green, similar to kale and swiss chard) but I like it with spinach, which is much easier to find!

White Bean and Spinach Soup
adapted from Molly Katzen

2 cups cooked white beans (canned or 1 cup uncooked, simmered in water for 1 1/2-2 hours)
1 tablespoon oil and butter
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
5 cups stock/water (if you cooked your own beans you can use some of the leftover cooking water)
1/2 pound chopped spinach

In a pot, melt the butter and oil. Saute the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Saute another 5 minutes.
Add the stock/water. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.
Add the beans and spinach, cook on low heat for another 15 minutes. Season to taste.
Simple and delicious!

Here is one of those nostalgic photos...

That's me on the left, my dad in the middle and Zoe on the right! We were quite the ragamuffins!