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Of course these little shrooms are always happy.

One of the newer residents down the street,this little guy finally has finally stopped barking every time I walk by (which is almost daily)

Winter Soup
Kind of a simple use what needs to be used up from fridge and freezer soup.
I sautéed diced onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms in some olive oil and added a bit of salt. I added a quart of homemade stock, a small can of whole tomatoes which I smooshed, a can’s worth of water, about a tablespoon of tomato paste, a pinch of sugar, some red wine, a big sprig of fresh rosemary and a couple bay leaves. I brought up just to a boil then lowered the heat. I added a few potatoes cut into cubes and the better part of a bunch of purple kale, de-stemmed and chopped. I let this cook for a while on medium simmer then added an Italian sausage cut in half vertically then sliced. Cooked a bit more then I adjusted the seasonings, added a squirt of lemon. Finally I added some chopped parsley (Italian always Italian) ,frozen Romano beans from the summer ,a couple tablespoons of pesto also from the freezer, fresh black pepper and some brewer’s yeast. After letting it simmer just a bit more to blend flavors I removed the bay leaves and rosemary stem then served it with some toasted croutons and parsley.
Just about any vegetable you might have can go in this- carrot, cabbage, leeks. Meat or no meat, your choice. The idea is to use what you have. I always have stock but water would work too.
When I open tomato paste I put it in a shallow container and score it then freeze-It keeps better and when I want to use it I just cut or break a piece off. I also make pesto and freeze the same way. Parsley and arugula make good pesto as well as basil. I use only oil, salt, garlic and sometimes lemon. If I want cheese in pesto I add it later as it does not freeze as well.