Country-style Ribs and Rice

I bought country-style ribs at Sam's because they were relatively cheap, but I didn't know what to do with them. I went on foodnetwork.com and found a recipe from Paula Dean, and read the reviews, which were mixed, and decided to try it, implementing the suggestions in the reviews. It turned out ok, not very flavorful though. Scott didn't like it at all, and neither did the kids. I liked it alright, but I think for nastalgic reasons. It reminded me of an old South meal my grandma would have made; warm, filling, and cheap, comfort-type food.
So, needless to say I had alot of left over meat and rice. I dumped the rice down the garbage disposal, cleaned the fat off the meat, and made a great soup. Here's my concoction:

1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic pressed
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can white cannelini beans, drained
1 large carrot shredded
1/2 cup spinach puree
1 cup squash and zuchini chopped that I found in the freezer, we had grilled them back in the summer, so they added great flavor.
pepper
italian seasoning
salt
2 bayleaves
leftover meat, to desired meatiness

Simmer for a little while and enjoy.

Soups are a great quick and easy go to if you have some pantry staples and leftovers on hand. I think soup is one of the few redeeming things of winter. That and snowboarding!