Soup of the Week & Mr. Monk Is At Your Service

This is quick to fix, yet it tastes like it simmered all day. Serve it with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Chili Bean Soup

1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Mr. Monk Is At Your Service

First aired January 26. I watched it February 11.

Monk became a butler for a creepy rich kid, played by the sometimes versatile Sean Astin. It was nice to see him in a less than savory role and he played it well. There were times when I could not believe that Samwise would be acting like that. He was definitely a creep.

I love how Monk became so involved in his job. Being a butler really does seem to be the perfect job for him. The scenes with Monk running the household had me rolling on the floor. From his inspections to the centimeter placement of the silverware, it was OCD run wild. Let alone the housecleaning zone presentation – “We’re doing this the Monk way."

He actually enjoys being a butler for a time, but eventually remembers just who he is, cracking the case yet again in classic Monk style.

A major complaint I do have with this season of Monk so far, the marked decline in screen time for Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher, two characters who I especially enjoy on this show. Hopefully, they'll rectify the situation in future episodes.

Otherwise, this episode of Monk was extremely funny and strangely unique.