Reignited

Hello. It's me. What have I been up to, you ask? Too much thinking, probably, and certainly not enough sleeping. I feel much, much better today - smiling appears naturally once again, and I have become accustomed to a quieter house. We have received some good news (no rabies) but still, I can't help wonder, what and why. Most of all, though, I know going forward, when a friend loses their dog, I can offer a genuine hug, and know what they are feeling. Truly understanding someone is priceless.

I have to tell you, I have had some funny thoughts run through my head this week. Thoughts of never eating meat again, for one, as the reality of death hit a little too close to home. I also revisited life's priorities, and even though I feel for my situation they are right where they should be, new life was breathed into them. I haven't cleaned, or cooked for that matter, as much as usual. Instead, I have played one extra board game with my kids, or read them just one more story, but best of all, we just sat and talked. In a time where I felt like something really important to me was taken away, tighter knots were tied in other areas.

In the midst of this, I visited with a truly amazing friend, and plans have been made to plant a vegetable garden together. In all honesty, it absolutely terrifies me, so any suggestions would be very much appreciated...! We're not planning on a small venture here either, as the garden will run along the entire back of my house. Did I say the entire?

Just for the record, our meat consumption will not come to a stand still, but I've certainly got that last push I needed to search the area for at least naturally raised meats. I would so love to go all organic, this however can not always be realistic at $13/pound for chicken breast. In doing what we can, I think we make an impact, we raise our voice to stop the suffering of our live stock, and we demand a better standard for our dinner plates.



As mentioned, my cooking this past week was not where it should be. I think for the first time in my life, I lost my appetite. So last night, as I peeled yet another squash and made it into soup - with a refreshed out look on life, I saw squash seeds in a completely new way! Sure they are smaller than pumpkin seeds, and there aren't a ton of them... but they are perfectly delicious and have value all on their own. My spark was back! A weight seemingly lifted off my shoulders, I took to cleaning and drying these little guys like they were the most important thing in the world. After a splash of olive oil, some seasoning (sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and dried thyme), and a good toss, I preheated the oven to 300 F, and let them roast away until perfectly golden and crisp. And so, a simple supper found it's love and I felt happy.

Soups on, again!

Yes, I am about to do it again... get excited about soup, that is. I think my soup thing started as my babies grew to be toddlers and I was introduced to the world of picky eaters. Thankfully, I discovered early on that soups are an amazing opportunity to introduce veggies and even meat to kids who's taste buds are hyper sensitive and would rather not chew on something for hours. Sure it's messy for them to attempt to eat on their own, but who cares if you have to help feed them for just a little longer. Don't worry, this won't turn into a habit, as I don't know of any teenager or adult that would like their mommy to spoon feed them still! Every time a mom asks me what they should feed their finicky eater, without hesitation, I proclaim, Soup! Who doesn't love Cream of Broccoli? Or soft cooked carrots who's nutrients have made their way into a beautiful broth? Soup can be a balanced meal, too - protein can be delivered in so many different ways. Think beans, meat, poultry and dairy.

As the kids grow older, we can make soups a little more sophisticated, check out this Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup. We enjoy it quite often at our house. The wild rice is a little time consuming, however the rest is very simple to put together. Round this out with good bread and butter - stunning!

A gentle reminder to get your recipe entries in - just 5 more days to go until deadline!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Serves 6

1/2 cup wild rice, washed and drained - use a fine mesh sieve to drain the rice, if you have one

3 cups water

90g butter

100g Onion, chopped fine

150g carrot, cut into small cubes

70g flour

900ml chicken stock

30g butter

200g mushrooms, sliced

300ml milk, hot

to taste salt and white pepper
150ml heavy cream hot - optional

handful of finely chopped parsley

Place the washed rice with the 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Take off the heat and let stand for another 20 - 30 minutes, until rice is tender. Drain and set aside.

Once you have boiled the rice, and it is now sitting off the burner, heat the butter in a large stock pot over low - medium heat.

Add the onion and carrot and saute for about 5 minutes, until just starting to become tender.
(Do not brown.)

Add the flour. Stir to combine (this is called a roux) and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes, stirring, but do not allow to get brown.

Gradually add the chicken stock, whisking to blend into the roux. Bring to a boil, continually whisking until thickened.

Lower the heat, allow the soup to gently simmer until there is no taste of raw flour, about 5 minutes.

If you are using home made chicken stock, you will need to skim the soup at this point - all this means is to skim the white bubbles off the top.

While the soup is simmering, heat the butter in a saute pan on medium heat and and add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender, then add them to the soup.

Stir the hot milk into the soup, and add the cooked and drained rice. Simmer for a couple of minutes, to heat through.

Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with a swirl of hot cream (if using - I don't always do this) and top with a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley.