One Word and Soup For One

Someone asked me recently if I could describe myself in one word.

One word.

What would you say? What would be the one word that would totally encapsulate your essence? Could you do it? Can you imagine it? Would you have the courage to share it? Could you own it?

I had to think very hard about my one word. It took me a long time and I could not for the life of me come up with one word. I came up with three words that fit my life right now. These three simple words took me by surprise.

Joyful
Happy
Centered

Are you, my long time readers, as surprised as me at the words I chose?

Trying to get to the word that best describes you or your life right at this moment is a good exercise. It makes you think. Hard. It made me concentrate on what I am feeling at this very point in time. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but right now. Today. Re-evaluating my feelings shook me up a bit. I was so sad for so long it was hard to think about not being sad.

I realized that I AM joyful. I laugh, everyday. I sing along to the radio. Sometimes I dance along - in the kitchen. By myself.

I am finding happiness. I am happy. Are joyful and happy the same thing? I think joyful is the celebration part of happy. I am meeting new people, doing new things. I'm reaching out of my comfort zone and exploring this new phase of my life. Is it perfect? Nothing ever is but I'm finding happiness in discovering me. This new version of me. A bit older, a bit wiser (I hope) a bit more compassionate. A slightly newer version of me. It makes me feel brave this happiness thing.

Centered. Now there's a word! What does that mean? For me it is finding the balance between what was, what will never be and what is possible now. I have begun the work of tucking the past away in a safe, secure place in my heart and learning to cherish it while honoring the gift of my life. All of the parts - the old, the new and the maybe.

Now tell me, what is your one word for you?

Soup For One: Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound broccoli (about 2 cups) - chopped
1/2 pound cauliflower (about 2 cups) - chopped
1/2 cup milk (feel free to use fat free, 1% or other)
2 ounces cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup) shredded
salt and pepper to taste
a few grinds of nutmeg

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, add onion and cook until translucent and soft. Add garlic and stir until fragrant (about a minute). Add broth, broccoli and cauliflower and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Be careful with this next part. Transfer soup to a blender. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan, add milk, check seasonings. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Ladle into soup bowl and grate some fresh nutmeg over. Sprinkle with croutons if desired.

This recipe makes about 4 cups of soup and freezes beautifully.

Quilt Update and Italian Wedding Soup

I've been diligently working on my quilt everyday. I try to reserve an hour or two every afternoon to cut, piece, sew and press.

After many happy hours of solitary sewing I finally put the quilt together - pinning and basting the back to the batting to the top.

Some quilt facts:

Two hundred and twenty-four patches make up the quilt top. The patches are made up of nine 2.5 inch squares each. That adds up to 2,016 two and half inch squares.

This is what the wrong side of the quilt top looks like, so many stitches!

This is what the quilt top looks like:

I am finally at the actual hand quilting of the quilt and have new found respect for our great grandmothers and their daughters and all the other generations of women who quilted. And to think they did it without the aid of rotary cutters and electric sewing machines. After all this work I'm not sure I'll ever let anyone actually cover themselves with this blanket.

With all the snow we've been getting I find myself cooking more and more warm, satisfying food. You can make this nourishing soup in 30 minutes. It makes a nice size pot and tastes every bit as good the next day as the first.

Don't wait for an Italian wedding to make:

Italian Wedding Soup (serves 8)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs (or fine bread crumbs)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

Combine all of the above and mix well. Form into 1.5 inch meatballs and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the meatballs half way through.

While the meatballs are baking:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion, minced

1 cup carrots (about 3 carrots), diced

3/4 cup celery (about 2 stalks), diced

10 cups chicken broth (canned or homemade)

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup small pasta (I use Acini di Pepe, but you can use Orzo, tubetini, stars or any other small pasta)

12 ounces baby spinach, washed and rough chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrot and celery (the mire-poix). Cook until tender (about 8 minutes.) Add the broth and wine and heat to boiling. Add the pasta and boil according to package directions for al dente.

When the meatballs are done baking, add to pot with broth and pasta. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and simmer for one more minute.

Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.