A Cup of Comfort

from 101 cookbooks: green curry broth

It's that time of year when things start to speed up a little. The grass is always a little greener from the other side of the calendar, and there is always just enough time between holidays for me to convince myself that this time of year is inherently comforting. 

Needless to say, the reality is a little different, and I always find myself a little more stressed than I want to be. 

Which is also a really roundabout way of saying that I'm sorry for leaving you all (and this space) alone for so long. Every time I sat down to compose something, there was always something else banging down the door of my brain. Birthdays, holidays, and then the inevitable wave of sickness that is still ebbing in our household all demanded I hand over the keys for a period of time.

from cookie + kate: west african peanut soup

Once I've gone through my annual ritual of confronting the holiday cheer myth, it leaves me in a place where I have to make a choice. I can either surrender to the stress, or I can make my own comfort.

Which sounds easier than it is.

While I am not at all grateful that my honey has been suffering from a recurring fever that seems to crop up again every time we think he has it beat, I am grateful that my immune system seems to be working the way it's supposed to. Instead of a full-blown version of the flu taken to the max (which is what usually happens - I tend to catch the sick and take it up a notch), I seem to only have come down with a low grade cold. Just enough to make going to work a nuisance, and not quite enough to debilitate me entirely. 

What it has done is forced me to come to a reckoning. When you're trying to recover, the body has neither care nor concern for non-vital functions, so for now, the stress is out. What's in? 

from prevention rd: roasted tomato soup

Soup is in. If you haven't noticed.

Embarrassingly enough, lately cooking has been the last thing I want to do. Which is a little baffling, because I love to cook. Now is the time of year for firing up the stove to heat your home and fill it up with delicious smells.

So to ease myself back into the kitchen, it seems like starting with soup is going to be the right fit. It's a one-pot kind of deal, there's minimal prep work, and a single pot of soup can go a long way. Plus, I can't stop thinking about soup. I am walking about in a living, breathing soup fantasy.

So right now, I am busying and distracting myself from the sick by compiling a list of recipes to try. The list is greater than you see here - I created a pinterest board for my recipes of interest, and I've been scouring old emails and gifted cookbooks for new ones to try out.

Let's talk soup!

xo!


PS - like the new digs? I do! Thanks to the amazing Nicole of writeslikeagirlblog.com, I have a gorgio new space. Yes, gorgio. I made up a word for it, and it means all things gorgeous and fly and stylish all at once. Go check her out!