For a
few weeks, I’ve joked off and on about Mr. Complication being put on ice … but
today he really was put on ice: the roads here are all a solid
sheet of ice – it is not {"the worst anyone has ever seen here!"}, but
it is pretty bad. I’ve seen worst ice storms in this neck of the woods,
but it is best to stay home if you can 😉
That
said, when I woke up this morning with ice on the street … and chicken soup
running through my thoughts, and I figured Holland could stop in for a bowl of
hot soup if he was out and about. He lives 2 steep hills away, so I wasn't sure if he'd risk the drive into town or not, for anything. Still, I sent the invite so we could visit, and he could sample some more of my cooking if he was in town.
I also
returned a call David left on my phone around midnight last night: he’d been
scrolling through his FB newsfeed and happened upon my upcoming wedding post –
he’s like a big brother to me; he was curious and more than a little surprised.
Me: “So, I see I missed your call … what’s up?” David: “Yeah;
I was looking through my FB newsfeed and I see that Valeria Hargand is getting
married (Uh-oh – he actually used my birth Name instead of Valerie), what
the hell, Val! Who is this guy - what's his Name? Last time we talked, you said you had sworn off marriage.
I’m kinda surprised, here.” Me - laughing: “I’m surprised too; believe
you, me! The marriage may seem fast – and it is, but we’ve known each other for
15 months; so, it’s really not ‘that fast’. He really is a nice guy. You would
approve. Bob would approve. This is a good match; he checks all the boxes. Bob
was my {IT} Man: I never thought I’d ever love anyone but Bob … but I do; and
I’m kinda surprised, too.” And then David listened while I talked
about Holland. And he gave some encouragement, and big brother instructions
😉
I’m so
lucky to have good people in my life, who love me in good ways.
Last
year I was upset that I would be stuck in Longview for the rest of my life; and
this year I am thankful that Elohim put on a stop on my plans so His
Plan for my life could unfold. Last year I was bummed because I could not be
where I wanted to be living – and this year I am looking forward to getting
married, and staying put 😊
With a
smile on my face, I got the soup ready to go …
==Kosher Chicken In The Pot ~serves 4
I make
this meal in my crockpot – I just dump everything in, and plug the pot into the
wall socket 😉
I also
used chopped chicken breasts, and Christmassy noodles this year in place of the
potatoes; I didn’t have any spuds on hand, the roads were a solid sheet of ice
… and the noodles were ‘festive’ 😊
I have
made this soup many times over the decades; it is a great soup to enjoy on days
like today.
1
4-pound Chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or 8 flash-frozen chicken breasts,
chopped like stew meat) * Kosher Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste * ¼ cup extra-virgin Olive
Oil * 12-ounces dark Beer * 1 Onion, quartered * 8 whole cloves of Garlic * 2 cups green Cabbage * 3 large Carrots, peeled
and cut in pieces * 4 medium Yellow Potatoes, quartered or 12 ct. new
potatoes, whole (or 2 ounces bow-tie noodles) * 2 cups Chicken broth * ½ cup Parsley, chopped
Place all the ingredients EXCEPT
NOODLES in a crockpot, set on LOW for 5½ hours; add noodles
for last ½ hour. Serve and enjoy 😊
While
the soup was cooking, I checked my FB Page, then started getting ready for
Holland’s arrival …
And as
I was stirring the soup, a text came in:
Rats! I’m thinking Christmas Supper in Kelso will be called off, too, if
the icy rain continues.
I consoled myself with watching the chickadees at the birdfeeder …
and the neighborhood kids sneaker-skate down the icy streets.
And
after supper, I lit the Hanukkah candles, and enjoyed a glass of red wine. Old
Man Winter is not going to ruin what’s left of my day; I'm going to relax and play text-tag with Holland 😉
