chicken soup for the soul

here in the midwest, this time of year is known as a lot of things but to some people, it’s known affectionately and unofficially as “soup season”.

soup is honestly one of my most loved meals. they’re just so comforting and hearty and really do warm the soul on cold, blustery days, especially if you’re able to have them with warm from the oven homemade bread.

for the challenge, i thought i’d share a recipe that’s near and dear to my heart. i have long since believed that my grandmother was magic and this recipe and the way it makes me feel does nothing to convince me otherwise.

Grammy’s Chicken Dumpling Soup

What you’ll need:

one(1) medium onion, diced
for protection, remembering loved ones, breaking down barriers

three (3) large carrots, diced
for prosperity, abundance, and wellbeing

three (3) stalks celery, diced

three (3) medium potatoes, diced
to ground you and remind you to keep your feet firmly planted

two (2) cans chicken noodle soup
one (1) carton chicken stock

one (1) tbsp thyme
for protection

one (1) tbsp marjoram
for good luck and happiness

one (1) tbsp sage
for cleansing of negativity

two (2) bay leaves
for health, luck, and joy

three (3) chicken bouillon cubes
two (2) eggs
two (2) cups flour
one (1) cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

and now, we cook.

start by melting some butter in the bottom of your soup kettle and adding the diced veggies and spices, cooking them until they’re slightly tender. once this is done, add in the chicken noodle soup, potatoes (not pictured bc we didn’t have any), and bouillon cubes and simmer until your heart says it’s enough.

from here, you’ll want to add the chicken stock and allow the flavors to continue to incorporate while you mix up the dumplings.

in a bowl, mix together the flour, eggs, milk, and a little salt and pepper. DO NOT OVER MIX.

bring your soup to a steady boil and heat the head of a tablespoon in the broth. once heated, scoop a bit of dumpling batter onto the spoon (again, measuring with your heart) and drop it into the broth, shaking the spoon a bit to dislodge.

continue to drop all dumplings into the broth until done and then cover and let simmer for twenty minutes. DO NOT REMOVE LID.

after twenty minutes, remove the lid and give the soup a good stir. ladle into soup bowls, tear of a chunk of bread and enjoy!

this soup is such a good way to end the day. it’s cozy, comforting, and most importantly, delicious.
i always like to send up a little “hi grammy” as i tuck in. perhaps you can use this time to remember someone you care for who is no longer around as well!

be well, be kind, be good.

xx

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don’t forget to dance in the rain

i got fired last monday.

it’s fine, it’s cool. i had another job lined up by wednesday, but for a while there, i was feeling pretty down on myself, you know?

it’s hard not to, especially when they let you go with a reasoning of “well, you’re just not a good fit”. what does that mean?

hell if i know.

what i do know, however, is that the universe has my back.

why else would i have landed a great spot at a local company that plays into my strengths? i’m really excited to get started.

i also know that it’s been raining every day since i lost my job and that it really feels like my whole life is being cleansed.

rain is incredibly cleansing, you know? we forget or don’t stop to realize it, but it’s one of the most cleansing things in the world. after all, it washes off the stagnant dirt and grime of hibernation and winter every spring.

my neighbors may think i’m a little nuts as i sat myself down on my mat, directly in the middle of the rain to meditate one morning, but i’m not exagerating when i say it’s the most free and calm i’ve felt in a long time.

dance in the rain. who cares who’s watching?

maybe they’ll even join you.

xx

some days, you just need popovers

yesterday was a rough day.

there wasn’t anything particularly bad about it, per se, but there were just a bunch of small inconveniences that kept piling on and on until it was just too much.

it happens, right?

right.

anyway, shitty day aside, i decided that to fix my mood, i was going to make popovers.

i haven’t made popovers in years.

that said, they’re super simple, provided you don’t open the oven.

i neither confirm or deny making that mistake.

part of the fun, though, was just randomly deciding to make a treat that i’d not had in years and let me tell you.

it made me feel much better.

xx

full moon meditation

i love full moons.

there’s just something about the muted, mellow light and how it seems to cleanse everything it touches.

the full moon is a great time to take a look back on all the happenings of the past cycle; to celebrate your triumphs and successes and to cleanse and ride yourself of any negativity and failures (while still holding on to any lessons you have learned).

i also like to take this time and meditate on all the situations the world has gone through in the last month, as a way to process these circumstances and move past any unpleasantness that may have been felt.

i thought it would be fun to share my process with you today.

perhaps you’ll find that it’s a fitting way to welcome in each new cycle and that it’s a great way to allow good things into your life to fill up the spaces where negativity and muckiness used to sit.

i know i have.

so, try it out and, if you’ve never meditated before, don’t be scared to start small.

one minute. two minutes. five minutes.

it doesn’t matter.

what matters is that you make a point to sit with yourself (something that almost everyone i know is entirely uncomfortable with) and your thoughts in order to process, to learn, to grow.

let’s begin.

breathe.

hold 7 seconds.

release.

hold 10 seconds.

repeat.

as you feel yourself relax, as you allow your worries and fears come to the forefront of your mind, toss them into the aether and dissipate.

don’t dwell. don’t stop to over-analyze.

learn how to be okay with sitting and resting and being.

i do this practice every full moon.

i release my problems and doubts and anything troubling and i trust that Mother Moon will guide me through.

if you have a deity or guide, you can also reach out to them. do whatever you feel works best for you. there’s no rules or certain way to do this.

once you feel you’ve released all you need to, quietly come back to yourself and reengage in the world around you, ready to start this new cycle with a clear head and heart.

xx steph

of grandmothers, magic, and bittersweet memories

it’s been nine years to the day since my grandmother passed away and while there were many, many things that were very dear to me about her, her love of cooking for her family is probably among my favorites.

there is nothing on this earth or in the universe beyond that would convince me that my grandmother was anything short of magic.

she probably wouldn’t be too amused by the notion (as devout in her christian faith as she was) but i don’t think that makes it any less true.

i grew up learning how to cook and bake at her hip, watched her make and participated in making all of her recipes, but to this day, all the best ones will not be replicated.

we have her handwritten recipes (complete with additions and notes and little fixes) and multiple people have attempted to recreate them (some of them to point of tears).

none of us have been successful.

our brownies are gluey and flat, our cookies are crunchy, and our fried chicken won’t crackle.

it’s as maddening as it is hilarious in a “neener, neener!” kind of way.

so, magic.

it’s the only explanation i’m willing to accept.

i miss my grandmother more than i can even begin to put into words. there is a hole in my heart where she sat that still hurts and grieves, but through her recipes and my failures, sometimes, it hurts a little less.

i love you, grammy.

thank you for still making me laugh.

xx steph