Christmas blessings.

O come let us adore Him ..

Christ the Lord

our Christmas this year will be quiet ..

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields,

that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them

up snug, you know, with a white quilt;

and perhaps it says, 

"Go to sleep darlings, till the summer comes again."

~ Lewis Carroll

the snow of a week or so ago is all but melted

save for patches here and there. this afternoon

I watched a light dusting fall ..

a sifting of powdered sugar 

from the heavens.

we're anticipating more

but as mentioned in another post,

we no longer trust the weatherman

as the weather changes even within

hours … sometimes minutes.

Christmas Eve morning i'll venture

to the town market perusing the butcher case

to choose the entre' selection for Christmas Dinner.

a simple yet delicious meal is planned ...

side dishes remain the same no matter

the primary entre'. 

that makes it simple - hm?

we're planning on:

main entre' to be determined,

garlic whipped potatoes,

little gem wedge salad

with paper thin radishes

and green goddess dressing,

& gingerbread trifle for dessert.

later in front of a roaring fire

comes eggnog - rich and ice cold.

decadent! 

a bit later Christmas Eve day 

we'll take a walk up and down

the hills .. enjoy soup and homemade bread

for a late lunch .. then ready ourselves to drive

the thirty-minutes to church for 

service & fellowship,

then back home 

thirty-minutes,

stopping in "town" to view

the main street tree alight

in man-made glory.

{ homemade bread .. today }

i hope for you all a day of blessings overflowing

with those you love and who love you,

a tabled feast to bless, 

and praise abounding.

there are those i know closely though

who haven't that sweet promise ...

so no matter what is the (serious) matter or anticipation

of Christmas Day .. the continued heartbreak,

 hopeful expectations, serious illness, spiritual struggles ...

know that HE knows and longs to meet you

where you are - desiring to be your 

shelter and rest.

run to the embrace 

of a faithful Lord.

&

be still.

HE is there.

HE is enough.

"For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given:

and the government shall be upon His shoulder:

and His name shall be called:

Wonderful ..

Counselor ..

The Mighty God ..

The Everlasting Father ..

The Prince of Peace .."

~ Isaiah 9:6

Christmas blessings,

… sherry ...

soup. {bean&bacon}

i must admit this soup is beyond simple in preparation .. 

so much so that you might toss your wooden spoon 

on the counter and walk away, 

having expected far more from me. 

or ... you might just realize that not 

everything need be time consuming and laborious. 

okey dokey? 

please know it IS delish

and you need to try this 

coddiwomple

skittle skattle

recipe.

also note that i'm not a cook who measures.

rarely. typically i eyeball what i'm prepping,

making changes along the way. as such,

don't expect exact measurements though

there may be reason 

to reconsider this practice.

keeping this in mind, I've shared

the overall ingredients and process 

at the bottom of this blog post.

it all began with making chicken soup..

chicken stock (i make my own then freeze in portions),

saute'd onion, celery, carrots,

dried parsley, fresh cracked pepper, a tiny tich of thyme.

i had some leftover jasmine rice i added to the hot broth

then ladled into our bowls at which time a few

good hunks of cooked chicken breast

was added as well.

i had more broth mix than chicken

so i froze what was left for another day.

the other day was that another day.

into the crock pot it went with the plan

to add cooked chicken later just before serving.

but that didn’t happen.
((enter :: soup transformation))

i remembered there was oven baked bacon in the freezer

as well as cans of white beans and tomatoes in the pantry.

while i gathered those cans and the bacon, i also

grabbed my immersion blender and whirled the

stock mix just a bit while in the crock pot,

knowing it would result in a creamy texture.

i left chunks of veg (onion/carrot/celery).

then i drained the white beans and tomatoes

and added those to the pot,

along with rough chopped bacon.

we prefer a thicker more hearty soup ..

almost stew like .. with a fork standing upright

without any aid of hand.

yes. that.

personal preference.

keep that in mind when you 

make this soup as you may desire

to leave out as much white beans

or whatever - to better suit your preference.

set to low, i let it go a couple hours

resulting in a rich, thick, soup

sure to please both the hubs and me

on that chilly December night.

with fire glowing we supped.

and it was good.

so.

near as i can determine here's

what i used in this soup:

8 cups good chicken stock

1.5 cups cooked rice

dried parsley/pepper/thyme
1 large clove garlic - pressed

4 carrots/3 celery stalks/1 medium onion

{all rough chopped then saute'd in evoo}

… at this point use your immersion blender

to slightly whirl the above ingredients ...

then add:

10 slices cooked bacon - rough chopped

2 cans white beans - drained

1 can tomatoes - petite cut - drained

i made bread earlier in the day

which was the perfect addition

to sop up any left over soup.

.. as if ..

wink

.. enjoy ..

sherry

come winter.

"when the wind of winter blows

over the uplands and moonlit spaces

come ye out to the waste of snows

to the glimmering fields and

the silent places."

{l.m.Montgomery}

winter arrived strong then mellowed

to the point of rain then sunshine,

still with crisp temps.

we were away thanksgiving week

and while preparing I decided

to put up some Christmas

to greet us on our return.

… just a bit of tree and vintage sparkle ...

… here and there ...

… whispers ...

enter the rains

with the promise

of 

black ice

come nightfall.

then the anticipation of snow only to have fairly

clear skies and again the threat of rain.

we no longer trust the weatherman.

but the bit of seasonal charm along with 

music and candles uplift the heart.

and bean with bacon soup.

homemade.

it was gloriously delish.

and on days where we're chilled to the bone

so it seems, we're warmed by the fire.

this picture was a fun mistake. 

didn't realize until later my camera

was shooting. I kinda like it.

fits me lately - here and there

completing projects or at least

project portions.

guest room #2 is nearly done.

here's a peek:

.may joy be yours.