Winds of Change

“Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction”

T hank you for dropping by today.  Its a perfect day to ”nest” and savour the aroma and warmth of a steamy brew with a heart-warming chat .


C old! Artic, bone chilling cold.


W indy! A wind so strong that it ensures its frigid fingers


grasp your very essence.


C old! Windy!  The wind is a fierce force of nature today. I can hear the


roar of each gust, echo in the ravine outside my home.  As I watch the


cardinals perched on the barren branches, dancing hither and yon I


too feel an unsettling in my soul.


E ach day this week has brought its challenges and with that, decisions on


what direction our lives should take.  With an eye to the future, and its


uncertainties, I am trying to look at it, as opportunties, with positive


possiblities.   I suspect, if God wasn’t blowing change into my world, I


wouldn’t even take a glance outside my comfy circumstances any other


way or embrace the idea of change.

I would like to share a recipe for soup that my family enjoys on cold days, like today.
 
 

RIB STICKIN' BEAN & BARLEY SOUP

 

1  TBSP  olive oil

2             large carrots,  sliced

2             stalks celery, sliced

1             large onion, chopped

1 BOX     (900mL)    Campbell's Ready to Use Organic Vegetable Broth

1 CAN     (19 oz/540mL) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 CUPS    diced plum tomatoes, fresh or canned with liquid

1/4 CUP   nucooked pearl barley

2 CUPS    firmly packed chopped fresh spinach leaves, washed

Ground pepper, garlic, your favorite herbs to taste

 

1.   Heat oil in large saucepan, over medium-high heat.  Add the carrots, celery and onion, fresh garlic.      Cook and stir until vegies are tender.

2.   Stir in broth, beans, tomatoes and barley.  Heat to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for  30 minutes or until the barley is tender.

3.   Stir in spinach and seasonings to taste .  Cook until spinach is tender.

 

I have used Campbell's Chicken Ready to Use Broth and added leftover chicken or turkey, as well.

 

 

W hat better way to serve a piping hot soup than in pretty cafe au lait cups that a friend gifted me with.

 

Photo credit "Cardinal in Snow Storm" by Jayne