Today the park service announced we can expect the cherry blossoms to be in full swing by April 8th.
Having been shut in the house since Monday's storm, missing physical therapy and being told in no uncertain terms by my physical therapist that I would not be returning to work on Tuesday ( today) no matter how easy I promised I would take it, the thought of walking around the tidal basin under a canopy of blooming cherry trees brought forth my first gush of tears since the surgery.
And this weekend promises to be in the 50's. Ahhhhh.
I spent yesterday watching the snow fall and dreaming of a bowl of tomato soup. I plotted and planned how to make such a simple thing possible and today when I neighbor dropped by I handed her a can of tomatoes and asked her to open it.
From there it was a simple matter of chopping vegetables in my mini prep, sauteing them in a little oil, adding S&P, a few crushed peppers, chicken stock and the tomatoes in their juice.
30 minutes of cooking, a whirl with the immersion blender, an eyefull of soup from holding blender in left hand and it was done. A piece of cheese toast made in the toaster oven and a few dollops of soup cream completed my fantasy.
It really is the little things isn't it?
A bowl of soup, a piece of toast and a promise of spring.
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If we plant it, it will come.
Oh, those little bells are so sweet.
ReplyDeleteYou are something else--I would have asked my neighbor to open a can of tomato soup. Which is what had for dinner tonight. Sprinkled with cheddar cheese (my favorite Cougar Gold, made at Washington State U.) with a tangelo on the side. A warm-color meal.
I just wanted to taste my own cooking. Self soothing as its best:-)
DeleteSo pretty! And yes, so wonderful to feel the accomplishment of feeding one's self.
ReplyDeleteBaby steps are big steps too.
DeleteUmm, your tomato soup sounds delicious. Where is superman when you need him! I am glad you are feeling better. I will stop by the shop to visit you when you go back to work. See you soon.
ReplyDeleteWhere is S-man indeed. I keep hoping he'll be knocking on the door any minute. Seattle is too far away.
DeleteGlad you are doing well enough that you want to cook :)
ReplyDeleteHard to cut open an onion with my left hand tho...cooking can be dangerous.
DeleteYes, it is always the little things. soup, a snowy night and spring to come....really, this is beautiful mix.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear you're feeling better. ♥
I'm happy for both of us!
DeleteDefinitely on the mend. And you are obeying your therapist too! Well done you!
ReplyDeleteOn the short list of people I trust wholeheartedly, my therapist.
DeleteCooking is the first baby step! Glad you are feeling well enough to be "blue". Take it easy and heal.
ReplyDeleteIn four short weeks you'll be ready to come out with the cherry blossoms. Thinking of you. xoxo
Thank you Webb, I know you understand every moment of this process.
DeleteGreat minds think alike! Monday afternoon (everything was closed) I made tomato soup with my own canned tomatoes. I used Giada's recipe as a base. She starts with carrots, onions and cannellini beans which get ground up in the blender after they are cooked. It makes a meatier soup. I just wish I had fresh rosemary - I didn't bring in any of my rosemary plants this year and they bit the dust in all that extreme cold we've had. I think that I will have to replant my whole herb garden this year except for (maybe) the chives?
ReplyDeleteTake it easy and let yourself heal. If you push it, you might have a much longer recovery period. Snuggle with the kitties.
Ohh I've done that with garbanzo beans but never cannellinis, will have to try. I was sure I had rosemary alive in side garden but was fearful of ice to check. Do you cook it in olive oil and add it hot to soup?
DeleteYou saute the veg in a little evoo then add in the beans, tomatoes, spices and chicken stock. Cook. Whiz up in the blender or with an immersion blender. We used dried rosemary and some hot pepper flakes for a little zing. Somewhere along the line, I forgot to mention the garlic too. The beans thicken the soup without dairy and I think the carrots counteract some of the acidity of the tomatoes. Anyway, that's my lunch soup for the week to bring to work with a salad.
Deletebtw, yesterday, my guy bought us two small rosemary plants when he was at Home Depot - yay! I know it's too early to plant them here in Virginia but that didn't stop me from sticking my face in them! I love the smell.
This sounds delish and is on the agenda when I can cook with 1 and a half hands.
DeleteYour soup sounds the perfect thing to brighten an overcast day. Take care of yourself! Time....
ReplyDeleteI know, a luxury I don't often give myself.
DeleteAaahhh the promise of cherry blossoms. They will come and you'll be yourself again soon and making delicious Spring dishes for me to copy. The storm missed us, stayed south obviously, woke up to a dusting instead of the promised 6 to 12...don't mind if I gloat.
ReplyDeleteI think you all deserved a break from another storm.....hope to hell this was our last one!
DeleteThat is my comfort food exactly: tomato soup and cheese toast. Works every time!
ReplyDeleteHow to be your own mom kind of food.
DeleteHow are you Jane ? I hope much better and that the weather is warming up too. :)
ReplyDeleteXo Robyn
Cooool today but a promise of warmth this weekend. Kind of overdid it today so I'm going to settle down with a cup of tea and a book and try to stay put!
DeleteWhat's cheese toast? Like an open-faced cheese sandwich?
ReplyDeleteI don't know why but the homemade tomato soup just sounds so good.
Exactly, I make mine in the toaster over. It's brown and bubbly and totally delicious to bite into.
DeleteSays the woman who just ate two thin mints. Girl scout cookies don't suck either.
Another ray of hope: 3 tiny yellow crocuses opened up in my also-tiny "down the back" garden, squeezed in between two air conditioning units and the hose spigot.
ReplyDeleteOops, sign me,
DeleteDiane in Denver
60 deg F today; there IS hope!
You are pulling it all together--a good neighbor, homemade tomato soup, and lily of the valley. Well done! I've loved those tiny white bells since I was a little girl. Thanks for bringing back that memory. Rest easy. xx
ReplyDelete