Loving Cup

Rummaging through the contents of my freezer, looking for space for some new stuff, I discovered a baggie full of just what the doctor ordered for the grey, chilly, overcast day - chicken soup.

There are two or three packages of broth or soup in my freezer, more or less all the time. Making soup takes a few hours but it's one of those things you can leave on the stove to simmer while you go do something else and, when you return, you have a sustaining meal to eat now or to save for later.

I had made the soup from the bones of a roast chicken many months ago and lovely though it was - deeply golden with big bits of chicken throughout - it was just plain. I decided to tart it up a bit so I added chopped leek, fresh corn kernels and sugar snap pea pods. Sadly, I let the pea pods get overdone but it was still warming and sustaining, rich with veggies in the clear broth. Poured into the bowl My Beloved bought me for my birthday last year, it stuck just the right note to warm the cockles of my heart (whatever they are) and to brighten a dull day.