Thankful that I can cook.

Yesterday I made soup.

I hadn't made soup for a long time, but yesterday I gloried in the free-form art of soup-making.

I made acorn squash soup with green pepper, celery, carrots, kale and corn.  Earlier in the week, Shawn had grilled chicken breast, so I diced some up and added that, too.  I seasoned my soup with rosemary, thyme, garlic, a dash of onion powder, and some cayenne.   I didn't have my own chicken broth, so I cheated and poured in a box of store-bought.  Pureed, oven-roasted acorn squash gave flavor, color and body to the stock.

In the end, it lacked something, but when I sprinkled my bowl with a generous portion of parmesan cheese, it suddenly transformed into a most delectable dish.  Both Shawn and I consumed two helpings.

These days, I sometimes get a little bit anxious, being gluten free, when I eat somewhere other than at home.  Lately, my heart has brimmed with thankfulness when I am at home, cooking my own safe food in my own dear kitchen.

Speaking of which, my kitchen is a dream to cook in.  For this I am truly thankful, because the process of remodeling the kitchen was rather a bad experience, and I had given up hope of ever having any but bad feelings about the whole shebang.  And yet, these days I love my kitchen, and I love being able to cook in it!  Glory be!

I'm thankful that I can cook, and thankful for my kitchen that I cook in.