Soup's On!

Another Thursday, another dinner.  What an adventure it is!  This was not a stroll in the park by any means.  SK and I stood in our kitchen for nearly 3 hours peeling and cutting vegetables.  Really.  Part of the problem is a potato peeler that worked about as well as a table knife.  We peeled sweet potatoes and parsnips (neither of which are easy with a good peeler!), carrots and potatoes. We chopped and chopped....and we chopped onions!  Lest you think I forgot about the great and wonderful food processor...I didn't.  These veggies needed to be large...this is a hearty stew!

This is a small banana...so you can see how small these sweet potatoes are!

Then we put the lid on the pan and headed on over to the center.  We got there a little after 2 and put the stew on to cook.  We added canned tomatoes and the aforementioned Danish hot dogs.  By the time everything was in the two giant pots, I figured we had made about 3 to 4 gallons.  We cut up broccoli and cucumbers to be served with dip, and then we snipped little twigs of grapes to be served as well.  Now think about this....we had this beautiful reddish-orange Fall stew, green fresh vegetables, and purple and green grapes.  Doesn't that sound like a beautiful table?  Oh, and wonderful fresh French bread from that wonderful little bakery we just discovered.  Dessert was White Chocolate Almond Cookies.

Here is a cookie sheet...about 18" X 18"

It fits into the oven perfectly.

It probably doesn't look like very many to you, but this is a BIG tray and a lot of cookies!

 About 2 hours before I began to worry....we have way too much.  No one will like this stuff...Do they even eat raw broccoli here?  The cookies don't have real chocolate...who's going to like them anyway?

Well, a lovely group showed up for Institute and then stayed for dinner.  That means we serve dinner around 8 to 8:30.  They came out of class laughing and enjoying each other's company.  They ate the soup!  They had seconds!  They ate the broccoli and the grapes and the cookies!  I actually sent cookies home with anyone willing to take them.  And we have at least a gallon of soup left.  But that's OK.  I like it and Stan likes it.  But I don't know how long we'll like it if we eat it every day for the next 2 weeks.  But I love those YSAs.  They are gracious and kind and express appreciation.  It makes it all very worthwhile.

I know you are wondering how it tasted.  Well imagine a really wonderful stew made of all those vegetables and then imagine it with a sweet/spicy/smoky flavored sausage.  Yum.  That's not it.  That is how it is supposed to taste.  Now imagine those same wonderful vegetables with chunks of baloney.  Well....it wasn't quite that bad.  But I'm going to track down some real sausage before I attempt that one again!

The really nice thing about tonight was the conversations I had with several different YSAs.  They are strong and wonderful.  Since we got here 4 weeks ago tomorrow, 2 have left on missions, one is leaving Monday for Greece and another 2 have submitted papers.  We will be getting about 6 home in the next few months which will greatly strengthen our whole program.  They come back with so many life-skills and greater spiritual strength.

OK...next week Hawaiin Haystacks... but no more chopping for awhile!