Finding Comfort In Celery

I positioned present number seven (Tic Tacs, as set of six cases in a Christmas pack, and a red and white case) so Justin can see it on the couch when he walks in the door.

It's always nice to have more Christmas cards in the mail than there is bills to be paid! We got cards from Amber and Mike, Randy and Ginny, Grandma Bea, and Thom, Gloria, Kas and Evan.

One of the shuttle drivers at work loves soup, and his wife won't make any for him. When we had deep fried turkey last year some time, I had made him some soup and he thanked me so much, and said how good it was. While at the Christmas party, he brought up the soup I had made him. I was immediately trying to figure out when I could next have some bones to make soup with again for him. Since we had the chicken the next night, it couldn't have been more perfect timing. Because Justin hasn't wanted anything to do with chicken since he has gotten over his sickness (he thinks cutting up that chicken is what did him in), I decided to make it while he was gone this weekend.

Celery. The smell of it - that crisp, watery, green grass scent has so many memories attatched to it. It reminds me mostly of Christmas, that smell coming from the kitchen as my mum is making stuffing for the turkey; saute that celery, with some onion and my mouth is watery for mashed potatoes and gravy. Makes me want family in a warm house, the sound of laughter at the making of more inside jokes, and Britney Spears on the television as us "kids" wait for supper to be cooked. I cannot wait for our families annual New Years celebration, it will fullfil the need for that comfort feeling that celery brings to my mind.

The biggest pot we have never seems to be large enough for a pot of soup, so when my parents were meeting me for lunch yesterday, I asked them to bring their "soup pot." Maybe an idea for a Chrstmas present for next year!

This is the most flavourful soup that I've ever made. It's amazing, and has such a rich depth of flavours to it. I'm now am in love with those Knorr Homestyle Stock gel packs. And they really are worth it for a little extra money.

Yes, I live in Canada - where else can you put your pot of soup outside on the deck to cool down. The funny thing is, that it must have been really hot because after a couple hours of it sitting outside, it didn't need any microwaving when I sampled another bowl!