Day 749 "Soup Sistahs" ink & pencil - a new ministry

A few years ago, I had the idea that it would be nice to cook once in a while with women I enjoy.  Our kitchen at home is too small, but our church has a spacious, reasonably well-equipped kitchen.  It's that kind of church kitchen with too many of some things and a scarcity of some other things. Today we cooked, and made a list of needs; cookie sheets, steel utility bowls, a knife sharpener for example.  
I named our group "Soup Sistahs", said with a mock Boston accent.   We tried it out a couple of times last winter, and are now meeting monthly in the New North Church kitchen.   Today, we used Sara Moulton's Creamy Root Vegetable Soup with Everything Pita Crisps from her book "Home Cooking 101".  I worked with one other "sistah" today.  We chopped carrots, parsnips, turnip, garlic, onions, and potatoes... then used the immersion blender to puree half the mixture before adding the rest of the vegetables.  While the vegetables were cooking, we made Everything Pita Crisps, with a mixture of dried onion, garlic, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and salt.  They are delicious and delicious crumbled on top of the soup  I added a some pulled chicken to half the soup so we can offer a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option. 
The idea of the Soup Sistahs is connection.  I connect with women as we cook.  Then we pack the soup, label it, and make it available to the congregation the next day.  People can take it with them to give to  a friend or neighbor who may need a meal, increasing the connection.  
Thanks for looking today.  Reach out, make a connection.

Thankful for Onions

Blue Onion 6 x 10

Red and Yellow  8 x 10

 I just shared a satiating, satisfying, wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  It was filled with fabulous food, hugs, laughter, stories, play, walks, memories, a few mishaps which will become legend ("remember the year...?").   The holiday was replete with the hectic hubbub I relish.

This year, my  brother concocted a hearty turkey stew/soup from whatever he could find in the kitchen the morning after.  Turkey carcass and leftover
 meat were essentials, but in the process while chatting and chopping, I saw carrots, shallots, garlic, celery, pasta, spices and onions.  I noted that as he sauteed the onions, he poured some of the stock into the sautee pan just before adding the mixture to the stew pot, dredging up all the sweet carmelized yumminess and adding layers of flavor to the stew which was scrumptious.  So...

I started thinking of onions and how often I have chosen them as subject. Here are a few of my onion paintings from over the years.. some you've seen, some not. Onions in the sun, in the shadow, on Mom's favorite plates, with other ingredients, sprouting, peeling, always enticing, color glowing as it bounces onion to onion. Though I love to cook with onions, I am often tempted to let them sprout, and sprout some more.  Those sensuous, organic greens are wild and alluring.

Thanks for looking and Happy Thanksgiving. 
                     

Sunny Onions 8 x 10

Red on Red 12 x 9

Onions 6 x 10

Flavorful 10 x 8

Onions n Oil 10 x 10