Staying in while the storm blows

So England is having a hard time fighting the storms with all the rain coming our way. Not to mention the cold freeze that has taken a hold of America. I hope you're all keeping warm over there! What a perfect time to stay in, wrap up warm, watch movies, read, write, and cook!

I used my new quill. Great way to write and hark back to old days when all they had would have been a quill and a candle to write with ( I do think sometimes that I would have loved to have been living like that - simple pleasures and all that!) Makes me appreciate what we have now and how lucky we are.

Going back to warming up on these blustery evenings, I find hearty soup one of my favourites. It fills you up and gives you a hug. 

I simply boiled up the chicken carcass with lots of water, onion, carrot, celery, leek, bit of bay leaf from the garden, and peppercorns, then strained after a few hours. It's best to roast off the bones first to get the most flavour out of them. Putting the strained golden liquid back on to boil, simmer with lentils and other pulses (I use the soup mix you can get from health food shops) and then finish off with left over torn chicken, finely diced carrot, and thin slices of leek. Bit of crushed garlic wouldn't go amiss either. Season to taste: 

Serve with crusty bread and an evening snuggled up with a book.

Have a great weekend readers.

ZP x