Gratitude: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I have never made my own chicken broth before.

I know this statement will garner a mix of reactions. Some of you will be amazed, shocked, appalled. Others will say, "Umm ... why would you? That's what Campbell's is for." And at least one of you will say, "Dirty chickens."

Regardless, it's something I've been meaning to do. I even thought I might do it yesterday. But then I got distracted embarking on my cookie-making extravaganza (more on that later) and, in a quest to make homemade chicken noodle soup with our leftover herb-backed chicken from Wednesday night, I settled for purchasing some tasty broth from the store to complete my recipe.


Despite the lack of homemade broth, the chicken soup was good. Very good. And I am incredibly grateful for it.

There are few things as wonderful as homemade chicken noodle soup. Particularly when you're sick (which I am), it's cold outside (it is), or it's a day that ends in y.

Anything warm and hearty and homemade is reason to celebrate.

Gratitude: My Garlic Press

'Tis the season to be grateful for things large and small.

So I've decided over the next couple of weeks I'll share (sporadically, of course), some of the random things I am grateful for. Some are rather inconsequential, but—in my world at least—fun. Others are much more important and much less tangible.

Today I am grateful for this swell garlic press. Guess which category this falls into?

It was a birthday gift from one of my lovely friends, who heard me lamenting the fact I didn't have one all the way back in June ... and managed to discover I still didn't have one by October and buy this beauty for me.

Life is so much better when your garlic is ready to go in mere seconds, as opposed to the minutes it used to take this perfectionist to dice garlic sans press.

Most kitchen gadgets are overrated and unnecessary (and often forgotten). But I'm pretty sure this garlic press will be an often-used friend for many years.

Gratitude

Without ever realizing I would one day be writing for magazines, I used to devour My Mom's women's magazines from cover to cover (along with My Dad's news magazines and my Sports Illustrated issues, but that's a story for another day).


In one of those women's magazines, I came across a story about keeping a gratitude journal. It seemed like a good thing to do, and so, for a few years while I was still in middle and high school, I wrote from time to time about things I was grateful for. I can't recall now what things I wrote, but I'm sure they were really important, like how grateful I was for good grades and good rounds of golf and good friends.

For some reason, that gratitude journal popped into my head. And so I thought I would share a few of the random things that have made me happy today.

The petite vase full of freshly cut flowers for my desk, which you saw above.

And another little vase of flowers—some from my garden, some from Conservative Mom's—for the living room (in a lovely little 99 cent vase, no less).


Finally hanging a piece of art in the kitchen.


Finding the one cookbook I've been searching for at used bookstores and second-hand stores (The Joy of Cooking). It's the tome that was missing from my little collection on the countertop.


A juicer—the exact same one I almost bought for $20 recently—for $2.99 at Mission Mart.


My faithful sidekick, who's always up for an adventure with me.


And you, friends and family. Of course I'm grateful for you too!