Sick day

Here's a tip: whenever you're making soup from scratch, start by frying bacon. There's a common theme to my favorite soups: lots of vegetables, beans, greens, and salty bacon on top. Bacon provides the bookends to the whole process. When you start with bacon, you can saute everything else in its fat, and then garnish it with the bacon bits (unless you tend to snack on those bacon bits while you're cooking - I'm guilty of it).

Ham bone, greens and bean soup. I have made a million versions of this soup, sometimes with squash and/or potatoes, or with pasta instead of beans, but not often enough do I include a ham hock in addition to the bacon! It adds a richness, people. And when you're stuck at home with a cold, you need a lot of flavor to break through your flattened palate. And the cabbage says you're in it to win it. I declared this my favorite soup of fall 2015 as soon as I finished eating my first bowl of it, after I blew my nose for the hundredth time that evening. 

It's kind of sick to say, but sometimes I really enjoy these sick days. Yesterday I watched a little trash TV (it's called Antiques Road Show) and went through a box of old pictures (you thought I was going to say Kleenex? I got through about half of one of those, too). I took the dog out for a long walk while my head throbbed, feeling good about the fact that I could inhale with both nostrils. I used both the dishwasher and the microwave, two convenience appliances that are rarely put to good use around here. I got dressed at noon and went to Costco to buy dog food and oatmeal and got a primo parking spot. I came home and took a bath, finished a book, and microwaved this soup for dinner. I practiced a few sonatinas on the piano. I lit candles and poured an ounce of bourbon and watched the cat flip over her scratching pad.

And then I posted the recipe over here, if you're interested.  (The book from whence it came is one of my favorites. It's filled with inspiring but mostly simple recipes for all seasons.) Try it the next time you are left with a ham hock/bone, or feel like having a nice conversation with your local butcher. Cheers to a hearty spoonful.