HYMNS IN THE KITCHEN

Soup season is upon us! This is my take on a commonly known broccoli cheese soup, but using my favorite cheese; pepper jack. The pepper jack will give it a slight kick, but if you want to take a up a notch, add in a pinch of crushed chili pepper. I didn't add the dash of crushed chili pepper into the pot but I did enjoy a little in my own bowl. See, although personally I am a big fan a spicy foods, having children taught me to mellow out the flavors in recipes.. a lot. Luckil

This chicken broth is one of the most commonly made things in my kitchen. Chicken broth is often used in sauces, pasta dishes, soups and so much more: and it yields shredded chicken that can be used in so many different ways, like my Chicken and Bell Pepper Pate. I hope you like my simple version of chicken broth, and remember- use any chicken you may have on hand! Chicken drumsticks or skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs are less expensive to buy and make for such a yummy broth.

It's Sunday morning, and I'm craving a muffin with my cup of English Breakfast tea. I wondered what would happen if I added a dash of my tea into the batter, and I was pleasantly surprised. The subtle, woodsy flavor of the black tea combined with the vanilla and brown sugar played so well together that I was compelled to pen down this recipe and share it with you. When I was filling the muffin tins, I was only thinking of how much I hoped they would not overflow in the muffin

I can truthfully say that in my beginning years in the kitchen, recipes like this were easily deemed "too fussy" and therefore skipped. I didn't have patience for anything that takes meticulous repetition; namely anything that takes a while to make and a very short time to eat. Vareniki, gnocchi, tiny thumbprint cookies.. I didn't even bother. I've been told many times "be careful when you ask God for patience", but only realized the true meaning of this when life placed me i