“My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog” This is the first sentence of one of my favorite books, Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo. And because my brain is a strange place, this line immediately came to mind when I opened my refrigerator to see what needed to be used most. So this post could start…

My name is Bonnie Yvonne Watkins and today, me – myself, the retired teacher, opened the refrigerator and found three carrots, four stalks of celery, and a head of cauliflower and I came up with a soup recipe.

Did this intro sound better in my head than it does in this blog? Anyway.

I’ve been working to perfect cooking processes, not recipes, so today, when I found myself with a number of random (and suspect) vegetables, I decided to trust a process and make soup.

Here’s what I used:

• 1 T. butter (that’s what I had that wasn’t frozen)
• I T Olive Oil (because the butter wasn’t enough to saute the veges)
• I medium onion, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped (these have been standing  in the fridge in a mason jar with water for 10 days)
• 3 fairly large and slightly soft carrots, chopped
• 1 T garlic (okay, it was jarlic, don’t be judgy)
• 2 c shredded chicken from last week’s batch cook
• half a small head of cauliflower, chopped
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 1 c milk (I had 2% that expires on Tuesday, but I’d use half and half otherwise)
• 1 T – ish thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Here’s how I made it:

1. Prepare all the vegetables. (Tip: Save all the bits and bobs from the veges. Toss in a freezer bag. Freeze until the bag is full of saved trimmings and make stock.)
2. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots in the butter and olive oil on medium until the carrots start to get tender, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and spices. Stir until fragrant, a minute or so.
4. Add the cauliflower and chicken stock. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender.
5. Reduce to simmer. Add the chicken and the milk. Heat through about 10 minutes or so.
6. Check salt and pepper and adjust as needed.

Serve topped with cheese, chopped green onions, and bacon if desired.  Today, I have shredded cheddar, but I think Parmesan would be nice, too.