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Tortilla Soup

It's been a gray and unseasonably cold day. It makes our hometown feel like a mountain retreat. I enjoyed my walk and run earlier this morning; cool air always seems to empower my strides. But now I have been enjoying the labor intensive task of making homemade tortilla soup.

There's something that I just enjoy when cutting up carrots, onions, celery, cilantro stems, and a garlic head, then tossing all of that with one whole chicken and enough water to completely fill up the pot. The pot is the same cast iron that my Granny cooked from and perhaps that's the special connection I savor. The aroma has steamed up my kitchen windows all afternoon. I've boned the chicken and blended the spices with the onions into a hot smooth puree. It's in the final stages now, I'm just waiting for the potatoes to soften, and the rice to get done. It will end with the addition of black beans and hot blue corn tortilla strips to top it off. Then we'll all sit around in our cozy kitchen sipping bowls of hot soup, garnished with avocado, lime, and cilantro. Mmm. . . I love tortilla soup.

Soup has got to be one of the most healing foods. It soothes upset stomachs, stuffy sinuses, and broken hearts. It bonds relationships and lends itself for meaningful conversation. You can't rush a bowl of hot soup, you must take your time. When you do so, you appreciate the simple sense of tasting and the present listening moments of sharing with one another. Words are easier spoken and swallowed with spoons of hot tortilla soup . . .

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