Cold Sunny Winter's Day

Today is a very cold, but sunny, winter's day. I thought to get us in the mood for spring, I would post some warm weather photo's of our yard.

This is our side gate and the main entrance into our yard and home.
I can hardly wait till the ferns start to unfurl and the rock moss opens it's tiny buds.

This is a tiny House Wren trying to make the huge decision to leave home. He was the last to leave the nest and after a few trips in and out of the nest box, he finally made the dive and left the coop for good.

HOME MADE SOUP FOR A COLD WINTER'S DAY

Another good idea for a cold winter's day is a homemade soup.
Most of my recipes come from "whatever I have in the house" much as this one did.

Cheesy Cauliflower and Bacon Soup

I chopped head of cauliflower
1 chopped medium onion
6 strips of partially cooked chopped bacon
1 small sweet potato - finely cubed
a good handful of cut up baby carrots
Cover with water and add a bit. Bring to a simmer and simmer till veggies are tender. During the simmering process, add a couple of tsp. of Knorr veggie stock, any seasonings you wish and 1 envelope of Lipton Onion soup mix.
When veggies are tender add - a cup of crated cheddar cheese, or 2 to 3 Kraft Cheese slices, or a couple of spoonfuls of Cheez Whiz - I actually used a bit of all three ( just what I had in the house *S*)
Add the final mixture, a cup or two at a time to the blender with a splash of Table Cream and blend till creamy. Work your way through the pot of veggies till all is blended and creamy, and re-heat. Serve with a garnish of parsley on top.
Makes enough for about 6 bowls of soup.