Sometimes, it's the uninteresting, forgotten about, behind the scenes things that are so taken for granted that really are what makes it all come together. Like my Homemade GF Cream of Mushroom Soup Base.
If you've ever lived in Minnesota (on a farm, or a small town especially) you're no stranger to the traditional "hotdish". The problem for those that avoid wheat is that the good majority of these hotdishes are made with a variety of a cream soup. Avoiding wheat thus cuts down a good portion of the recipe book! I played around here and there over the years to come up with a cream soup base that did the trick, but also tasted amazing. What resulted was my Cream of Mushroom Soup Base.
I promote eating at least 70% vegetation throughout your meal day. A good portion of this should be raw. However, in keeping with Minnesota hotdish winter traditions, I made traditional Green Bean Casserole with it over Thanksgiving and what surprised me was the commentary. It seemed funny to me, since it wasn't a showcase side, certainly wasn't a decadent triple layer chocolate pie, and wasn't fancy. What got the commentary was the flavor, of course coming from the Cream of Mushroom Base.
It made me think how under appreciated and how much we take for granted the little things that make all the difference. Looking over my day as we got home, I was thinking about this and wanted to carry the recognition on in the attitude of gratitude. So I got a post it note pad and used the entire pad sticky-ing my home with gratitude notes. Not, for everyone else that lives here, though I was hoping to affect them with the revelation also, but for me to remind me to count my blessings. I do a gratitude journal at the end of the day, but it was interesting to take the time to label my home with my gratitudes. I wrote notes that said, for example, "When this toilet paper roll runs empty, someone has provided more in the cupboard for you. Thank you for being grateful." and "I'm grateful for a clean bathtub to enjoy a bath" alongside another that says, "I'm grateful for that I have a family that gives me a reason to be grateful for a CLEAN bathtub". And because I didn't want my family to think I was just trying to make them be grateful to the things I do, I wrote notes that included all of the things we all do to contribute to the home and life we like. "Thank you, husband, for buying this washing machine so I don't have to do clothes in a river." and "Thank you that I have a family that wears these clothes and fills this room." All of the things I wrote gratitude about were the "little things" that make my world go round (and the things we often take for granted).
Homemade Gluten-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
Sauté in 4 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil
1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
Add 2 cups chopped mushrooms and 1/8 cup parsley
Add 1 cup chicken broth, cover until vegetables are tender.
Puree in blender with 2 more cups of chicken broth.
Put it back into the pan and add 1 cup of milk or milk alternative with 3 Tablespoons cornstarch that you have shaken together.
Season with salt and pepper as desired, and simmer until desired thickness.
