“Hi, it’s me. I am just wondering if you had that chicken soup recipe? You know the one we made over the summer during that crazy lighting storm. Call me, love you, bye.”

The voicemail was from my niece, and her soft but congested voice  warmed me as much as the soup and the memory of the day we had a wicked thunder storm that knocked out the power.  My nieces became over dramatic, whining about how they were going starve and have to gather their food (we had a crazy week and we didn’t have time for Costco or the farmers market) and eat by candlight. I looked at them and said, “Great idea, go outside to the garden and gather ingredients.”

After looks that clearly said “Are you kidding me” “Do you not hear the thunder and the rain?” They made a mad dash outside, coming back with some bounty.we did cook by candlight and talked about family  , cultures , personal relationships  and the future and all the stuff that seems to come easy when your hands are busy chopping and you don’t have to make eye contact with your Aunt if you don’t want to. It was a beautiful conversation and yes  we did cook  and eat by candlight. Bon Appétit!

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 handful green beans
• 1 spring of rosemary
• 5 mushrooms
• Chicken tenders
• 1 pat butter
• 1 half zucchini (please use a whole if you have it, we were “scavenging”)
• salt
• pepper
• Lawry’s Seasons salt
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces pasta
• ½ cup thyme

Instructions: Heat the olive oil over medium heat, until shimmering, in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, celery, rosemary , thyme and  garlic cook stirring frequently until fargrent about five minutes. Add zucchini 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft- about 10 minutes.  Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook six minutes, then add the green beans , chicken seasoning first with lawrys  seasoning salt ,and black pepper and cook about 10 minutes more, until the pasta and the chicken is tender.