Grateful for Gathering
Women love to GATHER!!! We gather for play groups for our children. We gather for coffee to catch up with friends. We gather to hike or exercise together. We gather for counsel, encouragement, advice and support from women who have walked the road before us-in dating, courtship, marriage child-rearing, caring for aging parents….the list is endless. We find every and any excuse to gather because together we are stronger.
I am so grateful for my women friends. Those who lead me and challenge me to be the best version of myself. I am grateful for those who trust me enough to follow when I invite them into my life and share my passions. As I grow in my relationships with other women I have confidence to do brave things. I have strength to go out of my comfort zone. I have courage to love those difficult people in my life that cause me stress and anxiety. When my girl friends are cheering for me in my balcony and praying for me, I can do the hard but RIGHT things, I can love without limits, I can accept the hard stuff in my life.
So this week I am grateful for GATHERING!!!
Tonight we had a gathering of women from our church. We have a new campus and have a desire for building community. We shared a meal together and we were encouraged to answer a few questions that helped us get to know one another better. We will continue this tradition throughout this next year, once a month, to help get our women connected, have a place to belong and learn how we can serve one another in our church, serve our family and make an impact in our community.
I offered to bring a crock pot of soup to the gathering and here is my version of the soup…..If you do not know me well….here is a secret…..I do not EVER follow a recipe…so every time I cook, I put my own little spin on the recipe and turn it into my own.
Kerry’s revised Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie Soup
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ yellow onion diced
4 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
4 ribs celery thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon cornstarch (or 2 Tablespoons arrowroot for thickening)
3 cups shredded chicken (or turkey)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth or chicken bone broth
2 cups chicken bone broth
1/3 cup evaporated milk or almond milk for dairy free
1 cup frozen peas
Melt butter and add oil in large soup pot. Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Stir in the chicken or turkey. Add the salt and pepper and spices and stir well. Add the cornstarch or arrowroot and stir constantly on low heat for 1 minute until beginning to cover all the vegetables and chicken. Add the broth and stir well making sure there are no lumps. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the milk and frozen peas and cook another 5-10 minutes or so until the peas are tender. Make sure the soup does not boil once the milk has been added. Serve with a big salad and some crusty warm bread.
If you do not have leftover chicken or turkey that you are able to add to your soup here is my new favorite way to prepare shredded chicken.
Place 3-4 frozen chicken breasts (the big ones from Costco) into your crock pot with 2-3 cups of chicken bone broth (also fro Costco). Turn crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. when chicken is cooked and tender, just take two forks and shred chicken up right in the crock pot. Use as needed.
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 4 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 ribs celery thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (or 2 Tablespoons arrowroot for thickening)
- 3 cups shredded chicken (or turkey)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth or chicken bone broth
- 2 cups chicken bone broth
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk or almond milk for dairy free
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Melt butter and add oil in large soup pot.
- Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the chicken or turkey.
- Add the salt and pepper and spices and stir well.
- Add the cornstarch or arrowroot and stir constantly on low heat for 1 minute until beginning to cover all the vegetables and chicken.
- Add the broth and stir well making sure there are no lumps.
- Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the milk and the frozen peas and cook another 5-10 minutes or so until the peas are tender.
- Make sure the soup does not come to a boil once the milk has been added.
- Serve with a big salad and some crusty warm bread.
Will you offer to open your home this Thanksgiving season? Be prepared to be blessed because when we have a grateful heart as we GATHER-we will be AMAZED!