Perfect day for soup

Last night it started pouring rain, and it didn't let up all day. This would've been the perfect day for some homemade soup, and a nice loaf of homemade bread. Instead, my poor husband had to grill up some pork chops. Thankfully, the rain let up while he was out there grilling. I also made some cider glazed carrots for a side dish.

We seem to have hit a dip as far as getting together at the table for dinner. I may make sure that we eat well every night, but making sure we sit together for that meal; that's a little more difficult for our family. I think that because I work 3 nights a week, it just wasn't a habit, and when we get busy, it's easy to just fall back into that pattern. Tonight, I got us back on track, and made sure we sat together for dinner. David canceled our cable earlier this week, and he hasn't ordered/hooked up Netflix, or whatever so we have no TV right now. That's OK, I love to play board games, and when my family has nothing else to do, they will play games with me. I don't care if we ever get TV again. We did watch a movie; the kids and I, before David got home from work. I also found it easier to get motivated to make dinner tonight. Usually on Fridays and Saturdays I just don't want to cook. The meat was defrosted, so that held me accountable, and David was doing the grilling, so really all I needed to do was make the carrots, but in the past I would've just said, "we don't need a side dish." Without a TV, I am not snoozing on the couch, and my family got their side dish.

Looking back over this month, I only missed 1 day submitting a blog post which makes me happy. I also plan to figure out how to add pictures, to make this blog a bit more fancy. So those are the goals for February; spice up the blog with pictures and flare, try not to miss even 1 day, no excuses for not sitting at the table when we are all home and able to do so.

This recipe came from my Taste of Home Simple & Delicious Cookbook. I don't do anything to alter the recipe, and it's one of David's favorites. I haven't made it in a while, and it was a welcome surprise for everyone.

Cider Glazed Carrots

Prep/total time: 30 minutes

3 C julienned fresh carrots

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 C apple cider or juice

3 Tbsp water 1 tsp Dijon mustard

In a large skillet, saute carrots in butter for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until the sugar is dissolved.

Stir in the cider, water and mustard. Bring to a a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Uncover and cook 3 minutes longer. Stir to coat carrots with the glaze. Yields: 4 servings

I prefer to use fresh carrots and cut them up myself ( I use a mandolin, and don't always julienne. I also have a spirooli that I love and sometimes use). However, if you'd like to save some time by making your prep time quicker, use packaged shredded carrots. Then simply place all the ingredients in a skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes longer or until sauce is thickened.