Happy Friday! Gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve shared with you all–we’re still unpacking and trying to get settled in the new house. Let me say that as much as the old one gave us plenty of room to roam, we are quickly falling in love with our new home sweet home. I’ve even started cooking again–a luxury that I haven’t indulged in for quite some time because the commute after work left me completely useless. I’ve gained a whole hour, now, and I am not letting it go to waste. Even though nearly 70% of my old pantry contents are still in boxes waiting for a home, I salvaged those everyday, must-have ingredients and have been making mini-trips to the store for fresh produce. Oh, and how I love our local farmer’s market! I actually look forward to getting up early on Saturday mornings to take in the wonderful Chinese greens, gorgeous red beets, heirloom carrots, and fresh flowers and plants.

Two Saturdays ago, I brought home some lovely young asparagus spears from the farmer’s market. I had in mind a gorgeous and simple soup from one of my favorite cookbooks Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, who, incidentally, has an amazingly beautiful blog called 101cookbooks filled with lovely and mouth-watering photos and recipes. As I started my mise en place, I noticed a lonely lemon sitting on the kitchen counter. I had every intention of using it before the week was up. Hmm…. Lemons and asparagus would be nice and bright. I’ve got some pearly barley stashed somewhere. Oh, and leftover creminis from yesterday’s pizza night. A simple soup, yes. And off I went to my friend Google.

I searched for “lemon asparagus barley soup” and that’s exactly what I got! Served with some fresh french bread–oh, my word was this good!! My sister and hubby gave it the thumbs up. SO good. I substituted reduced-sodium chicken broth for the water and Veggie-Stock Gold, added the mushrooms, and voila!! So, here it is. My first Friday Favorite. Bon Appetit!!

Lemon Asparagus Barley Soup (recipe and text courtesy of The Spice House.com)

A satisfying variation on the Greek lemon chicken soup “Avgolemono”. It’s an easy vegetarian dish. The sunny colors will remind you of spring – just when young asparagus begins to come to market. Try it with blanched sugar snap peas or tiny broccoli florets, as well, but don’t add the vegetables far in advance because the acidic lemon juice will turn the vibrant green to a less appealing color. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 1/4 -1/3 pound tender, thin asparagus, trimmed and cleaned
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onion, minced
• 1 1/2 ounces Veggie-Stock Gold
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups barley, cooked
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• to taste, salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves / Yields

Serves 4

Preparation Instructions

Steam or boil asparagus until crisp-tender. Drain, shock in cold water to stop cooking, blot dry on paper towels, and chop into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until wilted (4-5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Stir in diluted Veggie-Stock Gold® and barley, and bring mixture to a boil.

Beat eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk about 1 1 /2 cups of hot stock into the egg-lemon mixture, beating constantly. Stir warmed egg mixture into the soup.

Return asparagus to soup. Season with pepper and add salt, if desired. Heat gently but do not let liquid boil. Serve at once.

Well, we did it. We moved. Again. In my 20+ years of living with my parents growing up, I can only remember moving twice–once when I was 14 and again when I was 22. So it completely boggles my mind that this is the 4th time we’ve moved since my beloved hubby and I got hitched 7 1/2 years ago! This is our son’s 4th house in his 5 1/2 years! Wow. Just WOW. This is it, though. We’ve pretty much agreed that we’re going to stay put for good long while. At least by our standards.

Our new house is an oldie but goodie. Built in the ’50s, it’s got charm, some character, and a big yard. A huge change from our old tract home which we watched being built from day one (well, aside from the big yard). We got to choose everything from the wood floors to the finishes on the cabinetry to the slate tile in the laundry room. It took a crew of 6 guys just one day to roll 10 colors of paint on our walls! We couldn’t wait to put the “super family room” and the ginormous bonus room to good use. Each time we went back to visit the model home, Colin ran straight to “his” room. He knew exactly where it was and he loved it.

Once he got into the real deal, he never looked back.

I really hate moving. All the packing up then unpacking. But what makes it SO hard for me is leaving the space in which our little family has created so many memories. Big and small, monumental and trivial–those memories which I hold so terribly dear. I love my baby and the wonderful little man he is becoming, but oh how I WISH I could slow down time just a little bit so that I can still hug him a little bit longer without him pulling away so fast or preserve his wide-eyed wonder of what we adults consider ordinary. Time flies by so fast, yet I see in my mind each day that has come and gone just as clearly as the day they happened.

I see a 3-year old Colin standing at the top of the stairs each morning, peeking between spindles and proudly declaring, “Mommy, I woke up all by myself!” Making cookies for Santa on the kitchen island. Getting dressed up in goofy, mismatched costumes and dancing and singing on our hearth. Potty training in the downstairs bathroom! :) I see him sitting on the living room sofa, staring out the window with my aunt, waiting for the garbage truck to come around the cul de sac. And him smiling from ear to ear, running at lightning speed to give me a hug as I walked through the front door after work. It goes TOO fast . . .

In the blink of an eye, he turned 4.

Got his first bike.

Turned 5!

And started Kindergarten.

Too, too fast. But as hard as it is to say goodbye, it is exciting to know that we will make so many more memories in our new home. He’ll start 1st grade, then 2nd. We’ll make new and improved cookies for Santa in our new little kitchen; get dressed up in goofy, mismatched costumes and dance and sing around the dining table; ride bikes in the new neighborhood; plant a garden and watch it grow. It will be different and it will be new. And best of all, it will be our’s.

So goodbye, old friend. Thank you for the amazing ride. May you be loved by the next lucky family as much as we loved you. Here’s to old memories and new ones to come . . .

~Rachelle