shards of something else.

Farewell.... just for awhile.

I'm on my last leg here in Ottawa. We've all known that I'd be leaving for a long while now, but as always, reality takes some time to set in. Even as I type this, I don't think that I am totally convinced myself that life will not continue tomorrow (and the day after that, and the weeks and months to follow) the way that it always has.

But I suppose that my impending move has crept into our consciousness in small ways..... in the way we speak what we feel about each other a little more, in the way we plan and purchase things, and in the way we hold onto each other a little longer and tighter. Small changes that mean so much.

Tomorrow at church I will say my good-byes to all my beloved friends, aunties, and uncles; and the morning after that I will get into my car with my family and drive south, south, and more south.... until I reach a new place. A new place to put down roots. A new town to get to know, new friends, a new school, a new church. A new place to learn and many new chances to grow. "New" is going to be an important word around here for the next while!

But before all that New, first there are lots of farewells. Not Farewell For Good, of course.... but Just For Awhile, until we meet again. As part of that process there has been lots of time spent the last couple of weeks with dear ones.... lots of conversation, laughter, and (of course!) lots of good food. Many precious moments and lots of love to bring with me as I leave.

One of the things I got to do as a Farewell Get-together was spend some time with Miss Karen.... she came over after work and we cooked together - a favorite past time! It was a hot day - not the type of day you would think to cook a stew! - but it still hit the spot. As Karen said with a grin, "I am soooo happy right now!" Ah yes. This stew makes me happy too! ^-^

African Nut Stew

3 Tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce
1 onion, sliced
2 cups (500 mL) yams, diced in 1-in (2.5-cm) cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock (we used chicken broth and that works great too!)
1 15-oz (465-g) can garbanzo beans
1 15-oz (465-g) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup (80 mL) natural peanut butter
2 tsp (10 mL) curry powder

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Heat 1/2 cup (125 mL) of water and the soy sauce in a large pot. Add onion and yams. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Add carrot, celery, and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. (At this point, we forgot to watch the clock and the veggies started to scorch, which ended up imparting a pleasant smokiness to the finished stew! But if you're more time-conscious than we are.....) Add tomatoes, stock, garbanzo beans, and cilantro after 5 minutes.

Blend peanut butter with 1/3 cup (80 mL) of water, then add it to the soup along with the curry powder. Stir, then cover and simmer 10 minutes. (Add more if needed....)

This soup freezes well. Serve with cooked grains or whole grain toast and a green salad. (We had it with garlic naan bread and it was DELICIOUS!)

**We like our meat, so we added some chicken breast to this stew. We did it by throwing some spices into a pot of water, bringing it to a boil, then cooking the chicken until it was cooked but still juicy. Then we shredded it and added it to the stew. Yummy!

Serves 8-10....... or 2-4 because everyone will DEFINITELY want seconds!