A bedtime story is the perfect way to end a day.
If my mind ever wanders, while sharing a story, I try to bring myself back to the present. I remind myself to be mindful. There may be dishes stacked up downstairs, waiting to be put away, but the Kids’ won’t want a story from Mom indefinitely.
There’ll always be more dishes to put away.
The days can be long, as a parent, and as tired as I can become, I muster up the energy to read to the children. Or, as they have gotten older, read with them, alternating between sentences and pages.
One of my favourite stories to share is “Nail Soup”, a Swedish folk tale. Seriously the Swedes can do no wrong in my eyes.
(you can read a short version here)
And that’s where this post takes a completely different path.
Because with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you can make up for what you lack.
This is how I make nail soup.
Does this look like a bag of nails?
No. It’s home-grown white potatoes and red onions.
But it could be anything. It could be cauliflower, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, leeks or tomatoes.
It doesn’t really matter.
With a knife to dice and chop.
A slow cooker or crock pot to fill with stock.
Time to pass, say a few hours to soften the ingredients.
And a hand blender to smooth when cool.
You have nail soup.
Storecupboards may seem bare, but soup can easily be made from odds and ends hanging around the kitchen and items to use up. Food that will now not go to waste.
Nail soup is very simple, and usually very tasty.
Why not make your own?
Some of my best soups have come together just this way! I grow my own herbs so I always have fresh ones on hand to add to my soups/stews. We call them stoups as they are too thick to be a soup and too thin to be a stew!
Love the term stoup!
Some of my best soups have come together just this way! I grow my own herbs so I always have fresh ones on hand to add to my soups/stews. We call them stoups as they are too thick to be a soup and too thin to be a stew!
Love the term stoup!
Same here. Some of my favourite soups have been the ones that have come from ‘a bit of this and a little bit of that’ – usually whatever vegetables are still in the fridge at the end of the week. Having staples on hand like tinned tomatoes or tomato puree and herbs, spices and stock cubes can really enhance the flavour of the soup too.
It’s hard to go wrong really, isn’t it? I’m throwing in beetroot also in my next batch.
Same here. Some of my favourite soups have been the ones that have come from ‘a bit of this and a little bit of that’ – usually whatever vegetables are still in the fridge at the end of the week. Having staples on hand like tinned tomatoes or tomato puree and herbs, spices and stock cubes can really enhance the flavour of the soup too.
It’s hard to go wrong really, isn’t it? I’m throwing in beetroot also in my next batch.
I like this story also. However, here our version is “Stone Soup.”
Ahhh didn’t know that was the same story, but I guess that makes sense from the title…
I like this story also. However, here our version is “Stone Soup.”
Ahhh didn’t know that was the same story, but I guess that makes sense from the title…
I’ve been doing this for awhile now, too – except I leave the ingredients chopped as I’m too lazy to puree them 🙂 Yours look so good, I need to rethink that!
It’s just a matter of taste… This turned out pretty thick! But tasty!
I’ve been doing this for awhile now, too – except I leave the ingredients chopped as I’m too lazy to puree them 🙂 Yours look so good, I need to rethink that!
It’s just a matter of taste… This turned out pretty thick! But tasty!
I have been making nail soup for years without knowing it had a name! I loved the story and will serve it with great pride from now on.
Nail soup rocks!
I have been making nail soup for years without knowing it had a name! I loved the story and will serve it with great pride from now on.
Nail soup rocks!
Hi!
I know this article is quite old and that this is a kind of random question, but I want to know about the book in the picture. It’s the only picture I’ve seen online that has the same artwork as the book that I read as a kid. I remember that it was part of a box set of small, white books, but I can’t remember the name of the set or what the other books were besides “Princess Tabitha’s New Trick”. If you own this box set, can you tell me what it is, please? Thank you!