Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer. It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body. Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’! We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past. We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, and the rest they so deserve. God bless you, ladies!

I am sure you have heard me mention once or twice (or a dozen times!) how very much Robert loves his soup!  And homemade soup is often on our menu…summer, winter, spring or fall!  This is a great soup to prepare even when you don’t have some of your own wonderful stock on hand.  It is a really flavorful soup that doesn’t need to rely on homemade stock.

This soup also lends itself to substitutions.  Choose varieties of fish (maybe even some mussels or small clams!) that your family enjoys.  And the choices of vegetables can be switched up, too.  If I had had a head of cauliflower, it definitely would have joined the pot!  I did steam a couple of handfuls of fresh green beans that I found in the veggie drawer…they were a nice addition!  (I would love to hear what you decide to add to your rendition of this soup; please leave a message in the comments section, ok?)  Enjoy!

Mediterranean Fish Soup

ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced small
2 stalks celery, cut into narrow slices
5 or 6 medium-sized baby bella mushrooms, chopped medium
1 cup chopped leeks use ONLY white part (approx. 2 leeks)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (I use jarred)
1 cup dry white wine (or additional stock)
1 (28 ounce) can chunky crushed tomatoes
1 quart good chicken (or vegetable) stock
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ chunks
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
few grinds of freshly ground pepper (or lemon pepper!)
1 (6 ounce) salmon fillet (no skin), cut into bite-sized chunks
1 (4 ounce) tilapia fillet (or another mild-tasting white fish), cut into bite-sized chunks
6 ounces raw medium-sized shrimp, peeled and cleaned
½ lemon

directions:

• in a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat
• add onions, mushrooms, celery, and leeks; saute for 7-8 minutes ‘til mushrooms just begin to brown
• stir in the chopped garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute
• add in the wine, stock, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes
• remove lid, add in the butternut and seasonings; stir well. simmer for additional 10 minutes
• slide in the salmon and tilapia pieces; continue to simmer for 8-9 minutes.
  add in the shrimp and simmer for 5 more minutes
• reduce heat to very low and carefully taste for additional seasoning; add if needed
• serve with rice or small pasta  (a little squeeze of fresh lemon is perfect!)

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen