That Time of Year.

The time of year when there's a little chill in the air and sweaters are optional, but preferred.

The time of year when I get an obsessive need to bake and/or make soup.

The time of year when your daughter gets a cold and keeps you up all night watching Barney on Sprout and you thank you the gods that there is a 24 hour channel for preschoolers despite the fact that when you were child-free you wondered why the hell there should be a 24 hour channel for kids.

I made lentil soup this morning. Kinda just threw it together without a recipe and it's delicious (and vegan). I had two bowls for lunch.

Lentil Soup
1 lb. lentils, picked through
8 c. (4 cans) vegetable broth
2 c. water
olive oil
3 carrots (finely diced)
2 small onions (finely diced)
6 cloves minced garlic (I heart my pampered chef garlic press)
liquid smoke (didn't measure)
sea salt
pepper
chili powder
cumin
parsley
coriander
(I didn't measure the herbs/spices)

• Saute the garlic, onions, carrots in the oil. Add the herbs and spices. Saute a bit more until well combined and the kitchen smells delicious.
• Pour in the vegetable broth, water, the lentils and liquid smoke.
• Bring to boil and then simmer until desired thickness.