The Governement Shut Down & How it Affects My Family

Many people are being seriously affected by the government shut down. My heart broke today when I read a news story about stopping death benefits to the families of fallen soldiers. It made me sick to my stomach, knowing that our elected officials are still getting paid while they are causing all of this misery.  I tend to be very opinionated so I am going to stop myself there, before I write a 3 page post about the problems with our government.

Let me share with you how we are affected. All three of our children are adopted, and all three of our children are considered special needs. Since they are special needs they qualify for adoption support through our state. One such benefit to adoption support is that they receive WIC. I found out today that as of the 14th of October our state will no longer have the funds for WIC checks. WIC checks are for specific food items your child needs based on their medical conditions. Since two of our kids don't have any feeding issues, their checks are for staples such as milk, cheese, cereal, fruits and veggies. So after the 14th (unless our government decides to play nice before that date) I will not have access to those items. Will that affect us? Not really I can afford to purchase those items for our children.

Now lets talk about our 3rd child who has had a fundoplication (stomach surgery), and used a feeding tube for a year and a half. He does eat adult type foods but not enough to maintain proper growth. So his calories are supplemented with Pediasure. Thank goodness he receives WIC, because a one month supply of Pediasure runs about $275.00...  on top of his regular grocery bill. On the 14th I will have to pick up that tab. Does that hurt? Yes, that hurts.

Since I do not currently have Foster Kids in my home this does not apply, but let me go a bit deeper. All Foster children (age appropriate) qualify for WIC. Should a Foster parent financially be able to provide the basics? I think so, but as a Foster parent I have come to realize that most kids in Foster care do not have simple diets. So to have some of the financial burden lifted, really helps. Our JayJay had to use Soy formula when she was a baby, thank goodness WIC covered most of it because her formula ran about $200 a month. I know some would argue that you should be able to provide for your Foster Children like they were your own, but there are many foster families who have three or more kids in their home. Or how about the Foster families that take in sibling groups, instant family with the addition of four children. Lets face it, the reality is they are not your own children that you are spending money on. Should they suffer because our government can't get their act together?

Lets hope that this does not go on too much longer. This is the last thing our government needed to do in a time that we should be focusing on growing and pulling ourselves out of a recession.

Nani Soup or as she would have called it, Herb Soup

We are fortunate enough to have in our possession all of my mother-n-laws recipes. Each one hand written with such neat penmanship. You do not realize the importance of something like that, until the person is gone. What a beautiful gift to leave to your family. I am filled with joy each time I am able to pull out one of her recipes and make it for my husband. The look of 'comfort' that washes over my husbands face is something that words cannot describe.

One of the recipes that has actually become one of my go to recipes is 'Nani Soup'. Nani is the name my husband used for his Swiss grandmother, and this was a soup that she made. This is a rustic, farmer style soup. The kind of soup made up of whatever was still in the garden come fall. I believe she called it Herbe Soup. It is a super simple soup to make, and did I mention it freezes well? I do make a few batches in the fall to keep in my deep freeze for winter.

This soup lends itself to the possibility of various adaptations. Since I am a traditionalist I like to keep it simple.

 

Nani Soup

 

Half a head of Cabbage

2 Potatoes peeled and diced

1 Leek

3 Stalks of Celery including the leaves

3 Carrots

Celery Root
Parsley (as little or as much as you want)

1 Can of White Beans

1/2 cup Barley

Speck

  

  

It is really quite simple. I give everything a rough chop. The cabbage pieces will range from 1" up to 3". The potatoes I chop to about 3/4". The leek about 1/2", make sure to rinse the leek again after you chop it. They like to hold on to their sand and dirt. The celery, carrots, and celery root I take down to 1/2". I can't always find celery root, so when that happens I just move on minus celery root. I rinse the white beans two times before I use them. I am just not fond of the slime they come packed in. I do not buy quick cook Barley, if that is all you have give it a whirl. I always have regular Barley in my pantry, it is a great soup add in. Now many of you are thinking what is Speck? Well, speck is basically fatty ham. Very difficult to find here in the States. So, I have used everything from salt pork, to pork belly, to thick cut bacon. All will add great flavor to the soup.

Once chopped I layer it all in my Dutch Oven, then add water. Most of the time it is to full to put the lid on, stir it, or even fill it completely with water. So set your cook top to medium high to get a boil going. Once I have a boil I drop it down to maintain a slow boil and then I cook it for about 45 minutes. You will need to play with your water level depending on what size pot you use. When it all starts to relax and you can begin to stir it, add your salt and pepper.

I hope you all enjoy Nani Soup as much as we do.