By February almost done. The spring semester is going well and I am less tired than I expected, which means either I have more capacity than I knew or I have been doing more with less for so long that this is just a different ratio. My Special Education class has a case study component where we analyze a fictional child situation and I have been writing mine about a toddler who presents with what looks like developmental delay but is actually trauma response, which is more common than most of the textbooks acknowledge and which I know from direct experience with certain kids in our room.
The child from last week is in a temporary placement. I know no more than that. I try not to imagine the details. I do the work I can do in the room I am in and I trust that the people I filed the report with are doing the work they can do.
Sunday at Gloria and James was ordinary and beautiful. She made pot roast with carrots and potatoes, low and slow all day, and the gravy it makes is one of the deep comforts of my existence. I helped with the biscuits. Mine rose well. She passed them around the table and did not comment, which is how she signals they are good: she does not mention them. If they were wrong she would say something quietly after. Silence means right.
I stayed later than usual, until nearly eight, just sitting at the kitchen table talking about nothing in particular. James fell asleep in his chair again. Gloria made more coffee. The ceiling fan turned. February in Prattville, in that kitchen, with those two people. I will remember all of this. I am already remembering it while it is happening.
Gloria’s kitchen on a Sunday is its own kind of recipe — low heat, long time, no rushing. The pot roast and biscuits were hers, but I kept thinking, driving home, about what comes after a meal like that: the quiet days that follow, the leftover warmth you try to stretch. This ham and vegetable soup is the version of that I come back to when I need the week ahead to feel a little softer — same idea as what she does, just what I have in my own kitchen on a Tuesday when the semester is heavy and I need something that takes care of itself.
Best Leftover Ham Soup with Potatoes & Carrots
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover cooked ham, diced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or reserved ham broth)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Build the base. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened — about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Add the vegetables. Stir in carrots and potatoes. Cook for 2–3 minutes, letting them pick up a little color and coat in the butter.
- Add broth and ham. Pour in the broth and add the diced ham, thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer low and slow. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 30–35 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are completely tender and the broth has deepened in color and flavor.
- Taste and finish. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt — depending on the saltiness of your ham and broth, you may need very little or none. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 215 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 870mg