It's Nice to be Appreciated, Isn't It?

In our church we have so many wonderful people, many of whom have volunteered many hundreds of hours of volunteer labor. And because our church wouldn't function nearly as smoothly without their dedication we believe in recognizing their efforts.

So today, my husband and I hosted an Appreciation Luncheon for our wonderful nursery workers. These are the ladies who spend time caring for the little ones in our church, from the tiny infants to the really, REALLY active three-year olds!

I'd venture to say that some days they hazard their lives in order to minister to these young children. Whether it's comforting one who misses their parent or maybe it's just cleaning up those unexpected messes!

Today we simply wanted to acknowledge their dedication and faithfulness (we almost never have a need for a substitute worker) by treating them to a nice luncheon.

Our menu consisted of:

Fresh croissant sandwiches with
delicious deli ham or gourmet chicken,
lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese

Homemade Cream of Broccoli Soup

Sweet Seedless Red Grapes

Raspberry Fizz Punch

Cheesecake

Everyone had such a nice relaxing time together and at the end, our Pastor said that he knew diamonds were a girl's best friend, but he couldn't afford those. So since chocolate seemed to be the next choice, he'd bought a ginormous chocolate bar for us to share! It was Swiss chocolate...so smooth and creamy.

Everyone went home happy knowing they were really appreciated.

And for those of you who have read this far, I'm adding the recipe for the Broccoli Soup. It's great treat for a cool autumn afternoon.

Blessings to you,
Jessica

¾ cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 small carrots, shredded

4 tbsp butter

2 tsp vegetable oil

Salt & pepper

8 tbsp butter

8 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

4 cups water

4 cubes (or tsp) chicken bouillon

2 large heads of broccoli, chopped

1. Sauté onion, garlic and carrot in 4 tbsp of butter and 2 tsp oil for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until onion is transparent. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

2. In a large saucepan, melt 8 tbsp butter over low heat. Add flour and stir. Add milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Stir for a few minutes more over heat until thickened.

3. In a separate saucepan, bring water and bouillon to a boil. Add broth to the milk mixture, stirring constantly.

4. Cook or steam broccoli in rapidly boiling water for 7 minutes. Add broccoli and cooked vegetables to soup base. Stir well and cook on low 7- 10 minutes, covered. Serve.