For many, me included, the last days of December and the first days of January call for reflection, a pause in the busy-ness and business of the season and the life to think back on the year fast drawing to a close and to look forward into the new year that shall remain unknown 'til lived. For A Veggie Venture -- what a year! It all started as a lark, truly, just a spur-of-the-moment decision to try -- without really thinking I'd ever do it -- to cook a vegetable in a new way every single day for a month. Just ONE month! The beginning was inauspicious. On April 1, I roasted some so-so cauliflower . On April 2, I lingered late in the garden and steamed a bag of frozen broccoli . And it took a few weeks to find my voice, to find a cooking/writing rhythm. But once I did -- my, what fun it all became, how much I started to learn. And that's what keeps me going -- that and the remarkable community of food bloggers and friends and family who encourage me and write to say wh

While the kitchen is busier than ever, A Veggie Venture is taking a break from blogging. We'll be back on January 1st (tomorrow!) but here's one last soup recipe, a longtime family favorite from the never-seen-online Kitchen Parade archive and perfect for the winter months ahead. It's Sausage & Kale Slit Pea Soup , a kid favorite too. Many thanks to Luminous Lens for the soup emblem!

Looking for luck in the new year? Then check out two recipes using black-eyed peas, bearers of good fortune by tradition across the southern U.S. Both are featured in this week's Kitchen Parade column . Happy New Year, all!

While the kitchen is busier than ever, A Veggie Venture is taking a break from blogging. We'll be back on January 1st but until then, every day there will be a new soup recipe, longtime family favorites from the never-seen-online Kitchen Parade archives and perfect for the winter months ahead. Laura's Carrot Soup is a known cure for the common cold; well, at least it's guaranteed to make you feel a tiny bit better when the season's aches and sneezes and sore throats hit. Many thanks to Luminous Lens for the soup emblem!

While the kitchen is busier than ever, A Veggie Venture is taking a break from blogging. We'll be back on January 1st but until then, every day there will be a new soup recipe, longtime family favorites from the never-seen-online Kitchen Parade archives and perfect for the winter months ahead. Today's soup is another hearty offering, a Scandinavian Pea Soup . You'll want to use traditional dried green lentils, not the French lentils. Many thanks to Luminous Lens for the soup emblem!

While the kitchen is busier than ever, A Veggie Venture is taking a break from blogging. We'll be back on January 1st but until then, every day there will be a new soup recipe, longtime family favorites from the never-seen-online Kitchen Parade archives and perfect for the winter months ahead. Today's soup is the hearty Lentil Soup Vincent . It makes a bunch and freezes beautifully. Many thanks to Luminous Lens for the soup emblem!