The cold makes me slow

It is cold out
and i have not felt like much of anything.
The consitancy is that i am very busy
and that i cook.
I know i am still in catch-up mode...
catching up with things left undone since the operation and the recovery.
I still think i am in the recovery stange because i see slight improvements in my vision,
in the "diplopia" part.
Cooking warms me up and so does what i cook.

Recipe today is lentil soup...

lentil soup

 1 bag of dry lentils

1 ¹_/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon fresh minced hot pepper
6 cloves garlic
3/4 onion sliced
1/4 onion minced
1 cup sliced sweet peppers
1 teaspoon dry hot peppers
1 teaspoon orange zest
¹_/2 cup orange
8 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 lb of sausage
5 whole allspice berries
1 cup white wine
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup fresh carrots
5 whole allspice berries
1/4 stick butter
1 quart chicken stock

clean (to remove stones and unwanted debris) and then soak lentils with cold water 3 inches above lentils

soak over night
boil 1 cup of water and soak bay leaves, peppercorns and allspice berries with 1/2 tablespoon salt over night
melt butter and cook onions till just translucent and add garlic, peppers and sliced onions in a large pot (you can use a frying pan and transfer to a crock pot as an alternative)
add lentils, strained bay leaf water and all the remainder of the ingredients except the minced onion to pot on low heat
discard bay leaf mixture, but add fresh peppercorns and allspice to the lentils
Add wine and chicken stock to cover the lentils 1 inch.
cook covered for 6 + hours
topped with minced onions
a dollop of yogurt or sour cream is also an option