stone soup on a good day

Last weekend our grand girls spent the day with us at 2305 St. Anthony- we read Stone Soup and then we made stone soup.
Our version of the French folktale, Stone Soup, (retold by John Warren Stewing and illustrated by Margot Tomes) highlights a young girl named Grethel, who arrives in a village tired and hungry; she stops at the first house, and asks politely, "Could you spare some food for a hungry traveler?" Not only does the fellow refuse her request, but all the villagers feign poverty and make excuses while hiding their potatoes, cabbages, carrots, and hams, down wells and under beds.
(they are selfish! says our girl)
Ah, but Grethel, a clever lass, calls out to the peasants, "Good folk, since you have no food, we will just have to use my stone to make stone soup!" So the peasants haul a large iron pot into the village square-add water, a little salt, pepper, stir, stir, taste, stir . . . "This stone always makes excellent soup but adding a few carrots makes it even tastier!" says Grethel; and soon the villagers run to fetch vegetables, barley, and beef to stir into the stone soup-"a nobleman's soup-and all from a stone!" they exclaim.
And that day there was a feast in the village square. . .
(now they are sharing and they don't even know it! says our girl)

So, inorder to make stone soup at our house-grand Papi and Julia hunted up 2 nice stones from the yard and scrubbed them in the bathroom sink (notice Aunt Mercy's purse-perfect for carrying stones or other 3 year old treasures- and high heels, perfect for. . )

Amaleah wanted to be sure that our soup exactly replicated the soup in the story; together we peeled, chopped and added as indicated, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, beef, barley-stir and taste
(I snuck in some garlic!)

And that day there was a feast at 2305 St. Anthony St. . .