And secondly, for reading in cheerful and cozy kitchens, and for considering the deep mysteries of soup, this bit from Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread:

"Mouse," said Cook, "Would you like some soup?" And then, without waiting for an answer, she took a saucer and spooned some soup into it and set it on the kitchen floor.
---
"How is it?" asked Cook anxiously.
"Wonderful," said Despereaux.
"Too much garlic?" said Cook, wringing her fat hands.
"No," said Despereaux. "It's perfect."
Cook smiled. "See?" she said. "There ain't a body, be it mouse or man, that ain't made better by a little soup."
Despereaux bent his head and sipped again, and Cook stood over him and smiled, saying, "It don't need a thing, then? Is that what you're saying? It's just right?"
Despereaux nodded.
He drank the soup in big, noisy gulps. And when he stepped out of the saucer, his paws were damp and his whiskers were dripping and his stomach was full.