Adversity Soup and the Bread of Affliction

I think the great recession has made me a much better soup maker! I load the available ingredients into my slow cooker: water, cabbage, tomato puree, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, lentils, parsley, basil, olive oil, red wine, salt, black pepper, Adobo, and bay leaves. The magic happens after a day of simmering.

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.

– William Shakespeare, As You Like It Act 2, scene 1, 12–17