...my blog for celebrating and sharing the sweet things in life...



Wednesday, September 29, 2010

UPDATE!
October 20, 2010
Thanks to a great buy-two-get-one sale at Barnes and Noble, I'm happily shuffling through my new collection of Mr. Poe's grandest short stories. That, while simultaneously finishing up Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, which has an odd creepiness of it's own, though unintentionally. My writer's block is slowly coming down... block by block by block...
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You may have noticed my absence in blogging lately. I can't decide if it's due to the lack of interesting things going on right now to blog about, or simply I have a bad case of writer's block and my mind is drawing a total blank.

I've been at the keyboard the past two days, researching things to blog about, but nothing's coming to me.

Then it hits me... I haven't been reading! I'm usually at my best, (literally speaking) when I'm working my way through some classic literature or rereading one of my tried-and-true favorites.

I've decided I must run off to the library, as the season is prompting me to pick up a collection of Edgar Allan Poe stories for inspiration. I'm thinking of blogging about his work, so stay tuned.

Reading Edgar Allan Poe for me is as necessary in the Fall as carving a pumpkin. Seriously.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Recipe of the Week; YET ANOTHER GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP DE JOUR

In a post some time ago, I mentioned my Mom's Garden Bean Soup. I'm sorry to say I've only had it once this summer. I seemed so busy this summer season, doing a whole lot of NOTHING IMPORTANT, but too busy to prepare the beans.

Mom grows beans by the basket load, and it's a pretty big basket. I ate this soup all the time growing up, as did Mom because it was one of my Grandma's favorite dinners to prepare for seven hungry children. It's so affordable, and when you're a big bean-grower, well- it's a great way to use them up! Mom freezes her beans too, so it can be made year 'round with fresh beans. But by all means, pick up some beans at the supermarket and give this soup a whirl. You'll be glad you did. I strongly urge you to bake a loaf of homemade bread and serve it with the soup. (Make sure the bread is lathered sufficiently with real butter.) You can cheat on the bread and buy the frozen bread dough (I always do), but just please don't serve store-bought white sandwich bread... it's insulting to the soup.


To Start the Soup-

2 quarts green beans, or mixture of yellow and green (ends snipped, cut into 1- to 2- inch pieces)
1 small to medium onion, large dice

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, cover beans and onion with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes. Beans need to be tender, cooked all the way through but watch not to over cook them.

Add-
3 to4 large potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 cup sour cream
1 stick of butter or margarine (oddly enough, margarine seems to taste better)
1 cup of milk
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer until potatoes are cooked and still firm, not over cooked and mushy. About halfway through this process, add about 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, it helps to thicken the soup. You could add a splash more ( I usually do, I'm quite fond of vinegar.)

This soup is great freshly made, but it also remains quite tasty the day after heated up for lunch.

To All of You Far and Away...



Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Recipe of the Week; HOMEMADE CREAM OF CELERY SOUP


My Mom gave me a bunch of celery from her garden. THANKS MOM. I'm not a big fan of this vegetable, personally. If I eat it at all, it's with peanut butter, or I serve it with a crudites platter.

What to do with an overflowing crisper drawer full of long skinny stalks of the stuff? Why, make SOUP, but of course!

I do love my soups. Especially this time of year- they're a great way to use up all those vegetables that mysteriously find their way into my refrigerator via Mom's garden.

I think we've all probably bought those cream-of-celery soup concentrates at some point. I try to stay away from them, I prefer just to have them on hand for sauces and such. Cream-of-celery or -mushroom is exceptionally great spread over a meatloaf prior to baking in the oven. But the soups PLAIN, well... they just don't compare to a homemade version. And the homemade ones don't typically take all that long. Soup can be ready in less than an hour, as it is in this particular recipe.

As always, giving credit where credit is due, all props go to Martha "the magnificent" Stewart. Say what you will about her, but I adore this lady.

Being myself, however, I've fattened up a perfectly fine recipe with a little extra butter, bacon and cheese. But by no means is it necessary. You can just saute the veggies in 1/2 stick unsalted butter and omit the bacon altogether. Same goes for the cheese.


INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup butter (optional)
1/2 pound bacon, cut into small chunks
10 pale-green inner ribs of celery, with leafy tops coarsely chopped (roughly 3 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup chopped onion, Martha's recipe uses shallots exclusively
1 small russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
course salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups homemade or store-bought chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, fresh is preferable, but jarred works OK
1/4 to 1 cup heavy cream, depending on your preference

Baguette slices, brushed with butter and toasted in pan or broiler
celery leaves, for garnish (optional)
grated Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Brown bacon in stock pot or dutch oven. Remove bacon, retaining the fat and add 1 tablespoon or so of butter if you need more fat for cooking vegetables. Add celery with tops, onions, potato and black pepper. Salt only if desired, the bacon adds plenty of salt on it's own. Partially cover and cook, stirring often until vegetables are soft but not browned, approximately 15 minutes.

Add stock; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 30 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, let cool.

Puree soup in blender (in batches) or use an immersion blender and puree until completely smooth.

Return soup to pot, season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Just before serving, heat soup over medium-low heat. Do not boil. Stir in cream and allow to heat through. Serve sprinkled with cheese and bacon crumbles, topped with a toasted baguette and celery leaves.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Down the Lincoln Highway

It's been a rather bland summer, unfortunately with my husband's schedule we didn't get to do much in the way of a summer vacation. We did manage to sneak a long weekend in to take a three hour cruise down the Lincoln Highway to tour Gettysburg. The town is alive with history,

Yet there is a certain air of sadness and death when you fully realize the sacrifices that were made during the battle that raged on for three days.

We spent more time touring the actual battlefield, but I had to get some shots of the historical buildings that still remain in the old town...


Historic B & B


President Eisenhower kept a home on the outskirts of the battlefield. It's off limits to regular tourists, but the property looks absolutely gorgeous when standing atop one of the lookout towers situated around the battlefield.

Can you truly imagine what happened here in July, 1863? The actual battlefield areas are completely fenced in. According to the history books and the auto tour we took, these fields were completely saturated in blood.

I tried to get the band to play Dixie, but they weren't havin' it. I heard one of them call me a traitor. Geez, these folks take their history SERIOUSLY!

One of the last stops we made was to the infamous Jennie Wade house. They hold midnight ghost tours, but unfortunately we had to get on the road. We'll save that for the next trip!

Thursday, September 2, 2010