A Bowl of Warm, Homey Goodness

Today is the Autumn Equinox and it's chilly, raining and, in one word, miserable. Daddy always says the weather we have on the season's change, will be the predominate weather for that season. 

yay.

Cold, rain and misery for the next three months. And, if what I heard might even be true, snow flurries tomorrow.

Oh joy. 

 The weather report for this past week said, 10% change of rain on Monday and clear the rest of the week. 
Where, I wonder?
"Cause it wasn't here. It rained every single solitary day. A lot. My laundry went through several rinse cycles...sometimes the same day. 

Yep, it's true.

I'm sure some of the neighbors were talking. 

 Sometime during this past week, I stood at the open door of the refrigerator. As usual, I was waiting for food to jump enthusiastically into my arms, already prepared, hot and ready to eat. 

didn't happen.

What I did see were some of the raw vegetables left over from Daddy's birthday party.

Hmmm. 

Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, some onions to be rescued from the pantry, a package of bratwurst to be thawed, home made croutons and a box of chicken stock. 

Possibilities, all.

So, the vegetables were put into a roasting pan, cracked sea salt and black pepper added along with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and put into a 350 degree oven for a couple of hours. While those vegetables were roasting, a pan was placed on the stove top, heat turned on and when the pan was hot, a tablespoon of EVOO pour inside. 

hot pan, cold oil.

Then, a couple of large onions were put into a pan to sweat and brown; when they were ready, they were removed and the sliced sausage put in to brown.

When the roasting was finished, everything was put into the stock pan with a quart of chicken stock (store bought because I'd run out of home made) and cooked for about 30 minutes. The heat was then turned off and everything sat for a while before I added the home made croutons and ate. 

This meal was, in a word...delicious. Seriously, this was one of the best soups I've ever made and, I think, due to the roasting of the vegetables beforehand. I'd contemplated cutting those cherry tomatoes in half but leaving them whole was the best decision. Each time I bit into a tomato, that sweetness would burst and was the perfect touch against the meatiness of the sausage, the richness of the chicken stock, the bite of the carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. I thought about making bread...white, bird seed or cornbread, even crackers...but decided it was beyond my reach. 

Maybe tomorrow. 

Maybe not. 

My hand still hurts and that seems to be a really good excuse to do not as much lately. 

Don't you think so? 

Does anyone know the name of this pattern? The back says KS Benchmark 1984 or 1884, but I can't tell which year. I've been using this flatware for forty years but, along the way, a few pieces have gone missing and I'd like to replace them. Can you help?

Blessings ~ a bowl of homey, warm goodness ~ roasted vegetables ~ EVOO ~ change of seasons ~ still serviceable flatware ~ 

Looking Like Christmas...

~ daybreak over the valley ~

Is it because of Santa and the North Pole we equate Christmas with snow? Yesterday afternoon, right at 3:00 -as if by some timetable known only to God- it began to storm. And, storm it did with a passion! Miss G. was here to share lunch and then to sew and when I looked out the window I gasped and said, "Miss G! You're welcome to spend the night but if you want to get home, you'd better leave NOW!" She laughed, gathered her things up and started for home. It's strange where we live; if we want to go anywhere, we have to cross one mountain and, most times, two mountains. It took Miss G. an hour to drive about twenty miles but she got home safely and that's all that matters. 

~ bean, kilbasa, kale, bread soup ~

Lunch was a hearty soup that, I'm positive, someone else came up with eons ago. Here's the recipe but you need to tweak according to your own taste. Also, it's quick because I used canned beans.

Chop and brown a couple of sweet onions in a TBL of EVOO

Slice a package of kilbasa, add to onions

When those are browned, add

1 quart chicken stock

4 cans cannelloni beans, with the broth and

Simmer for an hour or two - it's a very forgiving recipe -smile-

When the soup is thirty minutes from the table, add at least 1/2 package of kale. I add the whole package but some folks might think that's a bit of overkill but, in the winter, can we get enough green? I think not.

Stir the kale in and simmer for about thirty minutes.

Meanwhile, back at the counter take a loaf of stale bread and cut it into rough pieces. Melt some butter...if I told you how much butter I used, your arteries would collapse! but I don't think a stick is unreasonable, do you?...mix in some herbs...I used Italian, Basil and Garlic Pepper Salt...then pour over the bread. Slip the bread into a hot oven and bake for the last thirty minutes of the cooking soup. 

When the soup goes into the bowl, place some pieces of bread on top, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. Most of the time my bread is stale; yesterday, the bread was hard enough to beat a crow so letting the bread soak in the soup juices was a Very Good Thing. Have I mentioned how delicious was the soup? As Daddy likes to say, "good enough to make your tongue slap your brains out!"

~ wreaths on every gate ~

Miss G. and I are working on individual projects; she on a quilt and I on Christmas stockings. There are eight children I know who might enjoy a hand made Christmas stocking stuffed with some little treasures and one is for an adult. Hopefully, she still remembers the magic, joy and reason for Christmas...hopefully.

~ breakfast of champeens ~

I've always though hay bales, covered in snow, looked like Frosted Wheat cereal; there's enough to last a couple of years so the horses and sheep won't go hungry any time soon.

Yesterday was the first "normal" day I've had since Dave died; thanks to Miss G. and the work of my hands, God is doing His work in my heart. Undoubtedly, there are still dark days ahead but yesterday, God gave me a glimmer of what will, in time, be my new normal. No, I don't understand, and never will this side of the veil, but I still choose to accept His will. I choose to trust Him to know what's best for me and, yes, I still ask questions. Christ asked questions of His our Father, can't I as well?  

~ barn cat, after breakfast ~

As Elisabeth Elliot says, "You are loved with an everlasting love and underneath are the everlasting arms!" 

Bless His name forever.

Blessings ~ Miss G ~ sewing ~ the work of our hands ~ snow ~ soup ~ healing ~