Even More on Soup.....

"Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,

Game, or any other dish?

Who would not give all else for two p

ennyworth only of beautiful Soup?

Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?

Beau~ootiful Soo~oop!

Beau~ootiful Soo~oop!

Soo~oop of the e~e~evening,

Beautiful, beauti~FUL SOUP!"

~from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll

Michaelmas Mushrooms!

My parents happened across these puffball mushrooms as they were strolling through the woods.

 (One of them is particularly enormous!)

~Now I know what I will fry up to serve with our Michaelmas chicken.....;)



Michaelmas Day

Michael, prince of all the angels,

While your legions fill the sky,

All victorious over Satan,

Lift your flaming sword on high;

Shout to all the seas and heavens:

Now the morning is begun;

Now is rescued from the dragon

She whose garment is the sun!

~Michael, Prince Of All The Angels

by M. Owen Lee, C.S.B.

from The New Saint Basil Hymnal

More on Soup...

"THERE IS HARDLY A MAN ALIVE who does not adore soup, particularly when it is homemade. Hot soup on a cold day, cold soup on a hot day, and the smell of soup simmering in the kitchen are fundamental, undoubtedly even atavistic, pleasures and solaces that give a special kind of satisfaction."

~from Mastering The Art Of French Cooking,

by Julia Child and Simone Beck 

Soup, Salad, and Corn Bread

Tonight I made a creamy potato soup, with sausage and mushrooms. I boiled about a dozen potatoes in a large pot of water, and then pureed them (and enough of the cooking water) in the blender until they had reached the velvety~smooth consistency that I desired. While they were getting pureed, I slowly cooked a finely diced onion, and three cloves of minced garlic in butter. Then I poured in the pureed potatoes, sliced sausage, and diced fresh mushrooms.It simmered gently for about twenty minutes before I added salt and pepper to taste, and about one cup of  crème fraîche (which is a combination of two parts heavy cream to one part sour cream that is left to thicken at room temperature for five to six hours)

And then we ate it!

Mmmm!



And my Knight's favorite salad, which was his mother's creation.

It is dressed with just the right combination of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper,Italian herbs, and garlic and onion powders. 

It felt so amazing when I finally mastered it!

The corn bread was left-over from last night....

....but, it was still excessively tasty!



Soup Season

I love the brisk days that Autumn brings. And I love making homemade soup.

Since the two marry so well, I make lots of soup during this season.

You know how I love to experiment, right?

That's one of my favorite things about making soup.

Once you master the basics, there are seemingly endless possibilities....;)

More Hidden Treasures......

.....in the wall by the attic stairs:

An old leather pair of men's shoes;

                                                            An old wooden spindle;

And, my favorite, a beautiful glass basket,

that looks like it will be in perfect condition, once all the grime is removed!



We also found a very old shoe box with detailed instructions on the proper care of leather shoes printed on the inside.( I'm thinking of framing it, and hanging it in my mudroom;)

Handy bits of advice like;

"When shoes are wet or damp they should be dried slowly, away from the fire, as it takes only a short time to burn leather if it is exposed to undue heat when wet or even damp." 

Too neat!

Much of the attic wall remains unexplored, and I told my Knight that before it is sealed off in drywall forever, I think we really should see what else is hidden away.....

Don't you agree?

Who knows what other "treasures" we may discover.

If we don't, I know I'll always wonder!