Still Here, Still Standing

 

I've been asked if I've stopped writing my blog. I guess the honest answer could be yes AND no. I haven't posted for two months. I haven't stopped completely but the posts do seem to get further and further apart. We seem to get busier and busier at the same time as we are moving slower and slower.

We had a full house for a good portion of my "missing in action" time. Grandchildren (and parents) were here at the farm during spring break. 

I've totally lost track of who was here when. There was a lot of coming and going. Lots of back and forth and lots of here and there. But everyone had some time here. Making "remember-ies" as Brother says. 

We had part of the family here for Easter. No new recipes this time. Just our favorites. This is pretty much the same menu that my mother always had for Easter. 

That long highway runs the other way, too. We made a couple of trips down their way. One to see Little Sister—who isn't so little now—in her high school musical. And one other trip to attend the Atlanta Master Chorale's jazz concert. 

They were back here for Little Sister's piano recital last weekend. (They live there, her piano teacher lives here, so zoom lessons work well for them.) In addition to seeing our family musicians, Daddy-O and I attended several concerts this spring. We got to see Samara Joy, an up and coming jazz singer, in concert and a few weeks later, we saw Yo-Yo Ma perform. Seeing him has been on my bucket list for years. I can check that one off now. 

And during this very busy season I have continued filling in for our church pianist. Lots of practice time at the piano. I had to set other things aside—like this blog—to keep up with that. Next week is my last Sunday to play. I am counting on a slower month of May. I'll let you know if that happens!

The flowers mixed in with the other photos? These are all in bloom in our yard now. I am not a gardener. Never have been. Never will be. But I love flowers. So I'm thankful for the old varieties that come back year after year without any help from me. 

Longevity Soup

Longevity Soup

Let's see, in the month since I last posted, I needed an antibiotic for something, a week later I had a severe reaction to the antibiotic and a side effect of the drug used to treat the reaction (it did help) is sleeplessness. I am now at an age that if I were involved in an incident, the news anchor would be reporting, "An elderly woman..." Everything I took to help a problem caused the next problem. I think that my age means my body handles these drugs differently than it did years ago. 

So when I saw this recipe pop on social media, the name caught my attention. Eating for longevity. Eating for independence. That should be our goal now. This recipe contains 9 superfoods. You can read all about the nutritional benefits here at Joy Bauer's website. She calls this a pot of goodness. 

Now, I've been a vegetable soup lover forever. Most of the time I don't use a recipe. I have tried some and found variations that I like. Couldn't hurt to try another one. So glad I did.

Oh my goodness! What a delicious recipe. Joy Bauer was right—a pot of goodness. And, despite the long list of ingredients, it was simple to make. It involves opening cans, some chopping and measuring a couple of spices. I already had celery washed and "de-stringed" in the refrigerator. And the recipe calls for "1 to 2 cups" or "2 to 3 handfuls." That says amounts aren't very specific, so I didn't measure any of the vegetables. Just a rough chop and toss some in. 

Peeling carrots would have taken time, but I didn't have any. I ordered carrots but they were left out of my delivery. (Did I mention I hit a deer and my car is in the shop? Needed to have groceries delivered.) Of course, you could leave them out, but the pot of soup looked like it needed that orange color. So I added some frozen mixed vegetables. No peeling. No slicing. Made the prep even easier.

This soup is one of the best soups I've made. It's well seasoned. It' has a creamy broth because you've pureed beans and broth. I forgot to remove the rosemary before I added the spinach. When I added that much extra green, I almost never found it! I had thought I'd share some of the soup but I couldn't share until I removed that rosemary. Putting a hard stem in your mouth is not a good surprise. I finally spied the last bit as I was putting the soup into a container. 

This is how I made it. I made small tweaks. My garlic cloves were huge so I only used 2 instead of 3. I subbed the mixed vegetables for fresh carrots. I also measured out 3 cups of broth and poured in the pot, then in that 4-cup measuring cup I added that last cup of broth and the beans and used an immersion blender to puree. Easier than washing the blender. Again, check out the original recipe for the options she offers. 

LONGEVITY SOUP

2 (15-oz) cans small white beans, drained & rinsed (I used navy beans)

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided  

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 ribs celery, chopped

About 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (instead of the carrots)

1 to 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped

1 to 2 cups cauliflower florets, chopped

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes (a 15-oz can)

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

2 to 3 handfuls fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Ground black pepper, to taste 

In a blender, combine 1 can of drained beans and 1 cup of broth and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Generously coat of pot with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, 3 cups of broth, frozen mixed vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, oregano, basil, the 2nd can of beans and rosemary.

Stir. Bring to a boil, Reduce heat and simmer about 25 minutes uncovered.

REMOVE the rosemary. Add the pureed beans and spinach. Simmer another 10 minutes, until spinach wilts. 

This is a long list of ingredients and sometimes I stop looking when I see this kind of list. But it took me about 15 minutes to have everything in the pot. Don't let the ingredient list scare you off. It's worth the chopping.

Fun note:  After I had made the soup, eaten lunch, cleaned up the kitchen, our doorbell rang. It was the grocery delivery driver. He discovered that the carrots were left out my order and drove back to bring them. 

 

Easiest Soup Ever

Spicy Black Bean Soup

We made it through Christmas and New Year's and all the meals that holidays and visiting families need. I was lucky that the daughters and sons-in-law did much of the cooking. But after the holidays I felt like I needed a food vacation. We enjoyed so many good meals and desserts and snacks. It was definitely time to back away from the table.

I also have craved some days that don't require cooking. Daddy-O is the best. He never complains if I don't cook or if I what I cook is not his favorite. Like so many of us, deciding what to cook is harder than the actual cooking. On Tuesday I opened the freezer door to see what I could find. A pack of chicken street taco fell out. Literally. Fell out at my feet. It was Tuesday—taco Tuesday! That was the easiest dinner decision ever. And it was as delicious as when we had it over the holidays. Glad we froze the extra chicken

Tonight nothing fell out of the freezer. But I had a recipe I had saved from NY Times Cooking. Many of their recipes are more involved than I want to make now. Or, they call for ingredients that are harder to find in my small town grocery store. This recipe, however, looked easy and I had the ingredients on hand. I wasn't sure if Daddy-O would like tonight's supper, but it's cold and staying home sounded better than going out.  

Such an easy recipe. There is no chopping. No browning. Just dump it all in the pot. Can't get easier. You can see I made cheese quesadillas with tortillas left from Tuesday's chicken street tacos. Perfect combination.

Turns out he did like it. Soup was perfect for the cold evening. I'm giving you the recipe exactly like I made it. The NY Times version made twice this much. But the recipe called for 4 cans, 2 cans, etc, so it was easy to cut it in half. We both had a bowl of soup for dinner and enough left for a small bowl each lunch tomorrow. I always think it's hard to make a small amount of soup. But this was perfect for the two of us. 

Enough chatter. Here's the recipe. 

SPICY BLACK BEAN SOUP    makes 3-4 servings

2 (15-oz) cans black beans

1 (roughly 16-oz) jar mild salsa verde

1 (4-oz) can chopped green chilies (I used only 2/3 of the can)

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

In a 3-qt pot bring all ingredients to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft enough to mash easily, about 10 minutes.

Use an immersion blender or potato masher to smash the beans to your desired consistency. (I used a potato masher and left about half the beans whole.)

Serve with toppings such as sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado, etc. 

Notice that I didn't use all of the green chilies and it was plenty spicy enough for us. Make it suit your family.

Be Someone's Light

 I'm taking a short break from packing to say a quick hello and wish you Merry Christmas. It's the time of year we head to the mountains and enjoy a few days with family in a Christmas wonderland. We've visited this same place since our daughters were 2 and 4. And it is an extravagant display of things that glitter, things that sparkle and things that dazzle. The decorations at my own house are pretty simple this year. So I'll enjoy looking at the festive decorations at the resort.

But I always am reminded that not all Christmases are filled with glitz and glitter. People have sad Christmases. My grandfather died on December 18 many, many years ago. I was nine but still remember that different, somber Christmas. Some people skip Christmas out of necessity. One year after the holiday I asked a friend if she and her daughter had a good Christmas. She told me that they went to church but there were no gifts. None. There was no money that year. 

And there are many who are sick at Christmas. The sad little tree in the photo was the only Christmas tree at my daughter's house a decade ago. Our 9-month-old granddaughter spent her first Christmas in the hospital. And her 4-year-old sister was distressed that they had no Christmas tree. So she took matters into her own hands. She found the Charlie Brown tree and decorated it by herself. 

That little tree also reminds me of hearing how kind people were during that stressful time. My daughter and family were living a thousand miles away from us then. So strangers and neighbors and friends showed up. Gifts were delivered to the hospital. Food arrived at the door. 

So as we celebrate during the next couple of weeks, remember those who are not in a place to celebrate. Keep your eyes and your ears and your heart open. Today is the winter solstice. Tonight is the longest night—the longest period of darkness—we will have this year. Be someone's light. 💫

Christmas Time Is Near

Hamburger Soup

I'm back! Finally here with a new recipe that is good enough to share. Yes, I do try ones from time to time that are okay, but not good enough to make again—or share with you. To be honest most of what I cook are recipes that are already on this blog. Like most of us we have our favorites. It was fun to try something new.

Since I posted last month I had a birthday (and today is Daddy-O's birthday), a terrible cold, a house full of family for Thanksgiving, and too many doctor appointments. (We're okay.) It's been busy. Yesterday was the first "stay home all day" kind of day I've had in ages. The weatherman had promised cold temps and heavy rain. So I was prepared. A soup day! Turns out it we missed the rain, only got the cold. I made the soup anyway. This is nearly a stew. A bowl full of meat and vegetables. It's a soup that a Daddy-O could enjoy. (Not going as far as "love it.")

We had it for lunch. And we had it again for supper. It was better at supper time. The flavor is more complex than basic vegetable soup. The Italian seasoning, the olive oil, the Worcestershire. It's "more." But not they're not crazy flavors. Keep this recipe in mind if you need a make ahead dish. Would also be good if you want to take soup to a neighbor. It's a meal in a bowl. 

HAMBURGER SOUP

                   serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil'

1 lb ground beef (preferably 10% lean)

1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 large celery stalks, diced

3 large cloves minced garlic (I used jarred)

3 tablespoon tomato paste

1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

3 cups low-sodium beef broth

1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1-1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

12 oz. gold potatoes, cubed (I used tiny potatoes and didn't peel)

12-oz bag frozen mixed vegetables (2-12 to 3 cups)

1 to 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add ground beef, onion and celery. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Stir in garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to coat everything. Cook 1 minute.

Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Stir in potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes. Add frozen vegetables and continue to simmer until everything is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

This looks like a long list of ingredients. But it was quick to put together. Gather all your ingredients before you start. I didn't measure everything exactly. Poured in some olive oil. Used up the celery left from Thanksgiving.  Then it was a matter of opening a box of broth, a can of tomatoes, and a bag of frozen vegetables. See? It's really easy. 

We enjoyed having some extra time with family during Thanksgiving week. These grandchildren are growing up quickly. I'm happy they still like to come visit. One of the best things we did was to spend an evening by a bonfire. It was 28 degrees but we went outside anyway. It was so cold that the toasted marshmallow would not melt the frozen Hershey bar on the graham crackers! Our son-in-law even found chestnuts so he roasted those. We all tasted and decided that singing about roasting chestnuts was better than actually roasting and eating them. Now we know.

We have reached the age where the younger folks want to help us get ready for Christmas. We glad take the extra help. So the girls decorated our tree and set up the nativity scene. And took the boxes back to the basement. Now if they would just come back and help wrap gifts!

And mixed in with all the cooking and decorating and general business of life, I'm continuing on with my jazz journey. So hard but what a blast I'm having! This is the ultimate brain exercise. 

Bazaar Baking

Sourdough Bread—also known in my house as" Mimi Bead"

It might be time for you to revoke my blogger license. I'm reposting a very old blog—with the SAME recipe that I posted last time. The recipe is that good. I've been too busy baking to write something new. And this is a reminder that you still have time to make the starter and surprise your family with fresh bread for Thanksgiving. I have baked so many batches of this bread getting ready for a holiday bazaar at our church. Over and over and over. This morning, It's all dressed it up and heading to church shortly. 

The hardest part of the recipe is the planning ahead. Making so many batches this time, I figured out that for my daily schedule, I could stir up the dough about 7:00-8:00 PM and let it rise overnight. Then punch it down and shape it about 7:00-8:00 AM. It would rise for about 5 hours and I could bake it around lunch time. 

I know this likely doesn't suit your day but it gives you an idea about timing the whole process. Shift it around to match your day.

This recipe is my variation of one that was published in The Greenville News over 50 years ago. I tweaked it to suit me.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

"Mimi" Bread

It's easier to buy a loaf of bread at the store but it can't compare with the aroma of freshly baked bread made in your own oven. It makes the house smell divine. Years ago I taught a bread baking class and I discovered that many people were afraid of recipes involving yeast. So here is a recipe that doesn't involve yeast except for making the starter. It's the easiest bread recipe that I know. It's the one I use most. I have been taking this bread to our Thanksgiving family dinners for years and years.

Big Sister calls it "Mimi bread." I consider that a compliment of the highest order. (Who do you think often gets the first loaf?) If you want to bake some for the holidays, make your starter now since it takes 5 days to get it ready.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

1 cup starter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 cups warm water

6 or more cups bread flour (use the extra to flour the surface for kneading)

Mix bread ingredients. (I use a wire whisk to mix in the first 3 cups, and then use a spoon for the last three cups.) Place in large bowl sprayed with PAM.  Lightly spray dough with PAM.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Let stand and rise at least 8 hours.

Punch down dough and knead on floured board about 10 times.  Divide into 3 parts.

Spray three 8-inch loaf pans with PAM.  Shape dough and place in pans.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap.  

Let stand and rise until pans are full, about 5 to 6 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Whole wheat bread:  Use 2 cups whole wheat flour and 4 cups bread flour.

To feed starter:  Remove 1 cup for baking (or discard) and feed with 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tbsp. instant potatoes and 1 cup warm water.  Mix well and let stand 8-12 hours.  Then refrigerate.  Store in plastic container with slits cut in lid. Feed every 3-7 days. (My favorite container for storage is a large Cool Whip container. Cut an "X" in the lid to let the starter breath.)

To make starter:  Double the feeding recipe.  Put in a glass or plastic container, loosely covered.  Let set out for 4 days.  Then add one pack dry yeast.  Let stand another 24 hours.  Use 1 cup for the first batch or store in refrigerator for up to 7 days.

This bread freezes beautifully. It makes a great gift. 

When our daughters were younger and I had more people to feed every day, I baked a lot of bread. I kept a batch of starter going for five years then. Now, I usually bake just around the holidays and through the winter months. So I make my starter just before Thanksgiving and will keep it going until spring. Or until I get tired of baking it. We never get tired of eating it.

You really do have to feed the starter every few days. If you are not baking, discard a cup of starter and then feed it and let it stand for 8-12 hours. Last year I sent starter back with Jessica when she was home at Thanksgiving. We made up batches of sugar and potato flakes measured into plastic snack-size bags, ready to feed the starter. Drop all those little bags into a larger ziploc bag. That makes it really convenient.

I'll be baking a double batch for the bake sale at our church next weekend. If you don't want to bake it yourself, stop in and buy a loaf!

Baking Season Has Arrived

Mimi Bread Starter

It's that time of year. The time that many of us bake more often than we usually do. Whether it's for fall festivals, holiday bazaars, church bake sales, gifts for neighbors or teachers, it is time to at least think about what you can make.

This morning I stirred up starter for what my grandchildren call "Mimi Bread." It's typically referred to as sourdough because it uses a starter, but it isn't true sourdough. What it IS, is delicious! At one point when my girls were growing up, I kept the starter going for 5 years. At this very moment, I haven't made any in a couple of years.

But I got a request to make some for a bake sale for a holiday bazaar our church is hosting. (Daddy-O was thrilled because he will get some.) I pulled out the recipe. I made it so often for a very long time, I had this recipe laminated. If you have any thoughts of trying this, be aware that it takes the starter 5 days to "do its thing" before you can use any. I mixed mine this morning and stuck a post-it note to the bowl to remind me which day I need to add the yeast.

This recipe is beginner friendly. In the last few months, my "grown and gone" granddaughter made it for the first time and a friend asked for the recipe right after I had sent it to Big Sister. Both had to make the starter. And both of them baked beautiful bread. Don't be afraid.

**THE STARTER DIRECTIONS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RECIPE.**

SOURDOUGH BREAD

1 cup starter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 cups warm water

6 or more cups bread flour (use the extra to flour the surface for kneading)

Mix bread ingredients. (I use a wire whisk to mix in the first 3 cups, and then use a spoon for the last three cups.) Place in large bowl sprayed with PAM.  Lightly spray dough with PAM.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Let stand and rise at least 8 hours.

Punch down dough and knead on floured board about 10 times.  Divide into 3 parts.

Spray three 8-inch loaf pans with PAM.  Shape dough and place in pans.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap.  

Let stand and rise until pans are full, about 5 to 6 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Whole wheat bread:  Use 2 cups whole wheat flour and 4 cups bread flour.

To feed starter:  Remove 1 cup for baking (or discard) and feed with 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tbsp. instant potatoes and 1 cup warm water.  Mix well and let stand 8-12 hours.  Then refrigerate.  Store in plastic container with slits cut in lid. Feed every 3-7 days. 

(My favorite container for storage is a large Cool Whip container. Cut an "X" in the lid to let the starter breath.)

To make starter:  Double the feeding recipe.  Put in a glass or plastic container, loosely covered.  Let set out for 4 days.  Then add one pack dry yeast.  Let stand another 24 hours.  Use 1 cup for the first batch or store in refrigerator for up to 7 days.

This bread freezes beautifully. It makes a great gift.

One reason I like this recipe is that it makes 3 loaves from one baking. Daddy-O, of course, will get a loaf from my first round. The other loaves will go into the freezer for the sale. And I'll have time to make before the bazaar that happens in 3 weeks. 

Other bread recipes that are also good for gifting or bake sales: 

Pumpkin Bread This also makes 3 loaves. No yeast required. Just stir and bake. Also freezes well.

No-Knead Artisan Bread  This is delicious and doesn't require starter—or planning ahead time to make the starter. But it only makes one loaf. I was asked to make 8 loaves for a church dinner a couple of years ago. And I did. I baked one loaf a day and froze them.

**My bread photos are from previous posts about this recipe. But the loaves always look the same. 😊