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It's cooling down a bit outside at our house. I turned our heater on for the first time in months day before yesterday, and you can feel that increased bit of urgency in the squirrels that raid my bird feeders trying to fatten themselves up as quickly as they can before the snow flies. Today the rain is lashing at the window outside the house, and there's just the hint of a chill lingering in the air, even with the heater running.
Winter is coming. But not before the tall oak trees across the street bursts into its glorious crown of golden leaves and the maple and dogwood trees around the neighborhood burn bright with their orange and crimson foliage. The purple asters planted along our front steps are full of blooms this year, and spend the day covered in butterflies and fat, buzzing bumblebees from dawn to dusk.
This is my favorite time of year.
It is time to start changing around the clothes in my drawers, putting more sweatshirts at the ready and fewer t-shirts. I'm sure we still have some warm days ahead of us, but it is almost time to pull out the flannel sheets. (If you haven't experienced the nirvana that is flannel sheets on a cold night, you really ought to treat yourself to a set for this winter. You'll thank me later.) That first morning when it is icy cold outside, and you are snuggled all toasty warm under your flannel sheets...bliss.
But before we get to that point in the year, we get treated to this magical color display. If you haven't experienced the Fall leaves in Appalachia, you should think about making that a vacation some year -- from the Carolinas up through West Virginia and into some of Western Pennsylvania, it will be one big swath of color over the next few weeks. Well worth a little drive to see it most years. Or, if you are lucky enough to be me, you look out your front windows and see a little copse of trees...and enjoy your coffee while you type.
Fall always makes me want to curl up in a chair with a mug of tea, a warm blanket and a really good book, although that is more of a rarity for me these days with The Peanut and her endless need for stories and playtime -- and, frankly, kids grow up way too quickly, and it's too good an excuse to play with the Fisher-Price zoo to not take her up on it, let alone the endless adventures of the original Winnie the Pooh stories.
Most of all, this time of year, I start craving that wonderful bowl of comfort that you get from a good soup or stew. Since we'll all be hitting the pavement doing get out the vote work, or neighborhood canvassing, or whatever (MYDD has a great article on how you can "adopt a voter"), for the upcoming election, I thought a recipe swap for soups, stews, chowders (or CHOWdah, depending on your geography), and such would be a nice start to the weekend for everyone.
It's cider and apple season here, so if you have a great apple recipe or something you love to do with cider, feel free to toss that into the mix as well. Or, you know, pumpkin muffins -- there's a certain poodle who is always looking for the next great recipe.
Let's just sit back and enjoy each others' company this morning, and swap some comfort. Pull up a chair...
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Mmm, this is nice. It’s my favorite time of year, too, and I could definitely use some comfort these days. Thanks for writing that.
Jealous, jealous, jealous.
It’s showing 80 here in Houston right now. Didn’t get lower than 77 or so last night. 84% humidity.
Can someone lob some ice cubes this way?
Though we are expecting a “cold” front that may get us into the 60’s for a low. WOOHOO! ;-)
Hi, Christy — your vivid description of your home turf has its kindred in many pockets of the country. Here in the Red River Valley of the North, our colors are just getting started. The arching American Elms on our street that keep it deliciously shaded all summer are starting to show hints of the gold to come.
It’s been a tough summer around here for the elms. Watching these stately old sentinels go under the cutting blade is painful. But the survivors seem determined to arch that much higher.
Drought’s hit hard around here too, so we appreciate the steady autumn rains that have finally appeared. Too late for a lot of the crops, but an assurance that plants and trees will get a good soaking to firm up and sustain them through the subzero weeks to come.
We’ve been enjoying migrating cedar waxwings at the birdbath this week. And the robins are flocking together. Hunting season begins for ducks, another kind of harvest that’s part of ND living.
You’re absolutely right. This is the best time of year.
Mornin’ Christy.
Fall is definitely in the air. I was in the northeast this week and the leaves were just begining to change colors.
We’re still a few weeks away here in Atlanta.
Hey, did you ever scope out the bird bingo for the Peanut?
My toddler is an A birder, now.
I love apple pie with a crumb topping. And caramel drizzled over it. With vanilla Cool Whip. And hot chocolate,with the same Cool Whip. Drool. And homemade chicken pot pie. Or a nice baked mac and cheese. All good cool weather comfort food.
I love all 4 seasons,there’s something to like about each one. Though in Atlanta we don’t get much of a true Winter,I miss that. I’m from SE Ohio,I loved Fall up there in the Hocking Hills,really lovely place.
There’s something comforting about putting the gardens to bed for the Winter.Cleaning them up,adding compost to the soil,raking the leaves,and getting everything ready for Spring to start the whole process over again.
If you have the time to watch a very enjoyable 50 min show, check out this piece from The Guardian with Al Gore:
http://gristmill.grist.org/sto.....125132/906
I think it’s a week or more old, but it’s great.
Good morning Christy, and yup this is my favorite time of the year as well. The leaves are starting to turn along the river, and the smell of crisp leaves is coming along.
Re: stews I’m waiting to start up the woodstove since there’s nothing like slow cooking to get it right.
Here’s a good basic stew recipe. Quantities are approximations.
1-2 pounds of beef, I like beef tips, or chuck, cut into small pieces, and dusted with flour/salt/pepper
1 good sized vidalia onion, or spanish onion, or the onions you like, chopped up into manageable pieces
3 or four potatoes, peeled and cubed.
a couple good stalks of celery
a couple carrots
2 or 3 cans of beef consome
bay leaf
optional spices, I like thyme (fresh preferable) rosemary, and occasionally a bit of worcestishire (however that’s spelled)
method: In a good sized stockpot, melt a stick of butter, and sautee half the onions, and then toss in the beef. Brown it up. The flour will help thicken the stew. Toss in the consome and add water to the directions. Toss in everything else, the bay leaf is oddly important. Without it, it doesn’t taste right. Bring it to a boil for a few minutes, scoop off any scum that floats to the surface, and then reduce heat and let simmer all day. (woodstove is ideal for this)
This is better the day after cooking. (Oh, I add the thyme just before serving, it freshens the taste up. Also optional to brighten the flavor, some red wine, or some lemon juice)
Two days later, you should have a nearly solid mass in the fridge, at this point, saute some more onions and garlic, add a goodly amount of paprika, toss in a little tomato paste for color, then add the beef stew. You now have a mutant goulash, add sour cream before serving over rice or noodles.
It is a lovely time of year here in Washington. We had a beautiful early fall day on Thursday in front of the White House when a hundred or so activists delivered the Declaration of Peace. There were several great speakers, including Lennox Yearwood and Medea Benjamin. (If you get a choice, you don’t want to speak right after Rev. Yearwood, unless you are pretty darned sure of yourself.) It was so sunny out that Medea was looking for sunscreen, and I came home with a very red face after biking for peace all day.
Last week I was enjoying the fall colors of the tundra in the Copper River Valley of Alaska. From Anchorage to Glenallen was like time-travel from late summer greenery into deep brilliant golden-red-and-colors-that-I-have-never-seen-before. It will probably snow next week. Alaska Fall is about two weeks long. Don’t blink.
On the subject of children growing up quickly, my daughter is headed out with some friends to see The Who and a zillion other bands up in Baltimore. I think it was three weeks ago I was taking her to puppet shows at Glen Echo, but I could be mistaken.
Here in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, it seems that FDL-friendly Donna Edwards will not get quite enough votes to unseat Albert Wynn (the counting of provisional ballots is almost finished), but she did give him quite a run, and is very well-positioned for another run at whatever office she sets her sights on. I will try and atay in contact with her campaign to see what’s next.
In our local and state elections, one friend of mine won the State Senate primary, while another friend narrowly lost out in the State Legislature primary. They had both worked incredibly hard for the last six months, as had all of the candidates. An area progressive, Peter Franchot, incredibly unseated Maryland legend William Donald Schaeffer in the battle for the Democratic nomination for State Comptroller (a very powerful office in Maryland).
peace,
jim
Leaves just beginning to turn here in suburban Boston. When I first moved here in 1980 the last week in Sept. was peak leaf time and it was spectacular! Over the past few years it has been coming later and later. Last year the peak time was nearer the end of October.
Of course, there is no such thing as global warming. Ask W. He’ll tell you so.
Good Morning Christy. Nice sentiments to start the weekend. Thank you. Last year my daughter went to Ohio U. and I used to pass through your neck of the woods on the way to/from there. It is very picturesque this time of year.
This is my favorite time of the year, too. Here in Chicago, we have warm days and cool nights. I love to snuggle under my duvet, with my two cats, and sleep, with all the windows wide open.
Yesterday, I was in a depressed mood, because I finally realized that we are on the way to unilaterally bombing Iran. It just sorta hit me.
Why aren’t we demonstrating in the streets against this administration? Why can’t our Democratic leaders be much more forceful against the abuses - both former and future - of the Bush Administration? Don’t they know that the “liberal bloggers, i.e, the Democratic grassroots, would welcome and support some leadership?
I’m feeling a little better today. I signed a petition, over at Democrats.com, calling for NO war with Iraq. It’s my “New Year”, and my two sons, one a 24 year old paid staffer at the DNC currently working on the Ohio governor campaign, are going to be home for the weekend.
We’ll go to services this afternoon, hang out with my brother, his wife, and his four year old twins tonight, and then celebrate my father’s 90th birthday tomorrow.
It will be wonderful to see three generations of rabid Dems, from my 90 year old father to my 24 and 27 year old sons, together.
My fave thing this time of year is apples dipped in caramel and nuts. The farmstand stores this time of year feature them as we have lots and lots of apple orchards in the exurbs of Boston.
Best apple for dipping in caramel– macintosh.
It’s a gray drizzly day in northern Iowa. This kind of weather makes me want to make a big pot of something, too. Since I’m writing from the porkiest state, here’s a sausage soup.
Begin with white beans. Either soak, then cook them, till close to tender, or get a can out. I use cannelini beans, or little white navy beans. Red ones would be good too, but they change the flavor. Quantities in this recipe are to taste, but if you start with a cup of dried beans you end up with a lot, and you can either put them all in the soup, or save some and dress them later with a vinaigrette, some kalamata olives, chopped tomato, and garlic.
Cut up an onion or two and begin cooking them over medium heat in some olive oil. Dice a carrot and toss that in. When these are beginning to caramelize with a little fragrant brownness, add sliced mushrooms, a couple of big garlic cloves, chopped, and cook for a few minutes.
Heat another pan with a little more oil, and crumble some sweet Italian sausage into it, leaving it chunky. Brown that, then add it to the onions, leaving the fat behind. Add enough chicken stock to just cover the ingredients, some thyme, salt, pepper, and broken pieces of porcini mushrooms to taste. (These are powerful, and I like to use them as a seasoning. Added to sauces or soups they add a layer of flavor that is wonderful.) Add the beans.
Simmer this for 20 minutes or longer and taste for seasoning. Beans seem to absorb a lot of salt. When you’re near serving time, add some chopped kale and simmer for a few minutes until it is soft but still bright green.
Variations: For a smoky flavor, grill the sausage, and/or add some cooked bacon, or grilled and cut-up pork chops.
Serve with a really great bread.
Mornin’ All,
I too love Fall, but 3 years in Central Texas have robbed me of some of that - It was over a 100 deg last Halloween ! - (hey Zergle!)
but back when we had a Fall, this was a good porch sittin’ treat
hot apple pie -
cider
cinnamon sticks
Tuaca
fresh whipped cream
shot of Tuaca in glass, warm the cider, pour in glass w/ cinnamon stick, top with whip cream
yummers
Morning Christy!
Grey and raining here in Vermont as well. Little fire in the woodstove to take the chill off. Still…my Peanut and I are headed to the farmer’s market, rain or not. We’re in need of some locally grown, E. coli-free spinach!
Dubhaltach has a great memory-filled post and Ramadan chicken recipe here:
Sounded good to me!
Morning gang — Mr. ReddHedd was nice enough to get up with the peanut and let me sleep a bit. cbl at 14 — that sounds DELISH!
Morning all,
I just got my first cup of coffee, soundscapes is on the t.v playing wonderful meditational music. My oaks are still green but the chill is in the air. Last weekend it was 90 degrees before the tornado weather hit and now, for the last week, fall has arrived.
Cloudy, over cast. Still too early to clean up my gardens. My kids are sleeping. The rainiest night here in the midwest for us was thurs. I had a late meeting and came home to chili cooked by my husband, and a fire in the fire place. He can be such a romantic guy sometimes.
I have been dreaming of wild rice soup, butternut squash soup with apples and asiago cheese and glorious stew made with cream of mushroom soup, garlic, and a nice merlot.
Which reminds me of the beginning of my relationship with my husband. He was an electrician. Met him in a bar (bad girl) and needed help with some construction at my house (I use to invent the problems just so he would spend time at my house).
He would never want to eat. I felt this need to feed him. One day I put on some stew. In the back of my mind, I knew that the heavenly smells might temp him into staying for dinner. It was a fall day like today, a saturday.
I put the stew on, the house smelled divine. He worked in the basement finishing a room. But still he declined to join us for dinner. The night got later, he didn’t leave, but he didn’t sit down to dinner. I felt resigned that he wasn’t interested in a relationship. Finally around 8 p.m, I put my children to bed.
As I was on my way down the steps, I peaked over a cut out in the wall and could see down to the counter where the crock pot sat stewing those wonderful juices. There he was in the kitchen eating out of my crock pot with a wooden spoon!! He and I laugh about that moment, because it was the moment we both knew. I came around the corner and caught him with the spoon in his mouth. His eyes winked at me and he said “I couldn’t help it, this is the best stew I ever eaten!!” He says he knew that he would marry me from that point forward. That was 16 years ago! Maybe we’ll have stew tonight!
its damp and cool in Indianapolis - the weather is unsettled. Latinas are holding an Anti Domestic Rally today at noon on the Circle - I’ve been asked to be their official photographer so I’m worried: will it rain?
Snow on the mountain in Santa Fe. Aspens turning. Beautiful.
Green chili stew!
bTW;L’a shannah Tova everyone-tha’s Happy New Year and may it be a year or peace and a return to values of compassion, tolerance, and love.
10 days of repenting now- forgiving and seeking forgiveness. Sort of a 10 day walking/talking meditation….
coolish, rainey day is rural NY. Trees not really turnng yet, AM off to services (where i got several agreements with my latest LTE last eveing)and I am looking forward to a late night gathering of recipies and visions from this thread.
Easiest soup in the world.
Take one butternut squash the right size for you and yours. Cut into eighths and scoop out the seeds. Steam squash until soft. Remove from heat and allow squash to cool enough to skin. Mash squash into saucepan and add H2O until it’s the right thickness for your taste. Season with S & P to taste. That’s it.
If you have a little more energy, saute an onion/garlic and some celery to stir in.
If you like it creamier, stir in a little milk or cream.
If you like it more piquant, squeeze a couple of cloves of garlic raw into the pottage.
If you like it sweeter, add a little butter and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg or cloves.
MMMMMM golden yellow food!!
Yankee Corn Chowder (with variations on a theme)
-One pound of good bacon cut into little pieces.
-One very large or 2 medium onions chopped
Quite a lot of Thyme
-One quart chicken stock (or clam stock if making the clam variation)
-2-3 medium russert potaotes cut in 1/2 inch dice
-one large bag frozen corn kernels or 6 ears freash corn cut from the cob (if using freah capture all the corn milk and add it tot he pot–actually though frozen works better for some reason)
-One box/package frozen lima beans (very optional, nobody in my family likes them)
-A liitle flour to make a roux
-mile , half and half or cream (depending on how bad you want to be)
Render the bacon and take remove the crispy bacon bits with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Brown the potaotes on all sides in the bacon fat and reserve. Don’t worry if they are not cooked through, you are going for color here.
pour off most of the remaining bacon fat leaving just enough in the bottom to soften the onion. When the onion is transparent add just enough flour to absorb any lingering fat and forma a very pale golden roux.
add the stock, the thyme and the corn(the limas if you are using them). Bring back to the boil stirring so the flour does not make lumps.
Turn the heat way low add the potaoes back and cook slowly until the potatoes are done and the thyme has perfumed the broth.
Add the dairy. If you are using milk, you may need a bit more roux so the soup will not be too watery.
The liquid final product should be the consistancy of half and half not heavy heavy cream.
ADjust salt and peper and ladel into bowls. sprinkle with reserved bacon bits.
This soup is good hot or cold and frezes well. Just make sure yo always keep the bacon bits seperate until you are ready to serve or else they get soft and rubbery.
Clam variation:
Steam clams in a sperate pot and strain and reserve clam broth and substitute clam broth for chicken broth.
Chop the clams and add them to the suop when you are adding the dairy. You don’t want to overcook them. Never use the limas with the clkam version.
Lobster version:
Add bits of leftover lobster meat when you add the dairy. For some reason, the lima DO work in this version
One of my favorite road trips of all time was driving from Ruston, Louisiana to Ann Arbor, Michigan in October of 1967. It was the first time I had been that far north. My boss and some of my colleagues were Michigan grads and they decided to go see the Wolverines play Northwestern. I still remember walking down the sidewalks of down town Ann Arbor that saturday morning. In front of one of the shops they were selling apple cider by the cup. The weather was cool, windy and damp. The cider tasted wonderful. The trees were a blaze of color…..
We turned the seasons corner this week in Arkansas. No fall color yet, but a few cool nights. Key indicators: We sold more hot choclate than ice ancream in at the high school football game concessions stand, and the mosquito killing mist-blower sprayer hasn’t driven by this week. Thunderstorms and tornados last night also remind us that we are in transition.
When I lived on the east coast, Spring was my favorite season.
Now I live in So. Calif. and the season I miss the most is Fall. I didn’t know what I had when I had it.
If you want cool weather comfort food, but don’t feel like spending half the day in the kitchen, try Carol Shelby’s chili mix. It’s easy and it’s yummy. I usually use three kinds of beans and sometimes throw in some kind of vegetarian meat substitute.
If you’re a carnivore, another nurture food is kielbasa. Cook two cups of shredded red cabbage in balsamic vinegar and water with a touch of sugar (to cut the bite). Cook for 30 minutes and then add a pre-cooked kielbasa to cook with the cabbage for about 10 minutes (just to heat it through).
Bin Laden is possibly dead. MSNBC said maybe as far back as a month ago of typhoid in Pakistan.
De-lurking here to say we’ve had cool weather here this week in central IL - some mornings in the 40s, but I’ve been able to hold of on the furnace. My youngest, just in kindergarten, brought home her first virus last week (aw, isn’t that cute?) so this week I’ve had radish and greens soup (recipe came from my CSA along with the produce,) and I’ve made a pot of chicken stock with parts I stashed over the past several months. I made chili, and we treated ourselves to a night out when I felt a bit better.
One of my favorite soups is the Soup Nazi’s Mexican Chicken Chili. I also have my own recipe for Escarole, Bean and Meatball soup, as follows:
2 qts chicken stock
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans Italian beans (or white beans, or 1-1/2 cups beans, soaked overnight, rinsed)
Bring up to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. (If using dried beans, cook until tender.)
Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 clove garlic
t. salt
t. ground pepper
3 T parmesan cheese
Mix and form into balls about 1” in diameter. Add to soup and simmer for 30 minutes.
1 onion, diced
1 pound escarole, chopped into 1” strips
2 T olive oil
Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add escarole and saute until wilted. Add onions and escarole to soup and simmer 10 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Enjoy!
Melissa
I have been dreaming of wild rice soup, butternut squash soup with apples and asiago cheese and glorious stew made with cream of mushroom soup, garlic, and a nice merlot
Wow a poodle who bakes, what a talented pup. I love fall also. After the humidy soaked month of August, the cool refreshing air is welcome. My favorite thing is getting the hour back in October.
Speaking of October, it’s my favorite month of the year. The air is cool, the sun is warm, the nights are just right. And then there is Halloween. One year I was in SF on Halloween and decided that a walk in Muir Woods would be an appropriate way to spend the daytime. I was joined by a couple from Australia on my trip that day. It was a fascinating conversation, they wanted to know about Halloween because they told me they didn’t celebrate it in Australia. Not that I had a clue about how it started, I never gave it much thought. They were excited to see people dressed up in costumes for the first time. I suggested to them to go and pick up masks and join the fun. I don’t know if they did, I do know they added another level of fun to my day.
Later that night the biggest street party I’ve attended was in the Castro.
katie Jensen @ 17
great story!
It’s raining here on LI an I am going to my very extended family’s annual reunion picnic which will be held rain or shine.
Nothing like huddling with your peeps in the chilly rain to make you want to come home to a pot of stew.
Thanks for the good idea Christy.
cathy @ 26
I’m guessing this is preemptive Rove spin to help inoculate against the Bush failure to get him going into the midterms. Bill Clinton put a highlighter on that failure in the Fox interview.
lhp: south shore or north shore? Nassau or Suffolk?
Mornin’, Christy. Sounds like you’re perking along again, glad for that.
fahrender — that would be mid-to-late October in Ann Arbor, believe they would be just past peak color at that point. Two hours north of Ann Arbor we reach peak about a week earlier, and some parts of the Upper Peninsula are already reaching or passing peak color.
Speaking of the Upper Peninsula, here’s some Finnish-American soul food for those of us from Yooper country:
Kala mojakka (Finnish-American Fish Stew/Soup - kah-lah moy-ah-kah)
1 pound firm-fleshed fish (pike, if thoroughly de-boned, is nice; lake trout better, and salmon is excellent), cut into large chunks
6-8 cups of chicken broth (more or less, depending on volume of fish and vegetables combined, must be enough to cover both vegetables and fish)
Aromatic Vegetables:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large leek, white portion, cleaned and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized medallions
3 small turnips or 1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into bite-sized dice
2 stalks celery, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
5 large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite-sized pieces, rinsed
Rinse fish and then slip pieces into a large soup pot filled with broth; slowly bring broth to a boil and immediately turn off heat on broth, cover with lid and allow fish to finish poaching. As soon as fish is firm (will only take a few minutes), remove from broth carefully and refrigerate until rest of soup is ready. Skim broth of any foam.
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil to smoke point, then add aromatic vegetables to saute until leeks are soft but other vegetables are not yet cooked. Add aromatic vegetables to pot of broth, then add potatoes and the garlic to the pot as well. Bring broth to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. Skim broth as desired.
When potatoes are tender, remove one-fourth of the vegetables to a heat-proof deep bowl; use a stick blender to puree, then return to the pot to thicken broth. (You could also use a regular blender, or skip this step and thicken with flour-and-water roux.)
Slip poached fish chunks back into the soup, then carefully reheat soup just enough to warm through fish. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with a nice artisanal bread, a crisp white wine or beer while watching your choice of Michigan football teams.
cathy @ 26
rather deflates that “smoke ‘im out, dead or alive!”, doesn’t it?
I hope this is ruining the October surprise…
How about a silent Coup d’etat to start the
weekend. If Thailand can manage,we can. When
does Bushie leave the country?
Great article in Globule this morn…
http://www.boston.com/news/nat.....r_program/
Jack
Pachacutec @ 32
And if they can spend a lot of time on this tomorrow, they don’t have to talk about Clinton bitch-slapping Wallace nor do they have to talk about how the rubber stamp repug congress is about to A-OK torture with nary a peep out of the dems to stop them.
HELP! Someone? ANYONE?
Wish I had time for a recipe, but we’re getting ready for the penultimate parade of the year right now. The kids are actually ready early, I think we’ve finally gotten them trained. The five-year-old loves passing out candy to other kids now and the four-year-old drive the golf cart with daddy’s signs on it, with grandma’s help.
Perfect weather for the parade today. It rained almost all day yesterday, but the clouds parted this morning and the weather is cool but comfortable. May not have a frost warning tonight! The pumpkins are just starting to turn orange, and we still have a couple of peppers growing in the garden.
Wish me luck, this is going to be a close race :)
Pach — yeah, I think you are absolutely right about the OBL story being Rovian spin. Wasn’t there rumor about another OBL audio/video tape only 4 weeks ago?
I suspect that THEY know the Big Dog interview on Faux is very damaging; it would have looked too obvious to put the story on Faux, so they leaked it to another outlet (wasn’t CNN first with this?). Very easy to do with the propagandists on the payroll in Iraq. Also muddies the situation with Pakistan even further.
Classic Rovian whisper campaign.
Rove must have one heckuva “October Surprise” in store if they are already dragging out Bin Laden’s dead body.
Bleh.
I’m with Jack. Though about those particulars….
cathy @ 26
If this is true, Bush didn’t capture him nor did he try.
Wow– I just went over to link that very recipe, DairyMaid @ 15 and I come back et voila! I sent it all over last nite. I am making it Sunday nite and am so looking forward to it. Du’s post is awesome too!
Milineryman — believe the frame is:
They let him get away with it.
Remember how frustrated folks were after Ken Lay’s unexpected death, like he’d managed to cheat them out of his punishment?
RevDeb @ 12
Hi RevDeb, I’m right there with you on the apples. I prefer Granny Smiths myself, however the carmel and nuts are the way to go.
Man this makes me pine for the apple cider donuts from the Louisberg Cider Mill in Kansas. And the Lost Trails root beer is so good. Nothing better on a cool crisp autumn day.
It also mena s to me that I will have to make my Beer Chili soon. YUMMMMY.
Christy,
We have great annual adventures at the local pumpkin farm, which has a corn maze and a petting zoo and its own cider press. They also do this v. weird display of pumpkins painted to look like characters from books and tv, as Eli and watertiger can cofirm if they’re about. Eli was particularly freaked out by the animatronic ape band, as I recall.
Love Susan in Iowa’s sausage soup recipe, and Katie’s handyman tale, and Old Sow’s easy squash soup and… What a great collection of recipes and reminiscences.
FDL Books needs to do a cookbook! Yet another way to show the world we’re not wild-eyed jammie troups ranting from the left. We are America.
I’m looking for some advice for my favorite colorful veggie. Any tips or recipes on making sweet potato fries–especially if they don’t involve frying in deep oil?
Finally tracked down a shoestring/regular potato cutter [at the world’s greatest cookware store, right here in Fargo, creativekitchen.com]. Mark and Claudia have been in business 30 years…unfortunately the marriage didn’t last as long as the business. But it’s a great store, and you’d have fun visiting it in person here in Fargo or on the web.
Kentucky Woman @ 39
And keeping with their current medieval theme (torture), will they put his head on a pike in front of the White House?
lina @ 48
Inshallah
Prairie Sunshine @47:
Have you tried a cookie sheet with just a slight sheen of olive oil? You have to turn them, but this works pretty well for regular potatoes, anyway.
The Rove “one heck of a suprise” has left or is leaving Norfolk VA; ETA Iranian coast, OCT 21.
October 21 you say? That’s my birthday!!
Bleh and a V’urp.
Rayne @ 43
I’m for framing it that way. Bush let OBL get away and his failure allowed OBL to get away with it.
Pachacutec @ 33
I live on the North Shore in Nassau, very close to the beach. Picnic is in the south part of the county.
Rainy fall days and cool nights always bring out my craving for Caulifower-Cheese Soup, from the Moosewood Cookbook.
2 cups potato chunks
2 cups cauliflowerettes
1 cup chopped carrot
3 medium cloves garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1.5 tsp salt
4 cups water or stock
Place these ingredients together in a pot. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Let cool 10 min. and puree entire mixture in blender/processor until smooth and creamy. tranfer to kettle(double boiler if possible),heat gently and whisk in:
1.5 cups grated cheddar
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp dill weed
1/4 tasp ground dill or caraway seed
1/4 tsp dry mustard
black pepper to taste
Meanwhile, steam 1.5 more cups of cauliflowerettes. Add those to the soup just before serving, and whisk in 3/4 cup buttermilk. Top with scallions and extra cheese. Serves 4-5.
YUM.
Sautee some apples in butter and fine-grind cinammon… Add a cup or so of good apple cider, a touch of fresh ground nutmeg as it heats to a boil, top it off with water and maybe a table-spoon of honey or brown sugar and then as it boils add a cup or two of your favortie ground bran cereal or cream-of-wheat or malt-o-meal. (I prefer organic ground oat bran) Maybe toss in some raisins in the last few moments and even a few almonds or cashews.
Best breakfast you ever had!
Just a drive by as I’m off to bed. If anyone feels like waking up this fine Saterday morning with a beautiful piece from Yo-Yo Ma… It’s on my blog. Just because it’s my blog and I can. :)
Aloha my lovely pupsters. G’night!
Oh and if you’re feeling tropical. Mango with a little bit of crumbled candied ginger also rocks on that recipe!
I grew up Nassau, south shore. My parents still live there.
It’s still 80 here just north of Dallas but at least we are getting some serious rain finally.
On OBL, http://www.what reallyhappened.com has a line noting the report on OBL’s reported death with a short comment as :
*No shit.*
—–
Sounds about right to me.
you guys are making me hungry! (and I haven’t even finished my coffee yet)
let me see if I can get the skinny on the Ike leaving Norfolk… sounds very odd that the Eisenhower would leave the “yards” before her refit is really truly finished…not somethin’ the Navy would like very much.
My espresso machine has finally provided enough caffeine that I can type. Fall means opera season starts up for me. I am off to rehearse Aida all day today. This morning is music with Maestro: the conductor comes in for the first time to work with us. I think I can get through it pretty well, I am almost off book, and sorta know the rest. This afternoon is first blocking. In large chorus operas, there is not a lot of movement, and the big thing is traffic, getting everyone on and off stage efficiently and without looking dorky.
Verdi just loved music, he loved chorus singing, and some of his most distinctive music is in this one, including Celeste Aida, the first aria I ever learned: it was in a book of love songs my mother taught me back when I was a boy.
The finale is just perfect Italian singing: Here are Mario Lanza and Dorothy Kirsten (Aida) and Blance Thebom (Amneris) from The Great Caruso.
Note, the people on the stage are supernumeraries (spear carriers). They don’t sing. The chorus, not particularly good in this one, are backstage in this scene. That’s good, because we have to wash off the body paint before we can go home, which can make for a very late night.
Prairie Sunshine @ 47
We make sweet potaoe fries in the oven. First you dust them with cajun spice mix and garlic powder. Give them a little spray with olive oil in a pryer or with PAM (very very lightly)
Put them on the top rack of the oven on a high heat. The thinner the shoestring the beter it works. You have to stir/filp them afew times to get all sides cripsy
Low fat and fab
Soup, beautiful soup!!
And Old Coastie, it’s all the folks at this place with all our connections here and there getting the skinny on one thing and another that gives me HOPE.
Love y’all, no kiddin’
There is a cookbook that I love called “Twelve Months of Monestary Soups” written by a monk, Brother Victoir-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette. The recipes are laid out in a month to month fashion, but one that I love year round is a Provencale vegetable soup with a swirl of pesto. Thought everyone would enjoy it as well:
SOUPE AU PISTOU
2 c. dried white of flageolot beans
10 c. water
2 leeks, or onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 zucchinis, cubed
12 string beans, but into small pieces
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
sprig of parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Pistou Sauce:
7 garlic cloves
10 basil leaves
1 c. extra virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain and place in large soup pot with at least 10 c. fresh cold water. Add all veggies and herbs and bring water to a boil. Cover pot and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, or until beans are tender. Add salt and pepper. Stir well and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Keep soup hot and covered until you are ready to serve it.
While soup is simmering, prepare pistou sauce as follows: Mash garlic cloves in a mortar. Add basil leaves and continue mashing until they are well mixed. (Or throw them in your food processor and pulse a bit until well minced and combined, but not completely liquid.) Add grated cheese and mix well until it turns into a stiff, consistent paste. Place the mixture in a good-sized serving bowl and add the olive oil little by little. Whisk well until it reaches an even consistency. (You can use your food processor or blender to make the whole sauce, it will just be a little smoother. When I do that, I save back a little bit of the parmesan, so I can mix it in at the end to add a little texture.)
Serve the soup hot. Pass around the pistou, and let each person add the sauce to his or her taste. This is fantastic with some fresh, warm bread on a cold day.
Pachacutec @ 57
Pach are you a five towns baby? Or a bellmore/merrick kinda guy?
uniquely_tim — that short comment at WhatReallyHappened.com is actually a link to other materials about OBL’s probable death in 2001-2002.
I have done regular sized white potato fries in the oven with olive oil and seasonings, NYMary…haven’t perfected the crispy quality yet, but a work-in-progress.
Did see on a cooking show–Hell’s Kitchen? Maybe something else–the suggestion to blanch in deep frying oil then cool then crisp with a second “dip” in the oil but my arteries choked on that idea.
Maybe the thinner shoestrings will help the oven cooking. And definitely the olive oil, maybe one of the fruity ones? And some grated nutmeg and ginger. Yummmmm.
Early on in marriage, we made croissants, an all-day progess of proofing and kneading to get those wonderful layers. A one-time-only experience, but I still get nostalgic about that. There’s definitely something zen about the creativity of cooking.
Kentucky at 52 — mine is the 19th — we’ll have to have a little joint birthday hurrah on the 20th. :)
Christy — YUM!! I’ve got zuchinis and tomatoes right here, and white beans in the cupboard. Will pop over to the farm market to get some basil this afternoon.
Guess what’s for dinner?! Thanks!!
masaccio @ 60
Are you in the chorus?
Split pea soup. Just do what it sez on the package.
Best thing about soups/stews is the house smells good all day. The aroma equivalent of putting on warm jammies fresh from the dryer. Then again, as somebody once said, just fry up some onions and everybody comes running…
Mmmm…Nate at 56 — I love sauteed apples over pancakes or waffles. Yummy. (You guys are seriously making me hungry.)
I love ‘cheater’ recipes - dishes where the finished product looks like you spent hours slaving but in fact are quite simple to do - here’s one - the only real work is in prepping the Apples
and per my usual, not for the dietary timid
apples, apples, apples
butter (lots of it)
sugar & brown sugar
puff pastry sheets (if you can find them)
pre-rolled pie crusts (if you can’t)
oven to 350 deg.
peel, core, and halve apples
place them vertically stacked next to each other in concentric rings in the pan (preferably cast iron, but other works) on medium heat
start adding butter, then add sugars as butter begins to bubble. continue until apples are soft (approx 20 min total cooking time)
once finished cooking, cover with pastry sheet or pie crust so crust covers top 1/4 of apples
place in oven per pastry sheet or pie crust instructions - usually no more than 12-15 min.
take out, let cool a little, place your serving dish on top of the apples and INVERT
options: a good one for pears, and some folks add sprinkles of Grand Mariner to apples as they cook. oh and there is something out there called Soy Margarine (usually found in the hippie food section of grocery store)- works well in cooking/baking as butter substitute (fooled my family for 18 months before being found out - “really honey, it’s just unsalted”)
Here in Denver, the tree leaves are turning golden, and every morning in our backyard, there are more leaves than the day before. But the grass throughout our neighborhood and parks remains a deep green.
I’m surprised that the temperatures are dropping into the 60s in the day and 40s in the evening. Last year after a sizzling summer, the weather remained warm until October. Not so this year, after mostly very hot summer days.
I’m an academic who retired as a business school prof after my second was born (when I was in my mid 40s). Christy, when you talk about the Peanut, it reminds me of how wonderful it is to have unpressured time with my girls. There are certainly tradeoffs, but I’m a happy mom. Hope you are too.
Fall in Maine=Chantarelles…bushels of them! Kitchen table mounded high! Saute them and eat everyday for weeks! Dry them to keep for winter.
Ah!! A kindred spirit!! Another brilliant, creative and JUST Libra!!
Thank you for such a wonderful blog. I landed here as a lurker in April and delurk occasionally, usually with snark.
I am sorely lacking in the ability (ahem..and confidence) to express in depth the thoughts that run through my mind. It has been critically therapeutic to “float around” such exceptional and compassionate thinkers.
You folks keep me buoyant.
Op99: yes, I sing primarily baritone populi in this one, and some bass priest. This is my 46th opera production.
Does the “op” stand for opera?
Potatoes–I never bake whole potatoes anymore. Always cut into bite sized chunks and array on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for ten minutes to dry out the outside and turn back to 375 for another 30 minutes. If you are daring or short of time, leave it at 425 but PAY ATTENTION. If the potatoes are more than one layer deep, you may wish to rearrange during the cooking. Each nugget is golden on the outside and soft inside. Great “chew” material and wonderful dipped into any sauce of your choice–an easy one is the right proportion of mayo and mustard with a little dill weed. Works as well for sweet potatoes in my experience.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 71
You’ll love it. Make sure and try the tropical version with the mango and candied ginger. (crumbled candied ginger = great secret ingredient for blueberry cobbler with lime zest too)
Mango version goes well with macadamia nuts of course. :)
clarification: a little snark (no where near the fabulosity and ferociousness of T-Rex!)
mary jane @ 74
I did not know, another great reason to love Maine.
I grew up in the Catskill Mountains in New York, and to me that is the most beautiful place to see the leaves turn. Now I live in Massachusetts where the colors of yellow, orange and brown predominate. In the Catskills the predominant color is rose. Red to pink, they put every other leaf-peeping trip I’ve ever taken to shame.
masaccio @ 76
Yes, but only in the seats, not on the stage. What venue is this Aida? Any elephants, lol?
Mary Jane, we saw few chantarelles in our woods this year. Where’re you huntin?
And by the way, mid-coast Maine Lakesters are meeting for dinner in Belfast at Darby’s for dinner on Tuesday next. 6pm. Be there or be square……..
I want to apologize for being combative and rude last night.
A real apology. Not ‘there are some who may have been offended’. I was cranky and rude, so I’m sorry.
Great read Redd.
~~~
Today’s bowl of warmth is beer&pork stew, (I use an IPA);
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/.....95,00.html
I like to add a heaping spoonful of mustard seed, even more onions, lotsa herbs from the garden (thyme, rosemary, parsley, chives) and some capers.
Uh yeah, that was me. JCB
lhp and OS, thanks for the potato tips. Will have to try that cajun spice. As Fargo gets more diverse–the Global Market strip mall is now under construction–the opportunities to find the real thing in ingredients make everybody’s recipes here today…possibilities.
Hoping to pot up some of my herbs for the winter. Basil is probably a goner, too woody now. But the thyme, chives, and sage are just beggin’ to come in to a warm, sunny windowsill.
massachio at 60 — Aida is one of my faves. Which part are you doing?
Hmmm…now I’m going to have to dig through my CDs and find some good opera for this morning. Ahhhh…
I’m in Maine for the week-end, drizzing out and cool, and not much color in the leaves yet. I start thinking of hibernating around now, and make sure to get out for a run each day (keeps SADS at bay). We went out for dinner last night with family and friends (10 of us, here for a wedding). My nephew (a Dem college student who was a Hillary volunteer a while back) espoused his strong support for Susan Collins last night. I’m thinking “what the f…” and say, don’t you remember Alito etc. etc.? He says, “but she has never missed a vote.” I shake my head, suggest there probably will be a move against her in the next election, like there was for Lieberman. Friend of 30 years (New Yorker) a former Peace Corper, like me (he is now a Wall Street broker) looks at me angrily across the table. Israel is the issue. Discussion at the table (mostly us mid fifties to early sixties types) discuss issues of the day, and the Right. I say I have had it with religion. My friend says something about violent Islamic extremists. I say, I am more worried about the far right Christian, Moslem and Jewish extremeists espousing violence, also adding that there are lots of Moslems who are not violent extremists. My sister-in-law (mother of the bride to be) glares at me. Iran comes up, most around the table are appalled with the possibility of attack. I note the likelihood that a wave of attacks against Israel through Syria would be likely. My friend stays silent. Another at the table asks the two college age in the party: Where are the demonstrations by your generation? Where is the sense of moral outrage that young people of our generation had? My nephew and my friend’s daughter say nothing. Crickets. I’m thinking, it can’t just be the lack of a draft. Strange times. A little later I turn to my friend (whose main reading on current events is the WSJ) and remark (in private) that I can’t understand why the business community doesn’t come down against the Bushes and the right. The debt is going to become a noose. He says something like, they are not happy, but are hoping that the mediocre situation will get better with someone else after the next election. I bring up this non-s