Onward We Go

57 at 8 am this morning, after a showery night. It is beginning to feel like Spring. I hear that the hummingbirds have arrived in Southern Virginia, so they should arrive in a couple weeks here. I planted tomato and other seeds, and transplanted cabbages, broccoli, tomatoes, and kale into bigger pots. All the plants are in the greenhouse now that the Temps have finally warmed up. The starting seeds are inside, however, to guarantee a proper germination temperature. 

More of the same going on here---work on the cabin site, lots of mud, lots of cooking. The cabin sadly did not arrive yet, as there seems to be an issue now with placing it on the foundation. A crane operator came, looked, and said he couldn't do it so now other options are being explored. It will happen soon, but we are not sure when.

Yesterday we had our number 3 son and his daughter and granddaughter here, so I made snickerdoodle cookies, their favorite. Then for dinner chicken pot pie with a biscuit crust instead of piecrust,  and a big tossed salad. Perfect for a blustery day.

Little Ellie certainly ate her share. She is such a sweet baby, and seems much older than her 15 months.

Today Sarah is leaving, and we hate to see her go. Here she is, stylin' the coveralls we found for her. They were perfect for the muddy work this week.

What a good visit this has been. 

These little guys are blooming now. I can't remember their name...Glory of the Snow, maybe?

Later on we will be at our booths, restocking for the weekend.  So a short post today, as I get ready for the rest of the day.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Cooking Up a Storm

28 this morning, but warmer now and the snow is melting. Rain and snow expected later today and tonight.

Being home all the time these days means I have more time to cook--which I enjoy doing anyway.

This morning, I made sausage gravy and biscuits for the first time in well over a year, and possibly 2 years. I can't remember the last time I made it. I'd cooked sausage for breakfast yesterday, and since there was all that leftover grease, I crumbled some of the leftover sausage in it and proceeded to make the gravy, which I then saved for this morning.

Which meant I had to make biscuits too. They are the easiest things to make, I think--self-rising flour with a little butter cut in, sour milk or buttermilk added, mixed lightly, patted out on a floured board--I use a cookie sheet which reduces the floury mess and makes for easier cleanup. Then cut and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. They came out beautifully. 

                                                

Yesterday's soup came our nicely. I pureed it in the food processor when it was done, and I swear I like it better this way. I will do this more often. 

The pureed soup will freeze nicely, too, which is good since we had a lot left over. We'll have it again today, then I'll freeze the remainder for another day. Having ready-made meals in the freezer and cellar is so helpful when we've been our or just really busy all day.

I made some corn muffins to go with the soup, so now we have leftover muffins too--and leftover biscuits. The biscuits will make a nice topping for a turkey pot pie I'll make tomorrow. 

How about you? Are you cooking more than usual this winter? Seems like I always do in winter months, because I have more time inside to do so.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 31: Turkey Pot Pie

47 this morning, but getting colder as the day goes on it seems. Tonight another freeze or frost warning, and possible snow flurries.

Today I got daring. We loaded some of the furniture and things I've been painting and hauled them to our booth in Ravenswood. My first trip out in a month. We had masks, gloves, wipes and hand sanitizer, but the only person we saw was Leah, the owner of the mall, and we maintained a goodly distance from her the whole time we were there. We wore the masks and gloves anyway, doesn't hurt to be too careful. I was surprised at how many cars and trucks were on the road. I guess I expected the roads to be empty, but even just a mile from our house, our way was blocked by two cement trucks, delivering concrete to our neighbors' house, where Amish workmen were building a garage.

So now after moving a secretary, two cabinets, a stool and a few other things to the booth, I have some space in my house again! Except that I also have 2 benches, 4 chairs, an end table and a dining table almost ready to go too. And Larry is sanding and repairing a desk (or maybe dressing table--no mirror though), getting it ready for paint. So I'll be jammed up again very soon. All good though as I gets me ahead of the game for a change. I am not really looking forward to the clutter, but I don't look forward to going out again.

When we got home I got busy making lunch/dinner/supper, whatever eating a 2:00pm is. I had made a turkey we had in the freezer for Easter, so we have lots of pre-cooked turkey meat in the freezer. I took the easy route this time, using some store-bought frozen mixed veggies cooked in chicken broth and thickened with cornstarch. I thawed the turkey in the microwave and tossed it into the vegetable mix, made some biscuits from scratch and used them for the topper. Popped the dish in the oven until the biscuits were done, about 12 minutes, and there was our meal. De.Li.Cious. And super easy; the whole thing took about 20 minutes.

I added a nice pot of Earl Gray tea to the meal. Larry didn't have any, and honestly I drink black tea very seldom any more, but on this cold day it was just the thing. I brought a teapot home from the booth with me so I could have a different teapot for a change too. It's a red clay pot, and holds the heat very well.

That's been my day so far. For the rest of today, I may get back to painting, or I may work on ebay listings. My sales continue to be really good and I will soon have enough to buy a new chainsaw if it keeps up. That's my incentive to add more listings. We really need that saw.

How is your day going? Are you cooking anything exciting today, trying something new, or bringing out an old favorite?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Old-Time Cooking, Tea and Memories

Mom and dad, 1980's probably, drinking tea

Yesterday on Facebook someone posted a photo of an elderly woman in her kitchen, washing dishes, and asked what was our favorite food that our grandmother or mother made that we ate as a child.

I don't have any memories of my grandmother's cooking; they both lived so far away, one in England, the other in New Orleans, and we did not see them very often. I am envious of those who had grandparents close by, to run and visit, to learn to cook with, and to tell them stories. My English granny came to visit a few times and my memory of her is of drinking tea with her, although I do remember her making a jam tart for us once. She was sweet and loving and we adored her.

My New Orleans grandmother--I have no memory of her cooking at all, although I know she did cook for us occasionally when she came to visit. She did not approve of us thirteen children, calling us "hellions" which no doubt we were! In her letters to her daughter, which came to us after her death, she talks extensively of cooking and sent recipes, often trying out the "new" foods like jello, or new mixed drinks. I am sorry not to have known her better, but her disapproval unfortunately colored my later relationship with her. Perhaps as an adult she would have liked me better, although my country lifestyle was probably also on her "not approved" list.

Mom cooked. A lot. For a lot of people in our house. But my memories of my mother and food actually center around tea: tea made in a china teapot with boiling water, loose English tea and poured into china cups and served with milk and sugar. "Proper tea," she called it, and turned up her nose at tea in restaurants made with hot water and served with lemon. Later in life she used teabags (preferring PJ Tips brand that she mail-ordered). I still make my tea like my mother taught me, although my brand choices are Yorkshire Red and Bewley's Irish Breakfast.

I sent the photo of the elderly woman washing dishes to a group I am in, and asked them, "what food cooked by your mom or grandmother was your favorite? The responses seemed to speak of times gone by, recipes that most people have never tasted or heard of. Here's a few of the foods they mentioned. How many of these have you eaten? I have to admit, I can only claim ten. I think I have some experimenting to do!

• Stuffed cabbage
• Fried corn
• Oxtail soup
• homemade noodles and dumplings
• strawberry rhubarb pie
• cornbread sticks, eaten after school as snacks with peanut butter stuffing
• wilted lettuce and bacon salad
• biscuits with chocolate gravy
• pork, sauerkruat and potato dumplings
• chicken balls
• gooseberry mousse
• chicken schnitzel
• cottage cheese biscuits
• pierogi
• homemade butterscotch pie
• custard pie
• fried green tomatoes
• asparagus in brown sauce over toast
• currant pie
• apple cake
• sugar cream pie
• sorghum molasses beans
• lemon cake
• vinegar pie
• Hominy
• tomato dumplings
• Homemade dill pickles

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Soup: One Dozen Recipes

Winter has really arrived here in the hills. Last night was a bracing 10 degrees, with a steady wind most of the night. This was the view from my workroom yesterday. I watched the storm rage while I painted, nice and warm with the gas stove and the three dogs. With a fire in the fireplace, the dogs and cats piled up inside and plenty of projects to keep us busy, the weather hasn't really slowed us down much.

But it has made me think of soup. I've made several batches lately, and have a big tub of veggie soup in the fridge right now. I've posted several soup recipes here over the years, so today I thought I'd put together a list of all of them with links so you can find them easily.

First, is there anything as comforting as tomato soup and grilled cheese?

But even better is tomato soup with herb and cheese biscuits!
Both recipes are in this blog post.

Potato soup is a another great tummy warmer, and easy to make in the bargain. Get the recipe for a chunky version here, or click here to try potato leek soup, a smoother, cream soup that's delicious too.

Broccoli Cauliflower soup is flavorful, thick and hearty. perfect for winter days,

and so is Venison Vegetable Soup. When I make it, I use the same recipe as for Vegetable Soup, but leave out the cabbage. I don't like the way cabbage tastes or its texture in canned soups either.

Then there's Cheesy Cauliflower Soup,

and if you still have turkey to use up, try this Tomato-Turkey-Barley Soup. Yum!

There are lots of chicken soup recipes, but when we're not well, the old stand-by is Chicken Noodle Soup, right? A good variation on this is Chicken Rice Soup.

And for something a little more exotic,  Chicken Garbanzo soup.

Butternut Soup--one I like but Larry is iffy about it. No picture of this one.

And finally, the soup that is probably my very favorite, Corn and Cheese Chowder. Yum!

So there you have it, pretty much every soup recipe I've posted since I started this blog in January 2007. Enjoy, and stay warm!


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.