lovebenton0

add five books for me. barefoot contessa at home [holiday gift from sil] and four i picked up for 50 cents each at the local thrift store. most notable, at least most interesting to me, were two frugal gourmet cookbooks fg on our immigrant ancestors fg on three ancient traditions [china/rome/greece] vegetables [by cook's illustrated] love yourself [cooking for one or two]

megan, i'm enjoying your blog tremendously. dinner at daniel's and alicia's was certainly a gorgeous, enviable highlight, but it's been great peeking through your entire week with you. makes me want to visit nyc. haven't been there for many ummm.... many years.

butter alone or with the fav jam/preserves of the moment. peanut butter and honey cream cheese and orange marmalade smoked salmon onion confit dunked in any almost any soup i'm eating. and ooooh yes, i have to agree... a hot liquid egg yolk is divine. poached is my favorite.

makeover fritatta for dinner last night. i do one of these fairly often, probably a couple times a month, as i enjoy eggs for dinner and it's a perfect way to clean up my act for the week. i scoped out the freezer and snagged a little container of ramen noodles i'd tossed with chopped tomatoes, corn kernels, onions, garlic, orange bell pepper and a jazz of crushed red pepper. thawed it, which gave me just a bit of juiciness from tomatoes. threw all in a couple eggs and some little bits of mozz. cooked slow in butter over med low heat until softly set. ok, i pushed the definition by adding a topping [other than cheese] on this one, instead of all ingredients mixed together, but it worked. i arranged slices of grape tomatoes over top, grated some asiago cheese over all. let it finish to almost done, popped it under the broiler for a minute until cheese was melted and just a hint of gold coming up. great with my own sourdough bread toasted on the side. i finished the last quater of it today for lunch, sandwiched between more sourdough toast and spinach leaves. i like pasta/noodles in fritatta, as well as rice, bread and potatoes. i think any starch source works well. i think the last fritatta i posted here a couple years ago i used sliced/fried polenta. that works for me too.

we three ended up the week with pureed soups all around. pam, yours sounds delicious, mmmm-mmmm roasted pepper soup. and susan the one of everything looks interesting enough to try. thanks for bringing that up, maggie. tonight i decided to throw caution to the winds and have a small bowl of james peterson's indian-style seafood chowder with coconut milk. during cooking it was variably odd, ugly and then quite nice in the bowl and i enjoyed it. head-on shrimp, at 3.99/lb i couldn't pass them up. [i didn't need them head-on for this recipe and turned them stareless with all the good heads and shells in the freezer for shrimp stock for the next pot of gumbo.] recipe also called for thai chilis. i didn't have any fresh on hand... but i do have a big bucket of dried chilis on hand, mostly from my garden. among several other varieties, there are a lot of thai chilis and tabasco peppers in here, because my garden loved to grow them in the tx heat. sautee a couple onions, minced garlic, thai chilis, seeded and chopped, and grated ginger add the dried spices [tumeric, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, cumin] and cook a couple minutes more until fragrant. then i missed this pic... this was the ugly stage. add one lb 1/4'' diced russet potato and broth just to cover. i used 2 cups, half the broth called for. cover and simmer 15 minutes until potato smashes easily. then cool a bit and puree in blender. the ib was not good for this, too thick. add remainder of broth, two cups [or one 14 oz can] coconut milk and 1/4 cup lime juice. no food mill, so i strained it through screen with ladle. worked fine. velvety smooth. reheat soup and add cilantro and seafood a few minutes before serving. i used the shrimp and about a half lb of bay scallops i had also. red grapes and pineapple on the side, a little bread and that's the last soup in for the blog. it's been a week, folks. hope you enjoyed spending it with us as much as we did with you. kudos to my blog buddies, susan and pam, for carrying their own end and a bit of my dragging tail too. good night, sweeet dreams, stay warm.

susan dear, do beware those tiny moth things. i don't know what else to call them either... but they hit my little pantry in tx last winter. i think they came in some bulk rice i bought. they are tiny devils. they will eat through plastic bags, squirm their way into what you consider to be sealed containers [clamped gasket sealed jars, tins with tight lids, etc.]. amazingly voracious, they'll go after everything grainy or dried/fresh veg you've got. along with the bleach route, i had to toss dried peppers from my garden, oh the heartache... rice, barley, cereals and more, before i managed to get rid of them all. hope your diligence with the bleach got rid of your invasion. susan, your disaster hit the last day, mine the first. what would a blog be without at least one... from each of us... and now, poor pam.... i promise i didn't give you this crud. you're drinking the same tea i was days ago. back to tea again today. i can breathe and talk again, fairly regularly, but it's shifted down into my chest now. so chamomille and spearmint for me today seems to be most soothing. yep, lots of the ricolas have passed this way too. still another good night for soup. and i have a lb of head-on shrimp looking at me when i walk into the kitchen. may have to change my plan for indian-style sweet and hot seafood chowder [from james peterson's fish and shellfish... still judging whether i can indulge in just one bowl of coconut milk chowder. if not, i'll still stick with the shrimp plan, and an indian soup, but will try goan shrimp soup from monica bhide's the everything indian cookbook. both of these will be new for me. i would have loved to try hot and sour shrimp soup, but am unable to get all the ingredients i need for that right now.

we are having the same day here. coffee, tiny sparkly flakes, looks like it will get up to 5 or 7 today. we're on a heat wave now. by tomorrow we may be out of the single digits.

thank you, rebecca. makeovers can be a very delicious thing. it's so much fun to have fresh noodles to play with. i really do have to make them more often. if winter continues like this i'm sure i'll have more days to spend noodling. what are we doing still up in this cold... i'm going to bed. see you in the morning.

ok, finally to tonight's dinner. i live alone, with quinn of course. so, it's not often i spend an evening conversing with family and friends, albeit by phone. tonight was one of those evenings. it brought me smiles and i didn't exactly eat alone tonight, which was different, but nice too. beef noodle soup, sourdough baguette, and mixed greens with greek olive salad from the deli. the barm, behaving well. 2 cups barm went into the kneadful thing with half cup of water, 2 1/2 cups bread flour, a dash of salt, and a pinch of yeast. dough shaped and proofing. this is half the dough; the rest is in fridge to be baked later. i'm thinking pitas right now. and done in time to cool before dinner. meanwhile baby carrots and wedged onions roasted in the oven, and the noodles puffed nicely in beef broth from the roast remains. put it all together... eat while listening to the far away voices of family and friends. it was a very fine meal.

susan, who's going to the dentist tomorrow... and omg, the kao soi looks fabulous. the choice of venison was interesting; i like bambis, a lot. had you made kao soi with venison before or was this a blog week first... that's it for me, i've had to forego all the creamy and thick soups and chowders i was planning to make this blog week. no more waiting to eat coconut milk. it will be brothy anyway... check in tomorrow. edited to add comment.

lovely non-soup meal, pam. looks delicious. we each had non-soup evenings... unfortunately mine was taken up by eating nothing at all that night. i like yours and susan's [steak or even salami and mustard] much better.

i wanted something slightly sweet and i had two squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate. i have made chocolate bread for years, with many variations on the theme. i love dried fruit, usually start every morning with some. my current fav is dried cherries. last week i had bought two bags of the red jewels; not sweetened, but yes they are a bit sweet while still tart. i also have an assortment of nuts on hands. i like almonds with cherries. and... i wanted to try something else in the kneadful thing. it kneaded the basic dough for me, with the slivered chocolate. before shaping and final proofing i dimpled the dough into a rectangle, sprinkled on the [cooled] toasted almonds and dried cherries. rolled and pinched, rolled and pinched, sealed the log of dough with fruit and nuts inside. formed into a ring, laid one end over the other, gave it a tuck and let it rise. baked at 350, cooled overnight, sliced toasted and buttered for brunch. this bread is good with nothing on it, toasted or not and great with hot black coffee.

this looks wonderful, says the garlic lover. i will try it soon. maybe not too soon after the soup blog, but this winter. yet another ingredient that does not transport well in the cold, nor long distances in backpacks at any time, for that matter... fresh eggs. i'm out, used the last for the noodles. when the downtown pantry was still open they carried fresh eggs, as well as fresh meat and produce and assorted locally canned goodies on the shelf. but alas, they closed the week before the blog started. now, there are no fresh eggs closer than 1.5 miles away until the farmer's market opens again in the spring. the nearest market is maybe five blocks from me, on the lake. so i only have another two months to wait for that. amazing tonight to think that in two months the first greens will be peeking out of the stalls. usually i get a trip to the big gro store with son or dil once a month. that's when i stock up on the things that i can't deal with in the backpack, including a dozen eggs. except for recipes where i need them [and the occasional gotta have it fried, poached or hard-boiled egg], i use the egg whites in a carton to keep the doc happy with my cholesterol level. don't prefer it that way, but i don't mind for scrambles and frittatas. i'd rather have that than no eggs. i love eggs.

thank you, rachel.

no, not too personal... and in a blog on our daily food and lives there's not much that's too off-topic. my life abruptly changed with a divorce from my ex in tx [there is a song... ]. anyway, when i decided to change it in other ways, i began thinking new locale, easier climate for quinn and for me to get around in. we have to walk everywhere, including to grocery stores, farmer's markets, appts etc.. i started thinking north. that may sound strange, but the heat was killer on us walking. you can bundle against the cold, but when it's 100 plus and the heat factor is 112 or so, you've got a pack on your back... there's no way around that kind of heat stress if you must get outside. kenosha was the obvious choice because my son and his family live here. i liked the town [not small, close to 100,000 now] during visits and have lived not far from here in the past. it was the right choice. i'm very glad we're here, despite the potential frostbite.

pam, were are doing our best. feels relatively warm in here now compared to the walk. whoo-whoo-whooooo. now i know why we were so cold last night. weather channel just reported we broke our low record for today's date. record was -14f in 1979. last night we hit -31f, so yeah that's a new low. i'm just morbidly curious enough to want to know what the wind chill hit at that point. i'm having warm cinnamony applesauce with a big, steamy mug of black coffee and a cup of naturally cold water... thinking what combo of fresh and makeover goodies i can clear out from the soup blog all week for nail soup on our next to last night. i've got choices, and i'm about to go on the sourdough bread dough also. so looking in here, here and here... ... i came up with a plan for dinner. beef noodle soup. crockpot beef roast from monday [i have about a lb of beef with rich broth i didn't use in the barley beef soup], the other half of the noodles from saturday's chicken noodle soup, and some fresh baby carrots and onions to throw in with all. think i'll roast the carrots and onions while the oven is going for the bread. probably a salad to go along while i have the fresh greens. just a note about the cereal box in the freezer... it's not for cereal. it's for filling freezer bags. to the right of box you see brick-like bags of soup from the week. the cereal box makes the perfect form. insert bag, fill with food, seal and allow to freeze. so much easier to store squared bricks than lumps. i love to cook, but we all have those days when we need it as fast and clean as if someone else did it for us. for me, eating alone, after this blog week i won't have to cook unless i want to for a while. i don't try to cook to for one, unless it's breakfast or something quickie. so it's usual for me to have some good food stashed in the freezer for pull out and heat up on days that's what i need. but i don't usually have this much. there will be lots of tasty blog memories for me whenever i want for a while. i was disappointed to be so sick this week, but we bloggers wanted to give you a shot of our lives... as much as normal can be for blog week. you all might have seen too much normal from me. i've appreciated all the support from my co-bloggers and all of you. it's definitely been the most fun i've ever had being this sick.

We call it the 'kitchen sink soup' - everything goes into the pot, but the kitchen sink. Anybody else? ← nail soup... just start with what you got, and be surprised with what you get. personally, i stopped calling them leftovers years ago. they're makeovers, because i always find something new to do with them.

good morning all yes, susan. your starter should be fine. let it sit where it can warm up just a bit. probably oven with the light on would be fine... then proceed. i love my flannel-lined jeans. i've been wearing two and three layers all week. long undies under the jeans, undershirt, turtleneck, sweater or sweatshirt and heavy wool socks. but last night the big heavy sweatpants and big fluffy fleece shirtjack were added, with a fleece throw while i was sitting. it was really cold in my flat. quinn laid down next to the bed on his double folded sleeping bag and i covered him around with his fleece blankie. his eyes said it all started out this morning feeding my barm for a sourdough loaf while the coffee was brewing. we're heading out to walk. it's up to -4 [wind chill -28], but still sunny and very windy outside, which means cold as... pick your simile.

just saw this, susan. i'm impressed. those potstickers are works of art. sounds like you threw another successful bash. will be watching for more potsticker instructions tomorrow. now it is good night, and sweetest dreams.

thought i had downloaded all the pics from soupmaking today, but hadn't. i formatted the memory stick too soon and they're gone. not a big deal, it was a simple tex-mex style soup. what i'd call an end of week pleasure 'cuz it cleans up your week. easy to make, spicy and comforting. sautee sliced onions, chopped green pepper and corn in butter. transfer to your pot with about four cups of stock or broth [chicken or veg], tomatoes and green chilies. quickly sautee some chicken [leftover is your target] with minced garlic, add to soup with some chili powder and ground cumin. allow to simmer about 10 to 15 minutes while you grill split cornbread in butter, preferably on the same griddle/pan you sauteed everything else. put half of one piece in bottom of bowl, ladle in soup. stick the other half into soup. garnish with chopped raw onions, black olives, and jalapenoes. when avocados are nice i like to top with slices and a squeeze of lime. but avocados are downright nasty up here right now. typically you sprinkle some shredded cheese on hot cornbread before sticking in soup, but no cheese for me this week. the finished soup... for dessert i'm having a cup of coffee and a slice of chocolate bread with dried cherries and toasted almonds. the kneadful thing did indeed all the basic kneading for me on that one. i'm pleased with the bread... very. i like chocolate bread pudding and this would make incredible bread pudding. i'll post a recipe in rg once i catch up after the blog and the [sick] cold recedes. after all the onions and garlic i sliced/chopped/minced tonight, this seems an appropriate time to say, i like this stuff. it also works on fishy smells. it's a cream made with green tea and wasabi [two favs of mine anyway]; soothing and nice on my hands, way better than using lemon. i didn't buy this. it came as a freebie with something i ordered here. glad i got it. it's from upper canada soap and candle makers in mississauga. and that's it for tonight guys. sleep warm. edited to correct spelling

I am too! I love the pear soup - served with toasted pecans, reduced balsamic and crumbled feta or goat cheese. But I woke up feeling not-so-great myself and decided to go for a basic split pea. Maybe pear tomorrow. It's a loonie at Superstore, a quarter at Safeway. Superstore has loonie-shaped tokens that you can buy (for $1) that clip onto a key-chain. Everybody in the family has one - that way I don't have to remember to have a loonie with me. Works well. ← pam, how are you feeling... better, i hope. the pear soup sounds fabulous. from your brief i may have most ingredients on hand. and... ok, i passed up asking yesterday, but i'm too curious now. way outside the loonie loop here [haven't lived close to canada since 1972], what did you need it for...

margy, i can relate to that. last year i still lived in austin tx as i had for many years before that. winter 2006 was an exceptionally warm season even for us. i was begging it to get down to low 60s. when it would first hit 60 though after the tx heat, i'd be chilled. then i'd adjust. as i think i said yesterday, right before stepping out into the -30 wind chill, i like cold. on to the dessert bread, which ended up being toasted and buttered as a brunch offering about noon today. chocolate bread with dried cherries and toasted almonds. not overly sweet... one tbsp sugar, two oz slivered semi-sweet baker's chocolate in dough for a lb and half loaf. simple scrambled eggs and literally read-through thin proscuitto crisped on the side. and worth mentioning... my first cup of coffee in a week. now that i'm caught up on brunch, i've got to feed quinn his chow and get us out for a walk. more on dinner soup later.

i didn't get the chance yesterday to say how much i covet this market. that you can just pop over to shop anytime, well... the envy runs deeeeep. and looking forward to seeing potstickers today. drool.

love it, you win. i think even king would appreciate that. and i can live with kt for short. will show you all what else the kneadful thing helped me with last night. but i was just checking in for a moment before quinn and i must venture out. he's so good with me, knows i've been sick all week and is at my heels constantly, either awake or asleep. and he has the good pup sense to know it's friggin' cold out there. he usually loves the cold, it's a collie thing... but even collies sense when it's time to cut this short and get home. so we should be back soon, with some brunch and more about kt.

pretty basic, but i love swiss chard in lentil and in mixed bean soups. i'm also intrigued with the pear soup idea. pam, your dinner table and meal was luscious last night [um...tonight]. tomorrow may be a little tex-mex for us, not sure yet either. we are really going to bed now, been a long day. confession... wouldn't still be up if we hadn't napped while the camera was charging. sweet dreams, or warm dreams if you wish.