Picture du Jour

Resting Downy Woodpecker

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Oh, yes!, I can recommend it.  Because of copyright restraints I won’t copy and publish here, but you can go to http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/broccoli-cheddar-soup-recipe.html for this one.

This is an intense green full-bodied soup.  I have always loved broccoli cheddar soup in restaurants, but compared to this they’re full of cornstarch thickening.  This has no (none!) thickening, and it’s wonderful.  I made a couple of changes, just for my taste.  I used slightly more garlic, and it could have used more cheddar.  I also decreased the amount of mustard, slightly.

The croutons really made the soup.  I used the equivalent of about four slices of homemade bread torn into about inch sized pieces.  Instead of being hard and heavy like croutons so often are, these are crisp and still full of air.  When you add them to the soup they act like thickeners, so make sure the soup isn’t too thick!

Will I make it again?  In a heartbeat!  And we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Winter Saturday

Our Bambis were busy last night!

 

The herd seems to have increased this year, and the winter has been colder and snowier than the last several, so they must be hungry.  As long as they don’t eat anything important …

I spent several hours this morning downloading free cabled sock patterns from Ravelry.  I think I have enough to last me for a while.  Many are for finer yarns than what I’m using, but I can adjust them.  I wear heavy socks instead of slippers in the house all winter.  The floor in my studio is cold, so I like socks nice and thick.  One download was an excerpt from a book that looks interesting:  Socks a la Carte.  You can pick and choose the patterns for the cuff, leg, and foot – mixing and matching.  This appeals to me!  And it would work with many weights of yarn.

Cold weather makes me want to eat good things.  Right now I have a loaf of what I call “Craison Bread” in my bread maker.  This is a bread that is so very good for breakfast, and it’s really easy to make. 

Craisin Bread

Put ingredients in the bread maker in this order.

1 c water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c rye flour

2 1/2 c white bread flour

2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Set the bread maker to fruit cycle.  This makes a 1 1/2 lb. loaf.  After it runs for a couple of minutes add

1/2 c broken walnut pieces and 1/3 c dried berries.  (I like to use craisins, or a mix of dried cherries, blueberries, and cranberries that I can get at BJ’s.)

Enjoy!!!

This evening we’re going to have Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  I found the recipe on-line, and, if I like it, I’ll share it.

On to black sock knitting.  When I can’t work on them this evening I’ll start something new.

Origami Cardi by Norah Gaughan

I knit this, and I really, really tried to like it when I was wearing it, but it just doesn’t work.

The picture doesn’t show it, but the back of the sweater actually hangs about four inches below the edge of the front.  Here’s a picture of mine.

 

When I saw the picture above I thought it would be a wonderful showcase for one of the shawl pins I’ve collected.  And you can see that mine looks lovely.  But, if the picture on the pattern had looked like this I wouldn’t have purchased it!  So, I’m going to rip it and knit something else.  I love the “Berry-in-a-Box” pattern stitch, so I think I’ll find a cardigan pattern that I can adapt.  Time will tell.

It was a fun day with my camera!

Yesterday morning I was doing the oh-so-fun-thing of sorting clothes for washing when I happened to look out the back window.  At the back end of our yard were five deer – before noon! – and they were happily munching away on the myrtle groundcover.  Wow, we NEVER see them during the day.

They’re pests, but I love to watch them.  This one had no modesty.

And when it was finished it covered the spot by scooping snow back over it, just the way a cat does!  I didn’t know they did that!!!

As I watched one of them started to walk up toward the house.  Before very long he was under our  bedroom window, joined by friends, and was having a happy time eating the ivy.

Cool! 

While Doug and I ate lunch we were visited by a variety of birds.

And a fuzzy friend.

After lunch we decided to go x-c skiing – first time for the year.  How I love being retired!

 

The above pictures were taken in Ellison Park, along Irondequoit Creek.  It was interesting that the snow there was only about a third of what we have, and it’s only ten minutes from our house.  That’s they mystery of lake-effect snow!  This is my first picture this year of hubby on skis. 

Sock knitting – Black Wavy Rib Socks

It seems as though sock knitting is what I want to do right now.  I finished a basic pair just before Christmas, started and finished another while visiting and traveling over Christmas, and just started a new pair last night.

The new socks are a pattern that I’ve created.  I’m calling them “Black Wavy Rib” Socks.  The yarn is Wool-Ease, color black (not too exciting, but not too visible either!)  They’re looking good.  Knitted top down, I’ve put a picot edge at the top.  I’ve then used a pattern from Annie Maloney’s The Knitter’s Guide to Stitch Design that’s a lace and rib pattern.  Very pretty.  The picture may look washed out, but it was the only way to photograph black!

Greetings this first day of 2010

It’s been a long time since I’ve used this blog.  Life has managed to get in the way just a little too often.  One of my vows for this new year is to be a little more consistent.

In view of the above, “Dear Abby” this morning fit right into the equation.  I’ll share:

DEAR READERS: Can you believe it's 2010? It's the 10th anniversary of Y2K. It seems like only yesterday.... But a new year has arrived, bringing with it our chance for a new beginning.

Today is the day we discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones, so with that in mind, I will share Dear Abby's often-requested list of New Year's Resolutions -- which were adapted by my mother, Pauline Phillips, from the original credo of Al-Anon.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking.

Just for today: I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully -- if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

They’re good resolutions for anyone, and well worth the thought.  Time will tell!

JAY CAPERS staff photographer

Ann and Doug Kreckel of Webster walk along a trail in Ontario County Park in South Bristol. The park offers 12 miles of trails for biking and hiking including an overlook of the Bristol Valley. (Democrat and Chronicle staff photo by Jay Capers)

This appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on 10/25/09

I realize there’s no hurry …

… but it looks like Summer has finally come to Upstate New York!  It’s actually warm today, though soggy from all the rain.  Maybe August will be better.

My flowers, however, like the cool and damp weather.  These are my deck plants.

 

Ontario County Park, north of Naples, NY

This will probably only be of interest to members of my family, but anyone can visit!

We haven’t been to OCP for a while, so yesterday we decided to take a picnic and maybe get in a hike.  Mother Nature didn’t agree, however, as it started to rain just as we finished our lunch.  Luckily my DH had brought our raincoats! 

When we stopped at the entrance booth I had asked about the current camping rates.  This was the first place we ever camped, back in the “dark ages”, and it’s been a long time since we’ve camped here.  The guy at the booth asked if we knew about the new cabins.  Cabins?!  So, he gave us a new map of the park and sent us on our way.  After lunch we walked to the cabin area.  This is in an area that had been heavily wooded at one time, west of the main camping area.  These are really cool.  One cabin has two rooms – pull out couch, table and chairs in one and bunks in the second.  The other has just one room with a pull out couch, table and two chairs.  Each has a porch, picnic table, grill and fire pit.  I think we’ve decided to try one in October!!!

There’s a path from the cabins to the old trail that circled from the campground to Jump Off.  We walked the old trail back to the campground in the woods where we had camped those many years ago.  What a change.  They actually have a road so that you can drive back in!  WOW!  No more carrying everything.  There’s no camp site where #3 used to be.  DH is standing in what used to be a heavily wooded area.

 

The next picture shows an area that used to be a path through a dense stand of pines.  Then came the ice storm of 1991.  Now it’s cleared and the tent sites sit in a meadow.  I liked it better before!

 

This is the view from where site #3 used to be looking off through the woods to the north.  It’s strange to see a road here.  And the drinking fountain has replaced the water spigot that used to sit about twenty feet to the right at the top of the hill.

 

The one tent site that we could really like!  It’s private, in the woods, and would be great for us.  Maybe next year.

 

Before the ice storm of 1991 this was an area of tall pines like the previous picture.  This shows what 18 years has accomplished.  Lots of growth yet to come.

 

The old trail through the woods.  It’s still the same at this point.  We last skied it three or four years ago.

 

And it doesn’t look much different here, either!

 

By the time we got back to the car it was thundering and threatening BIG rain, so we drove to Jump Off.  The wind was blowing and our raincoats were nice!  This is that we saw looking toward the north.  That’s right – nothing!  It was raining so hard to the north that it was a solid wall.  We drove home right behind it.