Yesterday I mentioned my mom's potato soup recipe. I should clarify that the word "recipe" is used very loosely. I'm sure that everyone's mother has a version of this, and neither Mom nor I ever makes it quite the same way twice... but here's how I made it today:
Chop one medium- to large- sized onion. In a large saucepan or soup pot, saute onion in a little butter, until it is translucent and slightly softened. While the onion cooks, chop two large potatoes. I don't even peel them. Add potatoes to onion, and pour in enough milk to cover. Salt to taste -- moderately to liberally. I find it needs more salt than I usually use in my cooking. Simmer until potatoes are tender, or to the texture you like. I let mine go until they are still chunky, but start to break down slightly, thickening the broth. My mom likes them a bit more firm. Add pepper to taste, and serve!
When I made this for my parents last week, I caramelized the onions before adding the potatoes. I seasoned it with Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt, Mixed-Up Pepper, and some ground dried sage. Yummy. But this is the "recipe" in its simplest form. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it this way! Of course, ingredients can be scaled to make as much or as little as you like. And you can go crazy with seasonings. Next time, I think I'll throw in a can of Niblets. And more onion.
I know I'm not alone here... but what a crazy month this has been so far! My poor, neglected blog... first I was gone for almost two weeks, then I was without my vehicle last week, and therefore unable to shop much... for three weeks, I've either been away, extremely busy, or extremely lazy! Needless to say, there hasn't been a lot of cooking going on in that time. I do, however, have a couple of projects up my sleeve for the week: first, my mother has resurrected her potato soup recipe from my childhood. I've eaten it several times at her house this month, and I bought provisions today to make my own. It's painfully simple, but soooooo good and comforting. Second, my cousin Emily is home for a couple weeks, in between various and assorted Worldly Adventures. She's leaving soon to go to grad school in South Africa(!), so her mother (my aunt Anne I refer to occasionally) is having Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner this Saturday, since Em will miss the real things. Emily has declared that it's just a dinner party, but I'm still thinking of it as Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday -- I'll use any excuse to have two in one year! =) I'm usually the designated bread baker for such family events, so I need to start thinking about what I should make this week!
And speaking of sleeves, here's a funny thing I noticed this morning:
If any of you use weatherpixie.com, you know that there are only a few "models" to choose from. This one is the only one with my coloring, though her hair is a lot shorter (and a bit darker) than mine. I like her, despite these facts. =) Anyway, the above is what she was "wearing" on this chilly morning. And here's the coat I wore on this chilly morning:
Completely pointless, I know, but I thought it was cute that the Pixie I chose has my coat! And yes, you can be assured that the crazy veg-head's coat is trimmed with fake fur!
Oh! I almost forgot! It's that time again -- my Annual Reading of the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" Series has begun! If you read this blog regularly, you know how into Laura's books I am, and that I also have "The Little House Cookbook." Hmmm... could there be some cooking happening along with the reading...?
On that note, thanks for your patience with my neglected blog. I will get back into the cooking groove this week, and back into the posting groove! Now I must start poring over my bread books... =)
I have to admit something about yesterday's recipe: remember when I said I went crazy, used less oil than was called for, and it turned out great anyway...? Well, it really did, but the topping doesn't hold together quite as well as it does with all the oil called for. It doesn't bother me a bit -- it tastes just the same! But since Linda thought she might try making this for houseguests, I thought a warning was only fair. =) I'm really trying to watch what I eat now, and to make a conscious effort at reducing fat and calories. Crumbly topping is a very small sacrifice, as far as I'm concerned, for cutting a considerable amount of fat from the recipe. So... use as much oil as you see fit, and enjoy!
I re-read several parts of "Diet for a New World" after I had eaten my fill of crisp last night. I mentioned yesterday that I think John Robbins is a bit of an extremist, and I still stand by that. He cites hundreds of studies, articles, books, etc. for stats on world hunger, farming, nutrition, and so many other topics. I have a theory that anyone can find the stats he needs to prove his point if he looks hard enough. And people will believe what they want to believe, and I, being a crazy tree-hugging Birkenstock-wearing hippie-chick vegetarian, choose to believe most of what I read in "Diet." Crazy Atkins people would probably burn copies of this book, because it preaches the exact opposite of what they "believe."
That being said, I like a lot of what John Robbins stands for, and I find his book to be inspiring. I am at a place where I need to be making some changes in my life -- first and foremost, to get happy and healthy. I've had a pretty tough summer, and I need to turn things around. I need to be in a better mood on a regular basis. I need to shed a few pounds (I know, me and millions of other Americans). I need to eat as well as I was eating a couple of years ago. I need to get back into Yoga and hiking. I want to bake all my own bread and sprout my own seeds and cut refined sugar out of my life and take the time to think about each bite of food I put into my mouth and enjoy the little things as well as the big things. "Diet" makes me want to make all these things happen. I bought my copy of the book several years ago, during one of my vegan phases. Obviously, that phase passed. I think I've reached a happy medium -- my diet now consists of as much organic food as possible -- especially eggs and dairy. That's my compromise for putting those products back onto my menu. I feel pretty comfortable with this lifestyle. I'm fairly sure I'll never go back to veganism -- I'm happy with lacto-ovo vegetarianism -- but this really is a great book to have on hand. It's so Earthy and crunchy and... well, so me!
I’m back from vacation, but life is far from back to normal. Vacation was very nice, thanks… until my car broke down in Ossipee, NH on Sunday – which just so happens to be 175 miles from Orrington, Maine. I’ll spare you the gory details, but in summary, my car is now in Wolfeboro, NH, and I have to figure out how to get there on Thursday (which means taking another day and a half off from work!) to retrieve it. I love Wolfeboro, but you just can’t get they-ah from he-ah by public transportation! Ack.
Meanwhile, it’s cold, windy, and rainy here today, and I have two produce drawers full of the apples that Kev & I picked a couple of weeks ago. How are the two related? It’s the perfect formula for making my favorite apple-cranberry-almond crisp!
The original recipe for this came from “Diet for a New World” by John Robbins. Fascinating reading, BTW – John is a Robbins of Baskin-Robbins fame, and is now a vegan, activist, and author (and, I have to say, a bit more of an extremist than I usually fall for... but still very interesting). If you’re at all interested in a vegan, Earth-friendly diet, it’s well worth the read!
Anyway – John’s recipe is called “Caramel Apple Crisp.” It calls for raisins and walnuts, both of which I quite strongly dislike, and “Fruitsource,” “an all-natural sweetener… made from grape juice concentrate and rice syrup,” which I find to be extremely expensive. I use Sucanat instead – it costs more than white sugar, but less than Fruitsource!
You can, of course, look up John’s original recipe, but here’s what I’ve turned it into…
October Crisp
Core and thinly slice 4 to 5 small to medium apples. Peel them if you like, but I don’t bother. This should fill an 8x8 square baking pan about ¾ full.
Sprinkle on a couple handfuls of dried cranberries, and a couple handfuls of toasted sliced almonds.
In a small bowl, combine the following:
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup Sucanat
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
John’s recipe calls for 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to be added to the dry mixture. I went crazy today and reduced it to 1/3 cup, and it was plenty. So mix the dry ingredients with the amount of oil you choose. Sprinkle the mixture onto the apples/cranberries/almonds.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350.
This is just perfect fresh out of the oven. There are some who would probably prefer it for dessert, with whipped cream or ice cream on top. I like it straight up. Warmed, of course. For breakfast.
