I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! We had a great time, and the food was awesome. And now that the kids have all gone home, we can decompress.
When we got back from dropping our youngest son at the airport, I went in the kitchen to see what we could have for lunch. There was absolutely nothing we could just pick up and eat, which was what I wanted to do. So I did what he used to do as a teenager and stood there with the refrigerator door open, hoping for inspiration. I opened the freezer and found it.
A few weeks ago, I cooked up the pumpkin from the garden. Part of what I do is to let it drain in cheesecloth for a few hours. I had frozen the juice that I collected, and that’s what I found in the freezer. So I put that in a pot, added all the little bits of vegetables that were in the fridge, added a few spices, and made myself a soup. When it was cooked, I added the last teaspoon of cream cheese, some heavy cream, and some Parmesan cheese. It was tasty! I’ll put the recipe at the end of this post. Maybe I’ll make it again someday.
So the other day I went to start tatting on the last row of the latest doily row-of-the-month. And it’s gone! I’ve looked everywhere for it! My search continues, and I hope it shows up soon.
In the meantime, I’m working on Christmas gifts. I’m trying to make almost everything we’re giving this year and since time is short, I’m quilting and not tatting. Also, since Bruce is the only person in my family who subscribes to my blog, I feel pretty safe posting pictures of the items I’m making as gifts.
Here’s what I have so far.
I watched Jenny Doan’s Wallflower Quilt video and had to do it for my step-son’s wife. I thought at first I’d do a whole lap quilt, but decided against it when I realized the time it would take for this pattern. So now it’s a table runner–a long one that should fit the beautiful kitchen table he built for her. I used gold since it is one of her favorite colors. I wanted it to be kind of modern-looking, so I made two of the wallflowers then added strips of different sizes. I really like how it turned out!
And for my brother and his family, I made a lap quilt. This one went together really fast, and I used another Jenny Doan video. Her stuff is so fun and easy!
His family is very musical, so here’s how it’s quilted.
Two down, a bazillion to go!
And here’s the recipe. I can’t figure what to call it. Maybe “Clean Out the Fridge Vegetable Cream Soup”.
2 cups pumpkin juice or vegetable broth
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup chopped carrots
1 Tbsp chopped jalapeno or serrano peppers
1 cup slice baby portabella mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
pinch paprika
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dry cilantro
1 to 2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Put everything in a saucepan except the heavy cream and cheese. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked. Add the cream and cook the soup down a little, stirring occasionally. Add the cheese and stir until it has melted, then serve.
More later!
