Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Be advised mushroom haters-this weeks soup may not be to your liking. The soup of week show cases my favorite fungus-mushrooms. They are excellent on pizza,or on a sandwich,in a omelet,or on salad. I know many of you are wondering if a forest fungus can be turned into an excellent soup. Of course they can. I got this recipe from "The Moosewood Cookbook" by Mollie Katzen. A word about Mollie(like I know her so well right?) She has excellent recipes for those of us who are vegetable-challenged or have an unreasonable fear of all things green or root oriented. You can check this book out at you local library.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 to 2 lbs mushrooms,sliced
1 tsp. salt
2 to 3 tsp. dried dill (or 2 to 3 Tbs. freshly minced)
1 Tbs. mild paprika
2 tsp fresh lemon juice(i used concentrate and it worked fine)
3 Tbs flour
2 cups water
1 cup milk (can be low fat)~at room temperature
black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sour cream(can be reduced-fat variety)
finely minced fresh parsley, for the top(or garnish)

1) Melt the butter in a kettle or Dutch oven. Add onions and saute` over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add Mushrooms, salt,dill,stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice.



2) Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly. Cook and stir another 5 minutes or so over medium-low heat.
Add water, cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often.

3) Stir in milk; add black pepper to taste. Check to see if it needs more salt. Whisk in the sour cream, and heat very gently. Don't boil or cook it after this point. Serve hot, topped with freshly minced parsley.

What are you thankful for?

I thought I'd start this post off by listing the things that I'm grateful for. I figure I spend way to much time dwelling on the crappy bits of life instead of enjoying wonderful moments that come everyday. Sometimes profound-sometimes not-I'm still thankful.
I Am Thankful and/or Grateful for....
A roof over my head
(Hey! I can dream)

A safe car to drive
Let's here it for Bruce Banner(that's my car's alter ego-you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Money in the bank to pay for the car and insurance
a new position at work
warm socks
family
friends
good hugs
good under garments(you know what I mean-one that lifts you up and never lets you down)
crafting
going back to school!!!
Money to go back to school(I figure If I'm thankful for it it will show up-if you build it they will come(field of dreams reference))
chocolate and mint collaborations
coke slushies from speedway
space heaters
youtube
bearing witness to Barack Obama's successful bid for the presidency
music(good music-not Celine Dione knock offs)
knitting gone wrong





Just not my knitting..

The Columbus Crew winning the MLS Cup
and The Ohio State Buckeyes beating the stuffing out of Michigan
And finally thanks for all my readers-

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Hug someone you love on turkey day

des

last youtube video?

Okay, I had to do this one. It's ingenuity is amazing. He has an awesome voice. So for all the star wars fans-here's one for you.



des

Crew's Control

Congratulations to the Columbus Crew!!!!!!!!!!! It's definitely been a banner year for them. Not only do they beat the Chicago Fire and old teammate Brian McBride-they beat the New York Red Bulls-3-1. So cool. I'm a new fan so I won't be quoting stats and the like. I'll just say I love their work ethic(and slogan and website) and I'm so proud of the crew. The Columbus dispatch should be black and gold Monday-The crew so deserve it.

Also Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes!!!!!! They totally whooped up on the Wolverines. They beat Michigan like they stole something. I mean come on-42 to 7? One of my co-workers is a Michigan fan. I asked him if he wanted a hug-he declined. As we were leaving he said that soon he would get his car back. He made the comment that he should just paint a bulls-eye on his car since people seem to keep hitting him. I told him just put a Michigan emblem on the car-that will work much better.

Knit when your feeling blue

Hey guys,

It's so cold now-I love the cooler weather but now I want to hole up and knit all my free hours away. I finally finished my socks-so cool. I'm now starting my mittens-hounds tooth ones-wish me luck It's my first finger gloves I've tried-so ambitious. I found this on youtube-I've been finding all sorts of cool movies-this one cracked me up. give a listen.


des

blast from the past

Shows I loved in the 80's

The Great Space Coaster boasted the Gary Gnu news show(No Gnu's is good Gnews),Goriddle Gorilla and Knock-Knock.


Fraggle rock-I loved anything that Jim Henson did-except the Dark crystal-really creepy for a kid. But Fraggle rock was one of my favorite shows. I love folk music and the music on fraggle rock was so melodic.


I was a fan of fashion,glitter and fame-so I loved Jem and the Holograms-it was the most awesome cartoon ever when I was a kid. I wanted a pair of read spiky earrings just so I could pull on my earlobe and whisper synergy-If your not familiar with the show-synergy was a computer that could change Jem's outfit and all sorts of cool stuff.


They don't make like they used to.

Soup of the Week

Hey guys,

I didn't get to post yesterday so the soups a little late but still delicious.
If you haven't figured out from my earlier post-it's spicy tomato soup. All the lycopene you can handle and enough olive oil help your body absorb the lycopene.




Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce (recommended: San Marzano brand)
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the jar of marinara sauce, chicken broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.


As you can see by my niece's expression it's a quick and easy recipe. She liked the soup even though it had carrots. Next week....is there a fungus among us.....

The anger management teacher

Hey guys, I'd like to welcome back one of my favorite contributors to my blog. My nephew is back-one year older and wiser to give us some insight into what goes on behind the scenes at a school concert....

Q:What was the title of your recent concert?

A: Really there wasn't a title. We did songs from around the world.

Q: So was it hard getting prepared to sing so many songs?

A: Yes. Especially since our music teacher has anger management problems. Like every ten seconds he says be quiet,be quiet, be quiet. When he only does it two times he says "I said that 81 times" and I'm like no you didn't!.

Q: I thought your music teacher was a hip happening dude. I mean he had the cool fake Swede coat on and he kept trying to make jokes. Don't you find him funny?

A: Not at all. He may act like he's all fun on the concert,but trust me you wouldn't want to be in our class when we go to music class.

Q: What's he like in music class?

A: Sometimes he tries to be funny but he is a sorry joker.

Q: What does a sorry joker mean?

A: It means he's bad at telling jokes.

Q: Did you learn a lot from him?

A:well all I learned how to make him angry and that was easy.

Q: So what do you do to make him angry and does he turn into the incredible hulk when he's angry?

A: The only word that I have to tell is'YES and what the class does to make him mad is nothing.

Q: So what's your favorite song you sang in the concert?

A: Well Ahhh, I gotta say "nengawaga chemawhe"(aka Native American Song)

Q: I have to say I liked Canada's national anthem better and then oh see funi mungoo gabane.

A: Remember when I said that he had anger management problems. I should have said that all he says is blah blah blah,stop it stop it stop it.

Q: Do you have any other advice or 8 year olds dealing with music teachers?

A: Well my advice is if your in my class never ever ever! play around.
Are we done yet.

Q: Yes Thanks for visiting my blog-I look forward to blogging with you again.

A: I know you do. It's fun.

Check ya later taters

des

fun with flickr

I've decided to let you guys in on a little secrect. I have two blogs...and the other blog is a little more "techy"




So the cat's out of the bag-I've been creating library trading cards and generally having a unreasonable amount of fun-all of this at work mind you. So Feel free to check out my other blog. This blog will still be my first love-it's where my blogging began.

www.shortandmighty.blogspot.com

what's in your player?

Hey guys,

I've been listening to a lot of books on cd lately. My commute these days is around 70 miles one way-yeah I know time to look for an apartment(think of all the dinner parties I could have-not to mention movie festivals each with a different theme..ahh dream a little dream)so I've listened to quite a few books on cd. My favorites are what NPR calls driveway stories. They are the stories so good that you either drive around your block to listen to more of them or just sit in your car to reach a good stopping point. I recently finished "library book" (a well calculated tale to keep you in..."SUSPENSE"). which is an old radio mystery with Myrna Loy playing Prudence Roberts. I loved it because she was the typical "panties in a bunch" librarian-a stickler for the rules and such. It reminded me of several conversations I've had with patron's over the years-mostly involving damaged items. She goes on to figure out a girl has been kidnapped and goes to the police-and of course you know what happens next-she takes off her glasses and.....come on it's in every sexy librarian story... the cop realizes she's beautiful and tries to date her. All ends well and she ditches the glasses and stuffy demeanor for the hot cop-so cute. I'm currently listening to "The dark is rising" series-wonderful adventure stories involving the timeless plot of light against dark. I just finished "over sea under stone" which pits 3 children and their grandfather against the forces of darkness. I'm currently listening to the Dark is rising which involves a new character that has just learned that he's an "old one" and has to learn to harness the special power that he has. Last night he almost lost one of the signs he was supposed to collect and I was on the edge of my car seat-waiting to see what was going to happen-I won't tell you here-you'll have to listen to it for yourself-but don't take my word for it.

Congratulations to the Columbus Crew Soccer team-They made to the MLS Cup for the first time in the franchises history!

des

Soup of the Week..Curried Pumpkin Soup!

Hey guys,

It's that time again-so let the soup making begin. The beautiful Ms. S gave this recipe to me as a going away present-how excellent. I made it-love it as is(i.e.no garnishes) it's a warm,filling soup perfect for a cold fall evening like tonight. Here's what you need:


1 large sweet onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garic
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger(i used ground worked fine)
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
2(15 oz) cans unsweetened pumpkin
1 cup water
1(32 oz) container low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1(13.5 oz) can lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tsp salt

1. Dice your onion(try not to cry to much). Saute him in hot oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat about 8 minutes or until tender. Here's a visual


2.Add garlic and next 4 ingredients(curry,ginger,red pepper,cumin)

Saute 1 minute

3.Add pumpkin,




1 cup water and chicken broth bring to boil.


4. Reduce heat to medium,add coconut milk, lime juice and salt and simmer stirring often for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, cool. Process pumpkin mixture in batches in a blender until smooth. Return mixture to dutch oven and cook over medium heat until heated through. Garnish!

Garnishes? Sour cream,chopped fresh chives. Do what you feel. From my heart to yours-enjoy.

Tune in for next weeks installment-here's a hint close cousins to tobacco, chili peppers, and eggplant. It is native to Central, South, and southern North America from Mexico to Argentina. Scientific name? Solanum lycopersicum. What do you think next weeks soup is going to be? Put on your thinking caps.

TTFN

p.s. Magic mirror tell me today did all my friends have fun at play?

des

Cadillac dreams

This week was a good week for more reasons than just the election. My uncle Joe drove up from tennessee in a 1991 Cadillac. I got to spend some time with my uncle and benefit from his wisdom. To top it off he let me drive the Cadillac from Columbus after my nephew's concert. Let me tell you I never saw so many wiggly kids. It was a concert about continents where they sang songs from all around the world. The kids dressed up in various native dress. We had King tut, a Mennonite,Pocahontas,a princess,Sacajawea, a farmer,a conductor(the kid kept waving his arms around like he was conducting a band)and many more. My nephew's classmates told him that he looked like a business man. I knew most of the songs because my nephew had taught them to me on our drives home. The kids really got into it. Anytime they got to swing their arms or punch the air-they went for it. So funny. Just a note about my latest craft show....people don't try to do craftacular things during a recession-mainly you'll get lookey lou's or congressmen who want you to vote for them -buying your stuff. I made enough to pay my half of the table and that's fine. Some of the other participants weren't so happy. One more word about Cadillac's... I love them. I used to have a 77 cutlass supreme named Julio...driving the Cadillac made me miss Julio something fierce. v8 engine,plush leather interior,all that power...ahhh this was the way driving was meant to be.


check ya later tater

des

Step into your greatness!

Hey guys,

I know it's been a while since by last post -but I was busy! Busy cheering for Barack Obama!!!! I'll try to be brief in my summation of my views on the election and on Barack. First of all you could see the stark difference between McCain supporters and Barack supporters. McCain had a sea of white faces at his rally last night in Arizona. Some of his supporters boo'd when Senator McCain spoke kindly about Obama-I know some of it was just sour grapes and sadness. I would've been sad if Barack had lost the election. They were silent when McCain spoke of the fact that this was a historic moment for African-Americans.He spoke of the fact that a people who once believed that their voice didn't count or could never be heard now know different. Don't get me wrong this is not about race so much as it is about change. Race was just one component. I believe that last night was a historic moment for all Americans. It wasn't just about America having it's first black president-It was more about the way we all came together to work for change for all of us. Barack's supporter were a more accurate representation of what America is-a melting pot. You had white,black,Hispanic,young,old,poor,rich(yeah some rich people voted for Obama too)standing side by side. McCain represented politics the way it used to be when the majority of minorities didn't vote. Obama' strategy of reaching out to "the least of these" those people who had been left out of the dream-was what helped him win this election. I voted for Barack Obama simply because he appealed to that dream that lives inside of me-a dream of a better future for my niece and nephew and for all of us. It won't be easy but we've taken the first step. Step into your greatness-the only boundaries you have are in your mind.