Victoria Sandwich Cake

Dear Mom,
Yoohoo!
A Victoria Sandwich cake is fresh out of the oven!

Won't you come and join me for tea?
I used This Recipe, but put the batter into two 6-inch cake pans and baked them at 375 for 25-30 minutes. For the filling I used the home-made strawberry jam which My Hero declared "too sweet", and rather than adding more sugar I blended the jam with a stick of butter. Worked and tasted just fine.
Keep Warm!
Love,
Kim

Enjoying Life's Detours

Dear Mom,
We left for our scheduled haircut appointments on Saturday morning, thinking we might stop for lunch on the way home.  A rare day with Nothing else planned. We had an entire sun shining Saturday before us. Before we knew it the shadows were getting long and it was time to be home, tucked in for the evening. The hours had flown by.
We discovered a new (to us) tea room and had a delicious lunch in a charming atmosphere,

surrounded by tea pots and anglophile delights.

Our Derbyshire chicken salad sandwiches were perfect with our pot of Prince of Wales tea

 and we strategically ordered two desserts to share: an orange scone (with clotted cream and lemon curd) and an almond-y tart that I can't remember the name of…. a Bakewell Tart maybe?… so we could taste both. I purchased the owner's Scone Recipe Book and baked blueberry scones on Saturday night. This afternoon I baked cranberry scones. The recipes in this book are easy to follow, with simple basic ingredients, and the recipes yield about 1/2 dozen scones- which is a nice amount to bake and enjoy. I managed to get 8 scones out of today's batch.

After lunch we strolled a couple of blocks to a favorite antique mall and browsed the afternoon away, hunting and finding treasures. I brought home some editions of Tom Swift for My Hero's collection, a set of six coaster-sized, crocheted doilies and two things I'd been keeping a look out for.
The first is a lowly old potato masher. I had My Hero hang it on the side of the cabinet next to the sink. It now functions as a very capable dish towel hanger.

And the second "treasure" is a very old, somewhat beat up but still in working order, scale. For a long while now I've thought a scale would be an interesting "something" on my kitchen island. This one had a handsome face and was the right price. I laid a crocheted doily on it, a domed plate on top of that and my scones have a keeping place.

I think a small flower pot with ivy or herbs would look nice balanced on the scale, too. The little checked tin next to the scale was a previous antiquing find. It is an old lunch box with a previous owner's name scratched into the lid. We use it to hold Olive's dog biscuits.

 “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” 

― William Morris

Our Saturday together and lunch last Thursday in the warm home of a new friend/kindred spirit have gone a long way to re-awaken, affirm, and invigorate my love of home and home-making, the importance of hospitality and the joy in life's simple pleasures.

“The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” 
― William Morris

 “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

― Maya Angelou

Love, 

Kim

Fast Forward

Dear Mom,
I don't even know what happened to July, and if I don't hurry up and post something, August is going to be halfway over.
Thank goodness for the photos I take with the intention of blog posts or I might not have a clue of where I've been and what I've done.

There was this adorable, very hard-working girl raising money to redecorate her room….

her glasses were practically steaming up with her efforts

A baby blanket off the needles and sent to the mother-to-be….

This is Churchmouse Yarns Picot Edged Baby Blanket pattern
and KnitPicks Comfy Worsted Yarn

And I finished Ivar, which might just be my new favorite cardigan.

I used Baah Yarn, La Jolla, in "Poison Ivy". This yarn is wonderful.

And I sewed another dress to coordinate with a cardigan I knit in the spring. 

Let's see. What else?

The kitchen cabinet project is marching along. We are almost done, with just the bit over the fridge and the kitchen desk area left to do. I painted the ends of the cabinets blue and I am considering painting three sides of the island a darker shade. And can you see that little bird stenciled there by the chickadee cookie jar? I gave serious thought to painting the back splash with chalkboard paint. Thankfully, I taped some black construction paper up there to get an idea of how it would look and I did NOT like it. So, we will keep things as they are unless and until I get a better idea.

My vegetable garden has been producing abundantly. My freezer is stocked with green beans and I am eating these yellow pear tomatoes like they are candy.

We took a last trip to Shipshewana to visit our favorite Bed and Breakfast before the owners retire. The weather for our stay could not have been better. Actually, our weather all summer long has been nearly perfect.

Sunset over the cornfield.

And I got brave and veered out of the cookbook to make a better peanut butter cookie.

Here is the back story on these cookies, and then I will tell you what I did. Which is not at all scientific.
When MelissaWhoSpinsButDoesNotKnit was here one Saturday so we could collectively try to figure out how to make her borrowed rigid heddle loom work, she mentioned some extra specially delicious peanut butter, made locally, and available in special shops and the farmer's market. I don't even LIKE peanut butter very much, but when she mentioned pretzels and white chocolate, trying some of this peanut butter found its way to the top of my to-do list. You and I went and bought some on the following Tuesday. You got the cranberry dark chocolate version and I stuck with the white chocolate pretzel variety. Click HERE to link to their website. Anyway, we got home with our crack peanut butter. As I took another spoonful, I said to you something like "wow, this peanut butter would make a good peanut butter cookie" and you just looked at me like why would you use a 7 dollar and 50 cent jar of peanut butter in a cookie but instead of saying that you just sort softly and slowly said, "or you could just put pretzels and white chocolate in you peanut butter cookie dough".

Me: "…"

So I did.

Here is the basic recipe that I used for the dough:
1/2 c butter
1/2 c crunchy peanut butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 c flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t salt

Mix butter and peanut butter; add sugars and mix well. 
Add egg and beat well.
Sift the dry ingredients together and add to peanut butter mixture. 
This is where I veered off the cookbook page….
I threw in a fat fistful of broken pretzel sticks and half a 12oz bag of Nestle's white chocolate chips. I did NOT chill the dough.I did not mold the dough into balls and dip them in sugar. I did not flatten the dough with a fork. Instead, I used a scoop to plop the dough onto silpat lined cookie sheets and baked them at 375 for 12 minutes.

It made less than 2 dozen cookie, though, which is good if you, like me, would probably just keep eating them until they were gone even when everyone around you has enough will power and restraint to walk away after 2 cookies. Like I said, they were good and I don't even really like Peanut Butter cookies.

The Young Lady starts school on Wednesday and we move the Young Man back to campus next week. As much as I dislike setting my alarm, I am ready to get back into a routine and on a schedule again. (And an alarm is a small price to pay for a daily dose of alone time.) WOOHOO!

Love,
Kim

Rosi's Lunch

Dear Mom,
Rosi was one of the first two ladies to take a knitting class from me at the Village Yarn Shop. When the class ended we continued to knit fairly regularly and eventually she became the crochet teacher for the shop. In a few weeks Rosi is moving back to Minnesota. I couldn't let her leave without acknowledging it somehow, and decided a simple lunch in her honor would be nice.

Hosting events like this
a.) gets the house real clean, and,
b.) justifies many of the frivolous purchases I've made over the years.

Setting up for this was fun, even though there were times during the prep when family life and Ladies Who Lunch life made me wonder what I was thinking when I thought of hosting a Farewell Lunch. But it was worth it. And that pain that was radiating from my clenched jaw into my right ear has mostly stopped now.

I served quiche and fresh fruit on Grandma's milk glass place settings.

We had cinnamon spiced tea and lemonade.

As napkins, I used some pretty hankies.

These individual bud vases are meant to be used as place card holders, but I stuck Forget-Me-Not seed packets in the name card slot and filled the vases with cranesbill flowers. Because I only have 6 of those, at each end of the table I used a different bud vase with a peony flower.

My most kind, sweet, gentle (I am so blessed!) cousin baked her delicious, pretty cookies for our dessert. I used them as our centerpiece.

I prepared all the ingredients for the quiche yesterday and then assembled and started baking them about an hour before I expected we would sit down to eat. This made things much easier (and me a whole lot calmer) today.

The easiest of the two quiche recipes was, in my opinion, the tastiest. I found the recipe in the "Summer in the Country" Gooseberry Patch cookbook. I didn't do exactly what the recipe says to do, though. Here is what I did:

Farmhouse Quiche

serves 6

1 frozen 9-inch pie crust (I made mine the day before and popped in the freezer overnight)

2 T olive oil

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced (I used the kind you find in the jar in the produce department)

1/4 c. zucchini, diced

2 T fresh basil, chopped

4 eggs, beaten

1 c. half-and-half

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

8 oz shredded Colby Jack cheese*

1/3 c shredded Parmesan cheese

3 Plum tomatoes, sliced

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the peppers, garlic, zucchini and basil until tender.

Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

Stir in veggies and cheeses.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Pour into frozen pie crust and top with sliced tomatoes. (confession: I forgot the top with sliced tomatoes part. The quiche was still good.)

Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

*The recipe calls for 8 oz of shredded Pepper Jack cheese, but I am a total hot pepper wimp, so I substituted the Colby Jack.

I think the luncheon was a success. After everyone left (with their Forget-Me-Not packets and an extra cookie- which they claim was for sharing when they got home but I am suspicious) I ate 2 more cookies and took a nap. The house is clean. Laundry is a little backed up but what the heck. I'll tackle that tomorrow.

Love,

Kim

Winter Storm Warning

Dear Mom,
Preparing for the predicted Winter Storm …. from the heavens, it must look like ants scurrying around a crushed hill.
To heck with Bread and Milk, I say. Make sure you have heavy cream and whiskey on hand, because Homemade Irish Creme will keep you a whole lot warmer than french toast.

Homemade Irish Cream

1 c strong coffee

1 1/2 c heavy cream

1 T dark cocoa

1 T sugar

1 T honey

1 T vanilla extract

1 T almond extract

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 c Irish whiskey

Thoroughly whisk cream, cocoa, sugar and honey into a saucepan of simmering coffee. Simmer for about 20 minutes, whisking frequently. 

Pour into a glass or ceramic pitcher and whisk in the sweetened condensed milk. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Whisk in the whiskey until completely blended. Allow to cool to room temperature* and serve over ice.

May be kept refrigerated for up to one week.

*I made some of this just before Christmas and Bonnie Jo stopped by to sample. We may not have actually waited for the "cool to room temperature" part. And please note that the empty glass in that top photo is Bonnie's.

Be safe and warm. 

Love,

Kim

YUM.

Dear Mom,
I have been on a winning streak in the Try New Recipe department. We (meaning I) have changed a lot about how we eat around here. Mostly because we'd  (I) stopped recognizing ourselves (myself) in photos. We were in there somewhere, but Fat People were in the way.
I am not done yet, but today there is 30 pounds less of me than there was 6 months ago when, after stepping on the scale at my ahem "annual", I drove straight to the closest Weight Watchers and declared that to be my Last Fat Day. I will never be embarrassed to step on a scale again.
So, motivated by Good Health and Weight Loss, I've discovered some very delicious new recipes. But actually, the one I am going to share with you was one My Hero grabbed in the seafood department at the grocery store. I tend to ignore all those little recipe cards. I just want to get in and outta there as fast as I can. My Hero inherited the shopping gene from his mother, however, and even the grocery store is good shopping for him. He can find stuff at the store that I didn't know existed. He looks in refrigerated sections and on shelves I would never. Neh-verrr. We often do our weekly grocery run together. Sometimes I get irritated when his "let's take our time and shop"  collides with my "GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!!!". But most times it is very good. I can ask what he is hungry for, how is our egg supply, which is the better deal, etc. He is there to help load and unload.
So, one of those times, he handed me a stack of recipes he'd browsed through in the seafood department. I must have been in a generous mood, because I saved them rather than immediately pitch them as if they were unwanted solicitations. This one had me at the Title. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.

Salmon and Wild Rice Salad

serves 4

Wild Rice Salad

1 cup wild rice, prepared according to package directions- I used Uncle Ben's fast cooking wild rice

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 T. olive oil

3 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

1 cup finely chopped cucumber

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T chopped, fresh dill

Salmon

4 (4-5 oz) salmon fillets

1 t paprika

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes  [I used a pinch. I am a red pepper wimp]

1/4 cup lemon juice

1. Place rice in a large bowl. Add vinegar and oil; toss well. Add spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, garlic and dill. Toss to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.

2. For the Salmon: preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle fillets with paprika and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with lemon juice. Broil fillets 5 inches from heat source for 7-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Per serving: 360 calories, 11 g fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 90 g sodium, 39 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 29 g protein. 9 WW points.

Enjoy!

Love,

Kim

Happy B-Day

Dear Mom,
Today was damp and drizzly and little bit cold. I barely roused myself to do much more than nap. But napping with a dog curled behind your knees is the best sort of nap I know. (And yes, napping with Olive curled behind my knees means I let her on the couch. Just this one time. Until she is fully healed and then she can nap there as much as she wants!)
Now that it has been gifted to you, I want to share the Bee version of Chickadee that I knitted as your birthday gift.

Except for the dark brown used for the bee motif, all the yarn in this sweater is my own handspun. The body is lambswool dyed with Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum) harvested last fall from your gardens.

I stumbled upon some bee motifs  HERE, and the knitter generously shared her charts. I used one of those, and tweaked it to fit within and replace the chickadees in the original pattern. This way I could change the motif without changing any increases in the yoke and the fit of the sweater.

don't know why this is blurry

The buttons are salvaged from a Goodwill sweater.

And Bonnie Jo? I know you want one. I have the yarn for it already. ( Not handspun though. I don't want to make you wait that long.)

We had chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight. Delicious homemade soup made from scratch and instinct. Four skinless chicken thighs simmered until the meat fell off the bones.  I glopped a healthy spoonful of vegetable broth base in the water while the meat was simmering and I gave it a couple of glubs of some cranberry apple wine.  I used about 3 T of the homemade onion soup mix I keep on hand and chopped up 3 carrots and about 2 cups of celery, added the rest of a box of penne pasta, and man-o-man is this soup wonderful. 

Be warm!

Love,

Kim

Tuscan Portobello Stew

Dear Mom,
Our super healthy dinner last night was so delicious that I have to share the recipe.  This is another winner from the Special Diabetic Issue of Taste of Home magazine. Did that sentence even make sense? How about the Taste of Home, Special Edition, Diabetes family friendly cookbook? I cannot even find a link to it on the world wide web.

The weather says soup and bread to me. But there is a New Normal in this house and bread is just not happening at every meal anymore. ( I could be sad about the bread, but the extra weight and blubber and half of a person I was carrying around with me was making me sadder.) This Stew was flavorful and filling and I did not even miss the bread. It was also easy to prepare and quick to fix. I haven't had it as a leftover yet, but I am hopeful that it is as good if not better on the second day.

Tuscan Portobello Stew
The recipe says it Makes 4 servings but I think it makes more.

2 large portobello mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T olive oil
1/2 c white wine or vegetable broth (I used the broth and saved the wine for my glass)
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chopped fresh kale
1 bay leaf
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 (15oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic in oil until tender.
Add the wine or broth. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half.
Stir in tomatoes, kale and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. 
Add beans and heat through. Discard bay leaf.

Nutrition Facts: 1 1/4 c= 309 calories, 8g fat (1 g sat fat), 0 cholesterol, 672 mg sodium, 46 g carbs, 13 g fiber, 12 g protein

Love,
Kim

Bounty

Dear Mom,
Our nearly idyllic summer is evident in the produce I am harvesting from the vegetable garden. On Saturday I went out to check things, as I do daily, and found green beans that had either grown over night or had been hiding themselves under the healthy, bushy plants.  I easily picked over a pound of beans and could probably pick another pound today.

I have also been experimenting with growing potatoes. My potato tower did not do so well last year, but it wasn't a good summer for growing anything. I decided to ignore last year's poor showing and try again. This time I planted in the ground, in my compost bin ( a potato tower of sorts) and in a flower pot. The seed potato bag said the taters would be ready for harvesting when the vines yellowed and started to wither. That pretty much described the condition of the vines in my compost bin, so after harvesting the beans I overturned my compost can and was thrilled to discover the most beautiful red potatoes! I was scrabbling through that dirt like Scarlett O'Hara did in when she was starving and found a carrot in the soil. - Right before she declares that she will "never go hungry again". I could almost hear music playing in the background.

this is not my hand
this hand belongs to Brother

I will let the potatoes keep growing in the ground and in the big flower pot- the vines there haven't started to die back yet. Needless to say, we had potatoes and green beans for dinner Saturday night!

I found a very delicious recipe in a special publication by Taste of Home magazine. This issue is dedicated to Diabetic cooking. I purchased my copy late in the spring and don't know if it is still on the newsstands. I tried out this green bean recipe last night and it was delicious. I filled my plate and made it my entire dinner.

Green Beans Provencale

1 lb. fresh green beans

4 green onions, sliced

2 T. minced shallot

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 t. fresh rosemary, or 1/2 t. dried rosemary, crushed

1 T. olive oil

1 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved

2 T. minced fresh basil, or 2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Place beans in a steamer basket and steam in a large pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes or until crisp tender.

In a large skillet, saute the onions, shallot, garlic and rosemary in olive oil until vegetables are tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes longer, or until heated through.

Love,

Kim

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Dear Mom,
Because they are my favorite, I am very particular about Oatmeal Raisin cookies. They have to be plump, soft and chewy, sweet and spicy. To splurge on a bakery-made oatmeal raisin cookie and find it bland and/or crunchy is such a disappointment.
Thanks to Ina Garten, my search for the Perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe is over.
The recipe is here, or in her Back to the Basics cookbook. (Or, the "green one" as my knitting friends and I refer to it.) In the book's margin notes, Ina suggests letting the cookies cool on the pan for a chewier cookie. I did and they are.
One other thing- I reduced the amount of granulated sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cup. I read somewhere that you can reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe up to 25% without really affecting the outcome (other than calories.) In the calorie and sugar intake department, every little bit helps. Supposedly. But that is a subject for another blog post another day.
Love,
Kim

Giving Thanks

Dear Mom,
The next few days will probably be too busy with pies baking, turkey roasting, and everyone home, so I am seizing what may be my last quiet moment to share a deliciously simple recipe.
This one came from our favorite, and now, very sadly, closed, gift and tea room, Helio's.
Helio's was the scene of countless birthday lunches, just because lunches, and the traditional day after Thanksgiving mother/sister lunch. It is the place my Young Lady called "The Tea Party Store". It was a place filled with the sound of happy female chatter and laughter. And many good memories.

Helio's was the place where, for us, everyone knew our names.

Here we are celebrating her 10th birthday!

The basic menu never changed - which is a good thing, because I walked in knowing what I would be eating- my chicken salad croissant lunch and hot, spiced tea was all part of my Helio's experience! But the desserts did vary, with special offerings during the holidays. This recipe is one of those holiday offerings, which they also graciously shared with their customers.

Pumpkin Spice Crunch

from Helio's Tea Room

Carmel, IN

1 (30 oz) can Pumpkin pie filling

1 (130z) can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 box spice cake mix

2 sticks of butter, melted ( I used Smart Balance butter blend)

Combine the first 3 ingredients and spread into a greased 9X13 pan. 

Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top and drizzle this with the melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Kim

Yum

Dear Mom,
A new recipe. A success! From the Gooseberry Patch Summer in the Country  cookbook. ( I am a total sucker for those Gooseberry Patch cookbooks.)
This one is called Summer's Best Berry Bars.  With fresh fruit and oatmeal it has to be good for you.

Summer's Best Berry Bars
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted (I used smart balance 50/50 blend)

Stir together dry ingredients.
Stir in melted butter until well blended. 
Reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping. 
Press remaining mixture into an ungreased 9x9 baking dish. 
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

While that is baking.....
Combine into a saucepan over medium heat:
2 cups blackberries, raspberries or blueberries (I used blueberries)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 8 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat.

Spread the berry filling on top of the baked oat mixture when it comes out of the oven.
Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture and lightly press into the berry filling.
Bake at 350 for another 20-25 minutes, until topping is set.
Cool in pan on a wire rack. 
Slice into bars.

Best eaten on a screened porch, listening to the birds sing, with a cup of hot cinnamon spice tea.

Love,
Kim

Another Good Recipe

Dear Mom,
One afternoon back in the late 70's, in the distance of about 2 blocks- between the grocery store and guitar lessons, I think- you and I devoured most of a package of Archway Homestyle Apricot Filled Oatmeal cookies.

An indelibly sweet memory.

I haven't been able to find those cookies in the grocery stores for a long time. I don't think they make them anymore. I even did a google search.

Over the years I've been passively searching for a recipe that would come close to those soft, chewy flavorful cookies. I'll keep looking, but I've found something very close and very delicious. And the bonus is that the recipe came from my American Heart Association cookbook!

Apricot Raisin Bars

6 oz. dried apricots, chopped

1 c golden or dark raisins

1 3/4 c unsweetened apple juice, divided

3 T cornstarch

1 1/2 t grated lemon zest

vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1 1/4 c uncooked quick-cooking oatmeal

3/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

2/3 c light margarine

In a medium saucepan, combine apricots, raisins and 1 1/2 c apple juice. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until fruit is tender.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 c apple juice, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Whisk into apricot mixture. Cook over med-high heat until mixture thickens, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 13x9x2-inch pan with vegetable oil spray.

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in oatmeal and sugars. Blend in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Press about 2/3 mixture into pan.

spread fruit mixture over crust, then top with remaining oatmeal mixture. Gently pat top crust into fruit.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is lightly golden. Cut into 48 squares.

Calories:76 Protein: 1g Carbohydrates: 16g Cholesterol:0 mg Total Fat: 1g (sat fat:0g, polyunsaturated fat 1g, monounsaturated fat 0g) Fiber: 1g Sodium 28mg

Okay. I haven't been able to cut mine into 48 squares. But still. A cookie healthy enough to eat guilt-free, for breakfast if you want to!

Love,

Kim

A Knitter's Christmas

Dear Mom,
Being sympathetic compatriots in the holiday pressure to Get Things Finished, my fellow knitting friends and I decided to postpone our Christmas gift exchange. So instead of December 25th, we had our "Christmas" on January 25th.
The variety of gifts selected and hand crafted is testament to the kindred spirits I am blessed to call friends.

Hand made ornaments that look like stained glass.  Embroidered linens. A scrap book of memories and recipes. Padded hangers with knitted covers.



Hand woven dish towels and hand made soaps, lotions and bath salts.

Bonnie's honey and a set of adorable sheep that we've divided to share. That is Aiden, Finn, Bartley and Liam.

And hand felted chickadees. Mine is perched in the bathroom in front of the mirror where we can appreciate a full view.
Along with our friendship and fiber, food is an important ingredient. I served Roasted Tomato soup and grilled cheeses sandwiches for our "Christmas" lunch. I won't claim to be a good cook, but rather a person who cooks with good recipes. And this soup is the best tomato soup I've ever tasted, has never failed to impress those I make it for, and is worth every bit of effort to make. I've even had friends in need of comfort ask me to make them some of this soup. I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com/Barefoot Contessa.
As a Knitter's Christmas gift, here it is....

Roasted Tomato Soup 

6-8 servings

3lbs. plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 c + 2 T olive oil

1 T kosher salt

1 1/2 t black pepper

2 c chopped yellow onions

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 T unsalted butter

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1 (28 oz) can canned tomatoes with juice

4 c fresh basil leaves

1 t fresh thyme leaves

1 qt chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the tomatoes together with 1/4 c olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on baking sheet ( I used my broiler pan) and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8 qt stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 T olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown.

Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme and chicken stock. 

Add the oven roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

Pass through a food mill fitted with  the coarsest blade.

Taste for seasonings. 

Serve hot or cold.

As with most soups, this soup tastes even better the next day. It freezes well and I've made a note on my calendar to make and freeze this soup with the abundance of garden tomatoes and fresh herbs I'll have at the end of the summer. 

Love,

Kim