Taking a Break From Food Blogging

I just can't do it right now. There will be no Soup or Stew Thursday or any other food blogging from me for a while. My job and my family are consuming my life - you all know about my daughter's struggles with ulcerative colitis, colon removal, and her ileostomy - and now there are complications. You all know about my husband's eye injury, and now there are complications. You all know about my work as a teachers' union president - and the complications continue to grow and grow.

I have to step back and prioritize my time - and this (Cookin' with Cyndi) has to take a back seat for a while.

For more information, and great reading, about our bargaining situation, go to Yucaipa-Calimesa Teacher, our blog-by-committee. (At least I'm still blogging!)

So for now, I'm logging off. I might visit some of you now and then to say hello!

Small But Tasty Soup Roundup

I guess people are pretty busy, or they're not fixing soup - we have a small roundup tonight. That's okay!

First up is Paula of The Cookbook Junkie, who sends a Cheesy Broccoli Soup from The New Holly Clegg Trim and Terrific Cookbook. Never heard of Holly Clegg? Me neither. Paula explains, "Poor Holly Clegg. No one has heard of her. Well, one person. Supposedly she's been on a couple of the national morning news programs and she's contributed recipes to many magazines. She's written six cookbooks and has her own website. There's a press item on her site that says that WebMD named this cookbook one of the top 10 healthy cookbooks.


Next up is Ulrike of Küchenlatein, who sends in a soup I just HAVE to try: Lauchsuppe mit Leberkäs-Spiessen, or Leek Soup with Leberkäs Skewers. What makes this stand out to me is the skewers. Leberkäse is similar to bologna, but tastes much better. I buy it often at the German market near my office, and I use it two ways: in Fleishsalat, or cut in thick slices and fried (then put on a sandwich). I like how Ulrike took cubes of crusty German bread and skewered them with cubes of leberkäs, after browning them in a little oil. What a clever and attractive presentation!



Heather of Eating for One contributes Mexican Potato Soup. This is a unique take on potato soup, since it also has corn, bell peppers, cilantro, cumin, and jalapenos. Heather says she got the recipe from USA Today, where occasionally you can find some good ones.





What did I make? I made a soup I've tried before and really liked, Italian Sausage and Spinach Soup. One thing I did differently this time was add a pinch of crushed red pepper with the broth. It gave it a good taste, but wasn't enough to make it hot.

food & drink

Don't Forget Thursday Soup or Stew!

Get your posts done and let me know by 7:00 pm PACIFIC time tonight!

Email to cholmaneee at uia dot net

food & drink

A Meme for the Literary

Several different blogs I read (in the school/education area) have this meme, which I challenge my readers to do, too. I've always considered myself "well read," but this showed me I'm not as well read as I thought. I guess I enjoy the detective novels too much!

Here's what you do:

Look at the list of books below.
* (Bold) the ones you’ve read
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave unchanged the ones that you aren’t interested in.
* If you are reading this, tag, you’re it!

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austin)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling) (known as Sorcerer's Stone in the US)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Thursday Soup or Stew Night #6

It looks like the roundup will be rather small tonight, but there will still be some excellent recipes here.

First, we're joined by Pamela of Posie's Place, who gives us The Best Stew Recipe. It's a Jamie Oliver recipe! I love Jamie Oliver, and this one looks great.










Next, Chris from Mele Cotte sends in Mushroom Beef Stw, made in her crockpot after she saw a link she liked on Kuchenlatein.











Speaking of Ulrike, she decided to try out her crockpot and made a hearty German Pea Soup. Notice that this has what looks like hot dogs in it. Well, I can assure you, they're not hot dogs. They're wiener, or Viennese sausages, which are often found in hearty soups like this.








From another city in Germany, Hamburg, Petra from FoodFreak sends in another great soup, Goulash Soup I remember goulash soup being one of my favorites when we ate out in Germany. It's nice to have a recipe now so I can make my own!









My contribution tonight is some Turkey-Vegetable Barley Soup. I started with a recipe for Beef Barley Soup, added mixed vegetables, and substituted ground turkey for the ground beef. This was excellent. The tomatoes and tomato sauce made it much better than we expected. I made this a couple of days ago, and as it sat in the refrigerator, the barley soaked up a lot of the broth, and it turned into a stew.

Turkey-Vegetable Barley Soup

¾ cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped celery
¾ cup chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ pound ground turkey
3 cups water
1 ½ teaspoon beef bouillon granules
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
⅓ cup regular barley
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 large bay leaf
1 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, with their juice
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
In Dutch oven or soup pot, saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic with the ground turkey until it loses its red color, breaking it up as it cooks.
Add all other ingredients.
Simmer for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

I won't be posting for a couple of days. We're going to Anaheim this weekend. I'm helping host a small leadership conference at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. I'll let you know how it goes when we come back!

A New Recipe from Cooking Light

The latest Cooking Light came in the mail the other day, and as I was leafing through it last night, this chicken recipe jumped out at me. I made it tonight. It was quick, simple, and really, really good. "Another keeper!" I made it in my toaster oven (because I halved the recipe), and was surprised how quickly it cooked.

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs
from Cooking Light

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler. Combine first 6 ingredient in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side. (I cautiously did it for 6 each side). Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl. Remove chicken from oven; brush honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven again, turn over, and brush with remaining honey mixture. Broil another couple of minutes or until chicken is done.



food & drink

Update on the Eye

Don went to the doctor today, who said he's healing well. When you look at him head on, the pupil in his right eye is small, and the one in his left is huge. The doctor said that's the injury. They had him look at an eye chart - he could vaguely see the large E, but then when they put the second chart up, he couldn't see a thing. There's a cataract forming, which is normal, and eventually he'll have to have surgery to have it removed. He asked why he continues to have nausea, and was told that's normal, too - due to the conflicting messages his brain is getting. He asked what he could do to make the nausea stop, and the doctor said, "Quit doing things like driving yourself to the doctor!" It's just going to take some getting used to.




food & drink

Don't Forget Soup or Stew Night!

Nothing to write about tonight, since we had BLTs, so I just want to remind you to send in your posts for Thursday Soup or Stew Night #6.

food & drink

A New Comfort Food Recipe

One of my favorite bloggers, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast has started a weekly food event called Presto Pasta Nights. This is my first submission to her event!

I've told you about Martha Green before; she's a restaurant and bakery owner in Redlands who gives us a daily recipe on the local NPR station. I was scrolling through her recipes, looking for some pasta dishes, and this one caught my eye. I liked how the pasta cooked in the sauce, instead of being boiled in advance. Another thing I found especially tasty was the sweetness of the peas.

Baked Four-Cheese Pasta
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves, garlic minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
½ lb penne or ziti
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 450˚. Cook bacon, onion and garlic in large non-stick skillet over med-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cream, pasta and salt; cover and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan cheese and peas; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serves 4.

ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT

This is a long time in coming, and I should have done it MONTHS ago. You may have seen several posts last year about my helping Ruth test a few recipes for a cookbook. Remember when I wrote about Ruth's Best Chile Ever? YOU can get that top-secret recipe if you buy her cookbook - either an e-book or on CD. Just go to her blog, Once Upon a Feast, and order from there. Believe me, it's worth every penny!



food & drink

Using the Oven Again

A cold front came through yesterday, leaving us with a little more snow on the ground, and this morning it was 22 when we got up. I decided to make a meal that utilized the oven, so I made Hunter's Chicken and Caramelized Butternut Squash. The squash recipe comes from Ina Garten's show on the Food Network. This is only the second time I've had butternut squash (the first time was when I made Butternut Squash Fries in November), and this time it was even better. I changed the original recipe, and used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend instead of regular brown sugar.

Hunter's Chicken

2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon oil
6 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup sliced onion
2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet browning liquid (optional)
1 cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup chopped parsley

In a large skillet heat together butter and oil. Cook chicken over medium heat until browned. Remove to a 12x7x2" baking dish; keep warm. In same skillet, combine onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper, mix well. Add wine, broth, Chicken Bouquet, and tomatoes, mix well. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 350˚ for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over hot cooked rice or orzo.

Caramelized Butternut Squash
1 medium butternut squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed (I used 1 tablespoon Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut off the ends of butternut squash and discard.
3. Peel the squash and cut in half lengthwise.
4. Using a spoon, remove the seeds.
5. Cut the squash into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" cubes (large and uniform is best), and place them on a baking sheet.
6. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
7. With clean hands, toss all of the ingredients together and spread out in a single layer on the baking sheet.
8. Roast for 45 minutes to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize.
9. Turn the squash while roasting a few times with a spatula to be sure it browns evenly.
10. Adjust seasonings if needed.
11. Serve hot.



food & drink

A Taste of New Mexico

The first time I ever had Chile Colorado was in 1975 at a restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Then I didn't have it again for 10 years. The second time was at a restaurant in Crestline, California - in 1985. I wasn't that "in" to cooking yet, and therefore had no idea how to make it for myself. Then, a woman I worked with in Texas gave me a recipe, which I then experimented with until it was my own. My personal touch was to substitute 1 cup of burgundy for 1 cup of the beef broth in the original recipe. It adds a rich flavor to the dish.

Chile Colorado

1 pound sirloin, cut in 1/2" pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. chile powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (this adds "heat")
1 cup burgundy (I keep a jug of Gallo just for recipes like this)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules or one beef bouillon cube

Toss beef with salt and oil in a large skillet. Cover, and turn heat on very low. Simmer, about 20 minutes - juices will come out and then will cook out - once meat begins to sizzle it's time to start the next step. Sprinkle meat with flour and chile powders, then add burgundy, water, and bouillon. Raise heat to medium high, and cook, stirring, until mixture begins to thicken.

This is great served with flour or corn tortillas and some Spanish Rice.

While we were eating, I had dessert cooking in the oven. For a long time, Don and I have been missing dessert, though we have a stash of sugar-free pudding in the fridge. I had a craving for my mother's cherry cobbler, but decided to try it with a lot less of the sugar called for in her recipe. Success! This came out really well. Maybe next time I'll try it with ALL Splenda instead of just 3/4.

Mom's Cherry Cobbler (low-sugar version)

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/2 cup Splenda granular
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1 15-oz can tart pie cherries, undrained
1/2 cup Splenda granular

Preheat oven to 350˚. Pour butter into 9" or 10" square baking dish. Mix together the flour, Splenda granular, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add milk, and stir to mix. Pour over butter. DO NOT STIR. In a small bowl, combine the undrained cherries and Splenda, and pour over batter. DO NOT STIR. Bake 35 minutes.

We ate ours as it was, but it's very good with vanilla ice cream (or sugar-free frozen yogurt!)





food & drink

Hooray for Parents!

Today was a "board tour," meaning the school board made visits to several school sites. Over the past two weeks, several groups of parents have been organizing in support of the teachers. Today they picketed at four of the schools being visited. I was able to drop by and thank them, and snapped a few pictures. The first group was rather small, since it was early morning on a very cold day.

The second school had a larger turnout, and this group was joined by the parents from the first school.

I heard there was picketing at a third school, and then at lunchtime there was a pretty good-sized group at a fourth school. This group was joined by teachers who came outside with their own signs since it was their lunch period.

THANK-YOU PARENTS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!



food & drink

Soup or Stew Night #5

Update: Things are pretty much back to normal now - Don's just working on healing. He says his eye's itching, so it must be getting better. He says he can see the outline of the computer and the television, which is more than what he could see over 's a unique dish, and Toni gives great directions for fixing it.


Another soup that was meant for last week came from Sara of I Like to Cook. She sends us her Cream of Tomato Soup. While I enjoy a bowl of Campbell's now and then, this one looks 10 times better!





Next up is Chris of Mele Cotte, who sends in her Chicken Herb Vegetable Soup. This soup, full of carrots and mushrooms, along with chicken and whole wheat noodles, would be perfect on a cold winter night. It looks simple, yet oh so tasty!









I then heard from Glenna of A Fridge Full of Food, who submitted 3 Bean with Ham Soup. This one has got to be good! Glenna also has a treat for us - she introduces us to a friend and co-worker, Chris, who was convinced to post his recipes for all to see. He made a Cheezy White Chicken Chili and a "Rip Your Butt" soup. Go to Glenna's blog to get to Chris's!







Paula of The Cookbook Junkie sends in a delectable French Beef Stew. Paula says she always makes her stews a day ahead, and that the flavor is even better the second day. My husband has said this about a lot of leftovers, and I just thought he was saying it because he was hungry the second day. (He usually eats the leftovers, not me!) Now I need to give her idea a try - do some cooking like this over the weekend so dinner is ready to eat on Monday night. Thanks for the idea Paula!



An almost-overlooked submission is Rice Soup, also called Arisi Kanji, submiited by Anisha of Kovai-Samayal. Her email made it to me just fine, but I overlooked it when I was doing the roundup. So sorry Anisha! It's here now! I look forward to exploring your blog and learning some new tricks. The rice soup looks simple and tasty, one that can be served hot or cold.



My contribution for tonight is a simple carrot soup. I walked in the door after work, chopped the vegetables (which could have been done in advance), added the broth and brought it to a boil, and then went and took a shower while it simmered. A few whirrs with the beverage blender, and then the addition of some cream, and it was ready. This is a recipe I've had for years and never made. Don asked me why I hadn't made it before, and I told him I hadn't had a reason to make so many soups before. Now that I'm doing this "event," we're both having fun trying all kinds of different soups. The picture below looks like my soup is green! But it's not. It was sort of orange, but did have an odd tint to it from the green onions and celery.

Cream of Carrot Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 stalks celery, sliced
6 green onions (with tops), sliced
1 pound carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups rich chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add vegetables and stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Then, either remove to a blender or use a beverage blender to puree the mixture. Add salt, pepper, and cream and heat. DO NOT BOIL. 3 servings.

Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement and support. And thanks to the submissions for this event. Keep 'em coming!


food & drink

Calming Down

Since we didn't get to go camping this weekend, we've had a fairly quiet couple of days. I've done a lot of reading and stamping (I make cards), and every few hours according to the schedule I've put drops in Don's eye. He's still got some residual nausea, and isn't sure whether it's from a messed up equilibrium or from the trauma of the injury. He still can't see out of it, and is impatient and worried. I keep reminding him it's only been three days. The doctor on Friday told him it could take up to six months before he'll be able to see well out of that eye.

I tried a new recipe tonight after searching recipezaar for ideas. I had seen on several blogs that there are lots of ways to make cabbage as a side dish, and this one sounded good. I have to say that I liked this one even better than macaroni and cheese! The cabbage seemed to get sweet as it cooked, and since this is low carb, that makes it even better.

Scalloped Cabbage
posted on recipezaar by CindiJ

1 head cabbage (about 10" diameter)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 ½ cups half-and-half
½ lb Velveeta cheese, cubed (yes, Velveeta!)
salt & pepper

Cut cabbage up into bite size pieces. Par-boil approximately 3-5 minutes, drain well. Place cabbage in greased 9x13 casserole. Set aside. Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour, salt and pepper and allow to cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat while stirring constantly. Stir in half-and-half. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Cut up Velveeta cheese, add to sauce, and stir to melt. Pour cheese sauce over cabbage and bake covered with foil in 350º oven approximately 35 minutes till bubbly and cabbage is tender.



food & drink

When it Rains, It Pours

Sometimes bad luck comes in bunches. That's what's happening here.

At 2:00 today my husband almost lost his left eye. He was tightening some bungie cords to get ready for our camping trip (that we're not going on), and one broke - the end hit him smack dab in the middle of the eye. I got him to the ER at Redlands Community about 3, and they said he needed an eye surgeon - sent us to the Beaver Clinic in Redlands where a specialist was. When we got there, and after they put us in an examining room, he started to throw up (nerves, trauma, etc.). The doctor looked at his eye with different colored lights, and showed me a large (about 1/3 to 1/2-inch long) vertical scratch across his pupil and iris. He then showed me the blood pooling under the iris, as well as a flap of the iris that had lifted off the eyeball. He measured the pressure that was building up inside the eye, and gave him some glaucoma drops, as well as antibiotic drops and antiinflammatory drops. We went to the pharmacy to get a prescription for more drops, and he continued to throw up - all the way home. He was going into shock, the nurse said who came outside to help.

He has to sleep in his recliner tonight to remain as vertical as possible, and we go back to a different doctor tomorrow. The one today assures us that Don will not lose his eyesight, though for now he's blind in that eye.

Now if I can just get some calories in him.

Needless to say, there won't be a Soup or Stew Thursday, and anyone who sent me a submission will have it included in next week's roundup.

All Better

My daughter went home from the hospital this evening - the antibiotics and iv fluids did the trick. We still don't know whether dehydration caused her small intestine to become inflamed and infected, or whether the infection caused the dehydration. But she's got to get a lot better than this before her second surgery. She's glad to be back in her own bed.

I though I'd try a new chicken recipe:

Orange-Bacon Chicken Breasts

3 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
3 slices bacon
1 T butter
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade (I used the reduced-sugar version)

Preheat oven to 375˚. Line a shallow baking pan with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle each breast with salt and pepper. Wrap each breast with a slice of bacon and place in baking dish with bacon ends tucked under. Melt together butter, Worcestershire sauce, and marmalade in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir until combined; pour evenly over chicekn. Bake until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear, about 25-30 minutes. Makes 3 servings.

Reminder: Don't forget to make some soup or stew for Thursday night! It'll be Thursday Soup or Stew Night #5. I'm thinking Beef & Vegetable Barley!

food & drink

What a Weekend.

Our weekend started off pretty nicely - our campsite at Lake Perris was nice, and the park was almost deserted (meaning it was quiet!). The weather on Saturday was perfect, and the storm we were dreading came through Saturday night with a whimper. We had a few showers, but that was about it. Our daughter, the one who had her colon removed in October, called us Friday and Saturday to tell us about how she was not feeling very good - as a matter of fact, she felt so bad she couldn't go to work. We thought she had the flu - aches and pains, some nausea, weakness - so we weren't that concerned, just sympathetic. Then Sunday morning, abot 10 minutes after Don left to go fishing, she called me to tell me she was going to the hospital. What could a mom do? Don had the truck, and he was miles away, not due to come back for hours. I told her to call me again when she knew something. She called a couple of hours later to say they'd taken blood, and they were taking her in for an ultrasound. Then she called again around 2 pm to say they were going to be admitting her. Apparently the same thing is going on that happened right after her surgery: an infection plus severe dehydration. Her white blood count was "outrageously high," and her electrolytes were really out of balance.

Don finally made it back from fishing at 3:30, and we went to the hospital, where we found her still in an examining room in the ER. At 5:30 they moved her to a temporary DOU (definitive observation unit) that they'd set up in the surgery recovery room. Since the hospital was crowded, that's where she spent the night. We went back to our campsite for the night, and then broke camp this morning. Don went home and I went to the hospital, where the doctor told her that she was doing a little better. He was still concerned about the white blood cell count, and is keeping her tonight, too. He has no idea what or where the infection is, but it is reacting to the antibiotics they've been pumping into her, and all the fluids they're giving her have helped her dehydration.

Poor kid. There's so much she's been going through - and nothing we can do for her except be there. It's so frustrating for her; she's so tired of feeling sick.


food & drink

5 Things You Don't Know About Me

Paz of The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz tagged anyone interested for a 5 things you don't know about me meme. I thought I'd give it a try.

1. I climbed 14,082' Windom Peak in 1974, during a 3-week long backpacking trek in the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado.

2. I hate beets. I hate them so much I gag when I try to eat them.

3. When I was a kid, I was a member of the Air Force Academy's mounted drill team. We rode in parades, and competed in rodeos and gymkhanas.

4. I was a 2 1/2-packs-a-day smoker until I met my future husband. I quit cold turkey when I decided I was in love, and have never had a cigarette since. (And we just celebrated our 26th anniversary).

5. I've lived in 19 different homes in 4 different states and 2 different countries.

Like Paz, I'm tagging anyone interested in doing this. Come on! Give it a try!
food & drink

Thursday Soup or Stew Night #4

First of all, I have to publicly apologize to Chris from Mele Cotte. Chris submitted a soup for last week's roundup, and I forgot to include her. Sorry Chris! Here's her soup from last week:















La Madeleine's Tomato Basil Soup. While I made a fresh tomato soup once, Chris's Tomato Basil Soup is nothing like it. So much tasty fresh basil to give it a flavor that's divine!






This week, Chris made soup again. Tonight's submission for the roundup from Chris is Butternut Squash Soup. I learned something really important in her post that I hadn't known before - you can keep a butternut squash for approximately 3 months in a cool, dry place. Great! Now I can buy them at the commissary and not worry about having to use them immediately like other squashes. And I have to try her soup - I've only had butternut squash once before, and that was as "fries" baked in the oven.








Sara of i like to cook joins the roundup again, and this time she made Black Bean Soup with Coconut Rice. What an interesting blend of flavors! I've never made coconut rice, and that sounds like something I've gotta try. My husband likes his chili over rice, so the concept isn't totally strange - just a little bit different. But it sounds really tasty!





My contribution this week is also a squash-based soup like Chris's, but I used zucchini. Therefore, my soup is green! I had some zucchini that I needed to use, and I've had this recipe in my files for about twenty years, but this is the first time I've made it. It tastes a bit like cream of broccoli. I wonder why that is? Do you think zucchini and broccoli taste similar? This took only 25 minutes to throw together, and I bet you could use half-and-half instead of the evaporated milk to make it even creamier.

Crema de Calabacitas (Cream of Zucchini Soup)

3-4 medium or 2 large zucchini (1 lb.)
2 c water
salt
2 T chopped parsley
2 T butter
2 T minced onion
1 T flour
1 13-oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup chicken broth

Wash zucchini. Cut off stem ends, then cut in large pieces. Place in a large saucepan. Add water and a pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool zucchini in cooking liquid. Place zucchini, 1 c liquid, and 2 T parsley in blender. Process until pureed. Heat butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion; cook until tender but not browned. Stir in flour. Cook and stir 1 minutes. Add pureed zucchini mixture, evaporated milk, and chicken broth. Stir to blend. Season with salt if needed. Stir over medium heat until soup comes to a boil. Serve at once or chill and serve cold. Serves 4-6


Thanks to all for participating. This is getting to be really interesting - to come up with soups that use ingredients I have on hand or to plan new and different ones.

I'll be camping this weekend, so I won't be posting for a few nights. When I come back, I'll let you know how and what we enjoyed for our meals, and you can check out my other blog, Wanderlust for pictures and details about the weekend.






food & drink

Taking a Stand

LABOR UPDATE: We were officially certified for fact-finding last week - meaning that the mediator agrees that we can't reach a settlement, and both sides will present their cases to a panel of three - one selected by us, one selected by them, and a "neutral."
In the meantime, a few of us had some fun today. There was a huge teacher recruitment fair at Cal State, San Bernardino, and we went to pass out flyers warning potential candidates that Yucaipa is not a great place to come to work right now. In the picture to the left, my vice-president Patrick and I talk to two teachers about the ongoing crisis in our district and explain how our salaries are now the lowest in the area. We were joined by a small group from Victor Valley High School District, who had some great signs and t-shirts to go with their flyers. Rialto also brought 5, and they were up at an area closer to the arena.

It was very empowering to do this. We're hoping, of course, that our district will realize that it's not going to attract the cheaper teachers it wants to replace our talented veterans, and will think more about paying us a fair competitive salary.