Soups

Lest We Forget and Lentil Soup

/ Lee Reynolds

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

~An excerpt from Laurence Binyon’s poem, “They Shall Grow Not Old”~

What does Remembrance day and lentil soup have in common? Well from as far back as I can remember, November 11th was normally cold, dreary and wet, so soup just seems to be the appropriate thing to eat. Warmed the bones and the heart. Also, it’s something that you can make easily that doesn’t take tremendous effort and yet it’s satisfying at the end of the day.

But today the weather is glorious. I woke up to blue skies and although I knew it was cold outside as there was frost, FINALLY, on the ground. Even though the weather was nice, albeit cold, I still felt like soup. On a day when I think of my step father Bud and all the war stories he told of his years in the navy, I want to wrap myself in a blanket, eat soup and be thankful for those who gave up their lives so I could live in freedom.

Before starting my soup though, I decided to go out to the garden, one last time to salvage any remaining vegetables so I could make one last fresh juice from our garden. So with clippers in hand, out I went picking an assortment of things.

I picked kale, swiss chard, parsley, and even some lavender and also gathered some leek seeds
In the war days people were encouraged to grow Victory Gardens and these last vegetables of the season would have been precious.

 

So with the last vegetables form our garden, I juiced a a delicious vegetable drink with a bit of ginger

 

This is the stuff that helps me keep up with these little ones

 

D, who had been out in the garage attic, looking for skates, skis and winter boots, came in for a drink….Cheers D!

 

Bottoms up, Victoria and Kate

 

Will, who was outside helping D find skates…came in when he heard the juicer…he LOVES his green drink!

So with delicious juice in our tummies, the boys went back to the garage attic, and the little girls continued colouring, (check out the Activity Village site for great free colouring pages you can print off…there is something for every age) and I got started on my lentil soup for dinner. I wanted to get the soup made and simmering, and then head back out to the garden. The weather was really nice and since our compost bin was full, I needed to dig a hole to put our kitchen compost scraps somewhere.

I love soup. It’s my ultimate comfort food and as a mom, I like how I can make it early in the day and it just gets better as it simmers on the back burner. I know we are going to eat a healthy dinner without any mad scramble at the end of the day and I can spend a good bulk of my day, doing what I  love or dig into a bigger project. Literally, today I would be digging holes to put debris I couldn’t cram in the compost any longer.

If you like making soup too, join me as I chop and talk. I don’t need a recipe for soup, I just start with my stock pot, some extra virgin olive oil, onions, garlic and seasoning and then add what I have on hand. Here’s how I’m making my soup today.

And before we get going, let’s put on a song called, “We’ll Meet Again.” by Vera Lynn…this takes me back to when I was small and even though I was born at the tail end of the baby boom generation,…I remember hearing these songs from my childhood and they left a lasting impression

Hope’s Remembrance Day Lentil Soup

Ingredients

2 cups of dried green lentils
1 cup chopped onions (2 large onions)
1 cup chopped leeks, white part only (depending on the size, maybe 2 leeks)…from my garden, yes!
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)
2 cups diced carrots (3 to 5 carrots)
8 cups of vegetable stock
2 fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup of tomato sauce,,,,I had some left over spaghetti sauce in the fridge
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
Sour Cream, fresh parsley for topping….opt freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Saute onions, leeks, garlic with olive oil. Add seasonings, cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are translucent.

 

 Add the seasonings and continue to cook. Ahhh… layering the flavours
In a large pot, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

Add the celery and carrots and cook for 10 more minutes.
 Add the tomatoes, cook for another 5 minutes
Add drained lentils and vegetable stock

 





Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are soft. Taste the soup and add any last seasoning to taste. Add the red wine and serve hot, topped with sour cream, parsley, grated parmesan cheese.

 While the soup is simmering, let’s make my easy and quick, dinner buns.

I love the smell of bread baking in the kitchen don’t you? Pure comfort!

Hope’s Quick and Easy Dinner buns

    • 4 1/2 cups flour

 

    • 4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

 

    • 1 cup milk

 

    • 3/4 cup water

 

    • 1/2 cup margarine or butter

 

    • 1/3-1/2 cup white sugar

 

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

 Directions

1. Mix 2 cups of flour and yeast in a large bowl

2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a lukewarm in the microwave or on the top of the stove

3. Add all at once to flour mixture and mix until smooth. I use my kitchenaid stand mixer

4. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough..2 -21/2 cups

5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto a floured surface and let it rest under a greased bowl for 15 minutes.

6. Shape dough into balls and place on a greased baking pan…I like to top the buns with a mixture of oatmeal, ground flax seed and sunflower seeds but you can top it with anything you have on hand…or nothing.

7. Cover with a tea towel for 45 minutes to let it rise

8. Bake in preheated oven at 400 F for 12 to 15 minutes

  So with the soup on the back burner, and the buns rising, I decided to make some healthy cookies as well since our cookie jar was empty and tomorrow the kids are going back to school.

I always think of my mother in law, Doreen when I make cookies. My husband says that his mom never made cookies for him and 3 siblings. She used to say, “I would make cookies, but they will just get eaten.” Which I always thought was so funny. Another thing D would say if we hadn’t heard from her in a while (since they didn’t live in our town and to connect meant we had to call long distance) she would say, “I would have phoned, but I didn’t know if you would be home.”

Now don’t get me wrong at all, D’s mom Doreen was a LOVELY lady but she was quirky sometimes. I certainly had my moments with her when she was alive and some things really set me off, but when I hear other women complaining about their mother in laws, I wish I could give them some advice and tell them to treasure the days. If stuff is coming up, then it’s a good thing and an opportunity to look at yourself in the mirror.  I wish I had been a more tolerant and loving daughter in law. I see it now but it’s all in hindsight, although on this Remembrance day, I’m not just thinking of the veterans, I’m thinking of lost moments with people like Doreen. She was a special person and I don’t know if I ever told her that when she was alive. 

In memory of Doreen and things that I’m learning, my kitchen motto is, “you can never have too many cookies and the faster they get eaten the better.” ~by Lee Reynolds~

So with that, here is the Cookie Recipe I’m making today.

I have a general basic cookie recipe that I use and I just change the add ons based on what I have in my pantry and often the time of year as well. Today, it feels like we need a cinnamon type cookie…something soft, chewy and a bit spicy.  Something that feels like a comfort cookie. Wish you were here Alyssa….you too Doreen!

 Hope’s Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

Now this is where you get creative…today

1 cup of walnuts

1 cup of dried cherries…which I love but my husband said he wished I had put in raisins

My older kids said they wished we had white chocolates and pecans….but I didn’t….and anyway that isn’t as healthy but you see what I mean…this is where you can create your own cookie combo….today for us..it was walnuts and cherries…oh almonds and coconut…maybe with a few chocolate chips would be good too. Okay, you see, the cookie baker in me gets carried away. These turned out really chewy, a nice soft texture and not too sweet…the cherries were a nice touch 

Directions.

Cream the butter in a large bowl…I use my kitchenaid mixer

 Add the white and brown sugar

 Add the 3 eggs, mixing well after each addition

 Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, the flour, oatmeal, etc and then add them to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. See the consistency below.

 Now the part I often ask my kids to help me with so I can get outside…whoever is in the house and there is usually one older child lingering around the kitchen…usually our 15 year old Harrison although today it’s Clark……I get him to bake the cookies in a preheated oven…350 degrees F…for 10 minutes or until golden brown…if you over bake the cookies they will be crunchy…we like them soft so we find around 10 minutes is perfect.

As you can see from this picture, the sun is shining into my kitchen…time to get outside

 The cookie jar is full, AND there is a tupperware container of cookies in the freezer as well. This makes 3 dozen, nice size cookies

 But first, since D has been trying on skates, I thought it would be nice to offer a cookie…..

 

And also offer one to Harrison who was out raking a few leaves for my compost pile.

One of my compost bins…absolutely full. So I decided to do some trench composting. (Makes me think of the men in the trenches during war.) Have you heard of it? It’s where you dig a hole in your garden and deposit your kitchen scraps and leaves or any debris from your garden and at this time of year…there is LOTS. Everything decomposes exactly where you need it.

So whenever we have a full bucket with kitchen scraps, which is daily in our house, we dig a big hole, put the scraps in and top them with leaves…nothing like composting in the spot you want to enrich your soil. The little girls have really gotten into helping mom as you can see.

 

The top two pictures were taken last week, when my tomatoes etc were still in the garden

 

 

 

These pictures were taken this weekend…it’s really taken a turn towards winter but we can still dig in the garden

So after being out in the garden in the afternoon, it was nice to come in and have a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie and chat about what Remembrance Day means to my children

They do understand the sacrifice others have made for them and appreciate the peace we are living in right now.  Lest we forget.

 And now it’s time to dish up dinner, open up the Pumpkineater ale my brother in law B gave us. It’s from Howe Sound Brewing on the Sunshine coast…brewed with barley, fresh roasted pumpkin, hops, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, water and yeast. Apparently produced in very limited quantities. Thanks B…wish you were here.

Now, I’m not normally much of a beer drinking but I do recall my mom and her friends all going to the legion after the Remembrance day ceremonies so I’m giving it a go….plus doesn’t it sound like it would compliment lentil soup? (It was good…but strong)

Clark is showing me how to pour the ale

 

Our 21 year old drinking his protein shake AND the ale at dinner…thanks for baking the cookies Clark

 

 

D, loves when I’m taking pictures for my blog…as he doesn’t have to dish up himself!

Before we eat, let’s give thanks for the abundance in our lives and today, for those who fought bravely so that we could live freely and in peace. Amen

 

If you are unable to see the YouTube video of the Remembrance Day…last post click on the hyperlink

This blog post is dedicated to my step father, J. R. Finch, my uncle Stan Herrling, my uncle Gordon Clark, and also to my mother in law, Doreen. May you all rest in peace and know how much you were loved

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

(p.s. this post was written on November 11, 2014…but didn’t get published until the 12th)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetarian Chili~Growing Older and Wiser?

/ Lee Reynolds

Dearest blog readers, I’m sorry I haven’t written many posts this week but it’s been a birthday week for me. First, to celebrate my best friend T’s birthday on the 5th, and then mine yesterday. I’ve spent the whole week being introspective and reflecting on my wishes the last time I blew out a blaze of candles. I have grown a year older, but I wonder, am I any wiser?

At the beginning of the week I was feeling rather blue. I know it had a lot to do with the consumption of sugar from Halloween, which I tried to curtail but in the moment it’s fun to try a little of everything from the treat bowl. It takes me right back to my childhood but now I understand how damaging processed sugar is towards our health. It’s evil wrapped in brightly coloured packages.

As we ate a few treats with our children, D and I were remembering the little boxes of raisins, the handfuls of peanuts and the apples we would receive during our childhood trick or treat forays. Whatever happened to those? Our kids looked horrified and said, if they received anything like THAT, it would be suspect and they would probably have to throw it out. I was thinking, NOT if we knew our neighbours better. Anyway, this isn’t a blog about Halloween treats, but the sugar dump from that occasion prompted my depressed feelings.

Sadly, I kept them growing, (have you ever done this?) by allowing myself to think about both of my parents who are no longer on this earth school. You’d think I’d get used to that loss, after all I have spent most of my life without my Dad physically present and it’s been 2 1/2 years since my mom passed away. On special occasions, like Halloween and my birthday week, it doesn’t get any easier. Do you know what I mean?

Thankfully, I snapped myself out of my glum at least a bit, by banning the sugar. I took all the kid’s Halloween loot and our remaining candy bags that we didn’t give out and  put it all in the garage.  Now you may be thinking, “why did you take the kids candy too?” My response is, because just like clockwork, a few days after the candy gorge, all my little ones, and big ones started to feel yucky. Hmmmm, no wonder. Am I getting any wiser? At the twin’s preschool class, after their morning circle time, I heard their teacher asking whether they had any candy left from trick or treating, and one child said they traded in their candy for a toy. What do you think of that?

Anyway, my plan was, we would forget all about the said candy and when we did find the hardened candy bars and stale chip bags the next time my husband did a wood working project, my children (and me) would not find it appealing any longer. Can you compost that stuff? PROBABLY NOT! I transgress.

On Monday, I started my meditation with Dr. Deepak Chopra and Oprah, (are you joining me?) and my first session stirred up some emotions I thought I had let go. The meditation series is called, “The Energy of Attraction.”    and day one was about the Nature of Desire. The centering thought was, “my life moves forward through desire,” and the quote for the day was;


“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed.” ― Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
As I explored my feelings, I realized I was still grieving over the loss of our Christmas tree farm and  if my deepest desire wasn’t coming true, what did that make me? I had so wanted to be living in the country by this birthday.
So Tuesday started with me being rather glum again, until I found my sister C at my doorstep with hugs, kind words and a lovely lavender coloured bag heavy with birthday surprises. She also brought a few keepsakes that belonged to my father and mother. She had kept them all this time and wanted me to have them. Although she was with me only a short time on Tuesday, the connection was sweet, loving and meaningful. (thank you C)
My sister C said that since I was writing, (and our daughter Alyssa too…check out her Introvert in the Corner blog) perhaps I would like our Dad’s typewriter (he was a writer as well) and a few of our mother’s beloved books. Perfect for reading by the fire throughout the winter. After C left, I place them on mom’s Hope chest in our Den, under our family portraits with a little angel between them.
I felt so buoyed by her impromptu visit, that I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and join a meditation support group that was held at our local library Tuesday night. I felt safe very quickly and the evening was wonderful and restorative, but  L O N G. We sat in a circle and during our second meditation session, I sensed rainbow filled light energy slowly circling around us and above us, creating a tunnel with vibrating, coloured light and at the top was brilliant white light.

Before the session was over, the newcomers continued to meditate, while the regulars in the group, laid hands on our heads with silent blessings. Before the first hands were felt on my head, there was a soft rush of warm air and the feeling of peace.

It was an amazing experience, until I went to get up. After sitting cross legged for almost 2 hours of meditating, chanting and discussing experiences that brought us joy, my right foot had gone totally numb. When I went to stand, my foot didn’t move and as I looked down at my non functioning appendage, it appeared to resemble a rubber fake foot, totally disengaged from my leg. Ahhhhh! Looking back it was so funny, but in the moment I thought I would never walk again.

After that Tuesday night meditation session, my week got even better. On Wednesday, I remembered how blessed I was to have a best friend in T as I sent her a birthday card and wrote a blog post about our friendship . How can we ever stay in a place of sadness when we start to count our blessings. Thanks mom for that lesson and to you, T for being my dearest friend.

Then on Thursday morning, D came home to watch the little girls, while I attended the PAL’s kindergarten program, where parents are inspired to assist their young learners towards literacy, numeracy etc. I came home excited to rearrange our family room, so our children could access the various play things we had in our home. They just needed to be organized to a degree where they were readily accessible. As I worked away, before the older kids came home from school, I dropped into a funk again, as I recalled how functional the Christmas tree farm house would have been. It was the perfect lay out and flow for our family dynamic. While our current home is great, it wasn’t designed to house 6 children, not to mention 8, when everyone is home.

Later that night though, my spirits soared as I found out Harrison’s volleyball team did really well at their play-offs. His high school is known for, “Honour and Excellence” and isn’t the largest high school in our small town but they are known for their strong academics. Normally, the boys sports teams don’t do incredibly well at play offs but this year they made it to third place.  That is HUGE and so while others may wonder why we were so happy, the fact they didn’t come in last was a big deal for a rag tag team.

And if that weren’t enough, while at the volleyball play-offs, D received a call that Grace had been chosen to play the lead, “Holly Day,” in our elementary school’s Christmas concert. She will have the most speaking and singing parts of anyone. We were absolutely thrilled and Grace, who is 11, and is in grade 6, as well as grade 6 in piano with the Royal Conservatory, and a voice student at our local music school, was stunned when she heard. She thought she did well at the audition but she came home saying there were some girls with wonderful voices so she wasn’t holding out much hope for a big part. Did I mention she is humble? I however am very proud of her and it really was another highlight in our week.

So many great things happening in one week and yet, I still felt sad, like a black umbrella of dark emotions covered my head.

I don’t know about you, but I always find I’d rather skip my birthday totally, as so much STUFF comes up. On my actual birthday, yesterday, November 8th, I woke up wanting to sleep the day away rather than face what was to come. Since it was Saturday and nothing was planned, I thought sleeping in a bit would wash away the negative feelings, but it just made it worse. When you are a mom to 8 kids, 6 of whom are still living at home, you know you can’t take even a day off, let alone a morning from ANYTHING. So when I finally did get up, the kids were hungry, the laundry pile was huge, the dishwasher needed to be emptied and filled again, the cats were meowing. Well you get the idea. You don’t really have a day off…even on your birthday.

Now I’m not normally a person who believes her glass is half empty, as you have probably figured out from reading any of my blog posts but I kept looking at what I didn’t have in my life. I wouldn’t be selling Christmas trees this holiday season or baking cookies in my new farm kitchen. I wouldn’t be organizing a large children’s play room or getting chicken eggs from our coop. Oh crap! What a roller coaster of emotions…UNTIL.

My sister J came to our door, totally unexpected but boy was I happy to see her shining face and feel her warm hug. Amongst the mess of our house and chaos of noisy children, we somehow shared a pot of “David’s Mother’s Helper tea, my oldest sister B had given me during her last visit in October. (see the Get Grounded Earthlings post…thank you B) It was lovely to sink into a chair and talk to J about the week and also share some of my feelings. Do we ever really know how deeply we touch each other? And also, why  certain people are put onto our path and in our lives.

I don’t think my sister J knew the extent of my blues. I like to believe I’m quite an upbeat positive person and as a result good things keep showing up for me but for some reason when my birthday comes around, I feel sad. Is it about getting a year older? Maybe. Although one of my mantras is, “I’m ageless!” Seeing my cake glowing brighter with more candles every year though reminds me in one sense, how many years I have experienced on earth and then it also reminds me that I AM growing wiser as well. I am more enlightened. Feeling melancholy is okay, and actually part of the process. We need to feel the depths of sadness in order to recognize great joy when it arrives. It’s part of growing as a soul.

After J left, I picked up my socks, literally and figuratively, since my laundry pile was knee high (and full of socks to be partnered) and she had lifted my spirits. As I cleaned and organized, our 15 year old son Harrison, made me a decadent chocolate cake, complete with bits of left over Halloween chocolates on top. (I gave him some of the stash) D and I made dinner and the evening turned out really better than I had ever expected after such a emotional week.

I blew out the flurry of candles, to cheers from the children, and then marvelled over the thoughtful gifts everyone had chosen for me. I felt more and more blessed. Today, as I look again at all my new treasures, I see there is a theme, as if everyone got together and chose something unique and special that belonged with the next gift. Although, I don’t have my farm, YET, everyone gave me a little piece of HOPE to keep my dreams alive.

The collection of thoughtful gifts given by my sisters, friends and even our oldest son took time to find something for his me

 

So Happy Birthday to me!….I’m getting older…and yes a bit wiser.

And since I’m a fall baby, perhaps you want to share in cooking one of my favourite fall dinners, Vegetarian Chili…recipe is below. Can you believe that as of today, we still haven’t had any frost in our area and I still had tomatoes, green peppers, hot red peppers and carrots etc. growing in our garden. When you find abundant blessings this late in fall what do you do? Make vegetarian chili.

Can you believe we are still eating from our garden…and it’s November!

The little kids helped out in the garden today…it’s starting to get cold now but…

 

I’ve never picked anything in our garden this late in the fall…tomatoes, peppers, carrots, kale, swiss chard, parsley..all still going,,,,but tomorrow is bringing cold weather at last

 

While I was at it, I put some of my hot red chili peppers in the dehydrator for my next chili

If you are wanting something to lift your spirits, make this chili and think of me.

Hope’s Vegetarian Chili

It helps to get everything chopped ahead of time
Ingredients
  • 2 large 28oz cans of whole tomatoes and their juice or if you canned any of your own….a large jar of stewed tomatoes..also if you have some fresh tomatoes, chop and use as well
  • 2 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used kidney..but you can use anything)
  • 2 cup of frozen corn
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 2 small peppers or one large pepper, diced (I used a green but you can use any colour)
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced…I used two smaller ones
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1-3 tablespoons chili powder (more will be spicier)
  • ¼-2 teaspoons of chili flakes (I used fresh red hot chili peppers from our garden)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro,  parsley, diced avocados or green onion.

 

Instructions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 1 minute. .Add celery and saute until tender. Add spices and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.
2. Add carrots, peppers and cut up fresh tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to a medium low.  
3. Add beans
4. Add corn
5. Add stewed tomatoes

6. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium low. Continuing cooking chili for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ready to serve anytime you are ready to eat. 

We served our chili on a bed of rice, along with a corn meal muffin and kale salad. We also like sour cream and grated cheese on top but tonight we put a sprig of parsley…still growing in our garden. 

What a great, healthy fall dinner…..perfect for celebrating fall birthdays.

And to top a fall birthday dinner….chocolate cake of course…made specially by our son Harrison
This is the recipe from my blog post, “The Places that Scare You”

Thanks Harrison. I know I said taking Foods at school was a waste of time since we also teach these life skills at home, But you are turning into a really good cook and gee, since we have to eat everyday for our whole life this is a good skill to hone. I’m now a big proponent of these life skill courses in the later grades in school. Yummy!

Even May Ling is interested in cake

I listen to a wide variety of music but this week, whenever I got into my van…ha…Van Morrison sang to me. This particular song spoke to me this week, “When God Shines His Light.” (click on this hyper link if you are not able to see the YouTube below)…..I don’t know why but it lifted me up…I hope you enjoy it and know one of the blessings I count each day, is having you reading my blog. THANK YOU!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

/ Lee Reynolds

Tis the season. Soup season that is. Nothing says home, more than coming in the house after a long day to smell a delicious aroma drifting from the kitchen. Knowing it’s healthy and satisfying makes it our family’s fall comfort food. After a season of raw vegetables, salads and fruits, it’s like putting on a wool sweater to warm your body.


I was inspired to make this soup when Harrison woke up feeling under the weather. He had had his braces tightened, was feeling headachy and on top of that, felt like a cold was on his doorstep. I knew I had to make something easy to chew and filling. I went out into the garden to be inspired and when I saw the butternut squash, gleaming in the sun amongst the dying vines, I thought PERFECT!

 

(I planted 6 butternut squash plants in an area that wasn’t ideal. I had pulled up yucca plants from this area and I didn’t get all the roots up so I had little yucca plants growing up all around my squash this summer….but despite the competition for water and sun, the squash prevailed. Sadly, we won’t have any to store for the winter as we LOVE squash and have eaten almost all of it. Next year, I’d like to plant twice the squash for our size family.)

 

I probably focus on our 15 year old Harrison’s growing needs the most lately, since he literally grows a 1/8 of an inch every night. Okay, maybe that is an exaggerations. Let’s just say, his basketball coach is going to love seeing him this year! Anyway, I get worried when his braces are tightened as his food consumption drops a lot.

Then I came inside to rummaged around the pantry (noticing that many of my bottles needed to be topped up and it’s generally disorganized….another blog post for sure) and found some ginger root. I had purchased the ginger to make some tea but had forgotten all about it. Another PERFECT ingredient. I also dug some boneless chicken thighs from the freezer and although this soup is lovely with just vegetables, I find adding some pieces of chicken and broth very satisfying, especially for our son who basically lives on smoothies for days after he has his braces tightened.  If you are a vegetarian, of course please disregard the chicken aspect and use vegetable broth.

So without further ado, let’s get cooking.

Hope’s Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash (peeled, seeds removed, and cubed)
  • (note, you can use 2 butternut squash instead of the carrots
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 large carrots 
  • 3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup thinly sliced onion
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 1/8 cup brown sugar
  • 1 lb chicken
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups cooked rice (I used a Basmati because Harrison loves that…but personally I prefer a nutty brown rice
  • Chopped fresh parsley
  • Sour Cream for a topping, (opt)



Directions:

Put the rice on and while it’s cooking;



Peel, the squash, remove the seeds and cube. Peel and chop the carrots. Mince the ginger, set aside 1 tbsp for later, and then crush 1 garlic clove.



Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil on a baking sheet and add the squash, the carrots, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tbsp of ginger, 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of nutmeg and sprinkle with sea salt with freshly ground pepper. Coat all really well in the oil and put in the oven to roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

If you are using chicken, you can cook it on a separate pan while the vegetables are roasting.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add 1 cup of chopped onion, 2 of the remaining garlic cloves (minced). Cook onions and garlic until translucent. Add 1 tbsp of minced ginger, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of nutmeg and 1/8 of a cup of brown sugar. Cook until carmelized. 



Transfer the onion mixture to a soup pot, add the chicken and cook well until both are sizzling, add the chicken broth at this point. Bring to a boil, then add the rice and the roasted vegetables.


Add the chicken to the onions
Add 8 cups of chicken broth…less if you want to puree it
Add your roasted veggies and your rice




The magic in this soup is layering all the seasonings, otherwise it will be bland. Finally, if you aren’t using chicken, if you wish, you can puree the soup in your food processor. I wanted our soup to have soft chunks for a filling main dinner soup. It would make a delightful fall soup prior to your entre. For our family, soup, salad, a rosemary dinner bun and old fashion rice pudding for dessert was perfect.




Ladle your soup into a bowl, add a sprig of parsley and a dollop of sour cream which is refreshing and a nice complement to the ginger. This is a warming soup full of flavour. Enjoy!

As if that wasn’t good enough….finish it off with some old fashion rice pudding. Oh my, talk about comfort food or WHAT!

This was the creamiest rice pudding ever! Harrison ate his portion and before bed he sat down to finish off the rest of the casserole dish.

I don’t know if it’s more enjoyable to eat all this wonderful homemade stuff or to hear my family’s contented sounds as they consume it.

This to me is one of the best parts of nurturing my children. Watching them appreciate food and grow.

If you are also interested in making the Rosemary dinner buns here is the recipe.

Rosemary Dinner Buns

Ingredients

*1 tbsp white sugar
*1 cup warm water
*1 package active dry yeast or 1 tbsp (I buy Red Star active dry yeast from Costco )
*1 tsp salt

Our rosemary plant next to the Kale
*2 tbsp softened butter
*2 tbsp rosemary….I went to the garden and picked it fresh
*1 tsp Italian seasoning
*3 cups bread flour…although you can use an all purpose as well
*1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
*1  beaten egg (opt)
 
 

Directions

  1. Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast. When yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.
  2. Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.
  3. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper. Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. I like to shape my dough into balls and put on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  5. Brush loaves with egg. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brow

The Rosemary buns were such a nice flavour, next to the warming squash/ginger soup.

Finally, if you are a lover of Rice pudding, then you have to try this recipe. I actually had Harrison make it while I was making the soup and the buns. (he wasn’t feeling that bad) We have been working in the kitchen together for years. I like to encourage all of our children to help me in the kitchen from the time they are small. We like to  make muffins, pancakes, cookies; things they are excited to eat.

Once they are around 11 or 12, I like to get them working on main dishes and of course teach them to cook the foods they love. Harrison was more than happy to make this dessert for this meal and ended up eating the majority, which was good since he hadn’t been eating much since visiting his orthodontist the day before. This is an excellent recipe to make if you have left over rice. I just made extra rice, when I made the Butternut Squash and Ginger soup.

Okay, get ready for comfort food extrordinaire……

Old Fashion Rice Pudding

* 3/4 cup uncooked white rice,
* 2 cups milk, divided
* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 egg beaten
* 2/3 cup raisins
* 1 tbsp butter
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
*  2 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tsp nutmeg

 

Directions

  1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; stir rice into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

 

After cooking the rice pudding on the stove top, pour it into a casserole dish, sprinkle it with cinnamon and nutmeg, put a lid on top and put it in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until it thickens. Pour into dishes with a little piece of mint on top. It’s a wonderful finish to this evenings meal.

We doubled the recipe for our gang but this is perfect if you have a family of 4, unless you love rice pudding. Then there is never enough!

Put in a fancy dish, add a sprig of mint and it looks like something from a restaurant

I hope you try this delightful trio of recipes. Thanks for coming today, it’s always a pleasure having you in our kitchen.
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Vegetable Borscht~Grateful Gardens

/ Lee Reynolds
Look what I have found in my garden this summer?

 

This was the first one I found in my garden. EVER!
And look where I found it.
I know hey, a jumble of pumpkin, raspberry bushes, somewhere under there are also potatoes growing in containers …but then cantaloupes have been discovered too.
This mysterious cantaloupe appeared in my pumpkin/raspberry/potatoes in container/ garden this summer, …next to one of my compost bins.
Yes, I know, it’s lucky I found anything in this mess but one day, when I was out hand watering this patch, I was counting pumpkins and boy was I SHOCKED to find a cantaloupe.
I didn’t plant ANY cantaloupe seeds. I’m actually surprised too that anything grew in this patch down by my compost bin.  My sister J says raspberries grow anywhere…thanks btw J, for the new raspberry plants. I’ll put them in as soon as I clear out this mess this fall.
After I planted my main garden, I still had a few plants left and I just randomly planted them in this bed, not thinking anything would come up at all. After all, it isn’t on our underground irrigation system and the dirt is terrible.
 For years we had a weeping birch planted in this space. Although I really like birch trees, that one was always needing pruning and well, it also absorbed a ton of water and wasn’t producing anything for us to eat. When I started thinking garden sustainability, one of the first things to go was that birch. Before I planted down there this year, I meant to remove the stump and improve the soil but I never got around to it/ Was I ever surprised ANYTHING grew down there. One of the reasons I had the compost put in this area was I was wanting to build up the soil in this location. Smart thinking on my part to place my compost bin, where I wanted the new, improved garden area.
So SURPRISE, surprise, surprise….I grew a cantaloupe.
And boy was I feeling like a real farmer when that happened.
But then, on another occasion, I found another one, again surprise! Did I mention this area gets little sunshine (no water, unless I get down there with the hose) and from what I have read melons love the hot sun.
And I wasn’t the only one surprised at our bounty. Harrison who is always happy to see food even posed with our new melon friend…to be eaten forthwith.
Then it happened two more times.

 

From a plant  I didn’t even “knowingly” plant, we received four glorious cantaloupes. YOU can bet  I saved the seeds for us to plant in this same spot next year. I know four melons isn’t a lot in the big scheme of things and even eating but hey…when you have bonus food that you weren’t expecting, and it’s fruit that your family loves to boot, well you are GRATEFUL!
Then there is the produce you did plant that turns out beautifully. I have never planted cabbage before as I was concerned about the notorious white cabbage butterfly infesting our garden but this summer our first cabbages turned out beautifully. I planted two varieties this year, a green and a red. They grew to enormous sizes and 6 plants of each fed our family all summer. Next year I’m doubling that as I want to put some away for winter. Cabbage keeps great I hear.
All summer we ate coleslaw and I added cabbage to my kale salad but I was hoping that there would be one cabbage left in September so we could have our first pot of Borscht of the season.
And look what was waiting for me in the garden the other day. Another reason to be grateful.
Isn’t this Red Dynasty Cabbage a sight for sore eyes…..something my grandmother would have said…but it’s beautiful.
And that wasn’t all. Down in that infamous pumpkin patch, I tipped over one of the containers I planted with Yukon Gold potatoes and I was happily surprised to find enough potatoes for several meals. We can go through 10 pounds of potatoes in no time if all the older boys are eating.
Potatoes grown in one of the containers down at our pumpkin patch
If you live on an urban homestead as I do, I would recommend growing your potatoes in a container. It was so easy and  as I was pouring my lawn clippings into the compost bin, I would top up my potatoes with a bit of mulch and throw a bit of dirt as well. By the end of summer the container was topped up and it was full of veggies. I was surprised by how many potatoes we received.
With  our newly dug potatoes and this beautiful cabbage, I’m going to make a vegetable borscht. Come and join me as I cook.
Pour a cup of tea and let’s get cooking. We can chat about being grateful as we go.

Let’s see, where is my recipe, oh here it is:

Hope’s Homemade Vegetable Borscht
 
Ingredients
  • 3 medium-size beets, peeled and grated
  • 2 large carrot, peeled and grated
  • 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tbsp of water
  • juice from ½ lemon
  • 2 L of water/vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp of salt…or salt to your taste.
  • 6 medium-size potatoes, or the equivalent, diced
  • ½ cabbage….you can use green or red
  • 1  onion, diced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  •  black pepper/pinch of salt
  • 2  bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley or fresh finely chopped.
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced as you desire
  • 1 tbsp of dried dill or a large bunch of fresh finely chopped
Directions
  1. Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add grated beets, carrots and diced tomatoes.


2. Add 2 tbsp of  water and lemon juice to the vegetables and stir.
3. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, boil 2 L of water in a kettle and add to the shredded vegetables, that have been on simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Bring to a boil and add salt to your taste
6. Add diced potatoes and shredded cabbage to the soup and cook for another 10 minutes


7. While that is cooking, saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until golden


8. Add onions and garlic to the pot and combine well.
9. Add freshly ground black pepper, salt, bay leaves, parsley and dill to the soup. Cook for 15 minutes. 




10. Now the best part, pour into bowls, add a big dollop of sour cream and a sprig of parsley.


Serve with salad and dinner buns (recipe below) for a complete and delicious meal.

This recipe feeds 12-14 people. It fed us for 2 nights which I’m grateful for as the second night was after being at the dentist with the whole gang and we were hungry when we arrived home. If you don’t need a whole pot full, please know it freezes really well. Perfect for a cold fall night.

Let’s say Grace….

Don’t you think when you come from a place of gratitude, even more gifts are bestowed. Let’s say grace.

And before I close this post, I just wanted to jot down my dinner bun recipe. I used this also for my black bean burger recipe…but I make the buns a bit smaller for dinner.

Ingredients:

Serves: 12-15
  • 4 1/2cups flour
  • 4 1/2teaspoons dry yeast (2 8g packages)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3/4cup water
  • 1/2cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup of oil
  • 1/3-1/2cup  white sugar
  • 1/2teaspoon  salt

 

Directions:

 

    1. Mix 2 C flour& yeast in a large bowl.
    2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar& salt to lukewarm in microwave.
    3. Add all at once to flour mixture and beat till smooth. (Approx 2 mins in a Kitchenaid stand mixer).
    4. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough (2 – 2 1/2 Cups).
    5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto floured surface and let rest under a large greased bowl for about 15 minutes.
    6. Shape dough into 12-15 small balls and place on greased baking sheet to rise until doubled in size. (approx 45 Mins).
    7. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 12-15 minutes.
      I add some ground flax seed and oatmeal to the tops of the dough as I’m making the buns

       

      For some reason, making bread and buns is such a nurturing experience

 

 

So there it is my blog friends. A home cooked meal, nothing extravagant but when the ingredients come from your garden, you are even more thankful. I have to tell you our kitchen smells heavenly between the borscht and the buns cooking.

Our cat, May Ling, a blue lynx point Siamese, has snoozed the whole afternoon away on the window seat in our kitchen. There is nothing like homemade soup, buns and a cat dosing in the kitchen in my books.

 

When she hears my camera click, she starts slightly but only just…in a second she is dreaming about mice and quail again

Thanks for coming today……..

Until we meet again, may you be well, peaceful and happy.

Blessings from Hope