Wedding Soup

Having lived away from our extended family for most of the past nineteen years, the responsibility of holiday dinners has been almost entirely mine. Only on a few occasions have we spent a major holiday away with family.

It's been especially fun when my parents have come for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I love working in the kitchen with the two best cooks I know!

As the children have grown & become more adept in the kitchen, my work load has become lighter.

This year, the work of Christmas meal prep was even lighter - for me, at least.

The children did almost all of the baking. I only made one batch of lemon sugar snaps (from Martha Stewart; my first time; marginal results).

We were invited to share Christmas dinner with The Cousins, with "instructions" to bring whatever we wanted.

Nice!

The girls made a couple of quiches and some desserts, and I got over easily.

I decided to make soup, and the girls made a special request:

Wedding Soup.

Being from Pittsburgh, I learned about Italian food (and Polish food and German food) before I ever learned about "soul" food. In fact, growing up, my exposure to "soul food" was relegated to a mere handful of basic options (although, with my parents, even ordinary foods are extraordinary):

Fried Chicken

Ribs 

(I'll ONLY eat my dad's.)

Collard Greens

(I ONLY ate my dad's until Craig learned how to make them.)

As I've already mentioned, my parents are the best cooks I know, and this is true even with Italian food.

However, I never had wedding soup while growing up in their household.

I don't even know anyone else who makes it at home, except for a lady I once met in an Italian market. As a visual learner, I didn't remember much of her verbal recipe sharing that day. So, when I was ready to make it at home just a few years ago, I had to search online for a recipe.

I ended up finding two recipes that seemed promising. Each one lacked something that the other offered, so I combined the best of the two.

For the past several years, this has been a favorite, not only for my household, but also for friends and relatives who've tasted it.

On Christmas Day this year, though, I decided to wing it, and it ended up being the best yet! The Cousins don't eat much beef or any pork; so to be safe, I made turkey meatballs.

Here's what I did:

Turkey Meatballs = ground turkey, crumbled bread (a slice or so of something good - I used my homemade wheat bread and grated it manually), chopped onions, herbs, salt, pepper, egg, milk.

Don't make them too large. I used a tablespoon to scoop mine, and that's about as large as they should ever be.

Cook the meatballs in the bottom of the soup pot you plan to use. Add chopped vegetables when the meatballs are sufficiently browned:

(It'll be necessary to push the meatballs to the sides of the pot & add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.)

fennel

(I was out of celery, and I'm SO glad! Fennel is the way of the future. For sure.)

carrots

onion

garlic

spinach

(Confession: I use frozen spinach.)

I keep a cute little covered dish of coarse salt next to my stove. I always feel more chef-like as I pinch and sprinkle while cooking. Don't be shy, but don't overdo it. That goes for pepper, too. It doesn't hurt to add a bit more herbs and other seasonings along with the vegetables. I added some ground celery seed, as well.

OK, I can hear your question. 

("Which herbs?")

I used rosemary, thyme, sage (all fresh), and dried oregano. I may have thrown in a little savory, but I can't recall for certain.

NOTE: This soup got rave reviews, even from The Cousins (who, surprisingly, had never tasted Wedding Soup before). So, if yours turns out bland, don't blame me. I am a seasoner. I just can't direct you on exactly how much. You'll have to sample as you go.

My only caution is that it is possible to use too much oregano, and it doesn't take much to cross the line. That stuff is powerful, unless it's fresh.

Cute little covered dish (gotta love Polish pottery, eh?)

 When the veggies start to get a little tender, go ahead and add chicken broth. Now, I'm leaving this up to your discretion. It really depends on how many meatballs you have, whether or not you add a mini pasta (I usually don't), and how brothy you like your soup. It's totally a matter of personal preference, but at least use enough broth to cover the ingredients and leave room for evaporation as it simmers.

That's it. That's how I made my wedding soup. It's all in how you season it - and your meatballs really make a difference, too. Please - whatever you do! - DO NOT cheat by buying frozen meatballs. Seriously. It's worth the effort to make them yourself. If you decide to ignore my advice, just don't tell anyone where you got the recipe, OK?

;-)

The girls said that this photo makes the soup look more like swamp water (the camera is still in the shop); but I assure you, it is far superior to that.

Grocery Store Discipleship

In just over a week, we will have been Texans for six months. (Well, that's if you don't get too technical and require a TX driver's license to make it official.)

This. Place. Is. Vast.

I depend a lot on my GPS these days in order to run my usual errands.

Some folks use Costco for "bulk" purchases, but with the size of our family (and our appetites), it's part of our regular grocery shopping.

It's taken a while, but I'm finally over the fact that the nearest Costco is located in the city. 

About 25 miles away.

In lots of traffic.

On Costco Day, I'm always sure to take along at least one helper from my "staff of volunteers". Yesterday, Craig Grayson packed his school books and joined me. We covered a lot of ground, and by the time we got to our final stop (Target), he opted to stay in the truck and finish his school work.

He had earned the break. That boy can pack a mean trunk!

I can remember when it was my life's dream to be able to shop alone. I used to think that it was so unfortunate that we didn't have family nearby and couldn't afford regular babysitters to keep the children so that I might enjoy a child-free day of running errands.

Nowadays, I beg for a companion.

It's now clear to me that it wasn't at all unfortunate that I didn't have anyone to ease what seemed a burden to me at the time.

As much as I longed for a shopping trip without car seats, strollers, reprimands, and taking head-counts at regular intervals, I'm thankful that the children and I didn't miss the lessons involved.

I'll admit that if I had been offered the help, I would have taken it; but we spend so much effort trying to alleviate what God intended for us to bear. 

(ref. Genesis 3:16-19)

Women no longer have to endure the pain of childbirth if we don't want to. Most go as far as to say that they don't even want to have children, or at least not very many.

Men no longer toil for the sustenance of the family as they once did. Labor is no longer valued as a means of provision. These days, time is money, and no one breaks a sweat while sending emails or making calls.

Likewise, moms who are able to stay at home with their children often forfeit the teachable moment that comes from including them on the shopping trip (or doing chores or baking or serving guests...). Someone else is left to pacify the children in order to lighten Mom's load. This isn't inherently bad, in itself - we are called to bear one another's burdens, but we must be wise about which ones to bear.

I understand the value of help, and I encourage my daughters to help other mothers of young children when the need arises.

Deuteronomy 6 tells parents to diligently teach God's commands to children "when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (ESV)

How will children learn to be obedient in social settings if someone is always keeping them in the sterile environment of the toy room while mom goes "by the way" without them?

Nap time and scheduling are important; but giving our children opportunities to learn proper behavior and be reminded that the world doesn't bend to the whim of one boy or girl, is even more important. 

The grocery store is a perfect training ground for learning to "love your neighbor as yourself". 

My children's formative years were spent on Army posts, for the most part. This meant that we'd often encounter elderly retirees in the commissary, which offered the perfect opportunity to teach the children to "stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man" (Leviticus 19:32). 

When it comes to teaching children to be considerate of others, opportunities abound in a grocery aisle. I can't venture a guess at the number of times I've repeated this statement: 

"Stay to one side. Don't block the entire aisle. We're not the only ones here. Be considerate of other shoppers."

If children are allowed to join mommy for her errands - and required to be obedient - after a while, not only will it gradually become less daunting to "handle" them in public, but they'll even learn how to be helpful. 

Children should be regarded as producers, rather than merely as consumers. They are meant to be a blessing; but left to the toy room, they'll be hindered from opportunities to learn to be responsible and respectful when out.

Joining Mom on errands also prepares the children for learning to respond to others (safely by Mom's side, of course), look them in the eye, and respond coherently.

"So, is school out already?"

"No, Sir. We're homeschooled."

"Oooooooohhhhh....."

(By the way, learning to respond graciously to unsolicited opinions or snide remarks from others is another lesson best learned in the grocery store, and could be a blog post in itself. Oh. Yeah. I already did that here.)

An important thing to remember is that it is God Who sends these treasured arrows to us, and it is His Word that teaches us how to instruct them. What a comfort it is to know that He is patient with us as His children, and patiently guides us as we learn to parent according to His Word. As a mother (who is still in the process), I'm continually encouraged by these verses:

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." 

Galatians 6:9

"He Who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it."

1 Thessalonians 5:24

Remember, mothers, that God is concerned with our training as well as that of our children. He leads us as we lead them, and He uses the challenges of motherhood to teach us to trust Him.

Regarding our children:

"... in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." 

Philippians 2:3-4

Let's be interested in training our children diligently.

May the Lord richly bless you as you aim your "arrows" for His glory!

Probably The Most Satisfying Project Ever

Have you ever seen a project and felt instinctively that you should tackle it as soon as possible? As if it's some rite of passage?

Not since I cross-stitched a sampler of Proverbs 31 back in the early 90s (a 3-year process), have I come across something so tedious, engaging, and utterly addictive.

As soon as I laid eyes on Kate's scrap map, 

I. Was. Hooked.

I didn't spend much time analyzing my fabric choices, except for a few special places.

California is a dainty pink-and-floral print because my spiritual mother lives there. She is the epitome of a gentle and quiet spirit and godly womanhood.

Texas is black-and-white damask because it's where I live, and I've said that if I were any fabric, I'd be black-and-white damask home decor fabric.

Pennsylvania is denim because blue is part of the "Keystone State" emblem, and denim represents the casual, blue-collar atmosphere in which I grew up.

Georgia is camouflage because the lion's share of our Army time was spent at Ft. Benning.

Alabama is red because, if given a choice between the two rival teams, my husband would yell "Roll Tide!" rather than "War Eagle!". (I like the scissors print because it was while living in Alabama that I started sewing again more regularly after a long hiatus.)

Thankfully, I have very industrious kitchen helpers, so I was able to assign certain Thanksgiving dinner tasks to the children. They knew that I had some special sewing planned for this week, and they graciously allowed me the freedom to come and go between the kitchen and the sewing room at my leisure.

My two goals this week were my new apron (love!), just in time for Thanksgiving, and the scrap map.

I became so obsessed engrossed in the map project that I hardly slept on Wednesday night. I had just finished the final step of making it just before midnight, which meant that mounting and hanging it would have to wait until Thanksgiving morning.

I had multiple lists running through my head and couldn't prioritize them, so it took a long time to fall asleep.

Once asleep, I tossed, turned, and dreamed about the map and the fabrics for most of the night!

At 4:00 a.m., I forced myself to stay in bed and get plenty of rest for the day ahead.

Finally, I was able to get up, go for a run, mount the map, and watch, overjoyed, as my sweet husband hung it on the wall of the school room for me.

What a guy!

Once that was tackled, I was free to shower, eat breakfast, and work on the finishing touches for Thanksgiving dinner.

Incidentally, I strategically planned my Thanksgiving dinner dress to create a complimentary neutral backdrop for my new apron.

(My dress is actually slate-gray, but it looks black in this photo, next to the lighter gray in the apron, and so far from the black boots and tights.)

What's On Your Thanksgiving Menu?

A loaf of bread awaiting its execution transformation

I have a basic blueprint that I follow each year when planning menus for major holidays, but I like to change a detail or two, just to keep it interesting.

This year, The Cousins will join us for Thanksgiving dinner, and one of them offered to bring the turkey!

Selah.

Even with two ovens, it's a tremendous relief that I won't have to strategically time the use of them in order to accommodate something so large as a turkey and still make everything else in time for dinner.

I've been back in fitness mode recently, and I'm trying so hard not to load up on lots of heavy fare.

Even my pared-down menu still threatens the waistline, but not as much as in years past.

Trust me.

My dad bought this cute little garlic roaster for me a few years ago. Roasted garlic is a key player in my cauliflower pureé, which will be served in lieu of mashed potatoes, much to Morgan's chagrin. (I've promised to make it up to her on Christmas.)

What this photo lacks in aesthetic value, it makes up in culinary flair. This ordinary scene will morph into Craig's AMAZING collard greens (Daddy's recipe), sweet potato casserole, & cauliflower pureé.

The next generation of apple pie baker has graduated. Morgan normally makes the crust while I make the filling, but today she made the entire thing from start to finish. (It's probably more accurate to say that I've graduated. I wasn't a control freak about it, and she was free to create.)

What's fueling my operation today?
Ethiopia Harar Longberry

These bread cubes will become my stuffing (Mom's recipe), which will fill rolled flank steak (also Mom's recipe).

The remainder of today's prep includes making the topping for the sweet potato casserole, blanching brussels sprouts for roasting tomorrow, making cranberry salad, and mixing "pretty" herb butter to display on a cold plate.

The Line-Up:

Cauliflower Pureé

Roasted Brussels Sprouts


Collard Greens

Cranberry Salad

Sweet Potato Casserole

Stuffed Flank Steak

Whole-Wheat Rolls with Herb Butter


Apple Pie

(And from The Cousins:)

Turkey

Salad

Green Beans

Pumpkin Cheesecake

*  *  *  *  *

Happy Thanksgiving!

Apron Happiness

It's been a while since I've had Morgan model for me. Isn't she just cute??

I posted about this fabric (purchased here) a while back, and mentioned that I hoped to make an apron out of it.

I've wanted a new apron for months.

Thanksgiving offered the perfect excuse to drop everything and get started on it this week, but I wanted something that will go beyond one day.

I can't imagine ever getting sick of this one. The fabric just makes me happy every time I look at it.

I added a towel loop to the waistband and made a decorative tea towel to match. When I cook or bake, I wash my hands countless times during the process. Since the children are normally right there working with me in the kitchen, the hand towels can get scattered. This way, I'll have one right at my fingertips and won't have to share.

I prefer a D-ring over using ties for my aprons. It's actually easier, as I don't have to hem long edges of an extra tie. Isn't that yellow fabric wonderful? It makes me want to duplicate it on a wall (a shade or two lighter). I won't, though...

Last year, I won a giveaway that Liesl was offering,  and included in the goodie box were four different designs of this gorgeous embroidered ribbon. When I started laying out the fabrics for this apron, I just knew that the ribbon would be a perfect embellishment. I certainly don't regret adding a band of it here. 

This is where the idea for this apron began. Not only do we fight over hand towels in our kitchen, but there seems to be a little elf that steals the hot pads just before one of us needs one. The idea of attaching hot pads to the apron is ingenious! 

See?!

Improvise

It always takes me forever to start hanging things on the wall after moving into a new home.

I just don't "feel" it right away. I'm too focused on the rest of our existence to worry about what should adorn the walls.

That doesn't mean I don't like wall art, though.

I saw this fun guitar painting at TJ Maxx a while back, and it haunted me for a few weeks.

When I returned a while later for another purpose, I was delighted to find that it was still there and the price had been reduced.

I thought it might be great for the boys' room, but I later decided it should hang next to Craig Grayson's drum set in the school room.

The hook from the previous picture was a bit too high for the guitar painting, but I was unwilling to make a new hole in the wall.

I started brainstorming on what to use to make it hang lower, and a guitar strap came to mind.

We don't have an extra guitar strap, so I thought of the next best thing.

With boys having major growth spurts, that means there will inevitably be belts that are still in good enough shape to reuse.

Voila!

(Thanks, Graham!)

Trying Again

I love to cook;

but if I walk into the kitchen and find a mess, I can't even slice an onion or boil water without first getting everything organized.

(I am my father's daughter.)

Not so in the sewing room!

I've been itching to conquer this project (and to get it done in time to post on Amy's Sew & Tell for this week).

When I entered my sewing room after breakfast this morning, I had a moral dilemma:

Clean first?

Or just dive into the project?

It was a hard mess to resist...

... but resist I did!

I made a similar messenger bag a while back. It was intended for a friend, but I wasn't pleased with the results. Today I was determined to try again. I'm pleased this time. I just love this tutorial.

This toile fabric was used for the exterior of the first bag. I still had plenty left, so I used it for the lining of this one. I "heart" the black exterior fabric, but it sort of reminds me of the test that the eye doctor gave to assess my astigmatism.

And now I have some cleaning to do...

Pumpkin Granola Bars

I finally fell asleep last night after brainstorming some breakfast ideas, and I want to share one with you here.

Although we're still wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts in late October here in the Houston area, there are pumpkins seemingly everywhere.

If you don't roast fresh pumpkin, you should. It's far superior to the stuff in the can, and there's little labor required. Simply cut it in half, scoop out the inside (being sure to save the seeds for roasting separately), and place each half face-down on lightly-oiled baking sheets. Roast at 350°F until the rind begins to sink in the middle. Let it cool, scrape away the rind, and store the pumpkin in freezer bags for later use.

Anyway, as I was lying in bed unable to sleep (my to-do lists tend to rob me of slumber), I suddenly thought of a granola bar recipe that I wanted to convert.

The friend who gave me the recipe uses either honey or orange marmalade in hers, but I've always substituted with apricot preserves.

This morning, I decided to try using pumpkin pureé.

I can't say enough how thankful I am for baking stones. They truly are a kitchen wonder!

To be honest, my bars don't always maintain their shape. It may be a tell-tale sign that I haven't added enough moisture to the mix. This morning was no different. Most of the bars fell apart when I removed them from the pan. When this is the case, I simply dump them all into my big granola jar to be served later with yoghurt! 

See? 

Everybody wins.

I managed to set this relatively-intact bar aside for a quick phone photo before dumping it into the jar with the rest.

Pumpkin Granola "Bars"

4 C oats

(pulse in food processor to resemble quick oats)

3/4 C melted butter

1/2 C sucanat

(or honey granules, aka "Savannah Gold")

1/2 C pumpkin pureé 

(mixed with 1 T agave nectar, if you prefer it sweeter)

1 C chopped pecans

1/2 C flax seeds

1/2 C dried cranberries

(Feel free to use other nuts/seeds of your choice.)

Bake at 400°F for 15-18 minutes.

Cool and cut into bars... or dump into your granola jar!

(If you're a coffee drinker, check out our friend's site. This is what completed my yummy breakfast this morning.)

ETA: I posted a revised version of this recipe here with some tweaking of the details for better results, thanks to my sweet friend, Lauren. :-)

I Did It! (Finally)

I mentioned earlier that I've been planning to make a duvet cover for Gabriela, but I had hoped to surprise her.

I've had my eye on this fabric for a couple of years, and I finally bought it recently at a 50%-off sale.

The only thing I still lacked was a window of time with Gabriela away from the house, so as to surprise her.

Today was that day.

After searching a bit online for some direction, I had it all figured out in my head and just decided to wing it. I ended up saving the striped fabric that was supposed to be the accent. I'll use that for pillows, instead.

Anyway, it turned out that, after taking the girls to work with him, Craig decided to come home early.

Yikes!

I wasn't quite finished, but I was on the last step of assembling the cover. The older children tried to create a barrier in the doorway of the sewing room. Not realizing what they were doing, Gabriela crawled between their legs to come and ask me a question.

Oh well.

She was surprised. It just happened in the sewing room, rather than in her bedroom like I had planned.

I love giving her new things. She gets so excited. I felt sorry for her when she realized that she had inadvertently ruined her own surprise. I assured her that it was perfectly OK, and she spent the rest of the day thanking me and talking about how exciting bedtime would be tonight.

This was my very first time ever making piping. I actually made this way ahead of time and set it aside. Gabriela thought that I was planning to use it in my room. Tee-Hee!

Hats off to all those heroes who can perfectly match a directional pattern when piecing fabric together to make up width. I aspire to achieve that status some day... but not anytime soon, please.

I used a yellow sheet from Target for the backing.

Time to make pillows...