Cooking Up A Storm

Or at least the beginnings of one.  First, the onions caramelized perfectly left to their own devices for 8 hours in the slow cooker and the kitchen didn't burn down.  It's an interesting recipe.  Next you add garlic and sherry, and cook it on High, uncovered, for a few minutes before adding chicken and beef broths, thyme and a bay leaf to cook for a few more hours.  It gets finished with a bit of soy sauce and black pepper.  A serving of 1 1/2 cups gets 1/2 Tablespoon shredded Parmesan and costs 3 Freestyle points.  I used a couple tiny slices of semolina bread for sopping up the broth.  Very tasty.  I'll be making this soup again.






 



The first birds I noticed this morning were about six Goldfinches in their drab winter plumage.  I don't see them often but keep thistle seed in the feeder all the same.



 

The Mourning Dove flock came in greater numbers today.  They stayed for less than five minutes.

Once the French Onion Soup was done, eaten for lunch, half of it frozen and the other half waiting in the fridge for other meals, I halved three acorn squash from stem to bottom, scraped out the seeds, and baked them.  Once they were done I cooked the Moroccan Chickpea mixture of onions, a can of chickpeas drained and rinsed, garlic, cumin, chopped raisins, cilantro, and lemon juice.  Once I divvied it into the six squash halves a generous teaspoon of toasted pine nuts garnished the top.  I didn't eat any of this; I need to finish the shrimp egg roll noodle bowls (2 left) since fish doesn't have a long fridge life.

In preparation for tomorrow's last two recipes, I seeded, peeled, and diced up one of the butternut squash I grew last summer.  One of the recipes is a slow-cooker stew and the other stew is cooked on the stove.  One with lentils, one with farro.  I'll be glad to get it all cooked and packaged in portions.

11 January--Tropical Obsession.  The sun was finally setting. It had been an endless day. Susan couldn't figure out why the times when they had guests went so slowly and when it was just the two of them the days flew by. She supposed it was the constant go go go--grocery shopping at least once a day, trips to the beach for a swim or snorkel, visits to local museums and galleries to prove there was a bit of culture on the island, and the obligatory island tour to show off the miniature towns (villages really) filled with houses painted bright colors populated by nearly picturesque natives. Susan was almost relieved when a drunk reeled out of a bar in Antriol yesterday and staggered out into the path of their Rover. George had slammed on the brakes, cursing the man, but Susan was overtaken by a fit of the giggles at the thought that the drunk's presence proved once and for all that they weren't living in a tropical Disneyland.

I was happy that it seemed like most of my muscles weren't too fussed about my bout with the trainer yesterday.  However this evening my mid-back and torso muscles have begun a low conversation about their displeasure.  Yippee.  I'm thinking I'll go back to the Y on Sunday again and I keep running the five exercises she led me thorough so that I can do them again, god help me.  Time to hit the sack.
--Barbara