Soup's on!

Fall is here. It seems as though overnight the leaves changed color, bursting into their golds, oranges and reds. Artprize is almost over in downtown Grand Rapids. I still haven't looked at the top ten list, but I know I did get to see a couple of them.

I've also been to Meijer Gardens to see their Chrysanthemums and More! exhibit. Here are a few pictures:

Fall is also my favorite time to start making soups. I was just telling someone that the other day, and they asked why I don't make soup in the summer. I enjoy most cream based soups and while some of them can be served cold, I like my soup hot. Fall is the perfect time to enjoy a bowl of hot soup.

I found a new cheesy potato soup recipe, so I decided to try it on Monday. It is very good, but I already modified it. It's pretty basic; a carrot, herbs, frozen mashed potatoes (to make it simple), milk and cheese.

I started out by making my own mashed potatoes. That's just as easy. Plus I had potatoes, why would I buy a bag of frozen mashed potatoes? (Again, the recipe is to make life easier, but I have nothing but time, so I don't mind complicating the recipe.)

Oh, and it called for ham.

No onion? Of course I added an onion. What's a soup with carrot but no onion?

The recipe suggested cheddar or gouda. I had some gouda, so I decided I would try that.

While I was shredded the gouda, that's when I got in trouble. The cheese, at one point while I was grating it, stopped moving. My hand, specifically my thumb, did not.

I looked down. Yes. Yes, I had just grated my thumb. I think I said, "oh. This is bad." Bill has learned to listen for these quiet, more subtle cues that something has just gone wrong. When the injury is not serious, I tend to shout and make a bigger deal about it. Because I has chosen the quieter route, Bill looked up from his chair in the living room, where he has a direct line of site to the stove and more importantly to where I was standing, looking a little pale.

Then I think I said, "I'm gonna need a band aid".

Fortunately there was no skin in the cheese, because it was still attached to the "grater" shaped cut on my thumb.

The soup was good. Very good. My thumb is healing. Slowly.

There will be more soup. Fall Harvest soup; it has butternut squash, a potato, carrots, a granny smith apple, it's all the flavors of fall in one soup. Chicken Tortilla soup, chili, ribolita, broccoli and cheese, French Onion soup and more. Oh my!

Happy Fall!

the beauty of the snow

Here are a few more pictures of the snow. I was out shoveling last week and saw this hanging by the front porch. I could not believe the snow had formed that way.

This is a different angle of what I'm calling, the snow ornament. I saw a different one this last week that actually looked like the state of Michigan. I did not take a picture because it was 7am and I was out shoveling. I did not have the time to stop.

Here is an interesting icicle. I will note that I did not turn the camera. How you see this icicle is how it formed. Either it was really windy, or the dripping snow went sideways. Either way it made a pretty unique icicle.

Beauty

Yes, I took this picture. I discovered the black & white, and sepia tone settings on our camera. I actually took this on the 13th. It was our last tulip. Pure white. And beautiful. It lasted longer then any tulip I have ever watched bloom. It is right by our front door, and is protected from the sun by the shade of the house, and the bushes that surround it. Amazing.

Then I took this picture.

Our lilac bush is between our house and our neighbor's. Our side bloomed, hers did not. Did you know, lilacs bloom on old wood. If you want lots of blooms, trim them now and then don't touch them again. Next spring, you will be rewarded with lots of flowers. Deb had just trimmed her side. Of course, it needed it! It is a little out of control!

I wish you a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend! We'll be cleaning, watching the Monaco Grand Prix (Formula 1), and having a cookout!