Random thoughts from the moose cave.

tater's are safe, right?

until I put butter or sour cream on them, yes...

(sorry, I was stirring the soup)

added some onions.

I'm sort of counting on taters being acceptable on the meal plan ... because ... one of my favs ... how could I forget?

you do need a blender (wand or otherwise to make this really work)

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/11/vegan-cream-of-broccoli-soup

Ingredients

2 bunches broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 russet potato, peeled, cut into 1” pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Remove and discard tough lower stalk of each broccoli.

Peel remaining stalk.

Finely chop stalk and florets (you should have about 4 cups). Set aside.

Heat oil in a medium heavy pot over medium heat.

Add onion and sweat until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add stock and potato and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until potato is almost tender, about 12 minutes.

Stir in chopped florets.

Simmer until potato and broccoli are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and purée in a blender until smooth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with crusty bread.

and howsabout gf latkes!

http://glutenismybitch.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/gluten-free-latke-recipe-from-a-celiac-shiksa/

looks interesting...

blenders are cheap at the DAV. smoky might even have one. it was one of those items didn't make the cut when I hadda move to the cabin...

I lived on baked potatoes while I was in my christmas money outage. but they are not the same sans butter.

Ima hafta decide what to replace butter with.

I swore off margarine years ago.

still don't like the idea of it...

olive oil!

latkes look good. more likely Ima just fry up a mess of taters and onions in bacon grease...

but you never know.

for the time being I'm hunting quick easy and tasty in one package.

I needa focus my limited up time on making money.

I gotta get some more insurance before I can put my new truck on the streets...

so far, no worries between the kids...

Stinky has sprawled so as to completely occupy entry to the bed next to the heater.

Bubba is opposite of him across the heater crashed on a pile of my outside clothes that were on the chair.

both of them are thoroughly crashed to zonkland...

holy semolians, batman...

just saw the updated weather.

I did the right thing by lil' bubs...

current temp 22 with a wind chill of 10 degrees, and it just got dark.

headed down to single digits before dawn.

brrrrrr.

brrrrrrrrrrr

I hope everyone in the cabin has a comfortable night.

Stinky is the bestest cat ever...

he raised his eyebrows, and staked his claim, but never even raised his hackles at her. she was very careful upon entry to spot him and see what the score was...

we'll see how long before she gets back to her old tricks and un-pots one of my plants for a dirt nap...

my soup smells awesome. we may be onto something here.

at 5 (I think) wally's cuts the price of their roasted chickens (this one is garlic) in half to $4. (you gotta watch them, because sometimes they "accidently" miss the discounted price. about half the time, actually...

anyways, they make a wonderful smoky tasting broth. and I got lotsa rice noodles. wish I knew how to make a GF dumpling about now...

off to the shop for another armload of wood, before I settle in. gotta go up to smoky's yet too. I used mosta my water yesterday showering and shaving to go work.

I can't take all the credit for my soup.

Joe(yeah that guy)Nation inspired me to attempt it. discovering the cheap chickens sealed the deal.

I can grab one as I'm coming home when wonky like, and by the time I've smelled it all the way from the city, I'm ready to eat when I get here. but I never eat more than a breast and a bit of crispy skin. that leaves enough for a very hearty soup.

I may have to reconsider my opinion of people who run when they aren't skeered...

I'm a big fan of discounted whatever. We're not big couponers in Canada, so we have to search for the bargains. hamburgboy taught me a lot of tricks re bargain-hunting.

Last week it was a flattened garlic/herb chicken and a turkey meatloaf. Both had to be cooked, but it wasn't a big time investment. The carcass of the squashed, pre-seasoned chicken makes great broth (which eventually can be turned into good soup).

my soup is awesome. even without real egg noodles.

very smoky savory broth.

I gave the bones and scraps to smoky's ferals. there was a flurry of hungry cats as I left his porch...

noooooooooooo you need the carcass!

ok

the next one

I boiled it until it fell apart. then I scooped all the little bones out, I don't like crunch...

ok, what was I s'posed to do with the carcass?

dang.

now Ima be wondering all night what I was to do with dem bones...

oh well. my soup is verra tasty and hot.

gonna feed the kids on separate dishes. don't wanna be firkin up a good thing with a food fight.

done outside for tonight. snuggling in for the duration...

You did good, RH.

Stay warm...you must have sent your frigid air our way Rock. It's going down to 19 degrees here. That is just crazy. My bones are cold.

Soup sounds yummy...glad kitties are warm and seem to be minding their manners.

Good to see you Swimpy!