Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Soup...from a can?


Back in grad school, I'd make a large pot of soup on Sunday and then freeze it in 2 cup portions to take to the clinic with me...I lived on homemade soup.
But now I have access to the internet and recipes...
So now when I boil my chicken bones and make broth, 
I make soup.

I also can a lot of stuff, but when I use it, I use it in isolation usually.
For example, if I can corn, I serve it as corn...If I make salsa I use it as a dip.
I sadly do not ever think of using it as an ingredient.
So this week I saw what I had in the cupboards and freezer and started making...

Chicken Tortilla Soup
from a can...
(sans tortilla...just don't like them in my chicken tortilla...)

2 quarts chicken broth (homemade)
2 cups cooked chicken (leftover from a grilled chicken is great!)
2 cups black beans, soaked, rinsed and drained
1 pint corn (home canned)
1 half pint salsa (home canned)
One onion and about 4 cloves garlic (from the garden.)
Olive oil
cumin, pepper, salt, crushed red pepper, hot pepper powder of sorts (depending on your heat tolerance)

Saute the onion and garlic in a pot with the olive oil.  When they are soft, add the chicken broth.  When that comes to a boil, add the beans.  Cook for about an hour or until soft.  Add everything else and let simmer for about another hour.
You can top it with sour cream, cheese, salsa, tortilla chips...whatever floats your boat.

Enjoy!



Monday, June 18, 2012

Picking things up on the side of the road...

It's been a bit of a habit of mine.
Picking things up on the side of the road.
Sometimes it works out and sometimes not so much.
We  been using a desk I found on the side of the road about 12 years ago on a daily basis.
Country husband (that is the Country Sister's husband) found an excellent set of golf clubs once...
Well, today I found treasure.
Lightning felled wood!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Friday, June 15, 2012

In the garden...














I've been absent for a bit...
We put up a fence around the garden and haven't seen our chomping bunny friend in a while...
It's nearly invisible and keeps the deer away as well.
In the last picture you can see what's going on in the garden...
(from top to bottom left to right...)
Garlic, peas, potatoes, cukes up a fence, carrots, beans tomatoes, chard, peppers...
The lettuce from the cold frame has bolted...we are awaiting seeds for the fall planting...
Last year's chard bolted and the bees are going nuts!
The blackberries are nearly ready...
And really nothing feels as good as dirt between your toes as you dig up the garlic and some potatoes for dinner...might I add in jammies...nothing like a comfy pair of jammies!
I feel like a Tortilla Espanola  is in the works...
or potato salad...
Now that the garlic is dug, I am going to plant some sweet corn in that area...
In a few weeks when the peas have fully turned to seed (for the fall planting...) I will pull them and plant field corn...that way they will have separate bloom times and be able to save seed from both...

As you can see, I am trying to cut down on using bought seeds and starting to rely on just what we can save from year to year.  
It saves money, and makes items that are customized to thrive in our garden.
The main reason why we need customized seeds is because we live in a strange place...
Since we are at the top of a ridge, we get high winds, cold nights, hot days, and often strange weather...
It snows at our house while a mile down the hill it rains...

So let me know...how does your garden grow?