Home-made Soup ~~~ Potage

Anyone who has visited the country towns and villages of France will have tasted potage, homemade soup often made while you wait. These soups are the freshest possible, truly delicious, and so easy to make.

If you are European you may be familiar with Cranks, Britain's famous, but sadly now gone, vegetarian restaurant chain. Here chain didn't mean hundreds of 'em all along highways and byways - just a few scattered here and there. The remaining restaurant is in Devon so I'm still able to eat there when visiting my home - lucky me.

Started in London in 1961, these amazing 'health foods' became so popular that in response to customers' requests, the recipes were published in 1982 in the first of many cook books. This original book has been my favorite place to go for soups as they are based on French style potage. A few fresh vegetables and easy to follow instructions produce fabulous, healthy soups.

As the chilly weather arrives, a warming soup is one of the comfort foods we all embrace. Don't open a can full of sodium-laced, pallid looking, overcooked veggies swimming in grey water! Keep an onion and a potato on hand, some veggie bouillon cubes in a nearby glass jar, a few sprigs of flavorful Italian parsley on the kitchen window sill................and with a few fresh veggies from the market you will be on your way to healthy, tasty, very quick to prepare fresh soups.

MUSHROOM SOUP

Medium-sized onion 1

Small potato 1

Mushrooms 2-3 cups

Butter 4 Tbsp

Thyme 1 tsp

Large sprig of parsley

Vegetable bouillon cubes (2) dissolved in 1 cup hot water, (or, better still, vegetable water left over from cooking other veggies)

Milk 2 cups

Pepper to taste (salt usually not necessary)

Chop vegetables. Melt butter in large saucepan and saute onion until transparent. Add potato and mushrooms and cook, stirring, 2 mins. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat immediately, cover and simmer 20 mins. Allow to cool slightly, then blend with stick blender until smooth. Reheat to serving temp. adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve in a warmed bowl with a swirl of cream and hunk of crusty farm style whole grain bread.

Note on the blender - if you don't have a 'stick' style blender run to the kitchen store right now! You will love it and use it often - I couldn't cook without this marvelous tool.

Today I used Baby Bella mushrooms - a large container at Costco is very inexpensive. Regular white mushrooms are fine, or any combination of mushrooms will work.
More easy soup recipes coming later ~ enjoy!

A Small Joy

A surprise. I didn't tell you..................I brought home one special treasure from the Open House. This sleeping cherub with the tiny bird on its hip. Peace, joy, hope.................it said all to me. I plan to use it gently when I decorate for Christmas. Until then, it slumbers silently on my hearth asking for nothing but to rest.

Sometimes one thing of beauty stands out in the crowd.........it calls to you and you have to answer.

Open House............with refreshments

The coy smile on those chubby cheeks offered lovely things to take home.........gold, silver, stone, wood...............all would bring the spirit of the Holidays to your mantle, shelves, little side tables, windows and walls.

The pale Santas and old world style boxes hid the slender bottles of deep red wine................let's have a toast!

The creamy soy candles sat proudly on their lovely candlesticks, almost too nice to burn.

The proud reindeer watched cautiously, hoping they would be picked and they could get rid of those tags dangling from their antlers................then how elegant they'd be at the front door welcoming guests stopping by for a drink, or lazing on the warm holiday hearth next to the hefty oak logs.

And the angels....................singing and playing angelic music, religiously tempting us to buy.

Visit to a Holiday Open House...................these lovely decorative accessories are so hard to resist. I like to look at them all closely, to see the workmanship and admire the creativity of the designers who come up with all these wonderful ideas each season.

My Lavender Fairy Friend

Psst!! Did you see what Mary's thoughtful friend just brought her from England?

Aren't these just beautiful.....................'bath roses' made of soap leaves which can be taken apart and scattered in the bath tub.............and in my favorite perfume, lavender. The lovely little book all about English lavender will be such fun to read.

Thank you again Lesley. Right now you are on the plane headed home to England - my thoughts are with you - looking forward to the next visit.

All will be revealed.......

This weekend I plan to be motivated.........I will start making the home more cozy as the temperature drops. I'll hang my heavier velvety drapes, pull out the chenille upholstered ottoman ready for some foot propping and romantic movie watching on cold, dark nights.......

I should crank up the sewing machine and whip some of those remnants into soft throws for the sofa..........................
................and today I shopped at Whole Foods for locally grown organic vegs. The soup kitchen will be in full swing this weekend................butternut squash & parsnip, Russian vegetable with Savoy cabbage, leeks, potatoes, carrots, Mulligatawny, and smoky red lentil with Cheddar toasts. The tureens will be filled.........................mine are all white but must say I fell in love with this beauty at an expensive beach gift shop last weekend - well at least I took a photo as I couldn't bring it home!

And what could be more seasonal for dessert................
A homemade apple pie...............................of course.................come on over and have a slice if you're in the neighborhood!

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

Our Annual Autumn Beach Trip

'Hello' from the beautiful North Carolina coast. The beach is so much nicer in the Fall - no crowds, no humidity, and if you pick a really lovely weekend as we just did, fun in the sun tempered by a cool breeze is perfect. Have you noticed how the long shadows at this time of year can be a game of their own?Looking East along Atlantic Beach, NC from our hotel balcony - plenty of room for everyone in November.Granddaughter Jasmin still enjoyed playing on the sand - too cold to swim but we did put our feet in!

Sunrise from our balcony - lone early fisherman in the right lower corner. Late afternoon - several people fishing from the pier as the sinking sun turned the ocean to silver.

Exploring Fort Macon early on the morning of Veterans' Day was especially interesting.
From the high position of the fort we could look out across the beach where the brisk wind made several people decide to 'go fly a kite'. Have you noticed how fancy kites are these days? Love the flying fish.

No, this is not DH and yours truly! Just another couple who apparently enjoy fishing and waiting on a lovely Autumn day at the beach.

The Crystal Coast of North Carolina

~~~~~Granddaughter Jasmin - Atlantic Beach, NC 2006~~~~~

Digging out those buckets and spades/pails and shovels ~ tomorrow morning we're off for our annual Fall weekend at the beach. A bit late this year due the trip to England. We love it even when the weather is cool ~ I'll be looking longingly across the pond!

See you next week - have a wonderful weekend.

Visit to Lyme Regis, Dorset

You may remember this movie which opened with a breathtaking shot of Meryl Streep on the Cobb wall in Lyme Regis. John Fowles novel The French Lieutenant's Woman became a movie in 1981. Prior to that, the Cobb was an important feature in Jane Austen's 1818 novel Persuasion. The Cobb is a harbour wall full of character and history - it stretches out into Lyme Bay on the Jurassic Coast of the county of Dorset on the South coast of England.

Lyme Regis is a pretty town and was well-sited for trade with France in the 16-18th centuries. The port declined in the 19th century because it was unable to handle the increase in ship sizes.


On a perfect sunny October day we enjoyed the harbor full of fishing and pleasure boats.................

...............viewing the somewhat quirky mix of architecture along the seafront..................................................

................................and watching local wildlife.

These huge gulls will steal your lunchtime crab sandwich right out of your hand!


The local cats perform free aerial circus acts ~ without safety nets!

And almost everyone you pass has a sweet dog such as this very well behaved beagle.

A day at the shore ~ a quaint seaside town steeped in history ~ I've put The French Lieutenant's Woman in my Netflix Queue ~ must view it again now I've actually walked The Cobb.

The Balcony

Sunrise over water takes one's breathe away. Colors change by the second. Chattering birds awake and fly from their roosting sites. Fishing boats are seen as specks on the horizon. A little van pulls up and morning papers are delivered to the hotel next door. The the early kitchen help arrives and that friendly clattering of breakfast dishes is heard from the hotel kitchen.

On several mornings I flew out of bed and rushed to the windows to watch this spectacular sunrise over the bay as the crescent awoke.

The sun lights the window frames and calls us to breakfast at the tiny balcony table. The elegant crescent starts a new day - the bustling hotel in the center section, private homes and holiday apartments anchoring each end.

Step inside the front door for a glimpse of our holiday home - the perfect apartment overlooking the steel blue Autumn sea. An exquisite chandelier illuminates the bedroom crown moldings. The dining area in front of one of three floor to ceiling windows complete with original wood interior shutters ~ the little balcony beyond.

The manicured gardens, tennis courts and pool above the beach looking toward Thatcher Rock.

At high tide the surf crashes against the sea wall. In Summer this beach is a favorite with swimmers as the water is so clean - and we actually met a woman who swam each morning while we were there, brrr!


This was our second stay at The Balcony Apartment. We hope to return again for more days of elegant living 'across the pond'.

Accouterments......just stuff!

Leonardo truly was an amazing person - he always seemed to get it right.

A trip abroad is a cathartic experience - it cleanses your mind of all that 'stuff ' which clutters daily life when in one's home. I lived in an apartment (more on that wonderful place soon) for eight days with some one's beautiful stuff. I survived with a basic wardrobe rolled into one suitcase. I really need to simplify and I'm starting right now!

The written word - clean, mostly short, forthright. I love words such as pegs - why did they need to become clothespins? This was my purchase at the kitchen shop because I couldn't carry the china teapots home. And do I need another teapot? No of course not.

Bag - a simple. short word - it can contain anything. This beauty found in England has a zip (yes the word over there is not zipper) on the side to take out a spud, no need to take the bag off it's hook.

My new loden colored, paisley patterned clogs with the soft, comfy insoles deserve a special simple cotton bag for travel. A Devon castle gift shop find..............and on sale to boot!

These clean, crisp neutrals seem the way to go toward simplification.

Dusk is falling and DH is in New York. This evening is mine alone. I'm off to my chair (wish this one was mine) to make lists on how to simplify yet remain sophisticated.

The sign is out - take notice if you arrive at my front door. Where do I start? The list may say ~ just a single white pumpkin next year ~ simple and sophisticated.