Cream of Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

Happy new year, all!

Another leisurely day today. So I did finally make that soup:

The starting point was a recipe from my Joy of Cooking

cookbook but I modified it quite a bit to fit whatever

vegetables I had (and didn't have) in the house.

Cream of Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lb broccoli and cauliflower (or combinations thereof) flowerets and some stems, cut into small pieces
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
  
• 2 medium carrots, shredded coarsely
  
• 1/2 stick butter (4 Tbsp)
  
• 1/3 cup flour
  
• 1-1.5 cups half-and-half/milk/cream
  
• 6 cups chicken stock
  
• Cheese (cheddar, swiss, whatever you like), shredded
  
• salt, pepper
  

Method:

1 Melt butter in dutch oven or stock pot and fry onion and carrots till limp.

2 Add in broccoli and/or cauliflower and mix well.

3 Mix in flour, then cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4 Pour in stock and bring to the boil. Simmer 20-25 minutes or till broccoli and cauliflower are tender.

5 Remove from heat and pour into food processor or blender to process till smooth. Or use an immersion blender. I used the latter, and briefly only, because I like the chunks in the soup.

6 Stir in half-and-half/cream/milk and heat through but do not boil (or it will curdle).

7 Add salt and pepper to taste. I also stirred in about a quarter cup of cheddar but that's optional. If you are using only cauliflower, a dash of nutmeg is nice at this point, but omit it if using broccoli at all.

8 Serve garnished with a little shredded cheese.

Makes 8 cups

Mostly About Food

Dave is on vacation this week so I forsee spending more time 

in the kitchen. This may not translate into actual cooking/

baking because we do have a lot of food left over from 

Christmas. For instance, lefse (not made by us) which is as 

Scandinavian a Christmas treat as it gets -

When reading blogs, I am always amused by the expression, 

"whip up", especially when used by the whip-uppers to 

denote the ease and speed with which they crafted a purse, 

or knitted a sock, or sewed a wedding dress or whatever. 

My projects are never whipped up. There is never speed, only 

a slow plodding, sometimes the palm meeting forehead, 

usually a continual stream of child-initiated interruptions. 

So it is with kitchen projects too. Perhaps it is the years of 

being immersed in the Asian cooking environment - none of 

our dishes are cooked quickly. And the sort of feasts mum 

typically cooks involves days of chopping, multi-pot 

simmering, and the employing-of-male-family-members-

to-slice ingredients type of preparation. Not to mention the 

aroma of blends upon blends of spices, herbs and all things 

complex and wonderful.

But yesterday, I actually whipped up something.

 

Yes, I literally and figuratively whipped up 

a strawberry cream cheese spread:

(Bagel not included)

I had an epiphany of sorts because this simultaneously 

solved three problems in its making:

1. I got to use up the half-block of Philly cream cheese left over from an earlier baking project
   
2. I got to use up thawed previously-frozen strawberries sitting dejectedly in the fridge.
   
3. I avoided buying another large tub of the supermarket variety which, no doubt, was going to sit at the back of said freezer growing fuzzy cultures till next discovered.
   

Anyway, now it appears that I can make various-flavor 

cream cheese spreads in small quantities, hurrah.

Here's a recipe, and you'll laugh at how imprecise it is:

Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

Cream cheese (any amount)

Strawberries (as much as you like)

Sugar (as much as you dare)

Method:

Mix in a bowl and whip at low speed. I used one of those immersion blender tools. The final product is rather softer than the commercial ones, but stick it back in the fridge and it will stiffen up nicely.

Note: I haven't tried the honey walnut version, but I imagine that if there are nuts involved, I'd mix those in by hand after all the other stuff is blended together.

Moving on, another thing that has come out of these leisurely 

days was discovering this new French bakery nearby:

Actually, Dave discovered it, and encouraged me to try it out. 

So yesterday, Jenna and I stopped by and found it full of 

delightful-looking pastries and bread. We bought something 

for our Italian supper (yes, French bread with Italian food is 

somehow wrong, I know) and swore we'd return again and again.

What will we do with the remaining lazy days this week? 

Two things in the kitchen, for sure. First, I need to make a big 

pot of cream of broccoli and cauliflower soup with the 

vegetables languishing in our fridge. I'll post the recipe when 

it's done. Second, I have two large pineapples sitting on the 

counter waiting to be turned into pineapple tarts for the 

Chinese New Year. It's a laborious process so I'll work on 

the jam this week, then freeze it and make the pastry 

next week and then assemble both parts. 

Oh, and there's love letters to be made with the new 

krumkake maker. What is Chinese New Year without the food? 

Still, I'll miss the little shrimp rolls and the kueh bangkit. 

But we take little steps. 

Emily's Preschool Christmas Celebration

Am finally catching up with blogging the backlog of Christmas
activities this year! We had a wonderful Christmas and now
a few quiet days before the new year. It is snowing outside
again as I type and it's the sort of lazy day made for hot tea
and some carb-rich confections. But first, some much-delayed
photos and video clips of Emily's preschool Christmas
celebration a week before Christmas. All the families were
invited for a morning of, well, celebrating, beginning with a
half hour in the sanctuary where the kids
presented songs and rhymes.

Here is Emily with her classmates performing the last verse of

"Three Little Christmas Trees":
One little Christmas tree, standing all alone
It's heart was very sad cos it didn't have a home.
Then chop! went the axe and down went the tree
And off it went with a happy family.
No little Christmas trees, standing all alone
Their hearts were very glad cos they now had a home!

and here she is again with a less traditional version of
We Wish You A Merry Christmas.

Then it was off to her classroom of which she very excitedly
gave us the grand tour

before completing a couple of projects at the craft stations.
There were enough supplies for siblings, too, so Jenna
also worked on a little something to take home.

We suspect that Jenna can hardly wait to begin preschool herself.

Finally we went to what Emily calls The Big Room, which is
where she plays indoors on schooldays when the weather
outside is inhospitable. Here, tables were set up with
refreshments and a special surprise present the kids had
worked on for us- wrapped up in a beautiful package was
a decorated paper-framed picture of Emily. We were very
proud, to say the least, not just to receive something
completely hand-made, down to the wrapping paper and
sand-paper gingerbread man gift tag but also that
she kept it a secret from us till the day itself!

Emily herself received a present from her teachers: a storybook
in a Christmas stocking (her left hand is resting on it in the
picture). And then it was time to leave, so we said goodbye
to her friends, at least till school resumes in January!

Catching up with the kids

I regret (slightly) that I haven't been in the kitchen as much 

as I'd have liked this Christmas season. Potentially, there are 

so many fabulous things to do with the kids there - baking, 

especially. But we've been busy doing other things and 

some days it feels like we're just trying to make it to 

bedtime in one piece (or, as our neighbor says, 

"without losing any of the children"). 

We're one week from Christmas today, and most of the 

major errands (like Christmas shopping, grocery stock-up 

and meal planning) are done, so the kids and I did some 

catching-up. This means actually and deliberately planning 

fun things with them, rather than letting them aimlessly drift 

from one pointless activity to another as they get caught 

in a descending spiral of boredom and 

I run after them trying to clean up.

For lunch, we did a muffin tin lunch. Or, more specifically, 

a Christmas-shaped silicone muffin-pan meal

After lunch we sat and read a couple of 

Christmas books before naptime. 

For tea, we made graham cracker (not going to attempt 

gingerbread this year) and cream cheese frosting houses

which, when combined with the 

miscellaneous candy in our house

and little fingers

made for a rather interesting afternoon 

and a tasty dessert after supper!

Teachers' Gifts and the Tooth Fairy

Tomorrow is the last day of Emily's school term before the 

Christmas break. She and her classmates have been 

practising hard for a little Christmas concert tomorrow. 

We are all planning to go and make a record of the 

festivities and performances on film or tape or both. 

On Tuesday Emily brought these gifts for her three teachers.

 Jenna helped fill the clean, empty bottles with Hershey's kisses 

and Emily attached the cards and signed her name in each. 

Kate did not do anything other than occupy herself eating 

Cheerios off the floor but that in itself was a great help.

Emily also lost her front tooth yesterday. It has been loose 

for some months now because of an overeager extra (third)

 adult incisor trying to erupt. Read the fascinating 

details here. On Monday, a forbidden game of Let Us Jump 

On Beds ended with the inauspicious meeting of Emily's 

mouth with Jenna's head. Her tooth, already insecure, 

became quite wobbly, much to her delight. Yesterday, Emily's 

mouth collided with her other sister's head in the middle of 

another exciting activity and out popped her tooth. 

When she had recovered from the shock, she carefully 

put her tooth in a little tooth bag and tucked it under 

her pillow. This morning the tooth fairy left her a tiny 

non-monetary gift. Emily said, "I know there is no 

tooth fairy. It was either you or dad. 

Next time I think I'd like money."

New Jennaism

Jenna has reached the stage in her development when she knows that signals have meanings and require responses. So, for instance, she knows that when the microwave oven timer goes off, dinner is ready. Or when the phone rings, we need to get it. Or when we hear the doorbell, it means someone is outside. 

Today at tea-time, I was boiling some water in the kettle for our daily afternoon beverage. We heard the bell sound when the water had boiled, and Jenna said, "It dinged, mama! Answer the hot chocolate!"

40th Wedding Anniversary

Two wonderful couples have been married 40 years today.

First, Mum and Dad- congratulations!

And thank you for setting such a great example for me.

Also, Karen and Arne, my parents-in-law:

what a blessing you both are to me.

Happy 40th anniversary!

Snow Day

It warmed up enough today (in the 30s) for the kids to be 

out playing, so after their naps, we all dressed up and 

headed outdoors. Even Kate, who sat in her winter stroller 

(the baby sled) and watched the proceedings with interest.

The snow had melted just enough to get to snowball quality, 

so Dave and the girls built a snowman. 

We began with just three spheres

then added a face

pebble buttons

Dave's hat

and twig arms.

Kate was quite content to sit in her sled

and receive big sister kisses from Emily

who took her for a ride round to the backyard

before collapsing on the ground herself 

to make a snow angel.

Our backyard slopes up towards the neighbors' houses, 

so this makes for some fun sledding. Emily was hesitant 

initially, so Jenna (game for anything reckless) and I went first.

Then Emily decided it was safe to participate

and after a few trips downhill, was happy to sit with 

just Jenna. Kate (as Jenna diligently reminded us was 

"too little to go sledding") continued to sit and dream 

of the day she would be big enough to take on gravity 

like her sisters.

Backtracking a bit, Jenna and I went to the newish 

supermarket down the road this morning. Santa was 

visiting in the cafe so we went to say hello. Jenna was 

not keen on him (she told me later, in confidence, 

"no like Santa much") but we did get our picture taken 

for free and the elves loaded us up with 

lots of goodies to take home. 

What Kate Has Been Up To

Apart from eating paper, fabric and dead bugs, I mean.

First, she now has two teeth instead of one. 

Second, she can clap her hands on demand. 

Third, she can stand (a bit) and this makes her 

very pleased with herself.

My Life As Defined By Gadgets - Sewing Machines

This post was inevitable, really. I mean, I sew so much 

nowadays. The only time I sewed more fanatically than this 

was in college when, with the help of three friends who did 

an excellent sales pitch for me, I ran a lucrative little side 

business making bags and wallets to order. Ah, fun. 

Since it was an actual business, I observed business hours 

and shut myself in my room, sewing, emerging only for 

food and bathroom breaks. Perhaps this is part of the 

reason I am not wholly convinced I should start "selling 

my stuff", as people have suggested, again. 

It was once a job, see, and while I loved it then,  I'm not 

so keen on jobs now. I like my hobbies to be... untainted.  

But I thought I'd introduce everyone to some of the 

machines that have worked hard for me. Meet my old 

Pfaff treadle, that has been in my family before I was 

even born. We always had at least two sewing machines 

lying around, and as early as I began sewing, mum taught 

me maintenance and simple repair. Useful, considering 

those old treadles needed a lot of realignment from 

time to time. This is a poor photograph of the original 

poor photograph, but it brought back such memories. 

There's nothing quite like sewing with a treadle machine-

I couldn't make the transition to electric when mum first 

switched over. I was terrified at how little control 

I had and how impersonal it seemed. 

This is my current workhorse, and the first one I really own. 

A housewarming gift from mum and dad when I moved here. 

It's electric (grrr) and modern and has none of the charm 

of the vintage models but we get along swimmingly.

And here is my overlocker/serger, a birthday gift from 

Auntie Laura and UKK. Like the machine above, this is the 

basic-est in its range. Absolutely no frills. Any simpler 

and it would be running on wind power.

Just for discussion's sake, here are some of the more 

quaint accessories I still use. I remember the white 

tear-away pencil from when cinema tickets were sold 

by humans who, after consulting with a paper seating plan, 

used these pencils to mark seat numbers on patrons' tickets. 

I use these pencils now to mark my nylon fabrics 

for when I sew bags and wallets.

The two-ended color pencil and tailors' chalk are the 

stuff of homec class nightmares. Or rather, they were what 

I illegally used when we were supposed to be using archaic 

tailor's tacking/basting in homec. Don't tell on me.

Then there's the little red needle threader sold for 

peanuts in haberdashery shops in Chinatown. 

And finally, the very vintage needle case that belonged 

to grandma and which somehow found its way 

to my sewing box. It's old like that Pfaff treadle 

and reminds me of my childhood.

In all, I've used at least 9 machines since I began sewing. 

These include the tiny green metal toy one I had as a 

small child and the two my mother-in-law lent me here 

when I was having acute sewing withdrawal symptoms 

in grad school. I have fond feelings for them all, but I 

want that old treadle and I shan't rest till I figure out how 

to get it to come live with me here.

Krumkake!

Krumkake (pronounced 'kroom-kah-ke) are light, thin, 

sweet, crispy wafer-like Scandinavian cookies. They are 

round and flat with patterns like these

and rolled into cones. Sometimes they are filled with cream 

but I've only ever had them plain. They are traditional holiday 

cookies but good to eat all year round if one is so inclined. 

My first impression of them was  a thicker version of the 

love letters we have at Chinese New Year, except without 

the santan. I've seen (and eaten) them rolled into cones and 

folded flat into quarters so tonight we made both.

Earlier this year, Arne and Karen gave us their antique 

cast aluminum krumkake maker. 

I tried it out some weeks ago, with disastrous results. 

Found out later I had the wrong kind of stove - it works best 

with gas stoves like my old one. Pity- it is such a pretty 

gadget. Still, I am desperate enough for krumkake to forsake 

tradition and embrace the modern conveniences 

of electricity and teflon. 

Behold my newest toy gadget!

Ah, I have grand plans for this lovely new acquisition: 

mountains of krumkake at Christmas time, 

and mountains of love letters at Chinese New Year. 

Mmmmmmmmm.

Preparing for Christmas

So Thanksgiving is now behind us and we are just three 

weeks away from Christmas! Not a lot of time to get in all 

that we want to do, but we will make a valiant effort 

to overachieve, as usual.

We made these little foam decorations at the grandparents' 

house during our Thanksgiving visit. Emily gamely copied 

as many designs from the instructions as she could, and we 

improvised the rest. We hung some on Emily's personal 

mini-Christmas tree and are saving the rest for gift tags 

or Christmas cards, if we ever get round to making any.

Today we celebrated the start of the weekend by getting 

flu shots at the clinic - a fun family activity. Then we 

headed to the local home improvement store to buy our 

Christmas tree, which rode home with us 

on the top of our minivan.

Someday, and simply for the experience, we may go to 

a tree farm and cut down our own tree, then have horses 

drag it back to our vehicle while the kids ride in a reindeer-

drawn sleigh, shouting out moral support to said beasts 

of burden. But for now, a pre-cut Balsam Fir for 

less than $30 is pretty darn good.

After supper tonight, we put on Christmas music, 

strung up the lights

got out Auntie Laura's beautiful tree skirt and the kids 

hung the baubles. Jenna's idea of decorating the tree was 

to hang as many baubles from a single branchlet as she could.

With the warmth of the lights, the scent of the tree will begin 

to permeate the living room over the next few weeks - one of 

the many things I love about having a real live-but-now-dead 

tree. The downside of not having an artificial tree, is the 

needles that we will be continually vacuuming, especially now 

that we have a small child with the tendency to eat off the floor.

Speaking of Kate, she was so overcome by all the 

excitement that she ate a dead ladybug off the carpet. 

It was promptly extracted, of course, and Kate suitably 

admonished. Ladybugs! Really! She thinks that with her 

one tooth, she graduates to animal protein. Kids!