November Be Gentle

The month that I have dreaded so much has arrived!

The anticipated "dark" days of November have been surprisingly gentle so far,

unusually and almost eerily warm ...

expected waves of sadness and also with much happiness ...

PTL!

I pray the gentleness continues as my family and I remember ...

An unusually colourful October went by so quickly!

The Fall colours were especially brilliant this year.

My busyness was a welcome distraction once again.

At the end of September and first weekend in October I was

privileged to be involved with helping to set up some exhibits for the

BiCentennial celebration of the first Amish settlers in SW Ontario!

200 years ago, my ancestors came to farm and live out their lives here.

They came from the Alsace Lorraine regions in Europe to find a better life,

and freedom of religion.

Many were granted crown land on which to farm and live.

We heard many stories about how they co-existed with the First Nations peoples,

stories that were heard for the first time by many participants.

We sang soul healing "old" hymns from the German Ausbund and early hymnals!

I was moved and blessed by the whole weekend!

 Below is a collage of pictures of some of the displays.

It was a well planned and very interesting weekend plus ...

in addition to several Sunday evening hymn sings at various churches,

there were some well researched and interesting bus tours of the historical areas,

and a traditional bean soup lunch.

"Bona Supp" was a favourite meal in my childhood years!

 The tables were beautifully set

with the traditional bowl of 

apple butter to accompany the soup.

And - always - the cinnamon to

sprinkle on top!

My mom's recipe:

“Cook the navy beans till soft and tender”

1 Cup dried beans yields approx. 2 ½ cooked beans.  Overnight Method – place beans in kettle and cover with 4 cups water to 1 cup dried beans.  Cover and let stand overnight (at least 8 hrs.)   Simmer till tender in soaking water.  Quick Method – place beans in kettle and cover with 4 cups water to 1 cup dried beans.  Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.  Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.  Return water and beans to a simmer and cook till tender.   Cooking time for navy beans is approx. 1 hour.  Tip – add 1 tbsp. fat to cooking beans to control foaming.

“Add milk and salt and pepper to taste – heat but do not boil”

“Pour hot soup over buttered farmer’s loaf bread cubes and several strands of saffron”. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

My sister remembers mom putting the buttered bread and saffron in the bottom of her large pickling crock and pouring the hot soup over the bread.  She served the soup right from the crock.

I don't remember that we added a dollop of apple butter to the soup but it certainly was slathered onto a generous slice of buttered bread!

What a treat!

October also brought ...

A sweet new kitten named - Spinach

Thanksgiving - so much to be thankful for ...

Glowing trees ...

Sunrises ...

A new something, something ... ?? Stay tuned.

Halloween with "Wreck-it Ralph and Venellope Von Schweetz!

All in all, October was good.

November has taken us to see the "Imagine Van Gogh" installation in nearby London.

What a treat to watch this 7 year old take it all in ...

Praying that November continues to be gentle as I go down this

sometimes very lonely path ...

Till next time ... be good to yourselves and live each day to the fullest!

Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year!

2020 has arrived!

As we roar into this new decade, staying healthy is on my mind!

It's not a New Year's resolution - it's something I want to be intentional about.

Today was Christmas turkey bone broth day - the turkey's gold!

I'm hoping this healthy broth will give me the boost I need

to kick this 3 week old cold and cough!

This is the recipe I use to make it:  

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/turkey-bone-broth

It's not difficult to make. It just takes time ...

While the bones brothed, I worked on my Bear Claw Quilt.

The fabric was cut and ready to go before Christmas.

The sewing machine is out of storage and it makes me "sew" happy.

Here's a peek:

How was your Christmas?

It slipped by so quickly but not without some wonderful family times

and delicious food.

Sadly, very few pictures were taken over here!

It was all about these little loves ...

Our hearts are full!

Our little Angel in the church

children's program.

A wee reindeer arrived at our 

door on Christmas Day.

Home made play dough - the best! It had to be pink.

A great message for January 2020

Days are slowly getting longer and oh, those beautiful sunsets!!

Till next time ... stay healthy and happy.

Tomorrow - another year older - eek! How did I get so old?

More-With-Less - Cream of Carrot-Cheddar Soup

This well worn and splattered cookbook was one of the very

first cookbooks I purchased as a newly wed.

It was printed in 1976 by Herald Press, Scottdale Pennsylvania

A wonderful blend of 100s of delicious and simple recipes gathered by

Mennonite Central Committee's call for recipes.

There is a long list of taste testers in the front pages with

special mention to students at Goshen College's Peace Society who 

arranged for alternate cafeteria meals.

I love that!

Doris Janzen Longacre, who made this cookbook happen,

did so with much love and dedication to the theme More-With-Less.

Many recipe contributors brought tastes from around the world where

they served as missionaries and volunteers in MCC's world wide ministries.

A favourite soup recipe in this cookbook is the Cream of Carrot-Cheddar Soup

that is often served here on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve.

Today, the shortest day of the year, this soup was served at our supper table.

It was a welcome hot soup for a dark evening, the first day of Winter,

 and two adults suffering the sniffles and stuffies!

Here is the recipe along with a few of the "tweaks" I've made over the years.

Cream of Carrot-Cheddar Soup

Serves 8    (I usually half this recipe since we are now only 2)

Sauté in large kettle:

2 Tbsp. butter

½ Cup finely chopped onion

Add and simmer until vegetables are tender:

1 lb. carrots (8-10) shredded    (I use 2 large carrots or 4 small ones)

1 lb. potatoes (3-5) shredded    (3 medium size potatoes)

6 Cup chicken broth    (one carton broth which is 4 Cups)

½ tsp. dried thyme    (a sprinkle of thyme)

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. sugar    (optional, the carrots usually make the soup sweet enough)

Salt and pepper to taste

   I like to add a sprinkle of cinnamon

Add, stirring until cheese melts:

1 ½ Cups milk (may use part cream)    (I used half cup of whipping cream)

1-2 Cups cheddar cheese – shredded    (3/4 Cup of shredded cheese is lots)

Discard the bay leaf and serve with parsley sprinkled over.

This recipe was submitted by: Marcia Beachy, DeKalb, Ill. and Janet Landes, Phoenix, Ariz.

Here's to the official beginning of winter and longer days!!!

Wishing each and every one of my dear readers a warm and peaceful Christmas.

May God bless you and keep your loved ones near.

Till next time ... looking forward to celebrating our Saviour's birth.