Another Lesson in Contentment

Summertime, and the Reading is Easy

I'd like to say the lazy dog days of summer are here, but the only thing lazy about it would possibly be our black lab, Ruby.

 

When I do have some "lazy" time, I really enjoy reading good books. This summer I've enjoyed          re-reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien ( I give the author's name in case you've been living under a rock). I wrote about some of the other books on my shelf a few posts back. I usually buy less than one new book a year (not counting gems from Dollar Tree), but 2014 has been an exception. My latest purchase came last night at Costco. One of my favorite authors is Dean Koontz. He has a way of writing that is much deeper than one expects for the genre under which his works are usually classified. The first time I bought one of his books was in a used bookstore on the Oregon coast. I figured they'd be under mysteries, but I could not find a single one. After finally asking the clerk, she took me to the horror section upon where my eyes perused a plethora of Mr. Koontz' books. Even though I felt weird buying something from that particular section, I walked out with three different novels. Since then I have not only read many of his books, I've also given a few for gifts. This brings me to last evening's purchase. I was only there for some essentials, dog food, dairy-free milk, gluten-free bread, etc. when I stopped by the book section. There it was...

...just waiting for me. The fact that it is an autographed copy didn't hurt either. In my cart it went and home it came. I am now waiting for the right time to read it. The Fourth of July weekend is coming up as is our family camping trip...so many choices. I even considered reading it last night when I couldn't sleep, but I knew I should wait. For now, it sits on my bookshelf. I know that whenever I decide to read it, The City will be worth the wait. 

  

New Recipe- Majadra

Friday found me still feeling under the weather but also knowing I needed to eat. I found a great recipe to utilize foodstuffs we have on hand- majadra. It's a delicious lentil and rice mix of yumminess. I found the recipe on At The Immigrant's Table. There were many websites with this recipe, but Ksenia had a way of writing that made me want to use her recipe. I hope you will give it a try!

Summer Soup Time

,Woke up this morning with the head stuffies having turned into a full fledged cold. This being the case, I took what seemed like a medicine chest full of help then relaxed on our "reading chair" while drinking a cup of cold care tea. David came downstairs and I shamelessly asked him to make me some breakfast. I ended up breaking my fast with a nice plate of eggs, toast & apple slices. After breakfasting with David and the U.S. vs. Germany World Cup game, I thought I'd get around a bit and make some soup. I had split pea in mind, but alas, with all the assorted legumes in my cupboard, there was nary a pea to be found. Thanks to our CSA produce from Pitchfork & Crow, we have an abundance of yummy veggies, so I decided on a ham & veggie soup instead.  Here's what I made-

Simple Ham & Veggie Soup

2 tablespoons oil of choice - I used a blend of untoasted sesame oil & olive oil

3 carrots

1 onion

5 stalks celery

2 garlic scapes

8 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cabbage

2 cups diced red potatoes

8 cups chicken stock - you can use vegetable broth if preferred

2 cups chopped ham

2 tsp. mixed herbs of choice - I used marjoram and thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2-1 tsp. salt, to taste

Fresh parsley, for garnish

Chop all vegetables into bite size pieces. In large pot, heat oil over medium high. Add vegetables, garlic and herbs & reduce to medium heat. Let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Add ham, pepper and salt to taste. Let simmer 10 minutes or so. Garnish with parsley.

This works great with any assortment of veggies. It's also terrific with some grated Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Mangia!