Quick and Hearty Chicken Soup

Posted on January 20, 2013 by bygeorge

Flu vaccine . . . .

Our favorite chicken soup has evolved over time into a fairly foolproof dish that can be assembled in little more than an hour. Rather than start with a large roasting hen, which requires cooking, removing meat from the bones, and making stock (I used to do this one day ahead of soup making), a practical shortcut is boneless, skinless chicken breasts. With all the colds and flu making the rounds, it seems like a good time for a big pot of chicken soup!

3 large onions, chopped

6 stalks celery, sliced thin

10 large carrots, peeled and sliced

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 bay leaves

10 cloves garlic, sliced thin

3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger

1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cup frozen peas

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 – 32 oz. boxes organic chicken broth ( or 7 – 14.5 oz. cans)

1 – 9 oz. pkg. fresh fettuccine noodles, cut in 3″ pieces

salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet with lid, saute chicken breasts in 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Cover, reduce heat and poach for 30 min., turning once. Remove from skillet, cool and tear or chop into bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil, onions, celery and garlic, saute in skillet until softened. Pour onion mixture into 8-1/2 qt. soup pot, add chicken broth, bay leaf, sliced carrots, chicken pieces, noodles and salt and pepper. Bring to boil, simmer 20 minutes. Add frozen peas, parsley and fresh ginger. Cook additional 10 minutes, serve with crusty loaf of French bread and your favorite wine. Makes 12 servings.

This Hampshire is a Ham

Posted on January 5, 2013 by bygeorge

“You woke me up for this?” . . . .

Priscilla is becoming quite photogenic but isn’t terribly cooperative when it comes to striking the right pose. She keeps rushing the camera as if she thinks that’s where she’s going to find her next meal. She is either sleeping or ravenously hungry and it’s difficult to catch her in between as she darts round her new home searching for food.

“I think I’ll just settle down for my nap” . . . .

We moved her from the laundry basket to a rabbit cage that housed guinea fowl hatchlings and four goslings last winter. She seems to enjoy having more room to roam and spends her few waking moments–when she isn’t eating–pushing a stuffed neck cushion around the floor of her cage. We heat it in the microwave and it warms her and puts her right to sleep. Apparently this firm, warm body is a replacement for her mother and siblings that she can snuggle up to.

“I’m not sure I like sitting in a coffee cup!” . . . .

To illustrate how tiny she is, we put her in a coffee mug for a photo opportunity. She squealed and tried to wriggle loose but finally settled down long enough to snap a few shots. She looks like she is somewhat resigned to suffering this indignity. She is very intelligent and last evening when I emptied the remains of her bottle into a little tray we hung from the wall of her cage, she wasted no time approaching it and drinking every last drop of it. Throw away the bottle! She’s on her way–next she’ll be wanting to dine at the table with us.

Boys Will Be Boys

Posted on January 5, 2013 by bygeorge

A friendly antler exchange . . .

These young buck deer are part of a group of seven who have been grazing in the creek bottom during the cold weather. They seem to enjoy challenging each other in games of locking horns, although it won’t get serious until late autumn when they compete for the attention of the does during mating season. They seem to be wintering well, in spite of the recent drought and lack of grazing this past summer. There are lots of leaves and twigs for them to browse on.

“Aw, that’s kid stuff. They know I’m No. 1!” . . . .

This big guy seems quite regal and aloof and doesn’t join in the games with the others. He seems to be watching with some interest to see who wins.

The Ice Is Nice

Posted on January 5, 2013 by bygeorge

Strap on your skates–the ice is perfect! . . . .

Bitter cold nights at zero or below for the past month have helped to freeze the best ice we’ve had in quite some time. It looks to be about a foot thick and is smooth as glass. After shoveling snow off for about half a day, a telephone call resulted in a skating party the next day of eight adults, five young children, including two babies who enjoyed the day being pulled on sleds around the pond. We had a grand old fashioned day of skating with bright sun, no wind, and lots of laughs as children tried their new Christmas skates for the first time.

Tiny bubbles, in the ice . . . .

By the end of the day we had some pretty brave young skaters who had suffered just a few wobbles and slippery crashes. And of course, the senior citizens in the group were particularly proud to have survived another day on skates. It’s just like riding a bicycle–you never forget how!

What’s a little crack in the ice? . . . .

We tried to ignore these ice fractures which were pretty clear indicators of how thick the ice is. We are hoping for more clear, cold weather to keep the ice in great shape and will continue to try to remove more snow (groan!) to make room for more skaters. Funny how each year this pond seems to get bigger than the previous year??

“Hey, this is fun!”

Can’t get them started too soon.

New Year’s Babe is a Porker

Posted on January 3, 2013 by bygeorge

half-baked baby too soon for the world . . . .

This tiny baby would fit easily in a large coffee cup. She was delivered Cesarean on New Year’s Eve, along with two surviving siblings that are more than twice as large and much more vigorous. This little “runt of the litter” hung on tenaciously to life for 48 hours before being rescued from a cage where she was housed with her siblings, who were tossing her around like a bean bag, gnawing on her, laying on her and submitting her to all manner of cruelties that the strong will perpetrate upon the weak.

“I just need a little rest, and some warm milk” . . . .

On the second morning of our “critter sitting” assignment, we found her near death. She was not our pig, but we wrapped her tightly in a towel and buttoned her into my coat and carried her home in the bitter cold. We are caring for the little bum pigs, along with a menagerie that includes an aquarium of large fish, a cockatoo, four ducks, six chickens, a horse, two goats, a cow, a miniature pot-belly pig, three cats and a barn full of ten mature pigs, including one sow with four more babies, while our neighbors are away for a week. Thank goodness they put their two larger dogs in a kennel and took their tiny little dogs with them! We’re not certain we could keep track of any more feeding schedules. There is the added complication of our own barnyard of creatures to care for!

All God’s children need a name, and I decided on “Percy” for the little pig, who I mistakenly believed was a male. Upon closer inspection, “Percy” became “Priscilla” and she is currently housed under a heat lamp in a laundry basket. I borrowed a little plastic bottle with a pig-like nipple and some milk replacement powder to feed her, but she did not know how to suckle. I found that I could squeeze on the plastic bottle and force milk down her throat, which she had to swallow, or choke, bless her little heart. After a few messy attempts, she finally grasped onto the nipple and began to suckle by herself. A seemingly small victory, but one that looms large in the life of a frail little piglet trying to survive with a substitute mother and substitute food. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.

van Gogh

Posted on January 3, 2013 by bygeorge

a reflection . . . .

A recent visit to the Denver Art Museum to see “Becoming van Gogh,” a recently installed exhibit, was fascinating. The collection of eighty-nine works by van Gogh and his contemporaries follows the evolution of his desire to become an artist. Early sketches seemed crude and amateurish, but his passion to master the formal elements of technique and composition, as well as color, led to his development as one of history’s most iconic painters. Many of the works in the exhibition have rarely been seen in America, but the beautiful book developed for this exhibition will serve as a keepsake and reminder of the opportunity we had to see this fabulous collection.

Christmas at the Cabin

Posted on January 3, 2013 by bygeorge

a perfect storm . . . .

Christmas morning with a new dusting of snow was just one more of a string of events that led us to believe a winter visit to the cabin could be great fun and comfortable too! A circa 1930’s fishing shack, the “cabin” as we refer to it has been modernized and improved over the years. But never in recent history (50-odd years) has it housed winter holiday visitors. We decided to be adventurous, brave the cold, and take a chance.

Sam’s pond covered with ice and snow . . . .

I had hoped to skate on the pond across the road, but snowfall on the ice was daunting. We strapped on our cross-country skis and enjoyed an invigorating hike through the neighborhood. Gnome Lane looked enchanting, with all the little elves and forest people peeping out from the snow.

gnomes under the snow . . . .

In lieu of a Christmas tree, decorations were Ponderosa Pine boughs, dried flowers, pine cones and a few old glass balls. A fire in the pot belly stove kept us cozy, albeit with many trips to the wood box! And new flannel sheets, duvet and down comforter were soft and warm.

dressed in flannel finery . . . .

We attended candle light services at a nearby church, hung our stockings and settled in for a long winter’s night. Let it snow, let it snow!
A delicious, piping hot bouillabaisse, crusty bread, cheese and wine, followed by dessert of dried fruit and cognac, and all is right with the world. We lit the oil lamps, found one poor little candle in the cupboard and had a feast.

a table laden with good things for all to enjoy–even the mice . . . .

A serious collection of music more than compensated for lack of television. The I-Phone and Bose speaker added immeasurably to the occasion. We were rewarded with soft snowfall on Christmas Eve, followed by a bright morning with snow piled everywhere, and beautiful moonlit skies thereafter.

hmmm, the fragrance of pine . . . .

The clock on the mantle chimes once on the half hour, and once for each hour of the day on the hour. The soft ticking of the ancient wind-up clock is somehow reassuring and fills the silence of the hours.

it wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa . . . .

This wooden Santa has was carried from Kansas to bring some holiday joy to the cabin. He was found packed away among family treasures, along with Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.

won’t you guide the sleigh tonight? . . . .

Christmas morning we opened our gifts and had a slice of coffee cake before heading out to greet the day. We put on our skis and found the new snow that had fallen gave us lots more options for travel. The last leg of our journey took us past the museum and some relics nearby.

all we need is a horse . . . .

Imagine what winter was like when this was the only means of transport! Lots of quilts, heated stones to warm your feet and perseverance. And a good old Dobbin to do the heavy lifting and pull you down the road.

Another old time treat that has special effects in winter is the frosty lid of an outhouse seat. Since we had the water shut off and pipes drained, we hauled our water, heated it for dishes and bathing, and headed “outback” to the little house rather than use the indoor facilities. What a shock! I can remember childhood days on the ranch before we had indoor plumbing – how did we do that?

Wild Wyoming Woman

the news from Dry Creek . . .

Monthly Archives: January 2013

Quick and Hearty Chicken Soup

This Hampshire is a Ham

Boys Will Be Boys

The Ice Is Nice

New Year’s Babe is a Porker

van Gogh

Christmas at the Cabin