mama urchin

Still knitting that baby sweater. I’m not quite as far along as I was hoping but two of the events that were stressing me out happened this weekend and now they are behind me. Ahhhh. Now we can gear up for the birthday party roundup on Saturday, the real birthday next week — read: sweater deadline — and then turkey day. Thanks for all your advice about coping. I do have a list, in fact many lists and that certainly has helped. Also, I’m just not stressing about the dirty dishes/laundry/rooms/house. Well, at least I’m trying not to stress.

Anyway, that lovely photo above is of winter veggie chowder. We had it one night last week for dinner and it was delicious — if I do say so myself. The great thing is you can use whatever winter veggies you have on hand. Ours was made with half celeriac and half carrots. Don’t skip the piece of toast and parmesan in the bowl before you ladle the soup on top, it really makes it.

Winter Vegetable Chowder

The Milk
2 c. milk (preferably whole but I used 2%)
3 large parsley branches (I used dried since I had no fresh)
1/3 t. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 onion sliced
10 peppercorns, lightly crushed

The Soup
2 T butter
2 large leeks, chopped
4 c chopped winter vegetables (carrots, turnips, celeriac, parsnip)
3 potatoes, chopped
2 small bay leaves
2 T chopped parsley
salt and pepper
2 T flour
4 - 6 slices good bread, toasted
grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

Put everything for the milk into a saucepan, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Cover and set aside. Melt the butter in a soup pot over low heat. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, parsley and 1.5 tsp. salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and add 5 c. water (I used chicken broth), bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Pour the milk through a strainer directly into the soup. season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place a piece of toast in each bowl, cover with grated cheese, ladle the soup on top.