Almost-Vegetarian Barley Soup

I like vegetable soup but am not above using chicken broth for the liquid! This is a filling meal in itself and all it needs is some good bread and butter to complete the menu.

Almost-Vegetarian Barley Soup
1/2 cup barley
7 cups chicken broth or half chicken broth and half water
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Pinch of chili flakes
4 new potatoes, peeled and diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup diced red bell pepper (or any color bell pepper you might prefer)
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup green beans (frozen and defrosted is fine)
1 cup your favorite yellow squash
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 chopped green onions or scallions
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh Basil, snipped into strips
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, sautee the onions and garlic until fragrant and softened. Add the barley, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook a minute to warm the ingredients. Add the chicken broth/water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until barley is tender. It is usually about 20 minutes but check the package.

After the barley is done, add all the ingredients except the Basil and the Romano cheese. Cover and simmer about 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Test for seasoning. Stir in the Basil and cheese and serve.

If you like, you can add a can of diced tomatoes for a more Italian presentation with a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.

Cool Chocolate Dessert

This one takes a bit of prior work to have it ready in time for your after-meal enjoyment. It is, however, relatively easy and can be dressed up or plain - your time, choice, and creativity!

Cool Chocolate Dessert
1/3 cup hot water
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
dash of salt

Combine the hot water, cocoa, and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside for now.

Microwave the chocolate  until completely melted. Let cook for ten minutes. You can also melt them over a double boiler if you don't have access to a microwave.

Whip the cream, sugar, and salt with a mixer until soft peaks form. Stir the cocoa mixture into the melted chocolate. With a hand whisk, fold the combined chocolate mixture into the whipped cream.

Now comes the fun! Do you want to turn it into a pie? Just spread it into a baked pie crust and refrigerate until firm. No time for a pie crust? Layer the chocolate cream into pretty glasses alternating with whipped cream, cookie crumbs, canned cherries, etc. and top with a garnish of whipped cream. A drizzle of bottled caramel sauce wouldn't be bad, either. It is hard to go wrong with anything chocolate and it is easy to create a great dessert with this as your base.

Whipped Cream (this recipe lasts for a few days without breaking down)
1-2 cups of heavy whipping cream (depends on how many you are serving and whether you are layering the dessert, too.)
1/4 cup sour cream (not low fat!)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Whip together the cream to form peaks, whip in the extracts, and there you have it!

Update on our first set of kittens!

 Miss Stubby, the mother cat has been busy raising her very active kittens. The orange one has been claimed for a home as has the little gray one. We are still looking for a home for the 'runt' of the litter who is a sweet baby with white paws and a very inquisitive nature.

And, then there were three . . . more!

  Just when we thought we had it figured out and had found homes for two of the three kittens that came a calling two weeks ago, another mother cat showed up with her three babies! In this case, the mother cat is extremely friendly but the babies are a bit shy. It is the opposite with our first set of 'triplets'. We are back to looking for either homes for them all or finding a 'no kill' facility to give the pretty animals a chance. We call the mother cat, Mrs. Black Cat although we have yet to see a Mr. Black Cat coming around to visit!

Paternity Suit?

 The cat on the left, is the ancient tom cat we call Humperdink, who took up residence on our front porch a couple of months ago. He barely gets around although he is pretty fast if there is something tasty being offered. He is such a loveable old cat, that we often wondered what he looked like when he was a kitten. Well, a first-time mother cat showed up on our door step with three kittens in tow. Uh, I think she might have been inclined towards older men!

My latest quilt project!

 A good friend ordered a quilt this week. It is always more fun to have a destination for a quilt and know who is getting it. She wanted it for her parents for Christmas. My husband is on vacation until next week, so sewing has not been excessive this week but I did get the quilt blocks completed, pinned, and five of the sections quilted.

Flag Day!

June 14, 2012 - Every June 14th is designated as Flag Day in the United States. Our country and flag has taken a beating over the last three years-plus so today is a good time to remember what the United States stands for and cherish our voice and vote come November. There is a lot of symbolism in our flag and respect for it seems to have frayed it's edges. Our flag flew high over many battles to preserve our individual freedoms. It was a welcome sight when wars came to a close and other countries gained by the sacrifices of our soldiers. A flag is more than a piece of cloth on the end of a flag pole and should be honored by what it represents both in the past and with hopes for the future. The flag that flies over a country makes history. An honored flag carries a strong message, something to be remembered on Flag Day.

My mother was born and raised in Germany. At the end of the war, the Americans came into her little town and were most welcome. One has to remember that there were Nazis and there were German people. The German soliders, for the most part, were defending their country. The Nazis were making a greedy mockery of the country. When the American flag went up in the town square of my mother's town, there was rejoicing. My mother spoke English so was instrumental in helping with finding lodging in homes for the American soldiers. When it was decided to divide up Germany like the spoils of war, every morning my mother would bike down to the town square to see if the American flag was still flying. The morning she arrived to see the Russian flag replacing the American one is the day she escaped from what became East Germany. The flag said everything and she never saw her hometown again. People make the decisions but flags support the decisions.

We shouldn't ever take our American flag for granted. Every time we see one proudly flying, we should send a prayer of thanks to God that it is still flying. We should also pray for the politicians who often do not realize the treasures of freedom and free enterpise we have in this country.

I believe the last one, especially, to be very true!

"Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose."
-- Evan Esar

"She was a woman who, between courses, could be graceful with her elbows on the table."
-- Henry James

"I no longer prepare food or drink with more than one ingredient."
-- Cyra McFadden

"A good listener is a good talker with a sore throat."
-- Katharine Whitehorn