mushroom soup

dear emily,

this is NOT a food blog.  whenever i call out, "time for dinner!"
my kids, husband, and westie run to hide.  while reading a new
recipe,  my imaginative side thinks it can improve it just a little
bit by adding...something it shouldn't have.

on the other hand, i occasionally, serendipitously create some
yummy dishes, that i, of course, can never remember to make
again.  not this time!

i sauteed a yellow onion until it was tender and sweet in olive
oil, seasoning, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for punch.
(do NOT expect a wonderful picture here.  those are on the
pioneer woman's blog.  she knows what she is doing)

then i diced up a purple potato, the only kind i had, into 1/4
inch pieces. i sauteed them with the onion a few minutes,
turned off the burner and covered the pot for a long time...
time enough to write three thank you notes, put away the
laundry, skype with sunday, and exchange funny messages
with hailey on facebook.

when i looked into the pot, the potatoes were almost tender,
so i turned the heat back onto low and threw  in a ton of sliced
portabella mushrooms, two  big handfuls.  i was a little worried
that the mushrooms wouldn't like the potatoes' strange color.

once the mushrooms were cooked, i tossed everything into a
processor, mushed them up, poured them back into the pot,
and added lots of milk and cream.  delicious!  didn't look one
bit purple, just nice and mushroomy, which hans loved...a
lot!

love,
lea

snow!

dear emily,

i'm sitting at my cozy kitchen table sipping a yummy home
made chai latte, trying not to let the ingredients spoil the
pleasure.  you can't imagine how much sugar and frothy
milk make your starbucks' latte taste so delicious.

the lovely soft snow falling outside my kitchen windows
completes the setting.  oh my gosh, i sound like barbara
stanwyck from "christmas in connecticut!"



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because we have had such a big winter storm, my friend
d. is bringing me a rick of firewood.  you probably know
her, she is that spiritual tornado, who forces you to 'walk
the walk'.  she and her husband have recently taken in an
alcoholic father and son.  they now attend three celebrate
recovery meetings a week and help his thirteen year old
with homework at all other times!

she makes the father chop wood for his keep, hence my
rick of wood.  rebecca dunning wrote a moving piece
in today's "24/7" journal, entitled 'think global/act local!'
they have camps of people without jobs in colorado,
holding up signs saying, "we need jobs, propane, food,
and water." her husband just delivered a rick of wood to
them.

sounds like d.!

this is making me feel a little guilty about my latte.
"wash me and i will be whiter than snow."  isaiah 51:7

love,
lea