Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts

Friday, January 5, 2024

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup- with Couscous

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup- with Couscous
(file photo)

The word is out! Here in New England snow is in our future for this weekend!  Looks like snowblowers, snow plows and snow shovels will be put to very good use on Sunday.  Any time the word snow is mentioned I think of a bowl of hearty hot soup.  One that is easy to prep is always a bonus.  Tomato Basil White Bean Soup fits that description.  

You probably have the ingredients in your kitchen ready to use.  Chicken Broth, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, dried basil and kidney beans are quite often staples for many of us.  There are a few more ingredients, too.  I also add Couscous to the soup, but it is not necessary.  If I do not have white kidney beans, I use red kidney beans instead.  It takes little time to prepare and it is so delicious!

Click here for my Tomato Basil White Bean Soup recipe.  If you do not prepare a batch this weekend, save the recipe for next weekend!  Our chilly weather is here.

Enjoy!
Yummy!


         

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

February 28, 2023

A Winter Wonderland!

The snowflakes began to fall last night and today we have a New England winter wonderland!  Our first big snowfall of this winter season is a beautiful sight!

Enjoy!


   

Saturday, December 31, 2022

A Favorite Winter Photo


Wishing you all
a Happy
and a Safe New Year!!!


Friday, January 7, 2022

~Winter~


Our grill is covered with the fluffy white flakes.  It's a day of snowblowers, shoveling and snow plows. Looking in every direction we see the beauty of winter in New England! 

Enjoy!


Sunday, January 19, 2020

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup
(File Photo)
There is nothing better than a bowl of warm, hearty, yummy soup on a chilly evening.  Especially when and if one is sneezing.  Sometimes, soup is prepared before dinner and sometimes after taking a quick look in our freezer I can find a container of one!  One of our faves is Tomato Basil White Bean Soup!  It is easy to prepare and the ingredients are in my pantry.  If you do not have them, then definitely add them to your grocery list. 

When preparing this soup, the white kidney beans are rinsed in cold water and drained.  Repeat again.  Then, everything is placed in a large pot and the ingredients simmer on the stove for 30 minutes.  It is that easy!  I know, it's hard to believe!

If we have leftover Rice in our fridge, I add it to the pot.  If not, Couscous is prepared just before serving and added to the bowls before ladling in the soup.  My linked recipe has the Couscous.

There are always leftover portions, so I freeze 2 portion servings in freezer containers.  It's always a great find after a busy day!  This is a simple soup and it tastes simply delicious!  Click here for recipe!

Enjoy!
Yummy!
            

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Winter Has Arrived!

December 2019
Thanksgiving Day and the weekend were great!  We all knew that snow was in the weather forecast later in the weekend, so refrigerators were stocked with milk and for us, orange juice.  An extra loaf of bread was purchased, too.  The snowflakes did begin to fall.  The holiday vacation from schools was extended to Monday with a Snow Day.  Today is Tuesday and it's another Snow Day!  Winter has arrived!

About 17" of snow was the result of the long lasting snowstorm.  Snowblowers have been working in our neighborhood and the streets are plowed.  This afternoon it does look like suddenly the season changed.

December 2019
 It is New England and the seasons can change quickly!

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Yikes!!

2019

A big contrast from this winter!  It's a hot day today!  The New Guinea Impatiens are hinting and we did quench their thirst.  They are now in the shade and we are indoors!  Phew!! 

Stay cool my friends!!

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Winter Salad

So colorful!
Preparing and then enjoying fresh veggie salads during the colder months seems so much more challenging than when fresh local colorful veggies are available in the summer.  It may be because I like the taste of the fresh local tomatoes served over spinach leaves.  Now that is a great salad when it has a balsamic vinaigrette drizzled over the top!

All is not lost during the winter months in New England.  Tasty baby spinach leaves are still available to purchase.  With a few other staples in our pantry and fridge a great colorful salad is just minutes away!  This is also quick and easy!  Double plus!!

A dollop of cottage cheese (with or without pineapple chunks) placed on the fresh spinach leaves is just the beginning.  Then, add a few chunks of a pear (fresh or canned) on top.  Craisins (dried cranberries) are the last addition to this nutritious, colorful, flavorful salad.  No dressing is needed! 

After enjoying this Winter Salad as part of our dinner last night, I definitely do not miss the fresh local tomatoes anymore.  There will be plenty of them to enjoy in a few months!

Enjoy!
Yummy!
          

Monday, February 18, 2019

A "Lace Like" View


of Winter!!

This view just never gets old.  We had snow falling overnight and our magical view appeared- again.  Snowflakes sitting on branches of the Japanese Maple and on the leaves of the bushes is so pretty.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

A Typical Winter Day...

Just enjoying the scenery!
Well, not really!!  Sometimes we hear the owls at night, but we have never seen one.  That was until today!  Very early this morning I glanced out our kitchen window and saw a baby owl on our deck.  Now that was really cool!  And very exciting!!  When I carefully returned to the window with the camera, the owl was gone.

This afternoon it's been snowing.  I was watching the snowflakes float down.  While looking at the trees, suddenly an owl came into view!  This owl was larger and perched on a branch.  Every so often it would shake the snow off his head.

Look carefully...
It enjoyed its perch for quite a while.  Suddenly, it was gone and then returned again to the same spot.   

What a very cool day I will not forget!!
  
Enjoying Nature!

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Magical Views

Jan. 30, 2019
This morning we woke up to view the magic of winter surrounding our home.  It was (is) a beautiful sight!  For me our treadmill will come in handy for the daily exercise.  It will also be the ideal time to bake a dessert to enjoy after dinner.

Another view of winter!  
It will be brisk in the next few days.

Stay warm!
 

Monday, April 16, 2018

Just Around the Corner

Question: 
What is the season??


...might be Spring!  You know, the season when we enjoy wearing short sleeved tops, light weight or no jackets outdoors.  Maybe even shorts.  This year we need to rely on memories when thinking of Spring! 

As I write this, it is raining.  Earlier we had snow.  It does make for a fascinating photo.  

Three seasons are represented in our backyard perennial garden:  Autumn- Zebra Grass, Winter- Snow and Spring- pink Hyacinths and sprouting Japanese Irises.

However, this is New England!  With a blink of our eyes the weather will change again!  :)

Enjoy!
 

Sunday, February 18, 2018

A Taste of Winter!

A view from our front window!
Snowflakes fell last night.  Well, it is February.  During the daytime hours we've been getting a taste of Spring, lately.  Daily walks outside are great!  Brisker weather came in yesterday and the flakes fell.  In the wee hours of the AM the snow plows cleared our streets and we are all good to go again.

Our Grill is hibernating!
This week we just may be able to use the grill!

Enjoying the seasons!
 

Saturday, December 9, 2017

~December 9, 2017~

~Home Sweet Home~

Just a quiet Saturday afternoon in New England on a December day! 

Enjoy!

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Ah Yes, Color!

Welcome Sight!
Red Amaryllis
In the middle of January I was ready to work with the Amaryllis!  It was the potted bulb 2 of my cute grandsons gave us.  The color was a mystery.  Mysteries are good!  It was also a mystery if  I would see any beautiful anticipated flowers.  A YouTube video was very helpful. 

O.K., the lid was carefully removed from the pot.  The bulb was watered- not too much.  The pot was rotated:  90°- 180° every time.  The ever growing stem with a "bud" was staked- gently with yarn.  Suddenly the "bud" began to open & small red buds appeared.  I was on my way to see brilliant red color in the winter!  Woo hoo!

The buds opened.  The Amaryllis is watered.  The pot is rotated.  What a gorgeous sight in February!

Pollen & me have issues, so I also removed the pollen sacs.  I am planning on enjoying these bright red flowers for as long as  can!

After it flowers (with some TLC), I've learned that the bulb can be replanted at a later date.  Oh yes, brilliant red flowers again!  This is so similar to my Marigold plant!  Seeds are saved every year & planted the following spring!      

Enjoying the Amaryllis!
               

Monday, February 20, 2017

Butternut Squash Raisin Muffins

~Butternut Squash Raisin Muffins~
We have a few packages of Butternut Squash in our freezer!  Ah, just a very few.  It's the veggie that we purchase in autumn from Meadowbrook Farm.  After bringing the bushel home the next step is to steam/ mash/ package/ label/ freeze it to enjoy during the other months of the year.  Yesterday, while we were enjoying this yummy orange colored veggie during dinner I decided to save out 1/2 of a cup.  I had Butternut Squash Muffins on my mind.  The yummy muffins that most people think about & enjoy in autumn.  Why wait for autumn in 2017?  These light muffins with Raisins are also  flavored with Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Cloves.  They taste so good any time of year & during the winter they are a great treat.

Looking outside, the snow in our yard has certainly melted!  Streets & sidewalks are clear.  That makes taking the daily walk outdoors so easy!  After returning from the walk, the Butternut Squash Raisin Muffins were soon baking in the oven!  Yum!         

Butternut Squash Raisin Muffins
Oven:  400°F
Time:  20- 22 Minutes
Yield:  12 Muffins

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
2 Egg Whites (or 1 Whole Egg)
3/4 cup Soy Milk (can be 1%, 2% or Whole Milk)
1/4 Cup Olive Oil for baking & sauteing
1/2 cup Butternut Squash cooked & mashed 
1/4 cup Raisins

Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Line muffin pan with liners.
  3. Combine the first 7 dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir to mix.
  4. Separate Egg Whites & place in small bowl & beat with a fork. 
  5. Add Soy Milk & Olive Oil to small bowl. Combine.
  6. Add mashed Butternut Squash to liquid mixture, combine.
  7. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.
  8. Add Raisins.
  9. Mix all ingredients together until moistened.  Batter may be lumpy.
  10. Fill muffin liners.
  11. Bake 20- 22 Minutes in 400°F oven until muffins are lightly browned on top.
  12. Remove muffins from pan immediately.
  13. Cool on racks.
After these muffins cooled for about 10 minutes, suddenly 1 was gone from the rack!  You guessed it.  My Hubby walked into the kitchen.  :)

Will you be baking a batch of these muffins?

Enjoy!
Yummy!
 
  

Thursday, February 9, 2017

~Quick Glance~

~Today's View~
at Noontime
It's February 9th!  It is winter and the light snowflakes keep falling today!  Schools are closed for the day in the northeast & the snowplow has visited my neighborhood already this AM.  It will return! Yesterday, our thermometer reading was 51°F.  Today is a totally different story.  There is no taking a walk outside for me.  Our handy dandy treadmill will be used!

But, what a beautiful view from any window in our home!

Enjoy!
      

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Knitted Penguins

Two Happy Penguins
Knitted- Directions: Red Heart Yarn
One day via Twitter, Red Heart Yarn had shared the pattern for an adorable black Penguin with a bright red scarf.  It was just so cute!  Taking a quick glance at the directions I bookmarked the pattern.  (Click here for pattern.)  Quickly, I made plans to make 2 of these little cuties- one for each grandson.

Much like my "fabric stash", I have a "yarn stash".  In this project, I used both!  I had red yarn & I had white yarn.  A quick trip to Michael's & I had black yarn.  I'd be knitting 2 penguins, so I decided to make each Penguin's scarf & sweater a different color!  In my "stash" was a blue tweed yarn.  It was leftover from my hubby's knitted rib winter hat.  That had been my project last year.  There's always the clicking of knitting needles going on here.  Knitting is a FuN hobby that my mom taught me back when I was a lot younger.  In other words, I've been knitting for- well- decades. 

These Penguins are just adorable!  2 sizes of  knitting needles are needed for this project:
  • The Penguin body- double pointed US #3 knitting needles.
  • The scarf is knitted with US #6 single point knitting needles.
  • A Yarn Needle is also needed to stitch the seam & also attach the flippers.
After knitting the body & flippers of the Penguin, the eyes & mouth buttons were securely sewn on the face.  To sew them securely on the knitted face, a small piece of Bias Tape was placed on the back of the face- where each button would be sewed.

Eyes & Mouth sewed on-
using Bias Tape
Then, I sewed up 2/3 of the back seam of each Penguin starting at the bottom.  I placed it flat (on my ironing board) with the front facing me.

***Staring at the body I realized that after it was sewn together & stuffed, there could be an issue of the stuffing seeping out between the knitted stitches.  That was not good!  That led to making a body Liner.   

To make a body Liner to stuff:
The next step was tracing the knitted body on newsprint.  I then had a pattern to use while cutting the Liner from light weight jersey fabric.  Cut 2 liner body pieces for a Penguin.  Sew the 2 pieces together leaving the bottom open.

The next step? 
The body Liner was stuffed & the bottom seam stitched by hand.

Stuffed Body Liners-
ready to insert
The stuffed Liner was placed inside the knitted Penguin.  The back seam on the Penguin was completed using the Yarn Needle & yarn.  Then, the flippers were sewed in place, too, using yarn. 

The plump little Penguin needed a scarf.  Tie the scarf just under the face & pull tightly.  I sewed it in place with yarn (using the scarf's color) and also tacked the long scarf in place.

To stand- push bottom of Penguin in.  

What cute little Penguins!  After the first Penguin was completed, I was on my way to finish off the second one- complete with a colorful scarf!  Soon, I'll be working on another!

This is a FuN project to keep or to give as a gift.  Again click here for the pattern.

Enjoy!
Happy Knitting!
                  

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Slow Cooker Yam Chicken Florentine

Slow Cooker Yam Chicken Florentine
Chicken Florentine in my Slow Cooker always tastes oh so good!  The colorful dinner with tender chicken pieces & chunks of vegetables.  Then, there's the great sauce!  Every forkful begs another!  It's the yummy dinner where the Baby Carrots & potato chunks are placed in my non-stick Slow Cooker's pot first & then the Chicken Tenders, topped with defrosted frozen spinach.  A quick visit to my Spice Rack for the dried ingredients & it does not take long to prepare this meal.  It's one of those quick & easy dinners that really cooks itself- first on High heat, then on Medium heat.  Yes, there's more to the story, but you get the idea.

With my non-stick pot that's sprayed with PAM, I've learned to place a hard veggie on the bottom.  Learning the hard way that meat can become too crispy & tasteless if placed on the bottom of the pot, first.  

Today, a large Yam was substituted for a white Potato that I usually use.  A couple of days ago we enjoyed Baked Potatoes at dinner, so white Potatoes were not going to be repeated.  Oh, what a great difference a Yam makes!  While enjoying this one pot meal, every bite contained a sweetness from the Yam!  Now, I'll always use this veggie when making this Slow Cooker/ Crock Pot dinner.

Slow Cooker Yam Chicken Florentine

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Baby Carrots
(1) large Yam/ Sweet Potato
1 teaspoon dried Parsley
1 teaspoon dried Chopped Onion
2 Bay Leaves
1- 1 and 1/2 Lbs. Chicken Tenders
1/4 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Basil
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
(1) 10 oz. pkg. frozen Spinach, defrosted
1 Can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 Cup Water


Method:
  1. Rinse Baby Carrots under cool water. Place in Slow Cooker's pot.
  2. Rinse Yam (using veggie brush) under cool water.  Cut into 1" chunks, quarter & place in pot.
  3. Add 1 teaspoon dried Parsley & 1 teaspoon dried Chopped Onions.
  4. Add 2 Bay Leaves.
  5. Rinse Chicken Tenders under cool water.  Place on top of vegetables.
  6. Sprinkle on about 1/4 teaspoon Oregano, 1/4 teaspoon Basil & 1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder.
  7. Add defrosted Spinach on top, spreading evenly.
  8. In a bowl mix 1/3 Cup Water with 1 Can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Spread evenly over top.
  9. Place lid on Slow Cooker & set temperature.
  10. Cook on #5 High- 1 Hour.  Then, reduce to #3 for 2 Hours
  11. Enjoy!!!
Refrigerate any remaining portions.

This is so good any season of the year!  Now, whenever I have plans to make this Slow Cooker meal, I'll always include the Yam!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

    Friday, February 5, 2016

    ~Winter Wonderland 2016~


    Now, our neighborhood & the calendar agree-

    It's wintertime!!!

    Enjoy!