Dear Friends,
Depending on where you live, your temperature is likely above freezing─a good sign for late December. My wishes for you, as we head toward a new year, are for comfort and joy, the title of this blog.
ALERT!!!
In case I get maudlin, I want to remind you I have an Amazon Countdown Deal that starts on Saturday, the 21st. To bring you joy and a joyful read, if you decide to purchase the e-book of my newest book, Love at First Sight, you’ll be able to purchase it for only 99¢ for a day. The price will progressively increase until it reaches its regular rate by the end of the week, $4.99. To be picky, I think the “Countdown Deal” is a misnomer since the price goes up, but, to be exact, the days do countdown to the end of the special.
Treat yourself! C’mon─it’s the holidays! You’ll enjoy the opportunity of immersing yourself in the world of Louisa’s parents when they met.
Please let me know if you have questions about Love at First Sight. I believe it’s my most fun book, so far!
~BACK TO MY HOLIDAY MESSAGE~
However you celebrate your holiday, relax and enjoy yourself. Eat your favorite foods, sleep late, read books, spend time with loved ones, from near or afar. Over the years, I have relaxed what I demand of myself for “The Feast.”
My original holiday feasts were a multi-course pageant of foods and, always from scratch! I made a chestnut stuffing, saving the ends of many loaves of bread and toasting them until crisp. For the stuffing, I purchased chestnuts, which were hard to find in my southern climate. Roasting and peeling the chestnuts was time consuming. I enjoyed eating a few before they made it to the stuffing. Then, I found already roasted and peeled chestnuts! Yay!
As the years went by, my husband confessed─he hated turkey! As I’ve mentioned before, we tried preparing various cuisines from other countries for our holiday feasts. And, oh no!─We actually ordered a prepared feast with most of the trimmings. The trouble was, no leftovers!
Now, we decide what we want to eat and I make some of it ahead of time. I always like homemade soup. It offers the warmth and the aforementioned comfort and joy. I make a big pot of soup so we have plenty for several days. If we tire of the soup, I freeze some. Note: At the end of my blog, I’m including a recipe, which I vary, for peanut soup.
As I’ve implied, food is comfort, love, and joy. I love experimenting with recipes. If I don’t have a particular ingredient, I substitute something else or leave it out altogether. (You’ll need some type of broth or bouillon, but I keep on hand the concentrated equivalent of vegetable, beef, or chicken bouillon in a jar.)
As to joy, it’s available in little things. Waking up to a sunny morning, seeing my husband smile, hearing from friends and family, smelling the aroma of something baking, and tasting ice cream melting on my tongue. (My recent favorite flavor is Tillamook’s dark chocolate cookies and cream. Yum!)
I encourage you to do at least one thing daily that will give you joy. Be it a bubble bath, a serving of your favorite pie, or writing your own book or a story. Reorganizing, after some work, can bring joy: a room, drawer, or whatever’s in your wallet or handbag. Talking with a friend, experiencing a classic film, walking in a park, seeing a museum. Make time in your schedule!
Reflect on what makes you happy. Meditate. And find peace, love, joy, and happiness in every day and the years to come.
And, here’s the recipe I promised. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Recipe adapted from The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook – “King’s Arms Tavern Cream of Peanut Soup”
CREAM OF PEANUT SOUP
Serves 10-12
Note: If anyone is allergic to peanuts, the basic soup in this recipe can be modified to make any cream soup you wish, like a chowder, bisque, or any other vegetable, seafood, or meat soup.)
YOU’LL NEED:
Large pot for soup, a large spoon, a whisk, a ladle, a sieve or food processor/immersion blender
INGREDIENTS:
¼ c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (I use whatever I have on hand)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (or a bunch of scallions, 2-3 shallots, or any onion)
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
3 T. flour (or non-wheat substitute like cornstarch, gluten-free flour mix, tapioca starch, arrowroot, or potato starch)
8 c. chicken stock, bouillon, or homemade chicken broth
2 c. of smooth peanut butter
1 ¾ c. light cream or half-and-half – (Instead – I use part heavy cream – or part almond milk or both)
Finely chopped salted peanuts for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the onion and celery, cooking, stirring often, until softened, 3-5 minutes. Don’t brown!
- Stir in flour or substitute and cook 2 minutes longer.
- Pour in the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- When it gets to boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often until slightly reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Pour into a sieve set over a large bowl and strain, pushing hard on the solids to extract as much flavor as possible. (Modification: You can use an immersion blender instead of trying to extract the flavor from the onions and celery – it’ll all be in the soup!)
- Return the liquid to the saucepan or pot.
- Whisk the peanut butter and the cream into the liquid. Warm over low heat, whisking often, for about 5 minutes, or until hot. DO NOT BOIL.
- Serve warm, garnished with the chopped peanuts.
My philosophy: Unless you have dietary restrictions, go for the richness. You don’t eat this every day. They suggest unsalted butter. I use salted butter. If you or anyone you’ll be dining with is allergic to peanuts, use 2 c. of another solid. If the substitution is a squash, meat or seafood, cook them first. If making a chowder, add about a pound of potatoes, peeled and cut in small chunks and add in at Instruction #4.)
Enjoy the soup, chowder or bisque! Soups are so satisfying in any weather!
If you try making the soup, let me know what you think about it!
I’LL BE BACK ON THE SECOND THURSDAY OF JANUARY! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
NOTE: Please leave your comments in the space at the bottom of the blog online. I want to know what you think and I will respond to your ideas and suggestions to you personally and on the blog.
Thank you for being part of our Louisa’s vineyard community!
