The gumbo base I made was horrible. Too greasy, then it separated. Chef Ryan came to the rescue and and he redid it with a new roux – luckily I hadn’t added the seafood. Ryan used butter for the roux, whereas I had used oil. I also made 2 cups of roux and used it all,- I should have MAYBE used about 1/2 cup. His was more reddish in color (we added tomatoes) and it ended up really good.

Trying out a new, way-out-of-my-box recipe for our family Christmas celebration, which is today. Southern Seafood Gumbo. I made the dark brown roux yesterday without burning it -yay, and it took over 1 1/2 hours. Next time, I think I will be buying that roux.

The jury is still out on the Gumbo. That will go together today and we’ll see how kt all tastes.

Mostly writing this because I do things and later forget what I did. This soup was so good, I will want to make it again.

So, here’s what I did.

• 2 slices of onion
• 6 mini or 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup frozen green beans , in thirds
• 1 can cut- up tomatoes (fire-roasted is best) – include juice
• 1 can beans (I like light-colored, like cannelloni, but any other is fine) – rinsed 4
• 1/2 cup small pasta shells or elbows
• 1 1/2 cups Better than Bullion broth
• Other vegetables as you like . You can used green or red pepper, celery or zucchini in the sauté step. Just don’t overfill the mini-pot. If you add spinach, chop it up (defrost if frozen) and add at the end after cooking.
• Grated parmesan for serving

Sauté about two slices of onion (used red as that is what I had) diced up in a couple of T’s olive oil, with about 1/2-3/4 cup chopped carrots, a squished garlic clove on sauté setting of the pot. Add about 1 cup frozen green beans (I only had whole, so I cut into thirds) and stir; for a few minutes.

Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and seal pot. Use SOUP setting. Let it sit for 5 mins, then release pressure. Top with cheese and serve. ACTUALLY WAS BETTER THE NEXT DAY. If you make it ahead on purpose to reheat it another day, I would cook the pasta separately and add it when reheating. But so convenient to cook right with the soup, so you decide.

Let me start by asking how did I miss this? Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult was published in 2014, and I just finished it tonight. I am writing through diamonds – oh, wait, could those be tears? That is how moved and frankly blown away by this book I feel right now. The story is narrated through the eyes and experiences of several characters, two of whom study and care for elephants in different settings – one on the wild in African and the other at a sanctuary in New Hampshire. The elephant information and research woven throughout the book are factual. Both are related to humans throughout the book, and sometimes in surprising ways, Do not go look this book up before you read it. If you already know story, it will not have anywhere near the same impact it does as a blind reading or listening. Highly recommended. Be prepared for feelings – lots of them.

Seems to be my favorite subject, right? Right! So beautiful and I can’t resist the urge to capture this subject in colored wool. You can visit my Etsy shop at the link below to see this and more.

Blue Ridge at Sunset – Felted Landscape

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?p=2002869#p2002869

I like this one!

If you are interested in understanding more about how combat or violence affects people, I recommend this book. However, any reader seeking a beautifully and humanely written story will want to consider reading And Throw Away the Skins. Read more at entire view, link posted above.

Summer solstice, come and gone already. Another year, another major setback for our used to be good ‘ol U.S of A., but now I barely recognize the place. We’re regressed to before I was born evidently.

My hobbies are what gets me through each day. Biking, for my physical activity. Knitting, needle-felting, botanical painting for my inside time. Cooking inspiration comes and goes.

The latest artwork has been a series of sunset mountain felted scenes. I took to this art form recently and very quickly. Working with wool has been a passion for years, and my sock drawer is full and if I need another sweater or shawl, then I am delusional. The felted landscapes give me another focus with wool and another artistic outlet. A final product that is amazing, in my opinion. I am happy with them to the extent that I am putting some up on Etsy for others to purchase and enjoy, if they so choose. You can see a recent example here, at this link: Blue Ridge Mountains at Sunset.

By Kate Swensen

I just picked the up the memoir, Forever Boy, by Kate Swensen written by a student I had as a 7th grader many years ago. Kate’s book has already received raving reviews. Her book chronicles her challenge of raising and teaching and living with an autistic child. Already the author of the blog, Finding Cooper’s Voice, Kate has received and given support to other parents of special needs children for several years.

Although I have just started reading, Kate’s honesty as she shares her journey, her struggles, those of her family and Cooper’s siblings is heartwarming – and heart-wrenching at the same time. She takes care to remind the reader in the first chapter, though, that her book is not a sad book, but rather a journey to finding joy. The joy she finds in her son, and the gift he brings to her family and the world, will keep me turning the pages. I hope I have enough midnight oil 😉