telephone call announcing the arrival. As I’d quizzed him
about the name, sex, and weight of the babe, all he could say was, "I
didn’t think to ask." I had to call the new father back
myself to get any real information at all.
Men.
I
loved my husband dearly, but sometimes he drove me absolutely crazy.
To be
fair, I was pretty sure that if he were ever cornered and asked, he’d
most likely say the same thing about me.
I
suppose that was one of the things that made our marriage so much fun.
Despite
our differences, Greg was just right for me, and I always loved it when he told
me that he felt the same way about me.
Mom’s Potato and Carrot Soup
This is something great to serve the year
round, but we especially love this meal on cool, chilly days when the wind
outside is howling and the temperature is falling. It’s one of the
joys of comfort food, and this one is on my list of fall-back recipes that my
family embraces. This soup is easy to make, very inexpensive, and goes
great with toast, crackers, or any hard bread you’d like to serve with
it.
Ingredients
2 russet baking potatoes, diced, or 8-12
new potatoes, whole (we like Yukon Gold, but red are great, too)
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped, or
10-12 baby carrots, whole
2 cups water (to boil potatoes and carrots)
1 onion, medium, diced
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Flour, all purpose
1 cup Milk (we use 2% or 1%)
2 Dashes Salt
2 Dashes Pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
Directions
In a medium pot, cook the potatoes and
carrots in two cups of water. After bringing the pot to a boil, simmer on
Low heat for 10-12 minutes, or until a butter knife pierces the vegetables
easily. While the veggies are cooking, in another pot, melt the butter,
then sauté the diced onion on Medium heat until the onion is
softened. Turn off the heat, and then add the flour, stirring until
it’s incorporated. Add ¼ cup of milk to the onion/flour mix
and stir until that’s incorporated as well. Next, add the rest of
the milk and turn the heat on High, stirring constantly until the sauce
thickens. This will occur just before the mixture comes to a full boil,
and I usually turn off the heat as the bubbles first appear in the sauce.
Remove from heat and cover. Most likely the veggies will be ready now, so
after they are cooked, drain them using a sieve, reserving two cups of the
liquid. Once the veggies are drained, add them to the pot holding your
sauce and stir. Coat the veggies with the sauce, and then add
approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved cooking water and stir that in as
well. This can be modified to match the level of soupiness you desire,
and sometimes I add more milk to the mix earlier and skip this step entirely
for a more chowder-like consistency. This soup can sit for up to 90
minutes before serving, but it’s good as soon as the veggies are
incorporated into the sauce and everything’s mixed in together. Top
each bowl with grated Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Chapter 7
I was
still chatting with Greg in the kitchen a few minutes later when Moose came
rushing in. "Grab your jacket, Victoria. We need to go, and I
mean right now."
I
pulled my jacket from the hook, and as I put it on, I asked my grandfather,
"Where are we going in such a hurry?"
"I
just got a call from Gracie Winslow at the hospital. Ron Watkins has been
in an accident."
"Did
something happen to him on Sally’s farm?" I asked.
"No,
that’s the strange part. Gracie said that he was at Wally’s
doing something for Jan, as a favor. She didn’t have much time for
details, but she said if we wanted a chance to talk to Ron, this might be our
last opportunity."
"Let’s
go," I said. Gracie had been my babysitter once upon a time, and I
was surprised that she’d called my grandfather instead of me, but he had
a way about him that made folks want to confide in him, and
about the name, sex, and weight of the babe, all he could say was, "I
didn’t think to ask." I had to call the new father back
myself to get any real information at all.
Men.
I
loved my husband dearly, but sometimes he drove me absolutely crazy.
To be
fair, I was pretty sure that if he were ever cornered and asked, he’d
most likely say the same thing about me.
I
suppose that was one of the things that made our marriage so much fun.
Despite
our differences, Greg was just right for me, and I always loved it when he told
me that he felt the same way about me.
Mom’s Potato and Carrot Soup
This is something great to serve the year
round, but we especially love this meal on cool, chilly days when the wind
outside is howling and the temperature is falling. It’s one of the
joys of comfort food, and this one is on my list of fall-back recipes that my
family embraces. This soup is easy to make, very inexpensive, and goes
great with toast, crackers, or any hard bread you’d like to serve with
it.
Ingredients
2 russet baking potatoes, diced, or 8-12
new potatoes, whole (we like Yukon Gold, but red are great, too)
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped, or
10-12 baby carrots, whole
2 cups water (to boil potatoes and carrots)
1 onion, medium, diced
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Flour, all purpose
1 cup Milk (we use 2% or 1%)
2 Dashes Salt
2 Dashes Pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
Directions
In a medium pot, cook the potatoes and
carrots in two cups of water. After bringing the pot to a boil, simmer on
Low heat for 10-12 minutes, or until a butter knife pierces the vegetables
easily. While the veggies are cooking, in another pot, melt the butter,
then sauté the diced onion on Medium heat until the onion is
softened. Turn off the heat, and then add the flour, stirring until
it’s incorporated. Add ¼ cup of milk to the onion/flour mix
and stir until that’s incorporated as well. Next, add the rest of
the milk and turn the heat on High, stirring constantly until the sauce
thickens. This will occur just before the mixture comes to a full boil,
and I usually turn off the heat as the bubbles first appear in the sauce.
Remove from heat and cover. Most likely the veggies will be ready now, so
after they are cooked, drain them using a sieve, reserving two cups of the
liquid. Once the veggies are drained, add them to the pot holding your
sauce and stir. Coat the veggies with the sauce, and then add
approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved cooking water and stir that in as
well. This can be modified to match the level of soupiness you desire,
and sometimes I add more milk to the mix earlier and skip this step entirely
for a more chowder-like consistency. This soup can sit for up to 90
minutes before serving, but it’s good as soon as the veggies are
incorporated into the sauce and everything’s mixed in together. Top
each bowl with grated Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Chapter 7
I was
still chatting with Greg in the kitchen a few minutes later when Moose came
rushing in. "Grab your jacket, Victoria. We need to go, and I
mean right now."
I
pulled my jacket from the hook, and as I put it on, I asked my grandfather,
"Where are we going in such a hurry?"
"I
just got a call from Gracie Winslow at the hospital. Ron Watkins has been
in an accident."
"Did
something happen to him on Sally’s farm?" I asked.
"No,
that’s the strange part. Gracie said that he was at Wally’s
doing something for Jan, as a favor. She didn’t have much time for
details, but she said if we wanted a chance to talk to Ron, this might be our
last opportunity."
"Let’s
go," I said. Gracie had been my babysitter once upon a time, and I
was surprised that she’d called my grandfather instead of me, but he had
a way about him that made folks want to confide in him, and
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