SCRAP SOUP

Welcome Autumn! And what better way than with a big cauldron--er, pot--of soup?

We're a Soup family--we like soup year round--we like to make it ourselves instead of buying it in a can or carton--and we absolutely love using whatever's hanging around in the fridge, freezer, or pantry that hasn't found its way into the menu yet. And this time of year, there's something or other hanging around outside in the garden--one lonely pepper, a couple of ripe tomatoes, a couple of green beans that somehow didn't get picked . . . just waiting to be part of your next soup pot.

I've borrowed the name of today's soup from a Pacific Northwest quilter, Anne Moscicki, who included her version of Scrap Soup in a book about organizing a retreat for quilters--the event was to take place over a weekend, and each quilter who attended brought something for the pot of soup. (The book, Time to Quilt, also includes instructions for some of the most beautiful quilts I've ever seen and made. Thanks, Anne!)

Here's my version of Scrap Soup--based entirely on what's on hand at the moment in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.

SCRAP SOUP

General Ingredients: 

--meat or poultry--we're partial to chicken, especially the remains of a roasted chicken that's come out of the oven so tender it nearly melts in the mouth. You can use leftover turkey, beef (leftover roast, if there is such a thing, or ground), or a combination of venison and pork (ground together and browned). The choice is dictated by whatever your crew likes.

--vegetables--fresh, frozen, or canned; use up little bits of leftovers (if you save them, some people don't); if you have only one potato or parsnip or turnip, use that. If you like the taste of celery and onion and/or peppers, but don't fancy chopping up a bunch of the same, look for these combos in the frozen food department of your supermarket. Some brands call them "mirepoix," which sounds quite elegant and exotic.

--other solids--canned (cooked) beans add body and protein. Practically anything goes--white beans, black beans, red beans; chili beans, chickpeas

--broth or other liquid--we use chicken stock made from the bones of the aforesaid roasted chicken, but this is another boxed item that can save you time and stove top space. If you prefer, select the vegetable broth flavor. Then there's the option of canned broth or bouillon cubes to be reconstituted; and I think there are some packaged soup starters, in envelopes that look like gravy mixes. Once you find what you like, get that in quantity. You never know when soup time will strike. Other liquids include tomato juice and V-8 Juice.

--thickeners--if you're so inclines, add rice (white or brown), or noodles (rice noodles disintegrate nicely and thicken the liquid), or let the potatoes do their job.

--seasonings--my current combo is very simple: salt and coarse-ground black pepper, bay leaf, dried thyme. One bay leaf per recipe--break it in half so the flavor travels through the whole pot of soup. Also--some canned tomatoes come with herbs, so they'll add to the overall bouquet.

That's it for ingredients.

How much to use:

I like to nearly fill a 5-quart slow cooker.

Start with 1/2 gallon of broth or stock.

Add the cooked meat/poultry of your choice. Add diced veggies, like Mirepoix.

Let that much heat through while you do some of the following:

--chop cooked veggies from the fridge

--partially cook frozen veg (microwave or stove top, for half the time allowed)

--partially cook fresh veg, like potatoes, by dicing and microwaving a few minutes

--open canned veg you might want to add; note: if they're packed in water or juice, decide if you're going to use that liquid--if so, don't add any further liquid to the pot or you'll overflow the cooker.

Add veg to the pot, along with any other solids. Stir. Make sure there's enough room in the cooker.

Stir in the seasonings. Put on the lid. Don't lift the lid for at least two hours. When you begin to notice the heady seasoned aroma of the herbs, check the cooker. (As a reminder--the cooker needs 20 minutes to recover its total heat if you lift the lid, even for a brief inspection. Just a thought.)

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You probably think this is too much trouble--but once you've figured out your personal preferences, making soup from scratch is one of the quickest things you'll ever do. The main thing to remember is this: After the soup is on its own and cooking, you can go off and do other stuff. Clean the garage. Have a bubble bath. Watch a movie or TV episode you missed the other night. Or bake brownies for dessert. Go shopping with a buddy. Check email. Tell your friends on Facebook you made soup.

If you can't think of anything to do while the soup is doing its thing, then I don't know what to tell you. Try calling a friend for advice. That almost always works.

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Celebrate Autumn! It's a beautiful time, whatever is going on out in the world. Making soup honors the garden's bounty and feeds our bodies. 

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

Did you do everything you wanted to do in Summer 2020? Well, of course you didn't, because of the COVID-19 restrictions. But, given that limitation, did you have a summer? Because if you didn't, you have only 5 more days before Autumn 2020 shows up. 

We all know the first days of Autumn can be hot and humid and sometimes rainy. Kids start out the day in shorts and by evening they may be wishing they had long pants on. Or vice versa. 

This is an unpredictable "season" in an unpredictable world. 

We've investigated transitions many times over the years that Thursday's Child has been coming to you. We make a transition each time we change our status--from single to married; from student to graduate; from one job to another job; and currently, from a job to a jobless state. I know it's a cliche, but transitions, which are another concept for change, are what life is all about.

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In the last days of my summer season, I've had the house open--all windows and screen doors letting in fresh air. Fortunately there was no strong breeze to whisk dust inside (we already have enough of that). 

My daughter and I had our supper on the patio--roasted chicken and root vegetables, with a side of sliced fresh tomatoes (drizzled with balsamic vinegar and garnished with fresh basil), courtesy of a friend's mother's garden. While we ate we were serenaded by a lawn service cutting grass across the alley, but he finally finished up and we had the natural world's tunes: cicadas, a couple of crickets, and neighborhood dogs. Not loud, not intrusive.

Some days we have the air conditioning running to keep the humidity down. Other times, mostly nights, we have the heat thermostat set at 68 to keep the overnight chill (some nights in the 40s already) from nipping our noses.

One thing for sure: We can't get bored--keeping track of the temperature and other weather stuff is ongoing and sometimes changes hour by hour.

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Now that Autumn is at hand, the grass is lush and green, though not growing as fast as it did a few weeks ago. The maples in the back yard are starting to lose their leaves, and have offered a handful with a lot of color. Both trees are in need of trimming, which means there's a bumper crop of leaves up there waiting for the rakes and leaf blowers.

The grocery ads are gearing up for autumnal delicacies. Soon we'll be carving pumpkins, or cooking them, or possibly purchasing them in cans, or even--hate to say it--buying our desserts already prepared. Apples are begging to be made into pies and cakes and crisps and sauce. Peaches and nectarines are on special this week. And one ad had mandarin oranges (in September!); they're my go-to fruit, along with apples, in the winter.

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I hope you've had some summer fun this year--that you had the opportunity to make memories (and they'll be really different this time!)--and that you found ways to enjoy your life and your family. It may not have been the Kodachrome summer you wanted, but I doubt if any of us will forget it soon.

Autumn is ready for us, even if we can't look forward to the festivals and corn mazes and other entertainments we've enjoyed in past years. We'll have another season to make our own fun.

As fast as this year is slipping away, we'll soon be wearing warm boots and heavy coats, and blowing or shoveling the white stuff. But not yet! Not yet! First, let's say good-bye to Summer and welcome Autumn in her colorful garb.

Have a blessed week!

3 A.M. WISDOM

"In the wee, small hours of the morning,
when the whole wide world is fast asleep,
You lie awake and think................"

There's something about those wee, small hours that teases our brains into thoughts that seem so wise, so obvious, so absolutely right . . . how could we not remember them? Act on them? Take them as signs?

My recent wee-small wisdoms concerned Memory. 

Popular wisdom accepts memory loss as something that just happens. Every family has anecdotes about what happened when Great Aunt Ethel lost her memory. (It's not talked about nowadays.) Or when Grandpa Harold wandered around town and the family had to call the police to find him.

Hardly anyone ever mentions that young folks also have their memory lapses. Young Jimmy next door pulled a Grandpa Harold and wandered off and nobody thought anything about it, though I heard the kid had a painful experience sitting on wooden chairs for a few days. Then there was the time Cousin Clementine eloped and forgot her luggage. She wasn't elderly, but she was no spring chicken, either, at 45.

Those explanations and accepted "proofs" of memory loss don't stack up for me. So I offer another view of the subject.

So let's suppose--just suppose--memory operates on a "needs to know" basis. 

Here's an example: If I'm not going to use my car keys today, do I need to remember where they are? Not really. They'll still be there (wherever there is) the next time I plan to go to the store and need to drive myself.

Here's another one: Why would I need to remember how to make chicken croquettes, unless I'm planning to serve them? Or, perhaps, teach someone else how to make them? 

In the Big Scheme of Things, there's a whole 26-volume set of encyclopedias' worth of knowledge that I don't have to remember, just in case somebody wants to know. (Ever heard of Google?)

Like most people, I have a short list of Things I Need to Remember, such as:

--where the unpaid bills are located
--whether I've eaten, taken my pills, and checked the mail
--what sounds emitted by the refrigerator, washer/dryer, and vehicle are normal

(There are more, but right now, that's all I need to remember.)

Does that mean I'm too old to live alone? Do I need a minder? Am I safe to drive, use the telephone and Internet, take my pills without supervision?

It means I'm following my motto of remembering what I need to know.

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Let's flip that coin over--one side is "Remember," and the other side is "Forget."

Is it ever okay to forget things? Sure, why not? If you and I try to remember every absolutely-bloomin' thing, how will we get through a day? 

It's also called "Taking Things for Granted." Think about it--do we have to remember to get up in the morning? Eat once in a while? Nap if we feel tired? Go to bed when it's dark (that's if you aren't on a different shift)? Do we have to remember that the sun comes up in the morning, and goes down at night? (Never mind the science lesson--we've done that one before.)

There's also "Living in a Different Reality": Most of us remember to put on regular clothes before we go outside, but a few will wear what passes for pajamas anywhere and everywhere. (If you don't believe me, just go to the mall or Walmart or the grocery store and people-watch. See?) Do they get arrested? Is there a line of people pointing fingers and tittering? Not likely. They didn't forget. Their reality is different from mine.

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The next time you're awake at 3:00 A.M., rummage around in your mental attic and see what pops out. You may surprise yourself. You may have a good time with memories that have run off and hidden themselves because you didn't have time for them during the day. 

If you forget them the next day--that's okay, they don't have to hang around. It's all in the "need to know" basis. Remember?

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Have a blessed week! (Just a reminder..........)

CHANGE

[We've been dealing with major changes in our lives--daily, future--so I resurrected this post to give us some positive thoughts. Then I devised a new ending to conform to current times.]

You can always tell when the season is shifting, because I blog about transitions and change. Here’s the latest batch—they’re all visuals because I found the messages encouraging.

 C. S. Lewis, known to many as the creator of The Chronicles of Narnia, became a Christian late in life and wrote many books about faith.

Maya Angelou is known for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, as well as for many volumes of poetry.

Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic.

My  story--my life--is in my hands. Staggering thought, isn't it?

Just one early morning gratitude--mumbled while your eyes are trying to open, before the morning jolt of caffeine, before your feet hit the floor--just one expression of thankfulness can make a difference in how your day starts, continues, and ends.

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Change has shaken the world as we knew it--businesses have closed, some never to reopen; people we know have lost jobs or have trouble finding new ones; schools may be open but everyone is wearing a mask, or sitting far from friends in a normally filled classroom, now half-empty; teachers have two levels of teaching--in-person and virtually. Shopping may be normal, and then again, it may be a disaster, with empty shelves announcing that some of our favorite or much-needed products aren't available.

And yet--somehow we soldier on. We learn to substitute where we can. We find new ways to do old tasks that had grown mindless because we took the old ways for granted. We still rant and rail against change--maybe that's part of our DNA--but we know we're not the only ones going without.

Since change is inevitable, you--and I--might as well try to embrace it. We won't like it, probably, and maybe that's a good thing--if we have to try to come up with a solution to a problem that used to be solved for us, like how to bake a cake without eggs or sugar when there's no cake mix on the shelves, then we exercise our brains. You don't have to reinvent the wheel--just find the guy who made it in the first place. Talk to somebody--have you made a cake without eggs and sugar? How did you do it? Was it any good?

Maybe that's the best solution of all--talk to somebody! Hearing a voice can lift spirits faster than a shot of helium.

Have a wonderful week!