SCRAP SOUP + ONE

[In case you missed it, here's a rerun of last year's Welcome to Autumn--we're starting to notice lower temps here in late September, nighttime lows in the 40s, so soup sounds like a winner. And this year we've added a bonus recipe--corn bread to go with your 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 inclined, 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. Set the temp to HIGH. 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.) You can reduce the setting to MEDIUM or LOW if you're going to leave the cooker to work all day.

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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. Bake cornbread to accompany the soup. 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.

BONUS RECIPE - Corn Bread or Muffins

   (from Woman's Home Companion Cook Book, 1947)

Sift 1 c. flour, then measure.

Add: 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 3 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 c. yellow corn meal. Mix well.

Combine: 1 egg, slightly beaten, 1 c. milk, and 1/4 c. melted shortening (oil works also)

Stir liquids into dry ingredients until all dry ingredients are moistened. Turn into a greased 8x8-inch baking pan. Bake at 425 degrees about 20 minutes.

[Note: if the pan is dark, lower oven temp. 25 degrees.]

If you prefer muffins, spoon the batter into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake 12-15 minutes.

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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. 

 WELCOME AUTUMN!

[Not much new to say about the Equinox that ushers in the season we call Autumn. And from one year to the next, we'll usually find ourselves meeting the same colors, the same fresh fruit, the same autumn flowers, the same weather. So here's one of my love songs to Autumn published several years ago.]

Autumn in my little corner of the kingdom is a Janus-like season. Remember Janus? The Roman God of gates and doorways doorways--one face toward each direction.

Autumn is like that for me--looking forward, looking back.

One day, it's summer, and you'd swear August's picture is still on the wall calendar. The next morning, the leaves whip around wildly, skies are overcast (if not weeping buckets), and you wonder which closet you buried your rainproof jacket and umbrella in.

While the weather is doing its two-faced thing, I veer back and forth between two ways of thinking about life. 

Ahead of us is a season many people dread--Winter, with its more-than-generous servings of snow and ice, wind chills, and dangerous roads/driveways/sidewalks. In its nature, Winter is probably no more dangerous than other seasons, if we take precautions for our safety. But it's well to be prepared.

Behind us is summer (my least favorite season, as I believe I've said before)--a season many folks would love to see hang around a minimum of 200 days per year; the other 165 could be a little cooler, maybe a little rainy, but definitely not below 50 degrees. I prefer variety in my seasons.

But that's just weather. What about what's ahead of us in our lives? What changes will there be in my family? In my health? My town? My church? My friends? 

My grandchildren are young enough to be changing jobs, moving to bigger houses, looking for the best schools for their children. My children are more settled, but still open to new opportunities. My health is currently stable, so I keep on with my exercise programs to maintain the status quo. My town--well, they call it progress, I call it chaos: closed streets, tree removal. . . . My church constantly searches for ways, and people, to serve. My friends are going through their own challenges with health and other problems. 


What's behind me in my life is there for me to see in old photos, read in old letters I've saved, recall with my children in our telephone/email conversations. Some of the memories are smile-bringers--remembering a time and place and the people involved in a birthday party or a Christmas family celebration. Some memories bring sadness--folks no longer with us, relatives and friends lost to time and death.

But I count my memories as blessings--yes, including those memories I'd rather take out to the landfill and bury deep. Without who I was, I wouldn't be who I am today. Neither would you who are reading this post. There's always the possibility that we'll learn from our past mistakes, pass along some wisp of wisdom to a family member or friend, perhaps to a stranger.

My goal--my challenge to myself--is to dwell in the present. See the good around me. Help folks who need a boost, a kind word, a warm blanket. The past is past--I can learn from what's gone before. The future is not yet here--I can plan and prepare, but I can't live it until it arrives.

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In a few days I'll celebrate Autumn's arrival with a drive through the country. Not much color yet in our area, but it's coming, it's coming.

Welcome Autumn your way--football games, tailgate parties; trips to the orchard for cider and apples; stocking up on pumpkins and corn shocks for the October look.

And while you're at it, celebrate being alive. Today.

 LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

[This is a somewhat bittersweet time for me--the end of lovely weather and delicious garden produce--but there's always the beginning of my favorite season, Autumn, with its cooler days and beautiful colors. This post appeared in slightly different form a year ago, when COVID restrictions ruled our entire lives. Some things have changed, a little; some things remain up in the air. But for those of us still here and soldiering on, let's celebrate the seasons of our lives.]

Did you have a summer, despite COVID limitations? Because if you didn't, you have only 6 more days before the first day of Autumn 2021.

Here in Northeast Indiana 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 open 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 haven't eaten our dinner on the patio this year--but our roasted chicken and root vegetables, with a side of sliced fresh tomatoes (drizzled with balsamic vinegar and garnished with fresh basil) taste just as good inside the house. 

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 from nipping our noses (some nights in the 40s already).

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 were trimmed this past summer, so there won't be the usual 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. Blueberries and strawberries, along with mangoes and avocados, 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 as many festivals and corn mazes and county fairs and carnivals as we've enjoyed in past years. Instead, 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!

 SOME OF MY FAVORITE LIFE HACKS

First a definition: "A life hack (or life hacking) is any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency in all walks of life." Wikipedia

I broaden that definition to include--any tips or snippets of wisdom that make life easier to live.

Ready?

#1 - Winston Churchill

Whether you're living through a world war (as Churchill was) or still slogging through a pandemic (along with me and the rest of the global community), these words ought to spur you to consider what it means to keep on keeping on.

#2 - Albert Einstein

Where would we be without imagination? I wouldn't be writing these essays, you wouldn't be reading them, we'd probably never (or at least, seldom) find all these quotations and visuals if we were without the mental capacity or the resources to search for them. And consider this: There'd be no Internet--no way to quickly search for quotations, no blogging programs--. The mind boggles.

#3 - Heather Lende

Heather Lende, whom I've quoted before, wrote a book called Find the Good. If you haven't read it yet, get it from your library or order it online. If you have read it, read it again.

#4 - Plato

I've seen Plato's words quoted in numerous places, but this was the first time I saw who said it.

Maya Angelou said:

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

So--be kind.

#5 - Luke 6:31

Treat people the same way you want them to treat you.

   New American Standard Version

Follows naturally from Be Kind . . . but includes so much more.

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You'll have your own favorites pieces of self-advice, lessons learned, and ways of coping. But if you need some fresh thoughts, or merely timely reminders, accept the ones above as a gift.

It doesn't all happen in a day, or a year, and possibly--gasp!--not even in a lifetime. But Arthur Ashe's advice, below, is worth adopting.

Blessings!

 FRIENDSHIP

[One day I'm going to write something original about . . . well, about anything. But today's reposting covers a subject dear to my heart. Could you have survived all you've been through without a friend, or maybe several, to share the burden, to cry with, to laugh with, to give you a hand up or a shoulder to lean on? I couldn't have made it on my own. Friends are one of God's greatest blessings. Thanks be!

I'm currently re-connecting with friends with whom I'd lost touch--nobody's fault, just some of Life's little quirks and wrinkles--and wanted to revisit this essay. I still like it . . . it says what I'd say today, if I were trying to write it again, but I have to add, it's better than what I can do today. Such is life!]

Or a mug of really good coffee!

The subject of friendship has been on my mind and heart lately and I want to explore some definitions and thoughts on what friendship is, and what it is to have—or to be—a friend.

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The most elemental definition I’ve ever seen is the title of Joan Walsh Anglund’s book, A Friend Is Someone Who Likes You. It was published in 1958 for children 4 to 7 years old. A friend is…someone who likes you. Simple. Direct. Easy to understand.

But as we all know, we grow older, and life takes twists and turns, our experiences cause us to make leaps and bounds. Or go backward. Or fall on our prats. Sometimes what we go through is, well, less than joyful. Here are some thoughts to keep your hearts and minds engaged in friendly paths as you find your way through the jungle.

* * * * *

Charlotte's Web--read it!

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.   --C. S. Lewis (1898-1967)

Who among us has not had a friend who kept us sane, even for a little while? Or who held our hand in a dark time? Who talked us down from a scary place—real or metaphorical—to continue living?

* * * * *

Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.   --Octavia Butler (1947-2006)

If you have a friend, then you, yourself, are a friend. It’s a reciprocal relationship, not one-sided, but a meeting of equals. So if you are a friend, you know what it means to remain silent when they “hurl themselves into their own destiny.” Sounds scary, doesn’t it? But we know we can’t live other people’s lives for them, no matter how much we care, how much more experience we have, how clearly we can see the pitfalls they will face. We can “prepare to pick up the pieces,” and I would add, resist the temptation to say I told you so. Even if you never said it in the first place.

* * * * *

One more idea:

We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.  -- Joseph Roux (French surgeon, 1780-1854)

A hug is always a good thing....

Ignore the out-of-date pronouns and focus on the thought.

No one wants to lose a friend. Friends are more precious than silver and gold, than perfect gems, than all the possessions we can ever amass.

Yet, sometimes a friend is lost. To death, yes; but that is not the harshest loss. The loss that stabs our hearts and wrenches tears from our souls is the loss we have caused—or have been unable to prevent—for whatever reason.

John Donne (1572-1631) wrote, “Any man’s death diminishes me.” I would add, “Each friend’s loss takes a valuable part of me, and I’ll never regain it.”

* * * * *

To send you off with a happier thought:

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.  --George MacDonald (1824-1905)

Celebrate your friendships. They may not number in the hundreds or thousands, they may not be virtual friends you’ve never seen. True friends are the ones who know you, warts and all . . . .