Birthday Man

Today is Jack's Birthday. 10 days from now is mine. Neither one of us know where all the years have gone. We have been together for almost nine years and we both have lifetimes before us. We shall celebrate this day and our lives together.

We shall sit by the cabin and look at the lake and my little garden. Hopefully the weather shall hold so that grilling will be a possibility.

See you tomorrow. His birthday present today is me turning off the computer!

Soup for supper....

It has been damp and cold in the cabin. Jack wanted soup to help with the chill. My mother had always talked about cranberry beans so when I found a package of beans at Williams-Sonoma, I decided to give them a try.

I googled some recipes for cranberry bean soup and sort of combined the ones I found - taking what I thought was the best from each one.

We soaked the beans overnight.

I used 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 2 small onions - all chopped and diced the way we like them.

A hunk of chopped Pancetta was tried out with a little olive oil.

I used a big pinch of Kosher salt and a few dashes of black pepper. Fresh garlic has been disappointing recently so I have been using minced garlic from the herb and spice rack.

When the vegetables looked ready, I added 6 cups of water and a small can of chopped tomatoes. I used a half a teaspoon each of Better Than Bouillon chicken and beef. Herbs from the garden simmered slowly. Two bay leaves completed the herbs and a glug of red wine for good measure. We have also started using the rind from Parmesan cheese. It is a very subtle flavor that I like with tomatoes (remove before serving).

We cooked the mixture for a little over an hour. Almost done. It was very good on this cold damp day and there are leftovers for tonight!

Hope your weather is getting better! See you on Pink Saturday!

Cabin Fare

We had a run around day yesterday. We went to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. We then went out to lunch and ate far too much of course! So, a simple supper seemed in order.

I made a frittata of sorts. There is no precise recipe. I sliced Roma tomatoes and covered them scallions which I cut with scissors. I season this with sea salt and ground pepper. I used 5 eggs. I whisk the eggs and add a big glob of sour cream (we use fat-free) and a handful of grated cheese. I have used many mixtures. Last night was Mexican 4 cheese. Pour this mixture over tomatoes and bake for about 30 minutes at 350. The top should be slightly browned.

It was a rainy, cold and damp day. I couldn't get on the Internet with my computer which is very discouraging. The iPad is a godsend. I am using an app called Blogsy and it is allowing me write a post. However, I cannot correct a mistake after I have published. I need to study their directions a little more - could be user error!

Have a great day.

Cabin and Computer

I am having a hard time getting on the Internet this year. Thank goodness for iPad and Blogsy. A trip to Verizon will take place this coming week.

Meanwhile I have playing with pictures.

Blogsy is an interesting program. I am still in the learning curve!

Stay tuned. It is raining. And it is cold.

Happy Birthday to me.......

A few years back I started celebrating my birthday for the whole month of June. There were several reasons which I am unable to recall.... But it really works for me now.

Last year I upgraded my camera thinking that my pictures would automatically be much better. Some of them were.

After much research and e-mailing back and forth with some of my blogging friends, I decided on a 50mm lens (thank you Diane aka the Blue Ridge Gal). I have been playing for 2 days.

I love to take pictures of flowers and food. Close-ups with lots of detail are my favorites. Cropping is my new best friend and I am thrilled that Picasa and Picnik now work together.

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me.....
June is a good birthday month!