Vintage Picnic

Steve had spring fever today, and surprised me with a ride in "Ol' Blue" and a wonderful picnic that he had made.   It has been warmer this week and the snow has melted away.... for today.... We heard the meadow lark sing yesterday, which seemed to us all the beckoning we needed to get outside for a bit and enjoy the sunshine.  I took some pictures (mostly of Ol' Blue) ; they had such a cozy, vintage feel to them I thought I would share them with you.

Love him....

Paper Butterflies

               This is an easy Springtime craft that only requires paper and stencil, scissors and glue.
Sewing machine and grapevine wreath is optional.

Supplies

Paper: 

Scrapbook paper, old sheet music, old newspaper or magazines (find the colors you like). 

Butterfly stencil

Scissors

Glue

Grapevine Wreath

Use a stencil to create  a variety of butterflies.  You can use a scrapbooking paper punch if you have one; It is more consistent in its cutting perfection and is quicker to use, but the stencil has a variety of butterflies, which is nice.

 Draw your butterflies on the backside of the paper

 I used scrapbooking paper, but you could use any paper that had a pattern;

old sheet music, newspaper, magazine old books.

  Cut out all of your butterflies.

 Pick out and match up butterfly shapes

Glue them together. (wrong sides together)

 I like matching up two colors, then you have a different color on each side.

Press both pieces together, smoothing all sides and edges.  Allow to dry.

You may have edges that don't match. Once the glue is dried, Trim the white off of the areas that don't match.  Bend the butterfly wings like a real butterfly.

 You can run them through a sewing machine to create a banner.

I sewed them in every direction to create a hodgepodge of shapes and directions as they hang.

 You can also glue them onto a grapevine wreath.

To create a soft and pretty springtime decoration for your door.

Happy Springtime

                                                               


                                                           

Mock French Onion Soup

This Onion Soup has an extra surprise in it that you wouldn't expect.  The Surprise is Cabbage.  My husband Steve made this soup a few weeks back, and it was marvelous, I just kept eating it.  He got it from  Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine under the humble name of "Savory Cabbage Soup".  Now, I don't know about you, but with a name like that, I might never have tried making it myself. I am not attracted to dishes that have the name Cabbage or Beets in them (that's not to say that I don't enjoy dishes that have these vegetables… I have learned to love beets and cabbage, but something about the sound of the recipe when it is named after these veggies… I think it must be remnants of my childhood, when words like beets, and cabbage made me shudder… did any of you ever feel that way?).  So, I decided to rename this soup Mock French Onion Soup, which to me is a bit more appealing.

If you're having a craving for French onion soup, and you are wanting to add some cabbage to your diet... or have an abundance from your garden or because they were too cheap to pass up after St. Patricks Day,  then this recipe is for you. I have put the original recipe here, along with the link if you want to go back to Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine.  I described my own changes, which make it more like it's "new name" implies.

http://www.phgmag.com/food/recipe/201301/savory-cabbage-soup/

SAVORY CABBAGE SOUP

Yields 4-6 servings1/2 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small green cabbage, cut in 1-inch dice (about 7 to 10 cups)
3 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
6 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste


COMBINE apple cider, soy sauce and vinegar in small bowl. Set aside.
HEAT 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage.
COOK 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to bowl.
HEAT remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and carrots. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until carrots are softened, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook 16 to 18 minutes more, or until onions are golden brown.
ADD garlic, thyme and apple cider mixture, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook 1 minute. Add cabbage and 6 cups of beef stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, if desired.
GARNISH with Sourdough Croutons.

Here is where I varied the recipe:  I sliced the onions as pictured above, rather than chopped; I saute'ed them until slightly caramelized.   I also chopped the cabbage more like you would for Coleslaw.  I used 1 large   carrot and shredded it with the Cheese grater rather than chopping it.  The last of my variation, was to add more croutons, and top with cheese and brown, just as you would for a French Onion Soup.

Home Made Sour Dough Croutons

These Croutons were amazing and were one of the most important parts of the soup.  I couldn't stop eating them.  Steve and I increased the Parmesan Cheese and olive oil by almost double... I also suggest you make twice as much of this,  because you will nibble these away and wish you had more for the left over soup.

SOURDOUGH CROUTONS
2 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese


PREHEAT the oven to 350 degrees F.
TOSS bread cubes and oil together on a baking sheet; spread in an even layer and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
BAKE until golden brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).
COOL before serving.

Grate your Parmesan cheese

Cube the sourdough bread, sprinkle the olive oil over it and toss until the oil is well distributed.  Spread out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with the grated cheese (I even mixed some of the cheese with the bread cubes and olive oil while I was tossing it together).  Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes, or until dry and crunchy.

After your croutons are baked, Put your soup in a nice "oven safe" mug or bowl, sprinkle croutons on top, then top with cheese such as swiss or provolone, and a little more parmesan and bake until the cheese is melted and brown.

And now you have a wonderful "Mock French Onion Soup"

This was great  with some homemade Irish Soda Bread

Here was Steve's Version that he made a few weeks back.  He made it like any good cowboy would... in a Cast Iron skillet and scooped it up with a nice enamelware ladle... and actually the directions suggested cooking in a Dutch Oven (which is probably what caught his eye in the recipe to begin with).

Enjoy!