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One of our members suggested that for the January cooking thread, we do Soup. So here we go. One of my favorite soups is a Sausage-Bean-Spinach soup; I can’t recall where I found the recipe, but we first made this on a very cold day after Christmas, for some friends who had attended the local Christmas Bird Count, and it was a hit - it’s a very stick-to-the-ribs dish: Sausage, Spinach and Bean Soup 8 oz. Hot Italian Sausage, casing removed (or your favorite sausage - I usually use one of the little 'chubs' of hot sausage) 1 tsp. Olive...

To those who know Kimchi, this may seem like a joke – but it’s not. I first learned to love kimchi when I had it made by a friend’s Oma 30-odd years ago, and I got pretty spoiled on the home-made stuff. We occasionally find jarred, refrigerated kimchis that can rival home-made in local supermarket produce aisles, but not reliably; and getting to the closest ethnic market is a traffic/parking nightmare. I happened to see the Jayone pictured above in a local store, and bought it just for larks – but to my surprise, it’s actually very good! It may...

This interview of Victor Davis Hanson with John Anderson of Australia, is very long - but it's very thoughtful and enlightening, if you have the time to watch. Hanson is one of our greatest thinkers and observers of the US political, historical and social scene: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6idYZ25Qq6w

So, Where's Joe? I thought that he and the presumptive 'president elect' were supposed to speak at 8 PM...They're going on an hour late...

A recent Lee Valley newsletter had an article on carrots - harvesting, storing; and included a 'refrigerator pickle' recipe for carrots that looks very easy and good: http://www.leevalley.com/en-us/discover/gardening/2020/october/make-the-most-of-your-carrot-crop____________________________________________________ I recently purchased one of these embossed rolling pins; a lot of them appear to come from Poland, as mine did; but I received mine very quickly. Haven't tried it yet, but am looking forward to using it for Christmas. They make many different designs, including one with reindeer and Christmas trees, which I also want to buy for a darker, spicy cookie. (They generally come with recipes; but if you search...

For your weekend viewing pleasure: Rod Serling was a brilliant man, and it’s interesting to compare his concerns about freedom of speech and censorship with what is going on in the US today. I’ve often watched old Twilight Zone episodes, and wondered how our modern ‘liberals’ could have traveled so far from the great wisdom inherent in those stories: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpKkHCVbSyw(In the early days of cinema, someone said that 'movies' had the potential to inspire and raise up the idealistic nature of individuals to great heights, and to change the world. I think that has been true, to a great extent;...

I used to buy a really great bread flavored with dill at a local health-food/Co-op sort of place; but haven't been able to find it in recent years. I recently purchased a book, the 'Herb Farm Cookbook', by Jerry Traunfeld: http://www.amazon.com/Herbfarm-Cookbook-Jerry-Traunfeld/dp/0684839768There was an interesting biscuit recipe in the book that seemed like it would go nicely with soup or stew, in the Fall (the book indicates that these are shaggy, firm biscuits, not fluffy ones): Dill and Cheddar Three-Grain Biscuits Makes 8 large biscuits 1 cup all-purpose flour (spoon and level; 4 1/2 ounces) 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 1/4 cup...

We love pickles, here - Husband loves dill pickles, I like sweet pickles, we buy lots of Giardiniera for making Panzanella; and lots of Kimchi. But except for a few attempts at Kimchi, I've never made my own pickles. The most recent Gardening Newsletter from Lee Valley included a great idea for adding some 'zing' to store-bought Bread and Butter pickles - and a nice basic recipe for the pickles themselves: http://www.leevalley.com/archive/en/newsletters/gardening/2533/article3.htm(We always add a few dried peppers to our 'pickled' Brussels Sprouts - but that recipe hasn't seemed to be very popular here. It appears that many people...

Something happened here today, and I thought it might be useful to start a thread on individuals' experiences with mail-in voting. We received information in the mail today about how to receive a mail-in ballot. The return address indicates that the letters were sent by our County Board of Elections. However, we also received an extra one - for a man who lived here before we did, and whose mail we've received before. The problem is, we've been here almost 14 years; he's been gone at least that long, if not longer. I was pleased to see that I have...

If you haven't seen this episode of Lou Dobbs Tonight, it's a very good overview of the nonsense that has taken place in recent days; but I especially appreciate his interview of Bob Woodson (which starts at about 16:39). It's well worth your time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E2g7G77MyM

President Trump just addressed the NYPD Benevolent Association. I didn't see a thread about it, but the replay is available. Trump - and Rudy - at their finest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAOxlsssGbk

I’m a fan of eggplant. It’s commonly said that eggplant hasn’t much taste, but soaks up other flavors; but I like its own taste. I think I’ve posted this before, and can’t remember where I found it; but it’s one of my favorite things to do with eggplant – if you also like tahini, you’ll enjoy this: ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH TAHINI DRESSING 2 medium eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds total), trimmed and halved lengthwise coarse sea salt freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley DRESSING: 3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini 2 tablespoons plus...

If you haven't seen this, you must. My husband found it today. (Did a search, and didn't see it posted yet.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ybQWwLl4sThis is the heartfelt alarm communicated by a Gentleman who, along with his family, has actually experienced Communism, and is warning us that we may be headed for the same if we fall for lies and refuse to stand up against what is happening 'in our backyard'.

I’ve been sick the last couple of weeks, and have had energy for the absolutely necessary – and the nice distractions! I thought I’d share with you some of the things that have distracted me from my personal issues, and from the larger issues that most of us are facing. I guess it isn’t a surprise that I’ve been drawn, for distraction, to people and places who aren’t really dealing with all the cr*p that many of us are. One of the websites I’ve greatly enjoyed has been ‘Whippoorwill Holler’, offered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown in Northeast Arkansas. Lately,...

Our Verizon 'box' is driving us nuts. Early today, it began loudly beeping every three minutes. When this happened in the past, we either found a loose connection and fixing that solved the problem, or just removed the battery until we could replace it. This time, we have tried everything - looked it up and watched videos, etc.; but nothing we've done has stopped the beep. (Our situation doesn't even seem to 'fit' the advice we're seeing - our 'low battery' light has never gone on.) A couple of times today, we've seemed to hear another unit's box beeping somewhere...

We recently went looking online for a wok - we wanted to try and become expert at stir-frying. It surprised me that everything we liked best was sold out everywhere. Then, I realized that lots of people have been stuck at home and doing more cooking for themselves. (I saw a recent cooking video on YouTube, in which a man stated that he had gone all over to find simple 8-inch layer-cake pans, and they were sold out everywhere that he was able to look; and I noticed last weekend that the baking section in my grocery – flour, sugar,...

I'm a long-time fan of Mike Rowe, and happened last night to see his recent 'Unsolicited Commencement Speech'. (I searched, and couldn't see if anyone else had posted this; apologies if someone already has): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnrsRHnuRKY

It's a little late for April Fools; but here's a fun version of Pachelbel's Canon for your Saturday evening pleasure. (Perhaps everything new is old again :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFrsBMXipDk

Someone asked me the other day how I felt about the ‘meat shortage’. I told him that I hadn’t really seen it yet; but that except for hot dogs, hamburgers, bacon, and pedestrian ground-beef tacos, I’m not a big meat fan. In case we do see a shortage, there are lots of nice things you can make without meat, or to stretch what meat you do have. One of my favorite recipes for years has been Sarah Moulton’s Black Eye Pea Cakes with Salsa Mayonnaise, a surprising combination of flavors - and the ingredients for which have all been available...

If you're bored, here's a video about 'the most unusual musical instruments in the world'. I'm a fan of Ben Franklin's Glass Armonica, and of the Hang; but I had never seen most of the others. (I'd really like to know what that fourth instrument is, after the Kalimba - it looks home-grown; and would like to have seen a didgeridoo and a steel drum.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCYHMVlQezAhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harmonica#Franklin's_armonica