Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 100
October 16, 2022
Fall Cleaning
Spring Cleaning is a standard for many of us. I also do Fall Cleaning. In all the packing and unpacking from season changes and travel adventures, I find I have… yet again… too much collected “stuff.” Fall Cleaning comes with the delightful distraction of fabulous foliage. We greatly enjoyed a brief visit to New Hampshire this Autumn, and we brought back marvelous memories, including the trees preparing to let go of their lavish leaves. I do not know who first said this, but I love it!
“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.”
October 15, 2022
National Mushroom Day
Yes, there’s a fungus “amungus.” If you are not a fan of shrooms, simply click delete and move on in your reading.
I love mushrooms, stuffed, grilled, sautéed, fried, etc., etc., etc. However, ‘tis Autumn, which in my world signals the time to start making various soups again. Since it’s National Mushroom Day, I “capped” my ingredient thoughts at mushrooms.
Here’s my 1978 recipe, simple and straightforward.
Cathy’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 c sliced fresh mushrooms
2 T chopped onion
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c chicken broth
1 c whipping cream
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper
Sauté mushrooms & onion in butter till tender, but not brown, about 3 minutes. Blend in flour; add broth. Cook & stir till slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in cream, salt, nutmeg & pepper. Heat through. Makes 4 servings.
I still like it that way. However, I confess to having kicked it up more than a few notches in more recent decades.
Cathy’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
This is scrumptious, simply served with warm, crunchy garlic or onion bread and a side salad.
4 slices bacon
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
2 sweet onions, chopped (2 c)
1 T minced garlic
1 lg stalk celery, finely diced (1/3 – ½ c)
8 oz portobello mushrooms (2-3 caps), gills scraped out & discarded, before slicing & coarsely dicing
8 oz shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
8 oz cremini/button mushrooms, sliced (& a few chopped)
½ tsp each: salt, black pepper, white pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ – ¾ tsp ground thyme
½ c pinot grigio (or other wine of your preference)
½ c almond flour
4 c chicken broth or stock
3 c beef broth or stock
1 c heavy cream or half-and-half
2 T thinly sliced green onions (green portions)
2-3 T chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley
Cook bacon in the olive oil in large, high-sided skillet or soup pan. Remove cooked bacon from the oil (crumble to use in the soup or reserve for another use). Add the butter. Sauté onions and garlic for 2 min over med-high heat; then add celery and mushrooms. Reduce heat to med; let cook 5-6 min, stirring a few times. Stir in seasonings and wine. Stir and cook 1 min. Sprinkle flour over the top; stir in. Gradually stir in chicken broth, stirring till thickened a bit. Then stir in beef broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and let simmer 10 min. Stir in cream, green onions, and half the parsley. (Taste & add more salt & pepper, if desired.) Heat through, but do not let boil. Serve, sprinkled with remaining parsley. Makes 10-12 cups.
KISS Notes: You may crumble the cooked bacon and include it or not in the soup, as you prefer. You may also wish to scrape out the dark “gills” under the portobello caps, as when stuffing them. For soup I leave them. Their flavor is strong, but it adds a perfect balance to the cream in the soup. As with most soups, flavors improve when reheated a second day, so try to make this the day before you plan to serve it.
KISS Variation: Replace 4 c chicken broth with 2 c beef broth and omit the cream to make a Portobello-Plus Mushroom Sauce to serve over pasta. It’s great with chicken pasta dishes or mushroom ravioli, for example. Simply sprinkle shredded Parmesan over the top.
October 14, 2022
Resist!
“A desire to resist oppression is implanted in the nature of man.”
— Tacitus (Publius Cornelius Tacitus) (58 – 120 AD)
Roman historian and politician
October 13, 2022
Family Fun to Remember!
We so enjoyed our weekend with family last week as we visited Long Island, New York. Between Adaline’s “Two Groovy” 2nd birthday party to picking out pumpkins, lots of laughter and fun surrounded us. Then, of course, she enjoyed time at a playground, on the swings and the various slides. Thank you, Adam and Caiti for being such lovely hosts. And thank you, Adaline, for being such a lovely Granddaughter. We are truly blessed.
October 12, 2022
National Pumpkin Pie Day
As Americans prepare for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, a pumpkin pie is frequently on the menu. Pumpkins were first cultivated in Central America around 5500 B.C. and were one of the first foods that European explorers took home from the New World. Their first mention in Europe dates back to 1536, but within a few decades, they were grown regularly in England, where they were called “pumpions” after the French word “pompon,” referring to their round shape.
Sometimes early pumpkin pie recipes were seasoned to be savory, with herbs such as marjoram or thyme. Others were sweet with sugar and cinnamon. I was utterly spoiled as a child by Mom, who had become a master baker, with the finest pie crust I have ever consumed to this day. She upped her pumpkin pie game with a Pumpkin Chiffon Pie that is awesome and made me never order nor make a regular pumpkin pie again.
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
This is how Mom made her classic autumn pie. In her light, flaky, homemade pastry shell, it was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. She always covered the pie with a thick layer of freshly whipped cream and sprinkled chopped pecans over the top. (My apologies that the photo is not her actual pie.)
3 beaten egg yolks
¾ c brown sugar
1½ c canned pumpkin
½ teaspoon salt
1–1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
½ c milk
1 envelope plain gelatin (1 T)
¼ c cold water
3 egg whites
¼ granulated sugar
9” baked and cooled pie shell
Combine first 8 ingredients. Cook in double boiler over simmering water until thick, stirring constantly. Soak gelatin in cold water. Mix softened gelatin into hot mixture. Chill until partially set. Meanwhile, beat egg whites; add sugar and beat until stiff. Fold sweetened egg whites into pumpkin mixture. Pour into cooled pie shell and chill until set (2-3 hours). Garnish with whipped cream.
(Photo by Kristy Marett)
October 11, 2022
Meeting Challenges
Thank you. Thank you to the thousands of people who are helping others following Hurricane Ian’s destructive chaos. First responders of all types had their hands more than full. National Guardsmen put in long days and weeks. Utility, service, clean up, and food crews continue to work tirelessly. Millions of people donate time and dollars to do whatever they can to assist.
Children, families, elderly, workers, elected officials…. Everyone becomes affected and involved in one way or another. Some involvement is active. Some is passive.
Neighbors and friends took each other in for safety and shelter before, during, and after the storm. People leaped up to serve and help in rescue and restoration efforts. Others were there to listen to the countless stories that needed to be told… by those who wish dearly they did not ever experience the events they now verbalize… and envision nightly.
Days turn into weeks, and weeks will turn into months. Indeed, months will turn into years of recovery endeavors. The globe will continue to spin, but life is forever altered for far too many.
Whether you have, are, or will help, you have the gratitude of millions, both spoken and unspoken. Countless people reached out to others via email, telephone, and social media. Words of encouragement, prayers for safety, and expressions of love were shared endlessly.
I thank everyone for sharing from their hearts, both during and after the storm and as the people and areas most devastated attempt to find balance again. I utter a special “thank you” to my sister, Deborah. This living, healing angel was visiting Mom in Palm Harbor, Florida. She packed their “go” bags, and prepped food and water for them to ride out the storm together. Just how special that was for my 92-year-old Mom is immeasurable.
Thank you. Thank you all.
October 10, 2022
National Angel Food Cake Day
While we can now buy them ready-made or make cakes from mixes, Mom always made her cakes from scratch. (But, of course!) And she made a lot of them. One of her most in-demand cakes for various birthdays was one she called her Pink Cake.
The name came from the pink color that mashed berries gave the freshly whipped cream. That cream filled the horizontal layer she’d cut halfway through the cake and frosted the entire outside. Mom carefully placed a fruit juice glass in the center of the cake with some water inside to keep fresh whatever flowers she placed in the middle.
Oh, yes! Always a super hit!
October 9, 2022
Two Groovy
That was the theme for Granddaughter Adaline’s 2nd birthday party… or perhaps I should say Toooooo Groovy. We all donned our happy hippy best. (And yes, in my costume bin I did still have a few tidbits from the 1960s and early 70s. Others were added just for fun and silliness.) But even the 2-year-old sported bell bottoms!
Such a lovely time with Adam and Caiti, our fellow grandparents, and Adaline’s cousins, aunts & uncles.
October 8, 2022
National Fluffernutter Day
Sooo many wonderful textures and flavors go with peanut butter. In making sandwiches, we may opt for a straight-up toasted peanut butter sandwich (a personal favorite). Or we may choose to slather one slice of bread with a favorite jelly or jam. Or simply top the peanut butter with a layer of sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or brown sugar. A chocolate spread and a sprinkle of chopped nuts work well, too. But this is National Fluffernutter Day, so marshmallows rule the options.
Throughout elementary school, I recall the traditional fluffernutter being my daily lunch sandwich. Yup, five times a week. After a few years, I admit that I skipped fluffernutters for YEARS! On October 8th, however, if peanut butter is going on the sandwich, marshmallow fluff must adorn the other slice before closing and consuming that sandwich.
October 7, 2022
National Inner Beauty Day
On this day we pause to recognize what makes someone truly beautiful. It has nothing to do with looks. No make-up will help. It comes with no jealousy, bragging, or conceit. Inner beauty cannot be faked.
Inner beauty reflects our personality… our morals… our character. We see it in the kindness of people… in their modesty and humility, in their gentleness and generosity.
Inner beauty can last forever. Outer appearances? Not so much.
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”
— Kahlil Gibran (1883 – 1931)
Lebanese writer and poet
