A few days ago, I asked for opinions of this (to me) weird sounding concoction. I made it a few days ago, and it is GOOD. The whole pot probably cost less than $1.00. I had some potatoes I bought cheaply for Thanksgiving (ditto the carrots). We had scallions in the garden. Frugal Son bought a big jar of pickles for $1.00.
So this is yet one more incarnation of one of my favorite food categories: the food of the poor. How wonderful to think of Polish peasants--cold and damp, craving SOMETHING tasty in the winter--making this stone soup.
This is definitely comfort food.
P.S. I left out the dill because I didn't have any.
4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.
5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne
I LOVE Thorne's writing. This is his first book.
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
"Surprised by Joy": A Sad Poem
The subject of this poem is Wordsworth's daughter, Catherine, who died very young.
Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind
Surprised by joy – impatient as the wind
I turned to share the transport – Oh! With whom
But thee, long buried in the silent tomb,
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind –
But how could I forget thee? - Through what power,
Even for the least division of an hour,
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
To my most grievous loss? – That thought's return
Was the worse pang that sorrow ever bore,
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more;
That neither present time nor years unborn
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.
For a nice explanation of the poem, see this essay in The Guardian. Here is a bit of that piece.
This sonnet activates a series of "pangs": the moment of delight, the desolate realisation that the one person with whom the speaker wants to share it is irrecoverable, the pang of guilt that the beloved child could have been forgotten, and, finally, the remembered moment of desolation. The natural event, the source of the joy, un-described but beautifully left to our imaginations, is quickly erased. Nature, for once, fails the poet. The sonnet seems to travel a considerable distance, though it turns back on itself to look again at the moment of anguish, "when I stood forlorn,/ Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more." It blossoms early and vividly but it appears to be prematurely concluded, or, at least, rapidly transformed from immediacy into memory.
Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind
Surprised by joy – impatient as the wind
I turned to share the transport – Oh! With whom
But thee, long buried in the silent tomb,
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind –
But how could I forget thee? - Through what power,
Even for the least division of an hour,
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
To my most grievous loss? – That thought's return
Was the worse pang that sorrow ever bore,
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more;
That neither present time nor years unborn
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.
For a nice explanation of the poem, see this essay in The Guardian. Here is a bit of that piece.
This sonnet activates a series of "pangs": the moment of delight, the desolate realisation that the one person with whom the speaker wants to share it is irrecoverable, the pang of guilt that the beloved child could have been forgotten, and, finally, the remembered moment of desolation. The natural event, the source of the joy, un-described but beautifully left to our imaginations, is quickly erased. Nature, for once, fails the poet. The sonnet seems to travel a considerable distance, though it turns back on itself to look again at the moment of anguish, "when I stood forlorn,/ Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more." It blossoms early and vividly but it appears to be prematurely concluded, or, at least, rapidly transformed from immediacy into memory.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Would You Try Polish Potato Pickle Soup?
Here is what I'm dying to cook. I can't (due to overabundance of food from Frugal Son that needs to be used up). It sounds so interesting, plus this particular version is courtesy of my favorite food writer John Thorne. Does it sound good to you? I am of 100% East European descent, so that perhaps accounts for my inexplicable yearning.
4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.
5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne
P.S. I love how the recipe uses part of the pickle liquid!
This book by Thorne was my first read after I turned in grades for teh semester. Pure bliss!
4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.
5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne
P.S. I love how the recipe uses part of the pickle liquid!
This book by Thorne was my first read after I turned in grades for teh semester. Pure bliss!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Joyce, Plato, Karma, Purses
I once wrote a post titled Frugality and Destiny, wherein I wondered if my destiny is to be super-frugal and there's no escape. I am once again thinking that may be true.
Recently--in honor of my big birthday coming in 14 months--I decided to buy a handbag. Not a super expensive one, but a medium one. I am a teacher, so middle-class, and have never bought a new bag. How weird is that?
So, like the narrator of Araby (great story by James Joyce about the quest for beauty and the disillusionment en route), I set out on my quest. Only mine was through the internet. Eventually, I ordered 4 bags, planning to leave Miss Em with the final choice, since she is the decision-maker of our family.
The other day--needing a break from the often dispiriting labor of processing final exams--I headed to Goodwill. Unlike the narrator of Araby, who finds that Araby (a bazaar) is not what he thought it would be (an exotic, exciting place), I am never disillusioned with Goodwill. I love it! Everyone is equal: you find what you find.
Most handbags sported by the shoppers are--let's face it--fakes: L Vuitton, Gucci, and Coach. In fact, one reason I would never buy a real bag by LV is because everyone would just assume it was fake anyway, given my reputation for frugality. And most of the bags on display are fakes too.
On that recent trip, among the many fakes and free bags with purchase (ugh--Estee Lauder, stop cluttering up the universe with free bags) were two bags: they were copies of two of the Michael Kors bags I ordered! The Kors bags, in turn, were inspired by even more expensive bags by Hermes. A copy of a copy of a copy. Hello Plato! (In honor of the many students who use these cheater-websites, here is a link to one of the worst)
These bags--and others--were being snatched up with glee by the shoppers. I had an image of sporting one of my four candidates, only to be asked if I got it at Goodwill in the shopping frenzy. Kind of deflating.
Then I wandered by the tote bags. There I saw a Baggallini tote. We recently got Miss Em a small suitcase by that company (at Twice as Nice, a great consignment store in Alabama). The tote was OK. I realized it would serve my needs. I need a bag to carry to class with files of papers in it. It wasn't too bad looking, though I would prefer a solid color to the gray/black zebra-ish print I got. It was $2.99, way less than the fake bags on the special-priced rack.
So should I thank the forces of Karma for bringing me an inexpensive bag that will serve some of my needs? Or is it just a reminder that frugality is, indeed, my destiny?
Recently--in honor of my big birthday coming in 14 months--I decided to buy a handbag. Not a super expensive one, but a medium one. I am a teacher, so middle-class, and have never bought a new bag. How weird is that?
So, like the narrator of Araby (great story by James Joyce about the quest for beauty and the disillusionment en route), I set out on my quest. Only mine was through the internet. Eventually, I ordered 4 bags, planning to leave Miss Em with the final choice, since she is the decision-maker of our family.
The other day--needing a break from the often dispiriting labor of processing final exams--I headed to Goodwill. Unlike the narrator of Araby, who finds that Araby (a bazaar) is not what he thought it would be (an exotic, exciting place), I am never disillusioned with Goodwill. I love it! Everyone is equal: you find what you find.
Most handbags sported by the shoppers are--let's face it--fakes: L Vuitton, Gucci, and Coach. In fact, one reason I would never buy a real bag by LV is because everyone would just assume it was fake anyway, given my reputation for frugality. And most of the bags on display are fakes too.
On that recent trip, among the many fakes and free bags with purchase (ugh--Estee Lauder, stop cluttering up the universe with free bags) were two bags: they were copies of two of the Michael Kors bags I ordered! The Kors bags, in turn, were inspired by even more expensive bags by Hermes. A copy of a copy of a copy. Hello Plato! (In honor of the many students who use these cheater-websites, here is a link to one of the worst)
These bags--and others--were being snatched up with glee by the shoppers. I had an image of sporting one of my four candidates, only to be asked if I got it at Goodwill in the shopping frenzy. Kind of deflating.
Then I wandered by the tote bags. There I saw a Baggallini tote. We recently got Miss Em a small suitcase by that company (at Twice as Nice, a great consignment store in Alabama). The tote was OK. I realized it would serve my needs. I need a bag to carry to class with files of papers in it. It wasn't too bad looking, though I would prefer a solid color to the gray/black zebra-ish print I got. It was $2.99, way less than the fake bags on the special-priced rack.
So should I thank the forces of Karma for bringing me an inexpensive bag that will serve some of my needs? Or is it just a reminder that frugality is, indeed, my destiny?
Friday, December 7, 2012
How to Pay for that Handbag: Thai Chicken Soup with Rice
It's probably obvious what my "financial philosophy" (if that's not too grandiose a term) is: sweat the small stuff so you can have the big stuff. Some people do it the other way. Unless you are a very high earner or low desirer, you have to do it one way or the other.
How am I going to pay for my chosen handbag (or maybe two)? Even though they were on sale, they range from $90 (for a fourth candidate en route) to $250! Well, as usual, I seek to minimize my daily expenses, figuring that eventually the money I save will add up to whatever it is I want.
My latest candidate for FOOD THAT COULD BE FROM A RESTAURANT, BUT IS CHEAP. Not to mention easy. Red Curry Chicken and Rice Soup. it is from a wonderful cookbook by Leslie Revsin. She was a well-known chef who put together a cookbook for her busy daughter.
1. Cut about a pound of chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and saute in a little oil. Remove.
2. Saute chopped onion and a few sliced carrots till done. Add 2 TBS Thai curry paste.
3. Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 can chicken broth. Simmer for around 15 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 cup rice. Cook 10 minutes. Add the chicken and cook till rice is done, around 10 minutes.
I made this last night and it was very rich. Cheaper than a Thai restaurant.
Perhaps my other mission in life--aside from spreading the joys of frugality--involves spreading the word about lesser-known cookbooks. Everyone has heard of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Have you heard of Leslie Revsin?
How am I going to pay for my chosen handbag (or maybe two)? Even though they were on sale, they range from $90 (for a fourth candidate en route) to $250! Well, as usual, I seek to minimize my daily expenses, figuring that eventually the money I save will add up to whatever it is I want.
My latest candidate for FOOD THAT COULD BE FROM A RESTAURANT, BUT IS CHEAP. Not to mention easy. Red Curry Chicken and Rice Soup. it is from a wonderful cookbook by Leslie Revsin. She was a well-known chef who put together a cookbook for her busy daughter.
1. Cut about a pound of chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and saute in a little oil. Remove.
2. Saute chopped onion and a few sliced carrots till done. Add 2 TBS Thai curry paste.
3. Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 can chicken broth. Simmer for around 15 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 cup rice. Cook 10 minutes. Add the chicken and cook till rice is done, around 10 minutes.
I made this last night and it was very rich. Cheaper than a Thai restaurant.
Perhaps my other mission in life--aside from spreading the joys of frugality--involves spreading the word about lesser-known cookbooks. Everyone has heard of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Have you heard of Leslie Revsin?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Twixt Virtue and Love: A New Purse??
A STRIFE is grown between VIRTUE and LOVE;
While each pretends that STELLA must be his.
That's by Sir Philip Sidney. The lines just popped into my head, as lines of poetry are wont to do. Was I thinking about grading final exams? No, I was taking a daydreaming break. I was thinking about my new handbag!
So, the strife within me is between virtue (frugality) and love (not physical desire in this case, as it was for Sidney, but for NICE STUFF). That strife is why my blog is often conflicted. I love frugality and even wish I were of the cut WAY back on stuff mindset (like many of the frugality bloggers) but I do enjoy getting things now and again. Even if I don't need them.
So, the purse. I realized last year that I was getting near a big birthday (2014) AND that I had never bought a new handbag. I've gotten them from thrifts and from my mother's donation bags. So I thought I would buy one for my 2014 birthday. Then I decided to get one this year. This is not really frugal since I have lots of handbags from the above sources.
For a few mad moments, I thought about getting an iconic bag of one name or another. But I noticed when I saw these bags carried by various stylish women--here and in France last summer--I did not feel that frisson of desire. Thank heavens for that.
So I started looking at midrange bags, more befitting my midrange life and definitely midrange salary. I now have three bags to choose from: all bought from Nordstrom at between 40-60% off. Since I must resume my grading in a bit, I cannot post pics. But you can see two of the candidates on the blog UneFemme. Pseu has such good taste. (The two are the Astrid and the Candace. The Astrid, probably unfortunately, is in a python print which looks like something Carmela Soprano might carry. so maybe not for me. The Candace is black).
I await the homecoming of my daughter, Miss Em. The rest of the family is of the genre INDECISIVE. fortunately, Miss Em did not inherit this trait. So we all wait for her visits and await her decisions. She's always right. (OK. She was wrong once.)
I got the bags from Nordstrom and will return the losers. Even at 40%-60% off, these bags are a splurge for me. So, not really frugal. Every time I deviate from the frugal path, I fear that I will never return.
I'll let you know what Miss Em decides. She's due for a visit December 23. She may tell me to return them all.
Monday, December 3, 2012
5 Ingredients, 5 Minutes=Soup
Too good for College Students only. So--for all the frazzled people out there, whether your frazzlement is due to school, work, holidays, etc. From my hero Andrew Schloss. This is also very cheap, so you can put your savings towards either necessities or desires.
"RECIPE"
1. 15 oz can of broth
2. 15 oz can of black beans (or any beans) drained
3. 15 oz can of tomatoes
4. 7 oz instant black beans** (these can be expensive--so why not just use another can of beans and mash with fork OR a can of refried beans?)
5. hot sauce
Combine in your rice cooker OR a pot (if you have a stove). Add 1 can of water. I would guess you could also put in a bowl and microwave. Heat up. Let sit a minute to let flavors develop.
This makes enough for 4 servings.
"RECIPE"
1. 15 oz can of broth
2. 15 oz can of black beans (or any beans) drained
3. 15 oz can of tomatoes
4. 7 oz instant black beans** (these can be expensive--so why not just use another can of beans and mash with fork OR a can of refried beans?)
5. hot sauce
Combine in your rice cooker OR a pot (if you have a stove). Add 1 can of water. I would guess you could also put in a bowl and microwave. Heat up. Let sit a minute to let flavors develop.
This makes enough for 4 servings.
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