The not-so-much a Pioneer Woman cooks

Before I start rambling let me announce the winner of the book drawing:

Congratulations Nel! Email me with your contact details and I will put the book in the post to you this week. If you didn't win this time check Nel's blog in the next couple of weeks as she'll be passing the book on to another reader soon.

Now, I don't know how it was in your neck of the woods this weekend but it was bitterly cold in these parts. And I'm not sure why I'm talking like this...evidently frigid temperatures make me talk like the Clampetts. Frigid temperatures also make me want to pull out my cookbooks and try some new recipes.

Okay, so I like cookbooks...love to buy them and love to read them but I'm not always good about remembering to actually cook from them. Like the rest of America I received a copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks this Christmas. I've made several recipes via her website but on Saturday night I actually used the cookbook. I made her recipe for linguine with clam sauce and it was delicious. My husband loved it too but he struggled to understand the 'pioneer' part. She says this is one recipe that is maybe not as 'cowboy friendly' as some of her others but it is really tasty and also quick and easy...if you have her book give this recipe a try.

On Sunday we were still living with arctic temperatures which called for homemade soup and cornbread. I'm pretty sure that as a little girl parsnips fell into the category of vegetables that needed to be secretly stashed in my napkin when mom wasn't looking followed by an 'excuse me may I leave the table to go to the restroom' request. Brussel sprouts would have fallen into that same category. Not so as an adult...in fact I don't think there is a single vegetable I don't love. Or dessert but that's a post for another day. I don't think I ever cooked parsnips before moving to England but they're a popular vegetable there and I fixed them pretty often, usually roasted in the oven with a little maple syrup-yum! Yesterday I made a delicious Cream of Parsnip soup that we all love... if you've never eaten parsnips give this a try...they are sweet and a perfect vegetable for a cream soup. You will notice pretty quickly that I'm nothing like The Pioneer Woman when it comes to combining photography with cooking but I consider it a success that I remembered to take pictures at all. Here's the recipe-

You will need:

2 tsp. unsalted butter

1 cup diced shallots (about 3)

1/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup white wine

3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped parsnips (about 9 small-medium)

5 cups chicken stock

3/4 tsp white balsamic vinegar (I didn't have this and used cider vinegar...regular balsamic would change the color of the soup and the cider vinegar worked)

3/4 tsp salt

pinch pepper

3/4 cup half and half

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add shallots and onion and saute, stirring until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add wine, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Add parsnips, chicken stock, vinegar, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until parsnips are completely tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and use immersion blender to puree the soup (or cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in food processor or standing blender). Transfer puree to saucepan and whisk in the half and half. Warm over low heat until steaming.

I served this with The Barefoot Contessa's Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread which is fab-u-lous.

Seriously fabulous. I highly recommend...this cornbread recipe makes a large pan so I froze the leftovers. Enjoy!

A hard night's night

Remember when you had an infant and she would wake up every hour upon the hour screaming at the top of her lungs and you would bolt upright in your bed and fly to her crib and throw fifteen pacifiers in her direction until you could get your bearings and figure out if she needed food, a diaper change, or maybe she just couldn't go one more minute without a glimpse of your face? And then in the morning your husband would say, 'Oh was she up during the night?' Well that's how I am with the dog.

I don't know what was going on here last night. I was sleeping (see paragraph above) but apparently the dog had some issues. And these issues involved drinking gallons of water all night long followed by thousands of trips outside all night long. And after maybe the third trip out I sorta opened one eye and noticed because husband was not happy. At all. Did I mention husband has been in Japan and it took approximately 743 hours to get home and he is feeling a little something known as the jet lag?

After one of the later episodes, which occurred sometime after he tried confining her to the crate in the basement (think coyotes howling) but before he left her in the garage and said it would be best if I kept her away from him today, I realized something was going on. What can I say? I'm a deep sleeper. Our house is alarmed and every time you open a door to the outside a voice tells you the door is open. And evidently the door was 'talking' up a storm last night. I was blissfully unaware. So annoying to the one who is aware.

My pup is usually a champion sleeper so I have no idea why she was having such a hard time. She will be 8 years old in a couple of months which is supposedly 56 in people years. Hmmm...do dogs suffer from interrupted sleep the way women do when they hit mid life?

I don't know about that but I do know this

...she and the husband are best buds and I'm pretty certain they will be again.

He just needs to sleep on it.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book

A few weeks ago I won a little something in the 'I Win You Win' giveaway. You can read the background here but essentially Robin started something fun on her blog and today is your chance to be part of that fun.

We are 'sharing' a book called Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn. Robin (the blogger, not the author) chose this book because as she was reading she could see so many similarities between the main characters friendship (they were originally pen pals and in 40 years had never met face to face) and the friendships we make through blogging.

The book is being passed around from blogger to blogger and I am the most recent 'owner'. Today it's time to pass the book on to another reader and that's where you come in. If you have a blog and would like to be the next reader just leave a comment on this post and I'll drop your name into the proverbial hat. I'll announce the winner on Monday and send the book on to its new 'owner'. There are a few things you agree to in accepting the book-

• Read the book (preferably within a 4 week period of time)
• As you read feel free to make notes in the margin or on a favorite chapter of the book.
• When you're finished write the date and your blog address on the inside of the front cover. You can also tuck in a book mark as a small gift or even a surprise gift card or some other small prize. Have fun with it!
• Place the book on your blog and continue the “I won…You Won Giveaway!
• Lastly let Robin know when you have your giveaway up and running. She will keep a running list on her side bar of this books journey.

This has been fun...don't forget to leave a comment today if you'd like a chance at the book.

Finally, in one last little bit of 'book' news....several people asked to see a picture of my 'blook'. That's what I'm calling the bound copy of my blog. I wrote about it here and this is what mine looks like-

I did not include comments as it would have made the book too big. You may have noticed I use far far too many a lot of words. I also include lots of photos in my blog posts and I'm happy to have them saved in this format. It's not an inexpensive thing to do but I love it so keep your eyes peeled for the sequel.

The Random You've Been Waiting for

I love a clever title. I can spend a lot of time thinking up blog post titles. Can you get paid for that? The weekly random dozen over at 2nd cup of coffee has waiting as its theme this week. Everyone's invited to join in the fun...just post your answers on your own blog and go here to link up with lots of awesome bloggers-

1. How good are you at delaying gratification?

Are we talking chocolate or are we talking buying a new car? It matters.

2. Maybe a marshmallow wouldn't be too difficult a temptation for you. What food (or anything else) would be most tempting?

I think I may have mentioned I like chocolate. Shoes are also tempting. And pottery. I’m a broken record here….chocolate, shoes, and pottery…that’s me in a nutshell.

3. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being saintly) how patient are you?

I’m a very patient person. I have other issues but lack of patience isn’t one of them. And I'm not putting a number here. I was told there would be no math.

4. Have you ever waited for something in life only to be disappointed upon realization of the goal/object/etc.?

This question sounds deep and weighty and I feel like something should come to mind but I got nothin’.

5. Are you a person who takes shortcuts?

Driving-yes. Life in general-no. I think my compulsion to follow the rules has been discussed in an earlier random.

6. Which line is hardest to wait in?

The Department of Motor Vehicles, anytown USA. I speak from experience on this one folks.

7. Did you wait to discover the gender of your unborn child until its birth?

Yes…both times.

8. Are you more patient with children or the elderly?

I like to think I treat both groups with patience. If I have to choose I’ll say children since I’ve spent the bulk of my professional life working with children, often children with particular needs who do things slowly, differently, or not at all.

9. Did you ever sneak a peek at a present?

No…I would absolutely hate that. Who does that?

10. What is the longest you've ever waited for anything?

My dad to return from overseas duty...one whole year which felt like ten to a 7 year old child.

I also waited a good long time for my second child to make an appearance. She definitely took her sweet time getting here. Totally worth it though.

11. Who has more patience, you or your significant other?

Hooray for easy….that would be me. Husband would not disagree.

12. Which of the following songs about waiting is your pick for the best? (OK, you may substitute another, if you like.)

A) Anticipation by Carly Simon

B) The Waiting by Tom Petty

C) Right Here Waiting for You by Richard Marx

D) Wait for Me by Rebecca St. James

I’m a Tom Petty fan but I’m going out of the box on this one and will say, 'Wouldn’t it Be Nice' by The Beach Boys... Go ahead and sing along…you know you want to.

Like a River in my Soul

This post is part of today's One Word Blog Carnival…hop over to Bridget's to read more posts about this week’s word-peace.

Once upon a time there lived a happy family. They made their home in a place where rivers run into the bay...some of the happiest days and hours and moments of their lives were spent aboard their boat on one such river. The boat was always squeaky clean since the Mr. Captain loved to polish and shine. And there were food and drinks aplenty on this boat because the Mrs. First Mate saw that it was so.

The mermaid child and the golden haired miss…. they are there too in the river memories. Their tote bags packed with hats and books…brightly colored towels, flipflops and sunscreen. The mermaid child and the golden haired miss…the fair skinned beauties.

Bumpers stored, hats tightened, ropes let loose. A careful hand on the wheel as the boat slipped from the dock and floated gently down the river. There was a place where the river grew wide and it soon came into view. “Everybody holding on?” was yelled over the wind and the water and the engine as the Mr. Captain accelerated and the boat seemed to fly. The happy family would laugh and let the wind blow their hair and the sun hit their faces and the water splash their skin until the flying slowed and they were once more floating round one bend and then another. The Mr. Captain knew the river well, where the water ran deep and the sand ran high.

And then they were there. In Red House Cove. No other boats, no other people, just still water and soft silence. The quiet hum of the boat's motor settled as the anchor was dropped and they let the silence of this space wash over them all. How lucky they were. So very many boaters on the river near the bay, but not here... Red House Cove was like a secret space, unspoiled and serene.

The sun rose higher and the air grew sticky and hot. They spent time swimming and napping and thinking. They watched a blue heron whose home was in the marshy grass at the waters edge. They had long talks and they made big plans. Worries seemed smaller here…dreams seemed more than possible. And in this place of quiet beauty God felt close enough to touch.

The clock ticked and the anchor was lifted. With reluctance the slow ride back began. They liked to watch the water sparkle as the sun danced one final waltz upon her surface. They marveled at God’s creative genius streaked like paint across a fiery sky. They wondered how a world could ever deny Him...'The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hand.' Psalm 19:1

Peace wrapped itself around each one like a warm soft blanket. It settled in the soul. No words were needed. None were spoken.

Guess what? We're Normal

Have any of you published your blog into a hard cover book? I did this just before Christmas and I love it. And I'm especially glad I've inundated you with pictures in every post because who doesn't love a book with pictures? I used this site and I'm happy with the finished product. And this really has nothing to do with anything except my mom has been reading my 'book' which reminded me that I wanted to mention it here.

Just giving you the heads up....My husband is traveling so I may have more random words than usual this week.

Saturday was a beautiful day...sunny and almost mild. For January anyway. My husband flew to Japan on business Saturday morning so the pup and I drove to my moms house to spend the night. We went to church on Sunday morning then drove back to my house to spend a few days together. That's something I love about my new home...I'm only a short two hour drive from my mom.

Speaking of things I love/don't love about my new home...Friday was good. Several people asked me what repatriation is all about. I wrote about it in this post but in a nutshell...when you move to a foreign country you experience culture shock. Over time you adapt to your new country's customs, speech and way of life. You live in the foreign country for several years. It becomes home. And then one day you return to live in your real home country. You experience something known as reverse culture shock. And every now and then you need to talk about it with someone who understands the feelings and the phenomenon. And Friday was our day to do just that.

We talked all day. I only cried once. Besides all the talking we did a few exercises that went something like this-

List three things you miss about life there-

1. the village life

2. British humor and language

3. my friends

only 3?

List three things you are happy not to have to deal with here:

1. ridiculously narrow parking lots and spaces

2. a dorm sized refrigerator/freezer that is not frost free

3. 17 varieties of lightbulbs in a single house

List three things you are happy to have here:

1. closets

2. big wide roads and car parks

3. an ice maker

etc. etc. etc. It felt good to talk and laugh and set some goals. Oh, and to be told we are normal...always nice to hear that. Have a great Monday!

Seven Years and a Few Million Memories Later

My Friday is going to be filled with talking. And a little reflecting. And some analyzing. And a whole lot of remembering. A woman is coming to our home today to meet with the hubs and I as part of our repatriation package. Sorta like repatriation counseling? Actually I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen today but I know she is going to be here all day.

We had expatriation counseling prior to moving overseas and the wonderful woman who met with us way back then spent two full days at our home in Maryland. When my husband told me she was coming and that we should plan on two full days I remember thinking WHAT? Two days? To talk about life in England? Where they speak English? Seriously? Ignorance is bliss y’all.

But I’m not ignorant on this whole ex-pat/re-pat thing anymore so when hubs said the person coming today asked for a full day I didn’t even blink. I have snacks and lunch ready, I’m putting on the coffee and I’m steeling myself to spend an entire day discussing our experience as ex-pats and our gradual transition ‘home’.

And thankfully on Wednesday someone gave my husband this -

I think it is quite likely I will be breaking into it before the day is over.