Cheesy Asparagus Soup

I've been thinking about asparagus a lot lately--maybe because I've spent the last two days freezing it and pickling it.

Mostly I've been marveling over how much I love it, considering that as a child I despised its flavor.  I can still remember gagging down the required mouthfuls, and trying to think if there was anything I hated more.

Somewhere along the years I decided it was actually tolerable, and then good, and then I started craving it's green springy flavor.  As soon as the first signs of spring appear I start dreaming about asparagus dishes.  A good incentive to clean out the last of it from the freezer.

This recipe is excellent for those cold winter days when you are hungry for soup.  Usually I make it with frozen asparagus.  The creamy base makes it a dish that will sometimes appeal to those who aren't as fond of asparagus. 

10 ounces fresh or frozen asparagus

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups milk

8 ounces cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

Cook asparagus, and onion in 3 cups of water with bouillon until tender-approximately 5-10 minutes. ( you don't want it mushy--just tender ) Do not drain.  Meanwhile make a white sauce with butter, flour, and milk.  After it is thickened add salt, pepper, and cheese stirring until melted.  Combine white sauce with cooked asparagus and onion and serve.  Yield 4-6 servings.

Cleaning Blinds

                                     


Even tho they are not my favorite window treatment I have quite a few venetian blinds throughout my house.  Probably my main reason for disliking them is their tendency to collect dust and how difficult they are to clean.  In the past I cleaned them by swishing them in a bathtub of warm water with dish soap and ammonia in it.  The problem was they didn't seem to get all that clean.  Somehow the dirt and dust seems to cement itself onto those little blind slats, and it won't let go.

If you remember my list for last week included cleaning the blinds in our master bedroom.  These were especially dusty because we had done some drywall work in the master bathroom and the drywall dust was thick on the blinds.

I was filling the tub with hot water when I realized that I didn't have any ammonia in the house.  I frantically searched my mind for an alternative to wash the blinds in and on a whim I squirted a tablespoon or two of laundry detergent into my water.

Amazingly, the laundry soap seemed to work better than anything else I've ever used-including ammonia.  The blinds came out looking shiny and clean.

I thought that I would pass on the tip to all you blind owners out there.  I used Tide laundry soap, and I made the water as hot as I could.  I let the blinds soak about 5 minutes, and then sloshed them around a little-pulled them out and drained them on a couple bath towels on the floor and hung them while still damp. 

When you hang them make sure all the slats are separated and the blind is open otherwise they will not dry fully, and depending on the moisture level in your home they might mildew.

Kasey

This is our one and only cat.  Actually we are his people.  Those of you who have cats know that you don't ever really own them, they own you.

He is an outside cat about 90% of the time.  He occasionally comes in the house and allows Scamper to torment him briefly before he unsheathes his claws, and shows her who is REALLY in charge.

He does a good job of keeping the mouse population to a minimum around our homestead.  In exchange we feed him cat food and allow him to take naps in our flower beds, and on top of our gas grill.

He has two habits that are rather annoying.  He cannot be petted without kneading something soft (my lap) and he also drools when you scratch his ears.  Besides those two minor faults he is an exemplary cat.

My husband ( a non-cat-lover ) puts up with Kasey's presence, and Kasey, in typical cat form, chooses to snobbishly ignore him. 

Out of sheer boredom Kasey will sometimes saunter over to our next door neighbors to fight with their cat.  Our neighbor lady solves this by shooting them with her water pistol--a very effective treatment.

An Experiment

One of the things I enjoy most about gardening is trying something new. 

 For the last several years we have been plagued with tomato blight.  I know that it comes from the soil, but we have tried pretty much everything we could think of including spraying with chemicals to try to eradicate said blight with very little success.  Some years it seems less severe, and mulching heavily helps a little, but for the most part I simply plant plenty of tomatoes and plan on losing the plants after several weeks of production.

This year I'm trying something new.  Can you guess what this is?

If you said tomato plants you would be right.  However, they aren't planted in the garden.

 I planted the usual amount in our garden, but I reserved three plants for a little experiment. 

Three weeks ago we cleaned off the compost pile and spread it on our garden.   The soil underneath the pile was black and rich--as it hadn't been completely removed for several years. 

My husband suggested that we move the compost pile several feet--since we have two chicken coops right now and the current location would have been directly in front of one of the coops doors.

Over the next few days I kept eyeing that rich soil that had been hidden by compost.  Surely I could use it for something .

Then a light bulb went on in my head.  Why not try growing a few tomato plants there?  So, Monday I planted three tomato plants there.  I hope the compost is rotted well enough that it won't burn the plants.

  It's my little experiment for the year. 

 

Rhubarb Sauce

                     

This is a unique recipe, and one that is surrounded with fond memories for me.  My mom would usually make several rhubarb pies, and possibly a rhubarb crunch and then toward the end of the season she would make a batch of this.

  I have an odd attraction to sour flavors, and this sauce was-in my childish mind-the definition of perfection.  A mix of tart and sweet with a pale pink color that attracts your attention because it's so obviously not artificially colored.

 Oh yes, and it's simple to make which wins it a place in my recipe box.

                             

3 cups finely chopped rhubarb

1 1/2 cups water

4 Tablespoons granulated tapioca

1 cup sugar -you can use a little more or a little less depending on how tart you like it

Cook rhubarb and water until soft. ( It only takes a few minutes.)  Add tapioca stirring to prevent lumping, and bring mixture back to a boil, and then turn off the burner.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Pour into serving dish and chill. 

Ten Things About Me

1.  I'm a people person.  I love to talk to people.  Life without people would be boring, but I also need a little down time each day--away from people.

2. I love to read.  I read books, blogs, newspapers, magazines...... My house has many books, and the number is constantly increasing. 

3. I'm not very good with numbers.  They irritate me.  I keep the books for my husbands business only because I love him and it saves us money.

4. I got married very young.  I was a month away from turning 19 when I said "I do".

5.  I've never regretted number 4.  We have had our share of ups and downs, but he will always be my best friend.

6.  I don't enjoy grocery shopping.  If I could have my groceries delivered to my home ( and it didn't cost me more ) I would.

7.  I like animals.  I have a bad habit of talking to them like they are people, and sometimes this gets me some strange looks.

8.  I actually enjoy winter.  I do not like 80 plus degree weather.  I wouldn't want to live somewhere that was cold all year, but I enjoy a season of winter.

9. I'm not very coordinated.  I can't pat my head and rub my belly at the same time.  I fall over my own feet sometimes.

10. I don't like steak that much.  I don't exactly dislike it, but I don't ever get hungry for it.   Unfortunately this is one of my husbands favorite foods. : )

Okay, now its your turn.  Tell me something about yourself.

Scamper

                                          



This is our homestead's watchdog. If you try to cross her she may bite your toenails off, or possibly lick you to death.

She doesn't know that she is a dog. She thinks she is a person. We let her think that most of the time.  However, she sleeps in a little cage, eats dog food, and chews bones.......none of the people in our house do that.

She is an Australian Terrier, or is it an Australian terror?  Quite likely one of the nicest small-breed dogs that we have ever owned.  She puts up with all sorts of nonsense from my children.  Also a little nonsense from my hubby who enjoys picking on her.

She-like most females-loves to talk. When we come home she bark/howls at us for a long time--telling us how glad she is to see us and what happened while we were gone.  Too bad we can't understand her.  I sometimes wish I knew what goes on in my house when I'm not here.  Other times I'm glad I don't.

She and Goliath ( the head rooster ) have frequent arguments thru the chicken fence.  Scamper thoroughly enjoys ruffling his hens, and he finds this highly distressing.  They seem to have a mutual peace agreement tho.  She goes tearing at the hens, Goliath runs after her, then they all settle down and she lays outside the chicken run and watches them scratch and peck.