MONDAY RECIPE POST - BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP

I have been making this soup recipe for years, usually in the colder months, but it can be served in any season.  I don't have a link as I have long forgotten where it came from.  I only started sharing links for recipes in my blogging years, and then I sometimes forget to make note, depending on how late it is and how tired I am!  

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli, cut up

1/2 cup butter 

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup flour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Method:

Cook the broccoli in a small amount of water until tender.  

Sauté chopped onions in butter until transparent.

Stir in flour and cook for at least two minutes.  Important to do this as you need to get rid of that uncooked flour taste.  

Slowly add milk, stirring constantly.  It will thicken. 

When it is hot but not bubbling, stir in the cheese and blend until smooth.  I have learned by experience that the bottom will burn very easily if it is too hot.  You will need to keep stirring.  That burnt taste will go through your whole soup, and you will want to throw it away.   

Slowly blend chicken broth into mixture.

Add broccoli.

Stir to mix well and season to taste.

At this point put the soup into a blender and whirl until smooth.  (If you prefer more texture in your soup, you can leave this step out, but perhaps the broccoli should be cut into smaller pieces - your choice).

I added a tablespoon of sour cream on top before serving the first time, also... 

a few drops of Sriracha or other hot sauce is a nice addition if you like it, along with a dash of black pepper. Gregg swears it brings the flavor out. At his suggestion I tried it and overdid a bit and managed to raise his eyebrows - I was tired, ha! - but when I mixed it in, it still tasted good and was not overly hot and spicy and yes, flavorful!  

You can serve it with a crusty bread, or a favorite sandwich or salad.  This is good on its own also.

It looks really pretty with a few leaves of Parsley on the top, Cilantro or Italian Basil (choices we like and definitely add your own).  Used none of these as not making too many special trips to the store right now. 

Added note: since making this soup we fixed another batch, but added a head of cauliflower along with the broccoli. The flavor was milder but not too big a difference, and it was tasty.  I would definitely do that again. We doubled up on the ingredients as this time we are taking a batch over to friends. We will be leaving it on the doorstep, as all of us are still keeping up our social distancing for a while.

Thanks for looking and stay safe out there.

FENCES AROUND THE WORLD

If you would like to see other fences around the world, or join in with your own, you will find the link here. Thank you for hosting Gosia.

Sorry I am late joining in but I am still hobbled with my laptop, which isn't working properly yet.  Hubby is doing wonders and is almost at a solution.  However, I am plodding on with my iPad in the meantime, and yes I love my iPad but there are things on there that I can't do.  I will be slow visiting your blogs but hope after the weekend to be back to normal.  Thanks so much for your comments.  I will catch up eventually.

I am continuing on from yesterday's blog post.  These photos belong to my niece and nephew in Germany.  They visited another flock of sheep after sheering their own three, as the owners told them there were new lambs to see.  As there were fences in most of the photos, I definitely had to put these on today for Gosia's meme.

Adorable!

This will be the end of my sheep photos for a while, but there will be more eventually I'm sure. Another big thank you to my niece and nephew for letting me share their photos.

A lot of sad things going on right now that are absolutely heartbreaking, and my heart, thoughts and prayers go to everyone who is having to deal with them.  Wishing everyone peace, good health and love for one another.

SHEEP

I am grateful to my niece for today's photos.  She and her husband live in Germany, and they have three pet sheep they keep at the top of their garden.  There is a large piece of land for them to roam, a nice shelter to go into if the weather takes a turn, a stream with fresh spring water that runs through the property, plenty of tasty grass to eat, plus whatever they need in every way, and are given a whole lot of love.  Last weekend it was sheep-sheering time for all three.

Not exactly their favorite thing to get done maybe, but they must feel great having their old winter coat taken off.  Aren't those horns amazing?

All done!

All taken care of...

and off they go!

With thanks to my niece and nephew again for letting me share their photos today. I will have more on Friday.

TO LIVE CONTENT...

(Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park)

To live content with small means,

To seek elegance rather than luxury,

And refinement rather than fashion,

To be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich,

To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, and frankly,

To listen to stars and birds, babes and sages 

With open heart,

To bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, 

Await occasions,

Hurry never - 

In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, 

Grow up through the common.  

This is to be my symphony.

by

~William Ellery Channing~

My Symphony

YESTERDAY’S MONDAY RECIPE POST - CHEESEBURGER SLIDERS

I have run into a problem with my laptop, something to do with the latest Windows Edge which was downloaded automatically while it was in the sleep mode.  Afterwards I couldn’t get on the internet. Trying to find out what the problem is, but my in-home tech expert (hubby) is telling me he is not sure how to fix it, so we might have to get professional help, which means we might have to send it away in the current climate. I can use my iPad but it is not always possible for me to leave comments on every blog I visit.  If you don’t see me for a while, that’s the reason why.  Fortunately I have several posts already to go, like this one, which was easy enough to add my first paragraph on.  I can do other posts also. Just not as fast as I can on my laptop.  

One day late for my recipe but I didn’t want to miss recognizing and honoring Memorial Day. 

I have a few recipes that I don't remember where I got them from, and this is one of those recipes.  No link today. These were very good but I found them a bit messy. Keep extra napkins on hand. 

Cheeseburger Sliders

2 lbs. ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 white onion, diced

6 slices cheddar cheese

12 dinner rolls or Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F (175 deg. C).

Combine the beef, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, mixing thoroughly, then pressing into a flat, even layer.  Bake for 20 minutes.  

Drain the liquid and set the cooked beef aside.  

Slice the rolls in half lengthwise.  

Place the bottom half in the same baking dish.  

Place the cooked beef on the rolls, followed by the onions and cheese.  Top with remaining rolls.  

Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.  

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.  

Slice into individual sliders and serve.

We had different opinions on this recipe, but I am putting it on here as I enjoyed it for the most part.  If we made it again I would just do one portion, and Gregg could have his cheeseburger. It is all to do with our different tastes.  Gregg felt that the finished version of the meat was more like a meatloaf and he has never enjoyed meatloaf.  I love meatloaf.  

He also prefers burgers done in a fry pan or on a grill than an oven. I have to say that he is a great burger chef and knows what he is doing, and I do love his cheeseburgers. 

He is a great sport letting me try this recipe, as he had doubts in the beginning.  We take turns on the meals we choose, and most of the time we enjoy what we cook equally. I was hopeful he would enjoy this more than he did.  We both said it was worth making as we always enjoy the process. 

We always seem to need longer time for our meals than recipes call for.  We found 20 minutes needed to be almost 30 minutes. I should get an oven thermometer to check, but it is a relatively new oven. 

The rolls separated as the top layer was put on, and during the process they slid off a bit.  

We had half of a tray left of Hawaiian Rolls in the bread box and used those, cutting ingredients by half.

We also grilled the onions before adding them with the cheese and bun tops for the last 20-25 minutes of the cooking.

Side dishes, as you can see in my photos, were our favorite beans, topped with extra grilled onions.  We always have a can of our favorite in the pantry.  Leftovers are good the next day as another side dish for our next meal.   

A few small dill pickles and sliced tomato finished it all off and it made a nice casual supper.  

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of your week. 

MEMORIAL DAY

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

From Laurence Binyon's poem 
“For the Fallen”

written in September 1914.

GOSIA'S FENCES AROUND THE WORLD

My contribution to Fences Around the World.  Thank you for hosting Gosia!

More Virginia countryside from some time ago.

If you would like to see other Fences Around the World, or join in with your own, you will find the link here.  

Thank you for looking and 

I wish you all a very happy and safe weekend.

A LITTLE LAMB

Here is a photo of a lamb my niece took three days ago.  When they, my niece and nephew, shared it with me, I asked if I could put their photo on my blog and they said yes. I will have more in a few days.  Thank you My Darlings!

I found the following diagram online of all the different sheep there are.  Hopefully if you enlarge the photo, you will be able to see their names.

A EUROPEAN ROBIN, A WOOD PIGEON AND A BLACKBIRD

Revisiting a trip I took to England in June 2015.

Where we stayed there was a small garden, and one day I was delighted to see a European Robin.  

They were and still are very popular illustrations to put on Christmas Cards as you probably know, and I remember them from those cards that popped through the letter box each December.  I don't remember seeing them when I was growing up, but then I wasn't as interested in observing birds as I am now.  I was always happy to see the seagulls swoop into our garden from the age of 15 onwards, when we moved nearer the seaside, and always when we visited the beach.  But I was beyond happy to get my first real sighting of this dear little Robin.

The next day I saw a Common Wood Pigeon...

and also a male Blackbird.  

 We kept ourselves busy sight-seeing on our English holiday, but it was nice to come back and sit in the garden.  Our Robin kept us company quite a lot.  We think she may have had a nest in the bushes.

Today I am joining Anni and Eileen in their memes, I'd Rather B Birdin' and Viewing Nature with Eileen.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.

TRAVEL THE WORLD...

Travel the world and you'll surely come to see

Ev'rything there is a part of you and me

Never let doubt put you in a spin

Ev'rything out is a part of in

Ev'rything wants you complete as you can be.

We each are meant to share our song

You'll find it sang within you all along

Small but strong.

Imagine that world stretching far and wide

Needing that song that you hold inside

Needing your gift to complete a grand design

Offer your gift to the world

And watch it shine.

~Lyrics by John Bucchino~

Music by Ian Fraser

From Simeon's Gift

You can read all about Simeon's Gift

 on this blog.  Click on the red lettering

if interested.

I have a book in my collection of 

"Julie Andrews Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies."  Its first edition was in 2009 and I think I have had it for as long.  I love the poems inside and when I remember that it is there, I take it off the bookshelf and start rereading them.  

So, there I was, dusting off the bookshelf again, and I picked up my copy.  It had been a while and it stopped me in mid swipe.  I went to sit down in my favorite corner, to start reading, dusting forgotten for the time being.  I had already put the kettle on as it was time for a cup of tea, and a good read.  The dusting can wait don't you think?

I picked this piece for my post today.  I also was curious about the title and truthfully I don't remember the story, but sometimes I just need to give the old brain box a dusting too.  Always good to get that refresher.  The link in red lettering above will take you to a review of Simeon's Song. 

MONDAY RECIPE POST - TWICE-BAKED POTATO

You can try all kinds of fancy fillings for this type of baked potato, but on this particular occasion we wanted something plain, not fancy.  I found the recipe here.

Twice-Baked Potatoes by Makinze Gore

Servings: 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time: 2 hours

6 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Kosher Salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pat potatoes completely dry with paper towels.

Polk potatoes all over with a fork, then rub with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Place potatoes on oven rack and bake until potatoes are pierced easily with a fork.  Mine always take about 1 hour and 15 minutes for our preference, but check after about an hour for yourself.  

Place on a large baking sheet and let cool until you can handle them easily without burning yourself.  Cut a thin layer off the top of each potato lengthwise.   

Scoop out the insides of each potato leaving about a half-inch border.  

Place the insides of the potato in a large bowl.  (You can put the tops of the potato and roast them on the tray for a snack.)  

Add butter, milk and sour cream, and mash with a potato masher until the butter is melted. Mash until everything is combined and you have your desired consistency.  Next, fold in the cheese and the green onions until those are mixed in.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fill the potato shells with the potato mixture, and place on a large baking sheet.  When evenly divided between the potatoes, put grated cheese on each one.

Bake until cheese is melted and it all looks golden brown and crispy, about 15 minutes.

You can garnish with more sliced green onions.

This is one of our favorite ways to fix potato.  It makes a meal on its own or you can serve it with your favorite salad, or meat and veg.

~~~~~~~

I don't bother oiling the potato or sprinkling with salt the first time I put them in the oven.

We didn’t have the green onion but had everything else and it was a winner. 

Great for fixing extras and putting in the freezer for another day. 

~~~~~~~

GOSIA'S FENCES AROUND THE WORLD

From my archives.

We found these pretty horses on one of our trips in the Virginia countryside a few years ago.  

Thank you for hosting Gosia.  

If you would like to see other Fences Around the World, 

or join in with your own, you will find the link here.

FOR THE BIRDS

Found while driving some back country roads in Virginia.

I wish I could remember where it was.  I would love one of those bird houses now.

Enjoy your day and 

thanks for stopping by.