Summertime Three-Bean Soup

Summertime Three-Bean Soup

• 3 cups water
• 15 oz. can rinsed kidney beans
• 15 oz. can black-eyed peas
• 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
• 1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 1/2 cups whole corn kernels
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup zucchini, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Bill's Best Chicknish'

Combine water, beans, tomato paste, mustard, garlic, chili powder, basil, oregano, and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add corn, carrots, zucchini, and onion. Return to a boil, then simmer for 10 more minutes. Adjust seasonings as desired. When ready to serve, spoon into bowls and garnish as desired.

Kitchens of the World

"I am beginning to see that the things that 

really matter take place not in the board rooms, 

but in the kitchens of the world."

Gary Sledge

Tea in the Kitchen

"Afterwards, they always had tea in the kitchen, much the nicest room in the house."

Flora Thompson

The Cat's Green Eyes and Tea

When the tea is brought at five o'clock
And all the neat curtains are drawn with care,
The little black cat with bright green eyes
Is suddenly purring there.

Harold Monro "Milk for the Cat"

Aren't these cabinet doors a delight? My friend, Tari, is the lucky owner of this quaint, old cabinet. It obviously needs some work done to it unless you are into a very "shabby chic"look. Tari will be restoring this cabinet so that it fits perfectly into the new home she's building. The little tea kettles seem to sing a cheerful song! All you have to do it to look at them to know.


Enjoy your day!

Books & Cooks

 

"We may live without friends;
we may live without books;
but civilized man cannot live
without cooks."


Owen Meredith (1921)


Picture: one of my favorite teacups and a chicken cookie cutter from my childhood.

The Joy of Family Recipes

Do you have a kitchen collection? There are so many things one could collect. Antique kitchen gadgets, silver spoons, tea strainers, crystal glassware, and more. Some things cost a pretty penny to collect! And other things are free. The free things are the best, because they usually harbor memories or bits of history. These things are priceless. Recipes that are passed down from mother to son, grandmother to granddaughter, or great-uncle to your favorite cousin are not only measurements, words, and instructions. They are also a very tangible piece of family history and lore. Additionally, taste buds can create very strong emotional responses when it comes to family recipes! Therefore, family recipes are really worth the effort it takes to gather and transcribe them.

Sometimes these recipes come with stories. In our family, some recipes immediately remind us of aunties or a grandmother who specialized in making a specific dish. And sometimes they come sprinkled with a but of humor. One of my dear aunts always baked the most delicious "crumb buns". They were a white and delicious yeast roll that was dipped in milk and then a crumb mixture of flour, vanilla, sugar, and milk before being set to rise and bake. Oh, they were so good! Dear aunt would always pack a lunch for us after a trip to visit her. She packed our lunch in colorfully painted tins, and one tin always contained a good supply of her "crumb buns". When I became a teen, I decided that I should learn to bake "crumb buns" myself. Mostly dear aunt cooked from memory, never really following a recipe in a book or card. But she was willing to assist in helping new cooks to learn, so she would carefully measure ingredients the next time she made a requested dish in order to know amounts she used. Upon my request, she mailed me a neatly typed card which contained the measurements, ingredients, and instructions for baking her famous rolls. I trusted dear aunt implicitly, not once questioning her choice of ingredients. But my "crumb buns" simply fell flat! Upon further analysis, I discovered that dear aunt and I had both left out the yeast! She on the written card, and me in the bowl! Oh dear! They were a total flop! Later, dear aunt and I would laugh over this adventure many times. She thought anyone would know to add yeast, even if she had left it out. And she was correct. I'd spent many Sunday afternoons since 4th or 5th grade, baking bread for the family's food needs for the upcoming week. I should have been experienced enough to know.

Recipes can go in notebooks, recipe boxes, computers, cookbooks, scrapbooks, and more. My recipe gathering habit has me take advantage of many methods of storage. No matter how organized and efficient one is, I suggest that at least one box be available on the kitchen counter where recipes can be "stuffed" as they are discovered or received. My box is a recipe storage container that is from the Martha Stewart line. It's a beautiful faded green and holds quite a bundle of recipe papers and cards. Someday the recipes here will go into a notebook in order to make room for the next batch of recipes collected. How do you store your recipes?

Remembering and Grandmother's Kitchen

I've recently been looking for a copy of a book that shares short stories from the life of my great-great grandfather and my grandmother.  Great-grandfather is a man whom I have read about online, and of whom I have heard stories from my father, my aunt's, and my grandmother's sisters.  He must have been an amazing man because stories about him share of strength of character and fortitude.  He was a farmer by trade, but at sometime in his life, he converted from his Mennonite religion to a different evangelical one.  His focus became his strong belief in sharing God's word and the prophecy's that spoke of the nearness of end times, so in addition to farming, he became a traveling evangelist.  Life was hard in those days, and women often found life's events ones that caused illness and death.  As a result, great-grandfather ended up having three wives in his lifetime, and with each wife he had a separate group of children.  My grandmother, Katie, was one of four daughters born to the first wife.  I don't remember Grandma sharing too many stories about her youth, as I was young in her later years and we sometimes found communication between her German and my English difficult.  She was the type who never complained, so might not have shared of all her experiences anyway.  Her sisters, on the other hand, were women who didn't have any such scruples and in later years shared many stories of life as daughter's of the first wife.  I'm pretty sure these stories were shadowed by a little bit of bias, but I don't mean to discount them either.  I'm sure they are true, although slightly embellished with the perspective of their youth.  They tell stories of their step-mothers that are reminiscent of Cinderella.  The second wive's children were many and, according to Grandmother's sisters, very coddled.  The four older girls of the first wife were expected to work hard in areas that their younger half-siblings were not asked to partake.  Which brings me to the reason why there is a picture of my kitchen at the beginning of this post.  I cannot help but compare the modern luxuries of this day to the kitchen my grandmother and her sisters had to work in.  Their stove was heated with wood, and during the summer and autumn months the days were hot.  To keep the house as cool as possible, a summer kitchen was constructed a distance from the house.  It was the job of grandmother and her sisters to cook all the meals for harvesters and farm help.  The farmers in their Manitoba community would share the job of harvesting their crops by assisting one another.  It appears that great-grandfather's oldest daughters did all the cooking for the crews as the neighbor's harvested the crops of one another.  How interesting it was to hear, in later years, of women in their 70's and 80's sharing about the sweltering hot kitchen and of all the delicious foods they prepared there, and all completely from scratch.  These were not soup and sandwich meals, but rather the German dishes that were quite expected of them, as the farmers worked hard and must be fed accordingly.  Water had to be drawn, heated on the stove, and dishes washed by hand.  Baking and cooking on a wood stove during hot summer days must have been agonizing to them.  No wonder their perspective might be slightly biased!  I'd like to say that my dear grandmother ended up with a house that contained every modern convenience.  But it was not to be.  All of my memories of visiting Grandma include visits to a sweet little cottage that had electricity, but no running water, nor indoor bathroom.  And in the kitchen was huge wood cookstove!  Neat as a pin, Grandma was one to never complain.  Her house was always neat and clean and you'd never know that she lived without the conveniences of her neighbors.  She was a dear.  I am happy to say that in her adult years she embraced her half-siblings without prejudice and I grew up knowing all of them as great-aunt and great-uncle.  She was much loved by them all.

A Cordial and Generous Reception

Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests; the definition of hospitality.   Do you know someone who is the essence of hospitality?  Someone whose greeting as you enter their front door shares welcome and a generous spirit?  Such a hostess makes guests feel welcome and well-cared for as soon as they enter the front door.  Their home home is warm and inviting.  Fragrant scents waft through their kitchen to the far reaches of their home and gracious hospitality is registered there.

In her book, The Spirit of Loveliness, Emile Barnes talks about the spirit of the kitchen. She says that whatever the season, it takes so little to make room for the warm, comforting spirit of the kitchen in our everyday lives. According to Emilie, setting a pretty breakfast table or food bar with placemats sends out good signals. Sharing secrets and concerns over tea, dinner, or the dishes helps us draw closer in love to one another. If you take the time to nurture it, the spirit of loveliness can rest in every cupboard and every countertop, transforming your life and your home with delicious warmth.

Emilie has found this secret to hospitality's essence. May we also find the spirit of the kitchen and its hospitality in our daily lives.

 

Creative Kitchen Storage

 

All kitchens, great and small, can benefit from clever ideas for storing kitchen gadgets, linens, and foods.  Not only can creative packaging help find appropriate spaces for kitchen things, but they can add interest and style to any kitchen as well.  

~ Metal tins with lids make great containers for tea, sugar packets, or recipes.

~ A garden urn lined with a fabric napkin holds flatware and old silver where it is easy to reach for daily use.

~ A fishing creel can hold oils and vinegars and look pretty when hung on a wall near a work area.

~ A clear glass cruet makes a lovely holder for liquid dishwashing or hand soap.

~ A small basket works as a handy container for powdered dishwasher detergent.  A teaspoon works as a scoop and provides just the right measure.

~ A magnificent soup tureen doesn't need to sit empty.  Fill it with zip-locks filled with crackers, seeds, or nuts.  Great storage!

~ A large and sturdy basket set on the kitchen floor works well to store oversize baking stones.

~ Likewise, long and narrow baskets can be set on a countertop to hold chopsticks, skewers, and other items that are hard to contain in a drawer.

~ The inside of a cupboard door works great as a mini bulletin board.  Attach recipes, menu charts, & schedules.

~ Fill a three-tiered hanging mesh basket with jars of vitamins and herbs.  They are handy and easy to remember when in such clear view.

What kinds of creative and clever storage ideas or tips do you have to share?

A Kitchen

Thanksgiving is past.  The kitchen is quiet after being filled with cooking activity.  The family has scattered again to dwellings near work and school.  A sense of calm permeates, yet anticipation fills the air.  Christmas will be here in a few short weeks.  Soon Christmas baking will begin.  The scent of sweet doughs, warm breads, and cookies will entice the family to embrace the holiday.  Grandma's Steamed Christmas Pudding, Dad's favorite Christmas Bon-Bon cookies, and the traditional doughy Munlie Men will be prepared and tucked away for the traditional holiday.  The kitchen may not be the most glamorous room in the house.  In fact, it is often forgotten in the quest to decorate for the holidays.  But the service it provides as the center of family function cannot be ignored!  Without it, a void would be most evident to all the occupants of the household.  

In 1884, a woman named Mrs. S. D. Powers captured the essence of "kitchen" in this sweet quote:

"When the western sun shone broad and merry over the sparkling window, yellow floor and white tables; when a savor of sweet marjoram and lavender from the window boxes was in the air and the shining stove with its bright teakettle and simmering pans was a shrine of good cheer,

I have taken portfolio and books out into my kitchen to the lightstand and little Shaker chair to enjoy the sparkling humor, the warm home radiance, the neatness and seemliness which made the place akin to poetry and clear thoughts."

The simple, utilitarian kitchen.  Source of centering and joy.

A Little Garden

"A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream. At one's feet that which can be cultivated and plucked; overhead that which one can study and meditate upon: some herbs on earth, and all the stars in the sky."

Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)

Kitchen Gardens

Finding a restaurant in a tiny little town with a kitchen garden right next door is unusual in these parts. So, when we drove thought a tiny little town recently, and I saw a kitchen garden next to a trendy restaurant on Main Street, I requested we stop so I could take some pictures. Simple and elegant, it featured pots of herbs and a trellis or two for beans to grow on. Rows and clusters of cabbages and garden greens, carrots and radishes, and vines of squash and cucumbers were set in a grassy space. A nearby table, convenient for harvest and cleaning, sat nearby. Right next door was a covered patio with seating for dining alfresco. Colorful table clothes, comfortable chairs, and a bubbling waterfall added to the ambiance --- as did the kitchen garden across the fence. A side door leads to more formal dining options. But, who would want to eat inside when such beauty and serenity greet the guest in this pretty place?

An old adage says that "The kitchen garden is the best of all gardens". The kitchen garden is a home garden where vegetables, herbs, berries, and fruits are grown and used for food. Generally, it is small enough to be cultivated with hand tools and a little elbow grease! Ideally, it is easy accessible from the kitchen or back door of the house for convenience and ease. A well-planned kitchen garden may provide fresh herbs for seasoning dishes for every month of the year. Sage, winter savory, hearty rosemary and parsley can be harvested even in the winter in some locales. Although kitchen gardens for restaurants or gourmet cooks are fashionable, a kitchen garden can be handy for the three-meal-a-day household cook. Using home-grown produce and herbs can add fun, flavor, and nutrition to family meals. Have you planted your kitchen garden? It's not too late!

Essence of Hospitality

Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests; the definition of hospitality. Alma is the essence of this type of hospitality. The kitchen is the heart of her home, and guests are always welcome and well cared for when they visit. Fragrant scents waft through the kitchen to the far reaches of her home and gracious hospitality is registered there.

In her book, The Spirit of Loveliness, Emile Barnes talks about the spirit of the kitchen. She says that whatever the season, it takes so little to make room for the warm, comforting spirit of the kitchen in our everyday lives. According to Emilie, setting a pretty breakfast table or food bar with placemats sends out good signals. Sharing secrets and concerns over tea, dinner, or the dishes helps us draw closer in love to one another. If you take the time to nurture it, the spirit of loveliness can rest in every cupboard and every countertop, transforming your life and your home with delicious warmth.

Alma and Emilie have found this secret to hospitality's essence. May we also find the spirit of the kitchen and it's hospitality in our daily lives.

Photo: by Dad; Alma on left

The Simple Life

A House is Built

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."

~ Proverbs 24:3,4 ~