Blossom - Day Eight, Using Stuff Up

Shop and soup.

Monday 8 Frocktober

Outfit

• Black skirt, green Argyle jumper, matching stockings, tweed jacket, beret, comfy black shoes

 Menu

• Breakfast - toast
• Lunch - sandwiches (leftover corned beef and salad - actually not too bad!)
• Afternoon tea - fruit
• Pre-prandial libation - whiskey
• Dinner - soup, salad with trout, fruit

Mood

• Getting stuff done

A public holiday - hooray! - and in the morning I popped into Darling Central which was open today. The lovely Jasmine and Rubi, once again, were taking care of business and doing it with style and grace. It turned out to be a busy day, which is lovely.


Since it was a holiday today, and I couldn't bring myself to take photos of myself (yes I dressed forties and wore lipstick but a holiday from my face won't hurt anybody will it?) you get lots of lovely photos of Darling Central today. It is a beautiful place, especially in Spring.

Welcome to Darling Central, Gold Creek Square.

The shop flamingos were in a good mood today. I don't know how we can tell, but we can always tell.

Miss Kitt surveys her domain.

Cindy and Sherman keep an eye on us: they like us to do things properly.

Cindy thinks it suits you, and you should definitely buy it.

 The Shop Tikis are always pleased to see our visitors.

What? This is how Tikis smile, isn't it?

We haven't named this Tiki yet. We're taking suggestions.

No doubt it's becoming clear why we love being there so much.

After I reluctantly tore myself away from the shop, all there was left to do today was ... housework. Huh.

For dinner tonight I decided to do another Using It Up drive, rummaging through the fridge and cupboard for things that needed to be eaten soon. Look at what I turned up:

Are you thinking what I'm thinking, B2?

Now if that's not a pot of soup, I'm  a chimpanzee. (No comments, please.)

So here's a recipe for a cloudy holiday Monday.

Blossom's Use-It-Up Soup

Assemble your ingredients. In this case, carrots (of COURSE), onion, celery, a leek, bacon. A quick rummage through the pantry turned up some pearl barley and a brand new box of ...

WHAAAAAAH!

Chop the stuff up that needs chopping up, put the leek aside and do the Thing with the browning.

You know the drill.

Add any flavourings you want. I mocked the bouquet garni earlier, but that was before I looked at my herb garden and realised it desperately needed a good trim.

A quick dash outside with the cutters and ...

Parsley, thyme, and what's that? Oregano? Whatever needs a bit of a trim.

Pop the bouquet on some kitchen string and tuck it into the pot, then add lots of lovely Oxo-based stock. Bring to the boil then pop the lid on and reduce to a low simmer.

 

Pop on your pinny. Clean the kitchen. Clean the birds' cages. Clean the bathroom. Do all the banking and paperwork. Then pop back and toss in the leek, the barley and a few frozen peas (Using Them Up). You might need more hot water to top it up - I added nearly a kettleful.

Return to the boil and then back to a low simmer. Before I took this step, however, I tasted the broth and added one more necessary ingredient.

WHAAAAAAH! (I raced out and bought some more - can't rest easily in my bed without knowing it's there.)

Perfect!

At this point, since it IS a holiday, it seems like a reasonable time to pour a nice drink, assuming you have any in your Cabinet of Wonders. 

In the forties, at various times, alcohol was rationed and then it wasn't, and then it was and then it wasn't, and eventually it hardly mattered because it was so tricky to get that you drank it whenever it happened to pass your way, whether you actually wanted any or not.

Notwithstanding stories of frugal housewives who managed to eke out a half bottle of cream sherry for the entire duration of the second world war, I have a reasonably stocked Cabinet and intend to give it a gentle nudge this evening - although not too much of one because I don't know any good spivs yet ...

Oh yes, the soup.

One Whiskey American on the rocks and a few chapters of your novel later, check the soup to make sure the leeks are nicely softened. Taste and adjust your seasoning. Allow to cool and freeze any portions that you wish to, and serve the rest hot for dinner with some national loaf or a salad - in my case, made extra-nice with a little smoked trout because a) it's local and available off-ration to any person-of-fisherage with the appropriate equipment and licence, and b) the Captain is quite fond of it.

The Captain doesn't object to an occasional holiday tipple in moderation, before his soup and trout salad.

 Slainte! And frock you later.

Blossom