A Pot of Soup...

This last September the family gathered in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The main event was a coastal wedding - the benefit was getting the family all together in one place for a few days of sun and fun. After comparing notes on local restaurant reviews (not very good) (sorry Cannon Beach) and being very disappointed on a few "let's try it one more time" outings, we ended up walking down the block from our beach house to Warren House Pub. What an amazing find! Fantastic food, very friendly service and a great menu. We ended up feasting at The Pub numerous times and we were never disappointed. 

 

I was very pleased with their soup of the day Beer Bacon Cheese Soup and had it a couple of times -- just couldn't get enough of this liquid magic.  Being a soup maker, myself, I had to try and replicate this winner when we got home. I'll share with you my results -- I'd have to say that the following recipe hits about the 98% mark compared to the original. YUM!!

 

Beer Bacon Cheese Soup

makes about 6 cups

Takes about 2 hours to make and ready to serve

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons butter

1 clove finely minced garlic

1 cup finely chopped onion - finely chopped!

1 cup finely chopped celery - finely chopped!

1 cup finely chopped carrot - finely chopped!

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 12 oz. can of beer (I used Pabst and was very satisfied with the results)

1 & 1/2 cup chicken broth

12-15 pieces of bacon -  cook bacon & chop into tiny pieces

1 cup heavy cream (heavy whip cream works well)

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese -- I added a little bit extra

1 cup grated Colby Jack cheese

1 teaspoon dry mustard

5-8 shacked drops of Tabasco sauce

1/2 - 1 teaspoon cracked pepper

Place butter and garlic in a large pot over medium heat. Stir butter and garlic until all the butter is melted.  Add onions, celery and carrot. Cook about 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Add flour and stir for 3 minutes (be careful not to burn).

Continue stirring, while slowly adding the beer and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and continue stirring every few minutes until soup has thickened (should take about 40-45 minutes). I know this is the boring part - but, very important to get the mixture thickened, slowly.  Add bacon pieces.  On LOW heat, add the cream, cheeses and spices. Make sure the heat is on low, if it is too high it will cause the dairy to break down.  Serve when the cheese has melted and all is well blended.

Serve as is (yummy!) or topped with a few croutons or additional bacon pieces. Hubby likes it with bits of crab added. ENJOY!

Just a little fun, today.....did ya find it? huh? huh? huh?

So Cool!

I love bandanas - what's not to love? They're cheap (usually a buck each) come in fabulous colors, a great size to craft with and they're not just for doggy neck wear or cowgirl costumes. Take these little paisley prints out for a spin and let your imagination fly.

I found these on the blogger web site: under the table and dreaming 

where there's more ideas waiting to be discovered.

These are few of my favorties!

napkins

table runners

table cloths

a napkin holder

placemats

a quilt
or maybe a fun handkerchief

I'm heading to the store, partner, and getting some bandanas to play with.

Fabulous!!!

3 glorious days of music! Blame Sally, Chris Isaak, M. Ward, Robert Earl Keen, Hugh Laurie, Ricky Skaggs, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Broken Social Scene, The Low Anthem, Dr. John, DeVotchka, Buddy Miller, Elbow, and Gomez just to name a few of the stage acts we followed, rocked to, danced to, and thoroughly enjoyed along with thousands and thousands of Golden Gate attendees. We missed not having March 4th Marching Band roaming the stages, but we rocked out just the same. It was sunny and warm then foggy and chilly -- that's San Francisco at it's best. Plus, we topped off each evening with some absolutely wonderful eats at local eateries. 

Now to wash off all the dust, do some laundry, take some make-up naps and get back to the ordinary, usual daily routine and look forward to the next Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival!

I'm getting on a jet plane and heading to San Francisco for some foot stomping, hand clapping, dance moving good music, rock out times. Catch ya on the flip side next week.

It was 40 years ago, today.....

Today is our 40th wedding anniversary. 

 

then.....

and now.....

You're going to love this -- I promise!

More Pinterest posts that followed me home

This would be so cute for wedding tables.

Hershey Kisses instead of peppermint? OR Valentine candy hearts (if you planned ahead)

Use large round plates or serving platters - depending on the size of your tables.

 

A blank white canvas and Elmer's Glue

How simple - How beautiful!

Using shower curtain hooks to hang up those bags

If only I had the closet space to do this -- I'd be in heaven

Using a Large V-neck hooded sweatshirt

Cut down center - hem - wrap to the side and add buttons

Adorable - Simply Adorable!

A Goodwill suit jacket -- there's lots out there without the matching pants.

Find one that is a good length and fit (don't worry about the arm lengths)

Trim off the arms (or remove at seam) - leaving some of the lining from the jacket side to fold inward to create a finished edge. WahLaa- you've got a custom vest, man (or woman).

Mirror Mirror On The Wall.....

More Pinterest finds.....

 

Love this idea to fill a small blank space

I've got the old windows - just need some scrap wood

Using inexpensive mirrors and hung horizontally

Be great to fill a wall - top to bottom

Oh, what you could do with empty toilet paper rolls

Love, Love a burst of flower power

Good Idea(s)?

Found some great ideas on Pinterest and brought them home to share with you.

Rubber bands to mark your sewing measurement

Empty ketchup bottle to hold pancake batter

for the perfect pancake size

One summer swim tube - cut down the center

Old shoe box with a cut out to hold the tube halves

Bag of marbles

I love this idea for some racing fun!

Ah, the beach

 

I just returned from a few days on the beach - the Oregon coast beach. (more on that to come).

Before I left - I did another Jessica Sprague site challenge. Using the words "day off" in the title, we were to create a layout page of what we'd do with a full day off. Since most of my retirement days are "days off" I used what I'd love to do most if/when I had a day off the grid and my usual daily routine.

.....Head to the Beach.....

(photo from web search)

Wanna Play? Easy as 1-2-3-4

ONE: Blank Canvas

TWO: Box of 64 Crayons

THREE: Hair Dryer

FOUR: Create Art

I would need to find a blank wall to showcase my creation.

That might be harder than making the masterpiece.

(another Pinterest find to try someday)

Taking the week off for some R-N-R

Heading to the Oregon Coast for a beach wedding, short family get-together, 

beach walks with M&M's, picture taking and good times.

See ya all next week (or on the beach)

Tie One On......

 

I love scarves - a most recent discovery.

When I saw this on Pinterest, I thought - I could make this.

It's on my "to do" list for my autumn wardrobe.

1. grab some cotton t-shirts you don’t wear anymore. larger sizes tend to work better as do non-ribbed shirts with no side seams. small logos on the shirts work fine, too. Goodwill finds would be great.
2. grab a pair of fabric scissors if you have them, otherwise any scissors will do.

3. lay the shirt out on a flat table in front of you.

4. cut the hem off the bottom and put it aside. 

5. cut the shirt into 1-1 1/2 ” horizontal strips all the way up to the armpit.  (may have to invest in a fabric wheel cutter -- always wanted a set, now I'll have the excuse to buy it)

6. grab 3-4 shirt strips in both hands, and gently stretch them out. the strips will naturally curl into themselves. 

7. once you have done this with many of the strips, it is time to get creative. try draping them, wrapping one end with excess fabric, combining colors, braiding them, attaching beads, pins, old jewelry, etc.

Yummy!

On my "To Make" list: another version of Mac and Cheese

Servings: 8 (or double servings for 4)
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed**one whole sleeve
2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated and divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 and 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces uncooked)
One 5.2-ounce container of Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
Parsley, for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Generously spray 8 cups of your muffin pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the crushed Ritz crackers, 1 cup of the shredded white cheddar cheese, and the melted butter, mixing well until the mixture holds together and resembles coarse sand.
4. Divide the mixture among the 8 muffin cups and, using your fingers or the back of a spoon, firmly press the crust into the bottoms and up the sides of each muffin cup.
5. In another large bowl, combine the cooked (and still hot!) macaroni with 1/2 cup of the shredded white cheddar, the Boursin cheese, and the butter, mixing well.
6. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, and red pepper flakes, mixing well.
7. Add the egg/milk mixture to the cooked macaroni, mixing until all the ingredients are melted and smooth.
8. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the macaroni mixture into each muffin cup

(you will probably have a little leftover macaroni, save and bake it separately, if desired.)
9. Top each muffin cup with the remaining white cheddar.
10. Bake the mac and cheese pies until lightly golden on top, about 20-25 minutes.
11. Let cool slightly before removing from the muffin pan, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

 Source: Adapted from The Deen Bros. Take it Easy, via Epicurious, via Pinterest