It’s pretty remarkable. So many other parts of the country are in a deep, deep freeze, but at least this afternoon it’s been wondrous here!
I just took this from the deck here at home and you’ll definitely need to click to embiggen because it’s a pano that shows Mt. Rainier on the left and Commencement Bay on the right. Just ignore the power lines:
Here’s a closer view of the mountain (damned power lines…)
I have the glass slider open and the animals are loving it. They wander out, then back in, then out again, back in, ad infinitum. I also ran my car through the car wash (the place was PACKED) and it feels good to see it sparkle again. It was in dire need.
Oooh. Here it is a little bit later with the sun setting:
I also made this oh-so-yummy cream of wild mushroom soup today! The grocery store had some “on-the-brink-of-tired” fresh wild mushrooms marked way down so I bought a variety of them. It took quite a while to make this, but it was ultimately very easy and quite fun. If you love ‘shrooms, I highly recommend this! Even with substituting some of the ingredients, it was truly to die for.
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)
Total Time: 1 hr 50 min
Yield:5
Ingredients
5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 carrot, chopped (I didn’t have a carrot but the stock was excellent without it)
1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided (I didn’t have fresh, and only a tiny bit of dried, but I used what I had and also later added basil in lieu of the remainder of the thyme)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks) (I didn’t have leeks, either, but I did have 5 green onions that I chopped up and I also added some extra yellow onion)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup half-and-half (I used 2 cups of half-and-half since I didn’t have heavy cream)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (Didn’t have fresh so sprinkled in some dry)
Directions
Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if they are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water. (This can be done ahead of time)
Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.
Note: Mine wasn’t very thick, but it didn’t seem to matter. The heavy cream (that I didn’t have) might change the consistency some.
I need to start thinking about what I want to take to Dad’s for the Super Bowl. Garlic dip for sure. I may also make that bacon-wrapped shrimp/pineapple-chunks appetizer that we had on Christmas Eve. Those were really gooooood.
Anybody have some favorite appies to share?
