January Skating, Hot Cocoa and Warm Soup

SKATING

This morning, we slipped out for a quick skate on the pond before the snowstorm hit.  The dry summer left our skating pond down two feet from its usual level, so we had to slide down the bank through the brambles quite a ways to reach the edge.  To my surprise, I sank a foot in smelly stagnant water and mud because the edges of the pond weren't completely frozen.  I still managed to stuff my wet feet into skates, though and we were off!  Cold air, rosy cheeks, spins and spills...  What a grand time!  (My Happy daughter tells the story in her charming way at:  http://gatheringpetals.blogspot.com/2017/01/saturday-seventhwhat-nice-day.html.)

In the Connecticut countryside there may be some ponds and small lakes scattered about, but I'll never forget the lakes in Maine.  There are alot of them, and they're typically large.  I remember as a teenager, skating almost the complete length of Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester.  Those lakes would freeze so thick, the men out ice fishing would simply drive their pick-up trucks out on the ice to set up a fishing hole.

HOT COCOA

Back home, we started a fire in the wood stove and filled our bellies with hot cocoa and tea.  For hot cocoa, do yourself a favor and make your own.  It's simple and yummy.  Fill a jar with equal parts cocoa powder (Ghirardelli is our favorite) and sugar.  Mix it thoroughly.  Keep it in the cupboard and when you're back home from skating, heat up 5 tablespoons of the mix with 2 cups of whole milk.  Be careful to keep from scalding the milk.  It's enough for two small mugs for the kids.  The amount of sugar used in the mix and the amount of mix added to the milk can be adjusted to suit your taste.

WARM SOUP

As the day goes on, we're being buried under a thick layer of soft snow.  We're tucked inside staying warm and making soup.  My handsome husband has been in bed all day with a bad cold and fever.  Soup is just what we all need.  Here's an easy Hamburger Soup.

Heat up a bit of oil and brown 1 pound hamburger, 1 medium onion (chopped), and 2 large carrots (chopped).  Season with salt and pepper.

When the onions and carrot are tender, add one can (about 16 ounces/2 cups) tomato sauce and four cups of water.  Bring to a steady simmer.

At this point you can add about 4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed.  Peel them if you want.  Alternatively, you could do as I did and dice last night's leftover baked potatoes and yams.  Yam skins can be very thick, so I removed them.  If there were any other leftover veggies, I would have stuck them in, too.  Soup is a good way to economize, use up leftovers and clean out the fridge.

Add 1 or 2 bay leaves and 1 teaspoon crushed thyme and simmer the soup for an hour before serving.  If the bay leaves are very fresh, they should only steep for about 15 minutes and then be removed.  Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings along the way.

After the soup has simmered, the veggies are tender and the seasonings properly adjusted, add 8 ounces cubed Monteray Jack or other cheese.

Serve with some buttered toast triangles.

Warm food, warm fire, warm smiles!

I wish the same to you!

Jess