Thursday, January 03, 2008

Update on Me

As foretold, I spent my New Year's day sleeping. I also made the best ham I've ever had. No glaze, no seasoning, just ham. The bone is in the crock pot now with some navy beans. With temps dipping into the teens, I just couldn't wait to make soup. I was at PetSmart today to get some cat food and wandered into areas I shouldn't have -- the cat adoption and bird cages. There was a sun conure there that was the cutest little thing. He tried to hop on my finger through the glass. I would have bought him on the spot except for this. There was a sign on the cage saying there wouldn't be any bird sales until late January. I just have to keep telling myself. Birds are messy. Birds are loud. I have cats. Sun conures live 30 years. I won't. Tonight is the Iowa caucus. I might flip over to Fox from time to time. It would be truly funny if Hillary comes in third. I wouldn't want to be on her team. She would be homicidal. She really thinks she is ordained to be president. Time to snack on some ham.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll be making some navy bean & ham soup next week, or Saturday, depending on how cold it gets with the rainstorms lined up off the coast.

After reading the description of sun conures, you would have to have more than one. Wouldn't the girls love that??

Actually, that's what cages are for. My sister had parakeets and a cockatiel with a cat in the house--no problem. The cockatiel also served as a burglar alarm. :)

Lone Ranger said...

I've had birds before. A quaker, three cockatiels, a lovebird, a parakeet. The lovebird was the leader of the gang. I like to give them playgrounds atop their cages, where they can play with toys and each other. The different species should be caged separately to avoid conflicts.

The bean soup was PERFECT. I lucked out and got the roux the perfect consistency. So, it didn't turn into wallpaper paste. My next soup is going to be a seafood chowder. I put in crab, squid, clam, etc, with potatoes, cream and dill. Got that from my sister and tweaked it a bit.

Anonymous said...

You made a roux first? You must give me your directions, pretty please? I've never done it that way, but then I've only, in the last couple of years, discovered the joy of making a roux for some of my ol' standby dishes.

The lovebird wasn't so loving? Maybe because it (sounds like it) didn't have somebody to love? Hmm, that reminds me of a song... :)

Lone Ranger said...

Lovebirds have a false reputation. They can be quite quarrelsome. And they have a scream that goes right through my head like an ice pick.

I made the roux last. In a crockpot, I combined a pound of dry beans with a carrot, stalk of celery and half an onion, chopped fine, two cups of water, four cups of chicken broth and a bay leaf. I don't soak my beans because I like to infuse them with flavor rather than water. I made the roux with butter and flour and stirred it in just before serving. Too much roux can turn it into concrete. I just made the whole thing up off the top of my head, and it turned out well. I don't know if it's just my family, but I like to add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of white vinegar to the bowl.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the instructions. I'm going to put on my lab coat soon and give it a try. :)

Lone Ranger said...

If that works out, I have a cream of tomato soup that puts Campbell's to shame.