Old-Fashioned Potato Soup

This is what I made today when I was feeling poorly and missing my mom. I never fail to have warm, happy thoughts while sipping this soup.

Mama's Potato Soup:

Cut a baking potato into teeny little cubes and put in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Add some extra water, maybe half again as much. Salt the water and turn up the heat. Simmer until the potatoes can be skooshed with a fork. Turn off the heat; pour in some milk (until it looks right, LOL) and a big fat dollop of butter. Stir until butter is melted and serve in a big fat bowl with a spoon. This is good to dip saltine crackers in, as well.

This soup is easily digestible and therefore good for tummy buggys.

My New Truck

Yes, it's official. I am the proud owner of a blue 2001 Dodge Ram extended cab. We traded in the silver Chrysler and the white Plymouth, and I told Charlie that since the motorcycle is "his", that the truck is "mine" :D :D

Pictures to come tomorrow when I pick the truck up at the dealer.

Sweet Lemon Custard

So, while Charlie was still in bed and I was imagining how to continue entertaining the kids, I remembered that I have sweetened condensed milk in the pantry. "Hmm, what shall I do with that?" A little searching presented an idea that reminded me of the filling of my husband's favorite lemon meringue pie, so I made a few modifications to the recipe and here it is for your enjoyment:

Creamy Lemon "Custard"

1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14oz
1 c. plain sour cream
2 egg yolks
1/4 c. pure lemon juice

Pour the condensed milk in the bowl and give the dregs in the can to the waiting preschooler. Teach the preschooler how to scrape it off of the sides with his finger; this will occupy him for the rest of the night, if allowed. Blend the sour cream into the milk; add two egg yolks and whisk until smooth. I don't care what you do with the whites. Save them for meringue (you can freeze them). Use them for a facial (more on this at in a later post). Ignore your inner depression era mother and put them down the drain. Make an egg-white omelet.

I digress. After everything is all smooth, pour in the lemon juice and quickly whisk it all together as smoothly as possible. I'm sure you could do this all in a blender, but I was lazy and didn't want to clean the blender. Hence, the whisk. When everything is all smooth and homogeneous in appearance, put the mixture in the fridge. Forget that it's there. Remember it a few hours after supper, and serve it to your happy eaters.

WARNING: This dessert is quite sweet and rich. Servings should be small. Teeny. Like, 1/4 c. for a child and a 1/2 c. for an adult. Seriously, it sounds like a tiny amount, but you just wait until you get to the end of your portion; you'll understand.

SECOND WARNING: Yes, it has raw egg yolks in it. No, this isn't a cooked custard. No, you can't sue me if your egg manages to have salmonella in it., although how it would survive in that lemon juice is beyond me. I have never gotten sick from an undercooked egg yolk, but let your conscience be your guide. I have been told that the lemon juice will thicken the condensed milk without the egg, but I wanted to make sure my dessert was thick and creamy. If you're skittish, omit the eggs.

By the by, it was quite yummy. Not as tart as lemon meringue pie, for those of you who are familiar with Lori's recipe, because of the dilution with the sour cream. However, it was perfect for a custard, since it had neither the crust nor meringue to foil it.

Happy Eating!

Taking Care of Sick Tummies

For my maiden Blogger voyage, my hubby is down ill with some evil ghastly sort of virus. You know, pukage, diarrhea, etc. I have been taking care of sick babies for about two weeks now, and they're finally in the recovery phase, when my darling husband finally broke down and finished manifesting whatever it is that he's been fighting off for the last two-three weeks.

So! I made him some new old-fashioned gruel for his sick tummy. Old fashioned, because who serves gruel?? ME. New, because I made it with soup base instead of roasting beef bones and making stock from scratch. Here's my sick tummy gruel recipe:

1/4 c. uncooked rice
1 c. water
1 tsp. soup base or bouillon

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Drop in the soup base and the rice; stir until the base has dissolved. Lower the heat to your lowest setting and cover the pan. Set a timer for twenty minutes, but wait a few minutes before walking off to make sure the starchy water from the rice doesn't decide to get cranky and overflow the pan. After twenty minutes has passed, check the rice for tenderness; it will be quite soupy. Allow to cool to tolerable temperature and serve to the affected party (in my case, Dear Charlie).

Note: you can use any sort of bouillon for this; check the proportions on your bottle. Some brands may use less or more per 8 oz of boiling water; adjust accordingly.

Now, to set my alarm and make sure he gets to his doctor's appointment in time!