Big Snow Bust!

I woke up at 6:30 AM and put on some coffee. Then I jumped into the shower. The Water guy can come anytime between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM. I am hoping he is here and gone before the snow gets heavy. I can grocery shop during the week but I need some fresh produce for this weekend.

I thought that today, with the forecasted snow, would be perfect for soup. So, I took out the last two 4-cup containers left of the beef vegetable soup I made this week. I put that in my Dutch oven. It had thickened, of course, so I added four cups of homemade chicken broth and brought it to a boil.

I really liked that idea of the refrigerator soup (Chef Jacques Pepin's wife makes soup once a week with whatever's leftover in the fridge and calls it "Refrigerator Soup"). So, I started checking and found some sliced red onions left from a salad and about 1/4 pound of mushrooms. After I sliced the mushrooms, into the pot they both went. I remembered I had half a box left of elbow macaroni in the cupboard, so in that went, too. I simmered it for a bit and then taste-tested it. Hmmm... needs a bit more pepper and a little heat. So, I added fresh ground pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Then I turned it on low and put the cover on it. Now, whenever I am hungry, I can just dig in.

I can't really get into any big project while waiting for the guy, so I did little things, like replacing that nose piece on my spare glasses, and starting the laundry.

He ran the bell at 10:45 AM (still no snow yet) and said, "Not this house again!" I explained that I told the lady that he had just replaced the meter last fall, so it has to be the outside wire but she said I had to be here anyway. He said, "I found the wire cut in half on the side of your house already. I should know in about five minutes if that's it and will let you know."

Nope. That wasn't it. He can't see any obvious other breaks. He went into the back yard and checked the wire there (now, it's snowing and pretty hard, too). Once he was back inside he said, since the wire was so old and patched in two places already, he would just replace the whole thing. But, he said, "Can I ask you a favor? I have a 40 mile drive home after I'm done today (he told me the last time he lived in Imlay City) and I still have one more stop to make. Can I just rerun the wire on the next maintenance Saturday? I said, "Sure! I wanted to get to the grocery store before it got too bad! When is it and do I need to call and make another appointment?" He said, "That would be March 14 and, no, I'll set it up for you. You just have to remember it!" I wished him a safe journey home and he was gone in a flash. I marked the date on my calendar and hit the road, myself.

It wasn't slippery yet, so I hustled up to Westborn. I picked up a beautiful eggplant, a head of cauliflower, the Granny Smith and Gala apples (for my afternoon snacks at work next week), four tomatoes on the stem, some red leaf lettuce, more mushrooms, a loaf of that Italian bread (to go with the soup today) and a beautiful bunch of fresh basil (roots and all).

When I came outside, I had to brush the snow off all my windows. And, driving was now treacherous. You would slip and slide whether taking off or stopping.

Back home, I treated the cats (they demanded it) and then put everything away. Here's a produce tip: Wherever it's located in the store, keep it in the same place in your house. So, for example, since the eggplant and tomatoes are not in the refrigerated section of the store, they don't go in the refrigerator in my house.

Now, with most herbs, I use the tried and true method of washing them once at home, letting them drain, wrapping them in a paper towel and sticking them in a zip-lock baggie and popping them in the fridge. However, that never seems to work on basil. So, I got out a vase and stick the basil bunch, roots and all, in there like fresh flowers (see photos).

I dished out a big bowl of soup for my breakfast/lunch and cut off two big slices of bread. Very satisfying!

I did a bit of computer work and then called a friend. We chatted for a while and, when we ended our call, I decided to take a nap. I woke up around 5:00 PM and went in to watch the taped cooking shows from this morning.

BTW, it had stopped snowing around 6:00 PM. I am not sure how the northern suburbs fared, but I don't think I even got two inches of snow here. I was glad I hadn't called the snowplow guy and asked him to stop over Sunday morning (which was the original plan).

Just before the 8:00 PM movie I wanted to watch (Clint Eastwood's, "The Outlaw Josey Wales") I got another bowl of soup and two more slices of bread. I ate it while watching the movie and then went to bed.