Wet Wednesday

Well, if we got snow last night, I never saw it. But, it did rain off and on all day Wednesday. But, I lucked out. When I went to work, it wasn't raining. When I left work for home at lunch, it wasn't raining. When I went back to work, it wasn't raining. And, finally, when I came home at 5:00 PM, it had just stopped raining!

Once home, I treated the cats. But, before I changed clothes, I went out back and refilled the suet cage. Then I did change clothes and started the Wednesday wash.

I took off the faucet strainer from the downstairs bathroom (its acting up, again) and found more sediment, clogging the hole. So, I took out the plastic diffuser (which had the sediment in it the last time and did this time, too) and reassembled it with just the screen. What troubles me is where this sediment is coming from!

I emptied the dishwasher and then went to get tonight's dinner out of the freezer. I had come across the salmon spice rub, "Rub with Love" by Tom Douglas, that Jake and Carla brought back for me from Seattle, during my spice sorting last weekend. So, I envisioned broiled salmon and wild rice. However, I went to the freezer and found I only had tilapia and ocean perch in the freezer. Damn!

I gotta get me some salmon!

But, meanwhile, I still need some dinner! So, knowing I have some open beef stock ticking away (less than a week to getting pitched) I put a pound of hamburger in some cold water to thaw.

The washer buzzer went off at 6:30 PM, so I threw the clothes in the dryer. I checked the hamburger and it was still semi-frozen. So, I started my beef soup without it. Now, Jyl would love this, because I am doing this on my own intuition.

BTW, I forgot to mention in our last exchange of comments that, while she is making food that her family likes, I also have the responsibility to translate what I do into this damn Blog. Now, I know, from many people who have told me personally, a lot people like to try to replicate my recipes. So, I can't just say "a bit of this," a "handful" of these herbs or a "dash of that." I have to be able to say a precise amount. And, I can't do that while "adjusting" for less than potent, aged herbs or spices.

So, I got out my small stock pot and, after adding some olive oil, saut�ed a large onion chopped. I added in four cloves of minced garlic during the last two minutes. Then I added the ground beef and cooked it until it wasn't pink.

While it was cooking, I peeled and diced four small russet potatoes and three carrots. When the meat was done, I add them and about 1/2 cup each of frozen corn, peas and green beans. I was gonna add some frozen spinach, but I could find any of that in my freezer, either!

Then I threw in the beef stock (about three cups). It didn't look like enough fluid, so I added another cup of water. For seasoning, I stuck with just salt, fresh ground pepper and a tablespoon of dried parsley flakes.

I let that simmer and get happy for an hour or so, while I hung up my clothes and then read a magazine that came today.

Finally, I filled a soup bowl and ate it watching TV. Simple, but damn tasty! I got another bowl (just to make sure it was good). I let the rest cool down and, later, transferred it to freezer containers. I got about three quarts of soup.

I went to bed about 9:30 PM, in case you are interested.