Road Trip!

I was up at 6:00 AM but didn't get out of bed until 6:30 on Sunday. Staying in bed is a luxury I can only afford on the weekends. I like it because its warm and I drift between real thoughts, today's plans and back to half-dreams.

Once I was finally up, I warmed up a cup of coffee from yesterday, posted the Blog and then went out to clean up the kitchen. I put my plate and fork from last night in the dishwasher and then cleaned out the microwave (I had an ugly incident last week melting some butter, you see).

I filled my daily pill dispenser and then made breakfast (scrambled eggs topped with Franks Red Hot sauce).

Then I started on the soup I was supposed to make last night, my leek potato soup. So, I took a pound of leeks (about four or five medium sized ones) and cleaned them. Then I diced them and put them in my 6-quart stock pot with three tablespoons of butter, over medium heat. I added a small pinch of Kosher salt (if you're not making this for my Mother, use a big pinch) and sweated them for about five minutes. Then I turned the heat to medium-low and cooked them until tender (about 25 minutes).

Sidebar: I have seen a lot of robins the past few weeks (supposedly a sure sign of spring) but when I looked out my window, I saw MY sure sign of spring: the old, fat woodchuck, waddling across the back yard and ducking under the neighbor's fence. Hey, dude! Looks like we both made it to spring!!

Meanwhile I peeled four small redskin potatoes (just under a pound). You can use any kind of waxy potato (last time I used Yukon Gold) but avoid the mealy potatoes, like russets. Those work better for baking or making French fries.

I cut them into a small dice and when the timer went off, I added them to the pot. I also added a quart of my homemade chicken stock (Or, use a quart of vegetable stock if you want this to be a vegetarian soup). I brought that up to a boil on medium-high heat, then turned it to low and covered it. You want it to gently simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 40-45 minutes).

I checked the potatoes when the timer went off and they were fork tender. So, I turned off the heat and, using my immersion blender, I pureed the mixture until it was smooth (you can use a blender, but only in small batches, with the little cup on top taken off and the hole covered with a kitchen towel).

Then I added in one cup of heavy cream, one cup of buttermilk and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper (it calls for white pepper but I am out of it and quite frankly, I prefer the taste of black pepper to white). I taste-tested it (just a touch more pepper) and finally added in a tablespoon of snipped chives (frozen last fall from my herb garden). Then I set the pot on a cold burner so the soup would cool.

I shaved and showered and then got dressed for my trip. I packed the frozen and fresh-made soups into the cooler and by 11:00 AM, I was on the road!

Note to self: next time you take a road trip, look at the traffic reports, first! I did okay on I-96, then Schoolcraft (although some of the potholes on Schoolcraft could trap a subcompact car!) But, I-696 heading east was a disaster! There were long stretches where the four lanes were funneled down to two for weekend construction. And the freeway was closed entirely at Gratiot! So, I got off on Gratiot, heading north. At 12 Mile Road, I turned and went east again until I got to I-94 and then headed (once again) for New Baltimore.

I know it was a result of me speeding rather than ideal road conditions, but I got to Mom's just before noon. I gave Cora six quarts of soup (two each of the frozen Senate Bean Soup, and the Kapusta (Polish cabbage) soup and two of the still warm Leek and Potato soup.

I mentioned to Mom about reading the "Water for Elephants book straight through until I finished it and told her how struck I was with the fact that his description of life in his nursing home so mirrored her own experience. She quickly agreed.

There's not too much new in the family. She showed me some damn cute photo's of Carl's newest granddaughter (hard to believe but she's already six month's old!)

My brother Jim showed up with Holy Communion for Cora and my Mom. He looked beat, but I know tax season always takes its toll on accountants.

But, the biggest news was that Cora's husband (back in the Philippines) had suffered a stroke. Her two daughters' are currently attending him, but they both work, so they are splitting the work up. She is leaving on April first to fly home and assess the situation. She will be gone for a month. In the interim, her normal monthly replacement, Marlene, will be taking her place. I told Cora I hoped everything would be fine and she said she would soon see. She didn't sound confident, and I don't blame her!

I left just after 1:00 PM and headed for my friend B___'s house. Since, I'd missed the funeral home last weekend; I thought it only right I pay my respects. Unfortunately, his wife and their oldest daughter had gone to a pancake breakfast and an exhibition at Cranbrook on the art of making maple sugar. B___ had some corned beef and cabbage cooking in their crock pot and it smelled fantastic! He asked if I would like to stay for dinner, and I must admit I was damn tempted! But, as I explained, I had bought four fresh catfish fillets yesterday and needed to cook them tonight.

So, I hit the road, again. I-696 going west wasn't nearly as bad and I got home just before 4:00 PM. I had three voicemails that I tried to return, but got no responses. So, I washed up the stock pot, its lid, the soup ladle and a large wooden spoon from today's soup making. Then, I put my coat back on and went outside to pick up the trash in the front ditch and the vacant lot next door. I am sick of looking at it!

Back inside, I took the half a loaf of buttermilk bread and the last two hamburger buns out on the patio (both of which were starting to mold). I shredded them up by hand and spread them under the bird feeder. I know from experience the squirrels and the pigeons will make quick work of them.

Back inside for good, I started the last load of laundry for this weekend at 6:00 PM. Then I set up my mise en place for tonight's dinner (a pan of flour, a pan of beaten eggs and finally a pan of yellow corn meal). I put some Uncle Ben's wild rice mixture in a sauce pan to cook. Next I put about a quarter inch of peanut oil in my cast iron pan and when it was hot, I got started. I patted two fillets dry with paper towels. Then I ran them through the breading station (flour, eggs and cornmeal) and put them into the pan. I turned them when they were golden.

I pulled them off and put them on a rack over a paper towel to drain. I salted them on both sides and then repeated the process with the next two fillets (see photos). When the rice was done, I plated some along with a fish fillet (topped with the red hot sauce) and went in to watch my Sunday night shows.

Nice weekend!