SOUP'S ON!

anybody want to try a pumpkin ~ yellow split pea w/ saffron soup?  best damned soup i've made all winter....


OK, then.....first gather up the following ingredients:

1/4 tsp saffron threads
10 cups (2 1/2 quarts) chicken broth
1 1/4 cups dried yellow split peas
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 15 oz. cans of pumpkin (plain, not pumpkin pie filler)
Minced fresh parsley

Bring broth, peas, and onion to a boil in a large soup pot over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, 30 to 40 minutes. 

OK, we've got 40 minutes to kill....what to do?.....what to do???
well, we could run to the ol' home studio and see if there are any new songs in the taylor.....






guess not....well, we could always try to repair our favorite coffee cup from Sun Studios that we just knocked off the desk....good thing i'm goin' to memphis soon.








better get back to the soup before we do any more damage...

OK, saffron time!





ah, hello my preciousssss.....
In a large metal spoon, heat saffron over low heat about 10 seconds until dry, then grind 
to a powder with the back of a spoon and steep in 1 tbsp boiling water to release flavor.

and then........put on some bluegrass and play the spoons!!!!



OK, back to the soup.

Stir in oil, cinnamon, ginger, spoonful of saffron. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and 
simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. 
Add pumpkin and simmer another 25-30 minutes or so. The soup is done when the peas aretender. Salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.

mmmmmmm.....dig in.....







listening to: jaime michaels ~ the man with the time machine
(not ego...last minute check....it's being released TOMORROW!!!!)

it's not dead yet...

...but it's gettin' there
my poor poor lemon tree....not so very pretty.
come on everybody, we can do it!  clap your hands!!  "i believe...I BELIEVE!!!!!"

listening to: buddy mondlock ~ the edge of the world 

why i live in santa fe - reason #1267

because the sunsets look like this....a LOT...

listening to laura marling

ahhhhhhhh.....home.

dateline: my living room.


had a blast this weekend completing the "i'll be on your album and you be on mine" trade with george breakfast up at jono manson's kitchen sink studio.  george's is called committing to love, mine is the about to be released the man with the time machine.
it was a joy to get to do  it.

the guiding hands...

...like this?

...george likes it!

jono likes it!

we all likes it!!!

listening to the beau brummels station on pandora.com......laugh laugh...

gravy and meatballs at christopher's house

dateline: san anselmo, california


here's the happy ending to a relaxing day off on the road spent cooking a little italian food for my hosts. left to right it's christopher smith, his mom mary lou, wife sabrina and son matthew...

how did we get here?  well, first off i gathered the ingredients for the gravy...

1 28 oz can crushed tomato

1/2 cup dry red wine (at least)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp oregano (or so)

3 TBS chopped parsley

1/2 tsp basil (or so)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 cop chopped onion

1 large piece salt pork (1 pkg)

3/4 tsp salt

3 TBS grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp sugar (to taste)

1 bay leaf

start by browning the salt pork in 2 TBS good olive oil

add the onion and cook over medium heat til soft, then add the garlic...cook til it get's nice and aromatic (careful, don't burn it!), then add the rest of the ingredients...bring to a near boil then set it to simmer on low for as long as you can, at least a couple of hours...3 or 4 is better...

now relax, enjoy the aromas....watch the sunset reflected in the pool...

have a little wine...

OK!  time to make the meatballs.  again, gather the ingredients...

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 1/2 cups torn Italian bread (no crust)
1/4 cup milk 
2 eggs 
3 TBS chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper
3 TBS grated Parmesan 

combine bread and milk in a large bowl. let stand for 5 minutes. add ground

beef, ground pork, eggs, 3 TBS parsley, 3 TBS Parmesan, the 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.  blend well.  form into the meatball size of your choice.  

it's all in the fingertips...

now, just brown the meatballs in a little olive oil in a skillet, add them to the gravy (with some browned hot italian sausage links if you like)...cook for another half hour or three, discard the salt pork, fix your favorite pasta...pour some more wine and, TA DA!...

mmmmmmmmm........

listening to michael hedges breakfast in the field

what in the sam hill?....

dateline:  maryhill, oregon


well, for starters, as much as we'd like him to be, sam is NOT the origin of the saying.  he was, however, one interesting cat...

sam was the son of a civil war era abolitionist physician.  after attending harvard, he became a successful lawyer and ultimately became obsessed with building roads in the northwest.  he built what was basically a versailles-like home on a bluff overlooking the columbia river gorge, naming it after his daughter, mary.  his wife apparently wasn't too enamored of the northwestern weather so sam, along with queen marie of rumania, a famous dancer named loie fuller and san francisco sugar heiress alma de bretteville spreckels turned the property into the art museum it is today.  (for the longer story, and there's a lot more, click here)

when you first pull into the grounds you encounter this beautiful sculpture garden.  from the warning signs, ("be careful, they bite!"), i gather that there are quite a few peacocks  wandering the premises in the warmer weather.  didn't see any, although the signs did remind me that i was once chased around the grounds of an inn in vermont by a couple of pissed off geese....anyway, on to the sculptures...

next time:  turns out sam liked to collect these extraordinary chess sets from around the world and was also good buddies with auguste rodin.......not to mention the 3/4 size replica of stonehenge...

listening to michael troy mill town boy

what a day!

dateline: columbia river gorge


this is how the day ended...tune in tomorrow for pictures from the maryville museum and the stonehenge monument...i'd post the photos now but there's a jacuzzi in my hotel room and i'm whipped...

listening to jim reilley the return of buddy cruel