Tougher vegetables like potatoes or squash, take on a delicious tenderness when allowed to simmer.
Through in a good base of either bullion cubes + water, or homemade broth, plus your vegetables of choice. I did squash, carrots, and onions in this one that was our Thanksgiving first course.
Pulsing the contents about 10 minutes before you serve (with a hand-mixer or transferring to a food processor) can give a clear broth more texture.
I’ve had a great year. That’s the truth, no matter how ways I count in 2013.
Whether in babies (our #2 arrived in April) or books (2 eBooks, 1 paperback), even countries visited (3).
I love the year end countdowns that recap the past 12 months. But over dinner this week we were looking ahead to next year.
New Year’s resolutions have a bad rap; from unused gym memberships to abandoned manuscripts, they are made in the passionate hope of a blank slate of 12 months ahead. They have such a bad reputation for being broken that the most cynical no longer set them. Columnists now advise New Years “themes” for your year so you don’t have to feel so bad when you abandon them as you put away your Christmas tree.
For 2014, I have my eyes set on something even more challenging. I wanted a new goal that isn’t related to writing, teaching, or exercising.
I chose something I’ve wanted to try for a long time but haven’t had the courage, stamina or reason to really get behind.
After trying Meatless Mondays, and meat free weekends, I’m going whole hog – to use an inappropriate phrase – vegetarian. That’s right: for a whole year, I’m going to go without any meat. I’ve always admired vegetarians for living much simpler than than us meat eaters who tax the earth with our animal farms. Lately, when frying or pulling skin from chicken or cutting into slices of steak, my mind skids to the humans in cages in Planet of the Apes.
What habits are you thinking about working on for 2014? What are your victories for 2013?
