Through a Country Window

I am truly blessed. 

I went through a lot of difficult times in my life but right now I am in a place where I am at peace.

At last.

It was snowing when I went to bed last night, ever so gently, and it was a frigid evening. But we were warm and cozy in my little house with the wood-stove doing it's job extremely well. 

The oil company is going to hate me....and I'm ok with that!

One of the things that drew me in when I first toured my new home were the views. I have a view of the mountains from 3 sides of my house, and the back side of my house backs up to acres and acres of woodland.

In the summer, the property is gorgeous with established gardens, privacy from the road, and mother nature all around.

In the winter when the leaves are off the trees there is a different kind of beauty. The mountains are clear in the distance and I start my day with a view of the sunrise through my bedroom window.

When I open my eyes, the first thing I see are the mountains through the window to the left of my bed, and the sun rising over the peaks. 

It's an incredible way to start one's day, to be so inspired by the beauty out your window that you just want to jump up and grab the camera. 

The dogs hear me up and about and they are ready to go out and face the snow. And I'm ready for coffee. 

I watch the pups out the kitchen window as I'm beginning my day. No birdies bathing in the little birdbath today!

I take a peek out the dining room window to the Chickadees, who are loving the sunflower/safflower seed combo I put in the squirrel proof feeder. They ignored this feeder for months....now they can't get enough of it with this new seed combo!

After letting the pups in and getting the fire going again I head back into the bedroom where the sun is now shining on my little garden cottage at the rear of the house. 

The horses have arrived outside the other bedroom window....I don't think I'll ever grow tired of seeing my neigh-bors. 

Sorry. I had to. 

I'll just have a seat for a minute with my coffee and start my day on a quiet note. 

Giving thanks for my blessings and the beauty all around me. 

My favorite way to start the day. 

My Favorite Butternut Squash Soup

Winter has been teasing us thus far this season with a frigid few days followed by unseasonably warm temperatures. 

Well, today we are supposed to get our first "real" snowfall of the season.  Ok, only a few inches, but that's still more than we've gotten at any one time so far. 

Just bizarre. 

Anyway, it's a perfect day for a nice hot bowl of soup! 

I made this amazing soup on Sunday and wanted to share the recipe with you - it's just so incredibly good and I'm glad I had a little extra for the freezer. 

I had a couple of butternut squashes I grew in my veggie garden that were crying out to become soup. In addition, I gathered up some potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and the frozen turkey broth I made after Thanksgiving. 

I started as I always do, by heating up my best friend on low-med, with a drizzle of olive oil. 

(Have I told you how much I love, love, LOVE this pot? Worth every penny. Without a doubt.) 

Anyway. I chopped two large onions and cooked them until soft. While they were cooking I was prepping the rest of my veggies, starting with the garlic. 

An entire head of garlic, minced, was next. I made a hole in the onions, dropped in a pat of butter, and cooked the garlic just until golden. 

In went the still very much frozen turkey broth - 2 quarts to start. While the broth was thawing in the pot, I kept on prepping. 

The butternut squash was next, peeled and cut into large cubes, seeds and pith discarded. 

My knife was struggling with the squash! But we got it done. Isn't it gorgeous? 

You could also use frozen butternut squash to make things easier on yourself. 

The squash went into the pot while I got the potatoes peeled and chopped. 

2 sweet potatoes were cut into large chunks and thrown in next. 

After about 10 minutes I put in the 4 white potatoes, simply cut in half as they cook much more quickly than the squash and sweet potatoes. 

Did I mention that while I was doing all this I was also making a pot of rice pudding? 

Yup, I had cooked white rice to use up so what better to do with it than a good homemade rice pudding? 

Yummmmmm!

(By the way, did you notice that my new best friend now has a baby sister? Yup, my other favorite pot. I'm telling you, I'm hooked! Foodie's dream!)

At this point, the lid went on and I simmered on the lowest setting for at least an hour while I worked on other projects.  Like hanging pictures. Which took me a while to get right with all the measuring, I'll tell you!

After about an hour I tested the squash and potatoes and they were soft and ready for the next step. 

A little whirl around with my immersion blender and the addition of a quart of chicken broth (the soup was quite thick) and we were ready to season. 

I added: 

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste - (always more pepper than salt for us)

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

And the end result?

It was simply amazing! Just enough of a tiny kick from the cayenne (which I have always found this type of soup benefits from.)

The Allspice and Cinnamon really complement the squash and sweet potato. 

The soup is lovely and creamy without adding a drop of cream. 

Heaven in a bowl, right there!

We had a light supper with some soup and an egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread. 

Followed by a little warm rice pudding with a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

The perfect end to the meal. 

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Recipe:

You will need:

2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into large cubes

4 large white potatoes, peeled and cut in half

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes

2 large onions, chopped

1 head of garlic, minced

3 quarts of stock (I used 2 quarts turkey stock + 1 quart chicken stock)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbs Olive oil 

1 tbs butter

Heat large stockpot on low- medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. 

Saute onions until soft and slightly browned. 

Make a 'hole' in the middle of the onions and drop in the butter. Saute the garlic in the butter just until golden brown. 

Add in 2 quarts of the stock. 

Add the butternut squash and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. 

Let simmer about 10 minutes and then add in the white potatoes. 

Cover, reduce heat to the lowest setting, and simmer for about an hour. 

When potatoes and squash are all very tender use an immersion blender to puree the soup. 

Add the other quart of broth if needed to create desired consistency. 

Add in spices and whisk to combine. 

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed..and then share it with someone you love!

Enjoy, friends!

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No Spend Month - Week One Recap

What a difference a day makes!!  Yesterday the rains poured out of the heavens all day long, leaving behind raging creeks and flooded areas in the low spots on my property. Temps were unseasonably warm (once again) and the snow was melting off the deck. 

This morning, we were back into the frigid temps expected in January and the snow squalls were fierce!

Can you see the snow out the window? 

Just a few minutes later the sun was beaming through the same windows - so bizarre!!

I'm not complaining - I love it all!

As you know I got off to a little bit of a late start on my no-spend-month so I'm keeping on track with my actual start day of Monday, January 4th. 

That means I've officially made it through the first week of my first ever no spend month - woo hoo!!

For the most part the first week wasn't too tough. I had taken the time to plan and prepare so I was in good shape to start the challenge. 

I think the part I did not take into account were the variables in my life. In my house. 

And by variables, I mean my daughters. 

For instance, I bought a giant package of baby spinach so I would have it to make a few salads or omelets. 

And when I went to use it? Gone. Into a smoothie. 

Also, I knew I had a well stocked wine stash downstairs. I collected it for about a year before I moved here and had a nice collection going. 

So I'll be all set on wine for the month for sure.....right? 

Nope. Apparently many of my white wines got up and walked away....now when I feel like a glass of white wine what happens? 

Mommy was NOT happy. 

Other than that, the no spend challenge is going well. 

The fresh fruit and veggie tower isn't empty yet. When it is, I will revert to frozen fruits and veggies. 

And my daughters can also replenish the tower which is only fair. After all, they are in their mid twenties and working full time. 

Ahem. 

I've been jotting down things as needed, just as I always do. The only difference being this time I'm trying to hold off as long as possible before going to the market. 

This little guy is sure happy I stocked up on seeds and nuts. They go through the seeds so quickly in these cold temps and I'm so glad I can help them out. Hopefully I'll make it through the month with the supply I have stored in a metal bin in the garage. 

I still managed to get a few projects done, without spending anything. 

My sister gave me a beautiful family portrait for Christmas and I've been trying it out here and there, trying to find the right spot. 

When tidying up my utility room this past weekend I came across these other two black frames I had bought last winter. 

Insert free online printables of Parisian scenes and I finally have something hanging in my hallway! And, of course, I can change out the printables on a whim, which I love. 

I've been looking for something for that wall for 9 months now so I'm very happy with the result. The hallway feels finished now.....finally!

Across from the black frames I hung this wreath I got ages ago from Thistlewood Farm's collection at Painted Fox - it's made from the bark from a birch tree and I just love it! It's been in the shipping box, in the Big Green Monster, for months now. Every now and again I would take it out, hold it up on different walls, and put it back in the box. 

Now it has a home.  And my hallway looks fresh and new and I didn't spend a dime!

Another project that was completed this week was swapping out the microwave. And let me tell you something, it's about time!

When I bought the house, the microwave had a crack in the frame of the door. My sweetie glued it and we touched it up with paint and it was ok for a while. 

But over Christmas it became this:

The crack became a full fledged break and the glass inside the door was falling down. Glue wasn't going to work this time! Duct tape to the rescue....temporarily. 

I ordered a new microwave online and my daughter picked it up the very next day. 

And then it sat in the guest room for a couple of weeks until we could get it installed. 

(Did you notice a pattern here? The guest room seems to be the dumping ground for everything that's temporarily displaced!)

Anyway, the new microwave is finally in and the old one went for a trip to the dump. A one way trip. 

So, despite not spending money this week things are getting done, which makes me happy. 

Almost as happy as the sunshine that was pouring into the dining room when I was packing my lunch for work. 

Isn't that just the sweetest sight on a Monday morning? 

What brought a smile to your face today?

Rainy Days and Mondays

I can't say rainy days get me down but Mondays sure do!

Remember Rainy Days and Mondays ? One of my all time favorite songs - classic Carpenters. They were one of the greatest groups ever - so sad about Karen, such a tragedy. 

Wow, I got a bit off topic there, didn't I? 

Well, it sure is rainy around here today - heavy rains, high winds - it's a great day to be inside looking out!

The perfect day to be curled up in your favorite chair by a nice toasty fire!

The Christmas tree came down yesterday and I started giving the house a good scrub. I always feel like it needs it when the decorations come down. 

The corner where the tree was feels so empty and bare now. 

I still haven't committed to hanging anything on those walls. 

And I still haven't figured out what, if anything, I want to do to camouflage the television. It still bugs me to have this big black box on the wall but with the strange shape of my living room (long and narrow with a path behind the chairs) I didn't see any other place for the TV. Oh well, it is what it is. 

I have a couple of candle sconces in the garage that have been on my mind lately....I ordered them about a year ago, when I got the mirror above the fireplace. They complement the mirror perfectly. I may hang them on either side of the TV....I'm thinking about it. 

I left the greens up outside - I like the way they look and I think I may leave them up for another little while. 

Or until the urge strikes me to get rid of them. 

Meanwhile, I'm sitting in my favorite chair by the fire and I'll take some time to browse around Blogland and see what all of you are up to. 

Then I might watch a little Downton. 

And I'll make a batch of Butternut Squash Soup, to start using some of the fall produce that's still around. 

I don't mind a good rainy day, when I'm in my cozy home. 

It's a great day for puttering.  

Red & White Winter Salad...and Weigh In

As you know, I've been trying to incorporate changes into  my diet and life to have a healthier me in 2016. 

Making healthier choices. Incorporating more whole foods. More fruits and veggies. 

I know it's only the first week, but so far so good. 

Friday has always been my weigh in day. And woo hoo!! I am down 4.8 lbs! I have no doubt much of that is water weight....but either way my eyeballs were super happy to see that number on the scale this morning!

Great motivation to keep going!

Last night I made a lovely winter salad that I thought I'd share with you today. This would be a great salad for a nice winter lunch. We had it as a starter before our main meal, which was Deconstructed Lasagna - one of my favorites! 

I based this salad on some of the veggies I bought when I was prepping for my no-spend month (which I'll post my progress on weekly, beginning on Monday!)

I have never purchased Endive or Radicchio before, but they looked so lovely sitting in the produce section I just had to give them a try. 

When I got them home I honestly didn't know what I would do with them! But I knew I'd come up with something. 

And I did. Something lovely!

I started by cutting the ends off the Endive and the Radicchio. I pulled all the leaves off the Endive and cut it into strips. 

The Radicchio I chopped into rough strips as well. It's so beautiful with all that glorious color!

Next came a small red onion, peeled, cut in half, and then into thin slices. 

A red pear, just ripe enough and super juicy and sweet, also cut into strips. 

Red grapes were cut in half and tossed into the mix. 

Just look at all that good stuff in there! 

I tossed in a handful of shelled pistachios for crunch and protein. 

Next came some good Gorgonzola. Because lets face it, there's no way I'm giving up cheese entirely. And Gorgonzola and fruit is the most amazing combination!

A drizzle of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar  - I used Blackberry Ginger Balsamic from the Saratoga Olive Oil Company - it's so amazing!

Some freshly ground pepper and sea salt and you're all done. 

The sweetness of the fruit balances out the bitterness of the Radicchio. The Endive has a great fresh crunch. And the onions gave just enough bite. Add the crunch of the pistachios and the creamy tart Gorgonzola and this was a match made in heaven!

The salad as a starter meant I only took half as much pasta as I would have without that fiber filling my belly. 

My body thanks me for this wonderful goodness I nourished it with. 

And it showed on the scale. 

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