Sunday, April 27, 2014

~Question: When is a soup not a soup?~





 Answer:  When I make it!  
I am not a very good cook....I can follow a recipe quite well, and cakes and desserts I find are easier, but sometimes I just cant make something how it is supposed to be.  Take soup...well not just any soup but Split Pea soup just like my mum and dad used to make. 
 I grew up watching my mum and dad make soup together.  Dad always made the broth...either ham bones or beef bones or a combo of the two.  He hand picked the bones he would use, and once selection was made out would come the huge pot and in it would go water and the bones.  Dad would boil these for an hour...no more, no less and then leave them to sit in the pot overnight to allow any fats to rise for skimming in the morning.  While dad did this mum would sit the split peas to soak in a big bowl ready for morning.
Dad would be up bright and early checking on his broth....carefully skimming the top first then removing the bones, but only after any, and all fat was gone.  He would then get out all the vegies for mum to do the next part...these were carrots, onion, swede, turnip, and celery, plus salt and pepper.  Mum would then set about peeling and grating (by hand) all of the vegies and pop them in the pot.  The split peas where then rinsed and in the pot they would go and pepper and salt added to the mix.  The huge pot would be set to boil and then left to simmer for the next four hours whilst being stirred and checked periodically.  Nothing says home more like homemade soup.....and the taste was divine.
The smell of Split Pea soup returns me to those days like nothing else can.  Now getting back to my soup......it is with these memories locked in place, I knew I could make my own version.  I gathered all the ingredients and set about making it just like mum and dad did all those years ago.  The smell was as it should be but my soup looked like a bit pot of coloured water.  Grabbing a spoon for the taste test, I carefully blew on it until it cooled enough for me to not burn my mouth.  Well burning my mouth was the least of my worries........it tasted like.....water.....water with a hint of vegies.  I have had flavoured waters that have more taste than my soup.  There was no body...just water.    Nothing could describe my let down.  
On that note I hit Google looking for answers, and would you believe when I typed in "How to fix watery Split Pea Soup?" I found a forum.....imagine my relief that many others before me had the same result.  I eagerly searched for the miracle that was going to save my soup.  Instead I got options....boil off the water said one....and add potatoes said another........pour it out and start again said someone else.  So I decided to start with the first and set the pot to boil with the lid off........2 hours later and it still looked like my watery version.  Hubby suggested the potato but I couldnt bring myself to do it....afterall it wouldn't be the family recipe if I did that.  So I opted for the last suggestion and tipped the whole lot out...and went to bed.
Next morning I awoke with resolve and set off for the supermarket to grab all the ingredient to start again afresh, only this time with less water and more vegies.  So while it is not as perfect as that of my parents I finally conquered the right mix ratio of vegies to water and made my own Split Pea Soup, that now has the right texture and smells just as good and tastes ...like coming home.

PS The photo is not mine because that would mean I actually remembered to take some...this one I found on google


Saturday, April 26, 2014

~Pink Saturday~





The weeks pass so quickly....its been two weeks since my last post.  I have been busy in the garden getting ready for Winter.....just tidying up in wait for all the dreaded weeds that will be popping up shortly.   I am looking forward to spending more time in the Sewing room and being creative when the cold wet days of winter arrive.  
I thought I would share with you a couple of vintage sewing things I have had forever.  Thank you to Beverley from How sweet The Sound for being hostess as always,

~Happy Pink Saturday~












Saturday, April 12, 2014

~Where does all the time go~


Life has been very hectic around here and not with any thing in particular but just everything. 
Its usually Sunday before I realised I have missed Pink Saturday, so this week I am writing on Friday so I don't miss out.  
I managed to get a little bit of sewing done today but I doubt I will be ready for a Mothers day Market I was planning on doing.  I may have to open a shop on my fb page ~ShAbBy PrIm DeLiGhTs~ instead.  
I have dragged in my old embroidery machine which I am embarrassed to admit has been in storage since 2005....only to discover all the software for it is on floppies and the instruction video on VHS.  Hopefully I can find everything for it online because I have totally forgotten how to use it.  
I will keep this short and sweet....thank you as always to the lovely Beverly from How Sweet The Sound for being hostess.  
Have a great weekend and a HAPPY PINK SATURDAY

~Some pretty fabrics I have been playing around with~

~Shabby Guest Towel~

~Guest Towels being packed for sale~


~Playing with more pretty fabrics~

~Meet Bernie my Bernina....fresh out of storage~

~Finally got her clanking away~