35thAHSReunion

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My holiday gift to you........Mushroom Beef Barley Soup

I know I am the dead beat blogger of this year......sorry, have been absolutely overwhelmed with managing my aunt's estate.....and getting her house ready for sale. I have had little time for much of anything else, including knitting, which rarely happens.

I am snowed in today, we have had about 14" of snow....and have been shoveling pathways for my dogs to walk.......which just makes you want to have a bowl of really good wholesome soup.

So decided to make my favorite Mushroom Beef Barley Soup and post my recipe here on my blog, for you to join me, if you so desire:

You will need a very large stock pot, I use my cuisinart stock pot that came with the set.

2 lbs of beef cut up into bite size pieces, best to do while partially frozen.
( chuck, round steak, sirloin steak )

1 1/2 lbs of mushrooms, cut up.

1 large onion cut up

1 large rib of celery diced

2 carrots diced.

tablespoon of thyme

2 tablespoons of parsley, fresh is best.

1 tablespoon of beef bouillion optional

Large can of tomatoes

4 marrow bones ( 1" high)

butter

16 cups of water

1 lb of medium barley ( quaker makes a good one )


step one, lightly brown meat with half onion, put aside.

step two, saute til translucent remainder of onion, celery and carrots
with half of parsley, salt and pepper right in same stock pot.

step three, add water, and chopped tomatoes with juices, bouillion, salt
pepper, beef marrow bones......bring to boil and immediately lower to simmer,
partially cover with lid. simmer for an hour and a half. ( note if your tomatoes
are very acidic, which sometimes happens add a tablespoon of sugar to broth.)

after the broth is to your liking, taste it.

step four add the rinsed barley and simmer for another 45 mins. You may need
to add more water, if the barley soaks up too much of broth.

step five, while the barley is cooking, chop the mushrooms and saute with salt
and pepper to taste with the butter, for about 15 mins till most of juices are
gone, set aside.

step six. when barley is cooked......add the thyme, mushrooms and beef and simmer
another 15 mins, add additional salt and pepper if desired.

step seven.....EAT THIS SOUP IT IS GOOD!! It is wonderful with a nice glass of red wine
and fresh crusty baked bread on a cold winter's night. Put some of it away in your freezer,
in small container's to microwave for later, because it is way better than canned soup.

You can vary this soup by adding other veggies, like zucchini, corn, peppers or beans. I like it the way it is....You may want to add an extra lb. of beef if you like your soup really, really chunky.

I wish everyone happy holidays and a very, very happy properous NEW YEAR 2010!!!
Smiles to YOU,
DC

Neiman's says COZY KNITS are in for FALL.......

wow, just found this Neiman note in my inbox this morning......so get out your sticks and string.....

and click here




for some inspiration......

this is a knitted dress from diane von furstenberg.....Love the gauloshes, too!

Fall is just around the corner, time to take your knitting into high gear....

I am working on the rib tunic from Vogue Knitting Fall 2007, and using annie

blatt angor anny....in a pale gray green.

Have not made much headway....am still working on my aunt's estate paperwork......What a mess?

Which brings me to my next point......get thee to an attorney, find a form online, but organize your effects so those near and dear don't have to do it....At the minimum get a three ring binder and put your important papers in one place....all bank records together, stock records together, deeds to property, titles to cars, boats and other vehicles......Write down what you would like for your funeral, so your loved ones are not guessing or arguing over what to do..........it is hard to make these decisions for someone else, when you are so sad.

If you told someone they could have something after you die, then write it down....so they get what you want them to have........or put a note taped under the item.......it helps. Otherwise let's face it, anyone can say anything......which is worth nothing.........after you are gone and can't verify it....oh well. These are just some of the things that have run through my mind, during this process.

I am buried in papers, and now buried in my aunt's papers as well.....and wondering, if I have a tree's worth here in my home.....and I have clutter issues of my own.......LOL! It is sort of upsetting to be organizing her things, when I do not have time to organize my own........but, it has sure been a wake up call for me......as I know, if I croaked in the middle of the night, my family would be cursing me out........and hey, who could blame them.....because, I am not organized for life, let alone upon my death. LOL!

Here's hoping you are all knitting, while I am sorting through papers....papers, papers.......and more papers!

SMILES TO YOU.......

DC

Life is conspiring to thwart my progress..........

or no matter how hard I try, I seem to always be treading water......

I regret to admit, my Deadbeat Blogger status, remains unchanged,due to circumstances out of my control....it has been a month since I last posted, because my aunt died.

It seems like I have been running on overdrive,
since June 18th. First the coroner, then the funeral home, the priests, the graveyard.....and then the lawyers and the register of wills.....and the estate........papers, things collected over a lifetime...all under my care to resolve, dissolve, distribute.




and silence in my life, where her spirit once roamed.

This is a photo of her beloved backyard sactuary. A place for birds and wildlife to still roam that she created on almost 3 acres of land.....in an area that is overburdened with suburban tract homes... it is beautiful with a
creek running through it.....

She lived a long interesting life, she was 88 1/2 years old......and suffered from all kinds of illnesses ....that would have killed most, 20 years earlier.....proving that the will to live is much stronger than medical science. She wanted to die in her own home, and that, she did.......no nursing homes for her. Active and independent to the last day of her life. Oh and her name? Jessie P. Falcone....aka Celsimmina Bonpina Paradiso.

My aunt had a really remarkable life, admist her medical problems that plagued her from the time she was a young adult, she never let them stop her from living life. She kept moving and doing until her very last days.

She is a testimony to the strength of the WILL TO LIVE....and that anyone can overcome the trials and tribulations presented by life, if they have the true wish to endure. This was my aunt.

Her life was about knowledge, beauty and art. She was always impecably dressed and poised. Good manners, grammar and education were important to her..... She loved her family.

She loved collecting memorabilia and visiting museums. She was someone that could accomplish anything that she put to her mind.

She was tough as nails, irascible, smart, intelligent, well dressed and there was one way to do anything, HER WAY, the right way...........and she let you know, in no uncertain terms, what her opinion was.

Jessie grew up in Manyunk on Umbria st. She attended roxborough HS. She went to work as a confidential secretary for MR. Mellor, in the insurance industry. She stayed in contact with Mr. Mellors son's throughout her life.

She was very loyal to those that she loved.

She is the last of our maternal aunts........last of her generation of the paradiso family........ and although this is sad, there is joy knowing that she was able to live independent to her last days in her beloved home, filled with all the things and memories she loved so dearly. We will miss them all, her two sisters, sarah, parma....her
mother josephine.........her two aunts Caroline and Mary.



I would like to say I knit through all that I have gone thru this past month, but, I have not had a minute to myself.....

with all the arrangements I had to make.........will be writing more in the coming weeks on Death....grieving and our system of processing death.......of which, I have many thoughts.....spinning around my head.



Wishing you all a lovely summer weekend.....

SMILES TO YOU,

DC

The Canon SD IS Digital Elph Camera Arrived.........

finally. It was very quick. I never redeemed Amex points before and am really happy with the process. They said expect the camera in 14 days. I ordered it Saturday and it was here by the following Wednesday. This camera is very tiny, not much bigger than my LG Chocolate phone. I love the cherry red color, which is a departure for me, because it is not black or gray. My phone is blue. Very odd, must be going through a color phase in my life.

But, I digress, I have not read through the literature yet, but did load up the new software and took a few pics....and am very happy with the photos and the clarity. I think I like this better than the Canon SD 1000 I had or have lost somewhere in my yarn stash room.....LOL!! It is very easy to use.....even without reading the instructions, which I despise doing.

The LED screen is very large and clear and it also has a viewfinder, which I like. It is very slick, she said with a big fat smile on her face! Great design Canon!!!

And, here are the very first photos.......The first set is of the T-Squared Tank I designed and discussed in the prior post.

If you are interested in purchasing the design recipe for this tank top, please email at konoponopdesigns@comcast.net . This is modular design and is customizable for all needle sizes and gauges of yarn. The instructions will be sent by email only. The cost for the pattern will be $5 payable by paypal.

And here is a photo of the current design I am working on. I am using Blue Heron Beaded Cotton Rayon yarn, in the colorway DAWN. I love the colors....and yes they do remind me of dawn....they sort of have a bronze sheen. This yarn is from my stash...and I only had 402 yards. I had intended to make another T-squared tank.....and was wondering how it would look with mitered squares....and then the design morphed into something else. Here are some photos of the start.

















It is 6 squares wide.....and I am working on the third row of squares.
So far I am happy with the design.

The yarn though seems to be a bit brittle after you cut it, with tufts of
cotton rayon coming off the center base cotton string. I found myself
wondering if it had something to do with the dye used by Blue Heron.

In any case, I want to get back to my project and make some further progress..



Wishing you a wonderful rainy evening of fiber pursuits, if you are living in PA........

Smiles to YOU,
DC