Secret Chef #4

This weeks our Secret Chef on the big red couch is Mistress Mary. "What is your favorite dish for Thanksgiving dinner? Please share the recipe."

"This is a soup that I make and serve just about every year. Everyone loves it, and when I don't make it they complain bitterly. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law, and I think it originally came from Gourmet magazine, but I'm not sure. It has a lovely, delicate flavor." Artichoke Soup: 4 15 oz cans chicken stock, hot 2 cans artichoke bottoms (NOT hearts) 1/2 tsp prepared mustard 6 tsp lemon juice A little grated garlic salt and pepper to taste 6 T flour 6 T butter 2 cups light cream 1 can of plain artichoke hearts Make a roux with the butter and flour. Add hot broth, a cup at a time, and stir with a whisk until smooth. Cook about 10 minutes with a low heat. Puree artichoke bottoms with mustard, lemon juice, a little grating of garlic, and salt and pepper. Add puree to sauce. Stir in cream and heat through. Serve with slivers of artichoke hearts as a garnish.

I was going to prepare this soup last week because we love artichokes. I could not find artichoke bottoms at my local grocer so I asked Mary about using the hearts in place of the bottoms. This is her reply.

"I don't think so. The artichoke bottoms have a very distinct flavor and texture. They're very rich. Sometimes it does take some effort to find them. Specialty grocery stores always have them, regular stores sometimes have them."

Thank you, Mary. As soon as I get up to Fredericksburg or Prince William I'll look for the artichoke bottoms. They are not available in the market here in Podunk, Va. *** I am almost ready for my mother's visit. Hang in here with me and I'll post a couple sections of my NaNo project this weekend. I went shopping for rugs and things yesterday. I was walking the malls from 10am until after 1:30pm. Nonstop moving! My feet are tired. I have completed the upstairs bathroom except for the painting I will do this evening. I even managed to actually buy rugs for my bedroom after 10 months with only a bare floor. I'll post pictures of the girls bathroom this weekend. Thank you for the nice comments on Gracie's room. I really have (am) working hard to give the girls rooms that are pleasing to them as well as keep the integrity of the age of the house. Sometimes all of the work doesn't look like much unless you have been there and did the scraping and the sanding and the fixing. This house was in fairly good shape when we bought it. When we started painting and changing things to suit our tastes is when we found the details that had been overlooked by previous owners or intentionally hidden. Door casings that are not finished on the one side, drywall that is crumbling because a window was not properly sealed, or a toilet that has not been seated and does not have a wax seal. The previous post would have been twice as long if I had written about all the little things that had to be done. Like all of the outlets had to be changed to 3 prong plugs. The ceiling fan had to have different wiring from the attic because it was still knob and post wiring from the early 1900's. You get the idea. Thank you for giving me the pat on the back for alot of effort. It makes me eager to move on to the next room. I want our children to grow up in a comfortable home. I also want it to have the feel of southern gentility that I grew up with. If the girls are not here I want the rooms to be nice so that any guest in our home would feel just as comfortable as well. I make a lot of extra work for myself. I am picky. I do not take shortcuts. Things nag at me and I can't scrimp on a coat of paint. I see the flaws and imperfections and they make me insane until I fix them. The closet doors? Couldn't sleep until I had given them 3 coats of paint. Seriously. Again, thank you for the lovely comments. Mary, it was not picture day at school. I am one of those mothers who send their child to school looking proper daily. It is just a normal day around here. Hair fixed with ribbons and bows. Clothes proper and tidy and fitting of the child's age. Yes, I have raised girls who are fussy about their appearance out in public. Blame it on my grandmother. We all have her tastes and ideals. Mary's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will never been seen looking like urchins -if we can help it. Somedays when I visit Gracie's school I could just cry at what I see. Little girls with stringy hair that hasn't been washed or brushed. Little boys with dirty faces and hands. Children sent to school without socks or coats in the winter. I tell you I could just cry! After which I want to find the lazy ass parents and beat some sense into them. It doesn't take money (yes, I have heard the excuse 'we can't afford to blah blah blah') just a little effort to send your child to school in clean clothes with their hair brushed and their little bodies bathed. It is pure laziness that sends a child to school dirty and in dirty clothes. I'll step down off my soapbox now. I have to go to the doctor this morning. I need to have some blood work done that the previous doctor failed to do.