Saturday, January 13, 2018

Channeling a Housewife: Cabbage and Potato Soup

Last week a man left two boxes of books on the porch for our Little Free Library.  As I walked outside to greet the stranger, our dog Treble ran past me and tried to eat or at least intimidate the poor guy. After I rescued the man, I apologized profusely and thanked the now in a hurry to leave man for his donation.

I always sort through books donated and put nonfiction in one box, general fiction in another, mysteries and thrillers together in a box, romances in another, and children’s literature has its own section in our Plant Room where I store books awaiting placement in the LFL. 


Plant Room Hiding Place for Books


Under the tie-dyed tarp is a treasure trove of books for the LFL
As I examine the books the man donated, I notice a 1980 compilation of Southern Living recipes. Leafing through the book, I look up cabbage recipes because I have a head of cabbage leftover from New Year’s. Hmmm, cabbage potato chowder catches my attention so I mark the place.



After a brief warm spell, the weather turned cold again in Shreveport so I seriously start thinking about the cabbage and potato soup. I grab the cookbook, then look at a few recipes on-line to see other ideas for potato cabbage soup.  I decide I’ll add carrots and celery to my soup since I have both on hand. 

The soup making and nesting process begins. I chop up the carrots, celery,  ½ head of cabbage, and one large Idaho potato. The vegetables steam in a little water until they are getting soft, then I add four cups of chicken broth, a bouillon cube, several cups of milk and heat everything together.  I throw in seasonings—black pepper, a little rosemary, and a heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a stealth ingredient mentioned in an internet recipe.  After everything is hot, I add a partial bag of grated Monterey Jack cheese because it's in refrigerator and needs to be used. Once it melts, soup’s on.
Cabbage Potato Soup
Corn bread, also made using a recipe from the pictured Southern Living cookbook, completes the comfort food duo. Finally I prepare a quick Waldorf Salad to add fruit to the meal.




I feel as if I’m channeling a ghostly housewife from years gone by who isn’t quite ready to give up her KP duties, but that’s okay. So far as I can tell, it’s a win, win arrangement.


11 comments:

  1. Next time, send out invites. I probably had that issue at one time!! Great read and photos.

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    1. I always make enough food for an army, or at least the neighborhood. Come on by.

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  2. That soup sounds yummy! I love seeing that pile of childrens books just waiting to go into the LFL!

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    1. Thank you so much for the children's books, Loretta. I promised I would share with one of the other LFLs in the neighborhood so I need to go through them soon to see which are better suited for her book box.

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  3. Yay for books and cooks! You nourish the mind and the mouth, Teresa. :)

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    1. Why didn't I think of books and cooks as a title--you're so clever with words and your hands, Jenny.

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  4. I wish our little area had those libraries. It's hard to know what to do with books I know I'm not going to read again, or just don't want to keep. The libraries are particular now. And my taste isn't "popular" so a lot of my books might not be wanted for their book sales.

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  5. I, for one, often share your reading interests. I just received in the mail several of the Stillmeadow books which I look forward to reading and sharing with my sister, but I do know what you mean. We also have a liberal arts college in our neighborhood that has a large annual book sale attended by people with wider reading interests. Extra books can be donated there. I love your blog, Nan, and feel like I connect with a good friend every time I read it!

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    1. Aren't you just so nice to say this! Thank you very much! And I love coming by here.

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  6. It's funny isn't it how some cookbooks have recipes that just ask to be cooked. I have a very old copy of Mrs Beeton for 1911 and it's so old it assumes you're going to be cooking on a coal range. But some of their recipes are really great, once I've managed to adapt them!

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    1. Wow, that's impressive that you can figure how to make them with today's appliances! I love old cookbooks with personality. I can sit and read them like a novel. That especially includes those cookbooks from my hometown--the church, the town's cookbook, Big Brother Big Sisters, all the organizations that published cookbooks back in the day. I remember all the ladies whose names are mentioned. The food described here is a memory track to my childhood.

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