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.
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| Plant Room Hiding Place for Books |
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| 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.
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| 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.
