Chowder Basics

Mum often made large pot of chowder at the Sharlin house.  It was potato, bacon and corn, sometimes thickened with a flour and water slurry.  I just up my potato amount to make it thicker and skip the bacon usually.

Ingredients
1 Medium Onion, chopped finely
Olive Oil or Butter
Garlic, crushed
Celery, chopped finally
6 Potatoes, cubed
Salt and Pepper
Can of corn, undrained
Water/stock
Cream

Method
Saute onion until translucent in a touch of olive oil or butter (butter is tastier).  Add garlic and celery and continue until cooked through (you don't want it to brown).  Add your potatoes, cover them with your choice of liquid, the can of corn and season with salt pepper to taste.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add a touch of cream just before serving.

This is the basic recipe and you can add lots of different things to change your flavours.  Flaked fish, creamed corn, crispy bacon, chopped spring onions, fish stock, chicken stock are all yummy.

Missing and Giving

Summer is over.  There is still a little warmth in the sun, but nobody is jumping in the pool now.  There was snow at our local ski hill this week.  Snow!  Plus friends from home are posting beautiful Spring photos on facebook.  I miss Spring. Crocus peeping through the ground, crisp air, white legs making their first appearance in months.  That said, I love Fall here.                                                                                                    I miss my family.  I feel blessed to have seen so many of them this year, but I miss being close to them.  Maybe it is because I am attempting to shop for Christmas so I can get my parcel in the mail next month.  On that, any fabulous ideas for truly fabulous people who deserve thoughtful gifts? I try to think what I would like to receive to inspire me, but I would always request books or suggest a charity giving gift.  One year I sent my sister (who always manages to ignore my requests for gift ideas) this email.                                                                                                                                                                                     Please................................................................................. 

oh please, could you answer with 5 or 6 ideas, maybe a couple under $20 and as many others as you can.

Think of segments of your life:

Something for your home:

Something to help have an adventure:

Something for a hobby:

Something to bless you:

Something frivolous:

 Something to encourage you to dream:                                                                                                                                               Ok, copy and paste, just right what comes to mind, don't over think it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   And she did.  And it was awesome.  I would have never guessed she wanted her own fishing knife, because our Dad (the most generous man in the world) tended not to share his in the boat when fishing!  

 

Nyah is five

Five years ago, pink came into our lives.  I had heard via my husband that we were 60/40 expecting a girl.  I didn't believe him (or the ultrasound guy that told him while I was out of the room!). I took blue to the hospital. I was wrong, she is all girl.  Favourite colour is blue, her favourite tea is hot chips.  Favourite holiday is at the Bridport house. She wants to be a "parist parist" when she grows up just like Auntie Manda (that would be an occupational therapist).  Pretend friends still abound and play dates are much loved.  This year we decided to keep it small and just had a tea party with Olivia and Lisette, full of treats that we mainly melted rather than cooked due to how dangerous it is to have the oven on at the moment with Zeke climbing everything.

She thoroughly enjoyed her day, and had calls from home as well as Thailand and Wales.  I'm not sure I even knew anyone overseas when I was five.  We treasure our princess and are thankful for all she is.  Happy birthday Nyah.  We love you.

A heavenly birthday

7 years ago today Mum died. I wish she was still here. She didn't get to meet these two precious small children of mine. I'm sure she would have loved having a grand daughter. A fact I know to be true, as she bought two smocked dresses while she was sick, for WHEN one of us managed to have a daughter. A baby was always welcomed by Mum. She was a mothercraft nurse before she had me. She was a baby whisperer. She would have been down on the floor reading books to Zeke. Convincing him to sit still for just a little while. I miss her.