the soup and a shawl and forty

Today I turn forty.  I am super excited. I am healthy, I have a wonderful family, the greatest friends, I feel joy in my heart and (on most days) a spring in my step.  Today I picked pajamas off the floor and thought how fabulous it is that my girly still can't seem to pick up after herself because this mama can use the extra squats to keep her backside in shape!  Delusional or not, I am happy to be my age and look forward to an awesome year...beginning with my cake!  (I wrote this on sunday and will post photos of me and my cake as soon as I eat some tomorrow.)

Now back to the busyness (I mean business) of serious blogging.

For those of you who showed interest in my mushroom soup recipe from Thanksgiving and patiently waited more than a fortnight for me to finally get around to posting I have the recipe - proceeded by a small disclaimer. 

  

Disclaimer: I make soup at least once a week (often twice) when the weather is chilly.  I rarely use a recipe as I have found a cooking "method" that works for me and that my family will eat.  No matter what type of soup I'm making I always begin the same way - by sauteing the veggies in olive oil and then adding broth and leftover chicken or meat or beans.  Thus, this is less of a mushroom soup "recipe" and more of a "method" for making whatever kind of soup you like.  I usually use trader joe's organic chicken broth for most of my soups but mushrooms go best with beef stock.

Mushroom Soup  - the Method

olive oil (enough to generously coat bottom of large soup pot)

1 large onion, diced

8 oz carton mushrooms, sliced

4 oz package mixed dried mushrooms (i got mine at trader joe's)

Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil on high heat for 5 minutes.

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

       2 cloves garlic, minced

1 turnip, sliced

Add above 4 ingredients and saute 5-7 minutes more. (this gives the soup a ton more flavor than simply tossing them into broth to boil). 

2 -32 oz. cartons beef stock/broth

3 cups water

5 small red potatoes, diced

Add beef stock, water and potatoes and simmer 15 minutes.

leftover chicken breast, shredded  (optional)

1 bunch rainbow chard, sliced

Add chicken (if using) and chard and simmer 5 more min.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy.

Note:  do not omit the dried mushrooms - they impart the most wonderful flavor and smell to this soup.  Also, there is no need to rehydrate dried mushrooms if you are using them in soups.

Soup Tip:  Leftover soup of any kind tastes great ladled over a bowl of pasta or steamed rice - and satisfies the needs of all the carb lovers at my house!

But wait; there's more. 

I knit this super simple, super cute shawlette.

This is the storm cloud shawlette pattern by ever green knits.  I knit the ruffled version shown in blue but modified the pattern a bit.  To create the ruffle I knit into the front and back of each stitch followed by 8 rows of garter stitch.  There are a lot of stitches here but this small shawl knits up quickly and it's a perfect beginner project - just knit stitches and yarn overs.

I used 2 skeins Noro Kureyon wool left over from this sweater and half a skein of Rowan Pure Wool for the ruffle. (about 300 yards total)

Pattern: storm cloud shawlette

Yarn: 2 skeins Noro Kureyon &  half a skein Rowan Pure Wool  (300 yards total)

Needles: US size 8

Mods: for ruffle I knit into the front and back of each stitch followed by 8 rows of garter stitch (not elongated garter like the pattern suggests).

Finally I learned that I am not the only one getting older around here.  My girly, who turned six in September, is a very big girl and requires a size 8-10 sweater.  And nothing will bring a knitting mama back to the reality of how big her kiddos are getting like ripping an entire sweater (i had been ripping for a while when i stopped to take this picture).  So this year I vow to live each day with purpose, to have joy in my heart, and to be present with my kiddos because the years are passing way too quickly.  I also vow to knit my girly more sweaters now - before she gets even bigger and her sweaters take longer to knit - or heaven forbid she asks to borrow mine!

"Happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you're lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love."  - Adela Rogers St. Johns

Comments

[aracne]

Brilliant!
Thanks a lot for the recipe of the soup, a clever way to use leftovers and eat plenty of vegetables.
And thank you for the shawlette pattern, perfect for a last minute gift.
I hope that you had a great birthday party: 40 is a milestone, life is getting better and better, trust me!

[annri]

Happy Birthday, Larissa!

Thank you for the soup method and shawlette "recipe". I like the fiddle with recipes too, especially soup.

I like the quote at the end of your post.

[Fran]

How weird is that, I just turned 40 on Saturday! (And also have a 6 year old daugter...) A very happy birthday to you. I'm not sure I felt quite so enthusiastic about it, but I have had a wonderful weekend of special occasions. Thank you for sharing your lovely blog ideas.

[Rose]

Happy birthday! What a great outlook you have! The shawlette is lovely; also the sweater you have on--did you make that also? Enjoy the week!

[Meg Evans]

Happy, happy birthday, friend! I just love your outlook on life and on the coming year. I will have to borrow your beautiful philosophy. And I'm going to have to go find that Libby sweater I had started on a few months ago and finish it up for my oldest girlie! I love that shawlette--and I love the blue cardi you're wearing under it, too! I wish you a wonderful birthday, Larissa!

[irene]

Happy birthday--I turned forty at the beginning of the year--it's been a blast so far! Thanks for the link to the shawlette, yours is gorgeous, I may need to add that to my queue. :)

[Lisa Q]

Happy Birthday Larissa! I hope it is a year filled with joy and blessings. Before you know it your little girl will be snitching your sweaters to wear. Your soup looks wonderful. I need to try this over the Christmas break. the shawlette is just beautiful....love the colors! Have a wonderful week friend!

[Andrea]

As always your recipe/method looks delicious and thank you very sharing!! A very happy birthday to you!! Love the shawlette....I totally agree with knitting for the kids while they are small (which is why almost everything I knit is for them)...they do grow so fast.

[Beth]

Happy Birthday !!!!! Your soup and knitting look great and I love your resolve for the new year. Your quote is great!!!!!

[Denise]

Happy Birthday!!! Welcome to the the 40 club too.

Don't you just love Trader Joe's? Your soup does sound very good and warm.

Beautiful knitting as usual.

[Jodi]

I made a similar soup a few weeks ago -- after you posted your recipe. It is very yummy. We are very much in a soup-mode around here. I could eat it every night of the week.

Love the shawl. So classy.

[Courtney]

Happy, happy birthday! I wish you the best as you begin this new decade :-)

PS - Your shawl is just gorgeous!

[Nancy]

Thanks for the gifts to us on your birthday! Love, love the soup making ideas. Totally up my alley.

I caught your shawl on flickr and had to come over here to see it too--incredibly beautiful.

And cheers to loving your age!! Happiest of birthdays to you!

[MrPuffy]

Happy Birthday ~ I agree with you to have good health and a lovely family ~ what a blessing and no better gift.

We eat lots of soup all year around ~ your recipe sounds delicious ~ thanks for sharing!

Love your shawlette ~ the colors are stunning on you. I'm a huge fan of Noro Kuryeon and have tons to knit a blanket....someday... Ha!

P.S. LA is having unusual rain (Pasadena - your old stomping grounds?) had record rainfall.... I'm hoping to leave for the holidays tomorrow and just hope the mountain roads around me hold up.

[dani@little fists]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

I love the fact that you embrace your age. That's awesome. I need you to rub off on me.

That soup...wow.

The knitted goods...stellar.

[beki]

Happy Birthday, Larissa!!!

Had I been around blog land in recent days, I'd have included a little extra something for you in your package...but I do have your mailing address :)

[Kathy]

Happy Birthday, Larissa!

[Karen]

Happy Birthday, Lariss!
I love that you use a 'method' instead of a 'recipe.' I'm sure that allows for more of whatever goodness happens to be in the garden or the pantry, and less worrying about specifics. I'll have to try it!

[Kim]

Happy Birthday! I love your new shawl. And that soup looks delicious. I'll have to try it out in my big red pot. :)

I'm guessing that you don't eat sausage if you keep a Kosher kitchen? So, you won't be cooking up any Sausage Soup? :) My mom is actually Jewish and my dad was a Catholic school Catholic so I grew up with both religions. My 97 year old grandmother (who is still alive) is an Auschwitz survivor. Your Hanukkah post below brought back memories.

PS...do you shop at the TJ's in Va Beach, by chance?

[Dodi]

Larissa-- thank you for sharing this recipe! It's printed and in my pile of upcoming 2011 meals!

Sending you much love for your birthday! So glad to have found your little space here. I admire your knitting and sewing, always aspiring to some day be as talented as you. :)

[jane]

Happy Belated Birthday! You will love your forties!

[Hanna]

I was so excited when, sleepily one morning, I was scrolling through Google Reader and saw -- wow, on a blog that I read all the time -- a Storm Cloud Shawlette!! I can't believe it's taken me so long to post and say that I LOVE your version! It looks so bold and vibrant in a heavier yarn.

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