Soup Update - Northern Flicker Pair

 Here's an update on the Pesto Bean Soup I shared in my 

previous post.

I did make it again yesterday. Used the basic recipe but

 added a 1/4 cup of ORZO pasta. . . . . boiled it separately, 

about 8 minutes, drained and added it to the finished soup.  

This was a good choice and actually made the soup more of

 a thicker dish. Served with warm whole wheat pita bread it was 

our main meal.

Really great Orzo from Abruzzo, Italy.

This morning I took everything out of the fridge/freezer and gave the interior

 a heavy duty clean. How does so much debris collect in the corners, 

and so many mystery freezer bags and containers hide in the back with

use by dates now history? Over stocking and panic buying at the beginning 

of the pandemic is much to blame of course!

Speaking of eating and storing food, Mrs. Northern Flicker has really

 become such a welcome bird - along with her Mr. - at the suet feeders.

 I'm hoping so much they have a family this spring. 

They're the only woodpecker who eats on the ground at times as they love

 ants and beetles. Here, when filling the suet feeder, a piece fell and she was

 there in no time having a special easy to grab snack!

Lately she seems to come more often to feed - perhaps he's busy searching

 out a nesting site. Later both male and female excavate the nesting cavity

 for her to lay 5-8 eggs, their one annual brood. Both will incubate and feed

 their young.

 

Whoever said don't wear spots and stripes together was totally wrong!

This is one gorgeous marked large bird. . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . and I love that they are so easy to identify - he with that handsome mustache!

Ok this is where I love you and leave you.

I'm off to my stylist for a haircut. I'm sure this will be the 

very end of my pre-pandemic red hair, last colored 13 months ago!  

Just a few final snips and my 'silver' will be 100% and shining!

A rather calm Thanksgiving. . . . . .

Here it is, the day before Thanksgiving and I actually feel relieved at having nothing

pressing regarding roasting, baking, setting, serving, cleaning, scrubbing, washing up.

You know, the myriad chores associated with producing a groaning table of food 

for others. Does that sound mean? Hope not. I am very thankful for very many things. 

Over the past 50+ years, in kitchens of my various abodes, I've produced those huge

meals requiring two days of preparation, followed by 24 endless hours in a hot kitchen.

My hair got frizzed from opening the oven while basting a big old bird I never 

tasted, all while trying to get the lumps out of the gravy with one hand and mashing 

rutabaga and butternut squash with the other.

I won't expound on the clean-up and dish washing late into the night, other than

to say thankfully my lovely man always insisted in helping with that part.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind the cooking, I love cooking, but these days I love it 

on a smaller scale.

Now, if not invited elsewhere - and I'd be only too happy to bring along a dish of 

something delicious - a restaurant is the place I want to be. Being a non-turkey eater 

I don't require a traditional Thanksgiving meal other than some great veggies, perhaps 

a nice portion of tasty meatless stuffing, cranberry sauce. . . . . . and the ultimate 

splurge for me, a slice of pecan pie with real whipped cream please!

 This morning. . . . . . . . calm, and quite delicious.

What did I decide to do early as I sipped my first coffee? As there's no big bird 

chilling in my 'frig requiring my attention, I baked a big batch of our now favorite 

muffins, The Mennonite Girls Can Cook carrot raisin beauties. 

See my recent post HERE for more on this fabulous recipe, and the link is there 

if you would like to make them. I measured all the dry ingredients last night 
making less work this morning.

The recipe makes 18 and they freeze very well. I store two to a bag

and freeze them until we pull them out for a morning breakfast or teatime snack.

Once again I used Trader Joe's lovely bag of mixed tricolor carrots - more interesting

than just orange. Tossed the remaining carrots, not required for the muffins, 

into a baking dish with a quartered red onion, a sweet red pepper, and olive oil, 

and now have a lovely roasted veggie dish to enjoy also.

Happy Thanksgiving preparation if you're the chef at your home. 

Hope you get some assistance and can then sit down and enjoy a lovely meal 

with family and friends on the big day.