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!

Small Garden Birds - Quick Healthy Soup

Kitchen Window Flowers for this week include rosemary and

 snowdrops from the garden, and buttercups picked on an

 afternoon walk.

Simple is pretty. 

The English cut glass vase given me decades

 ago by my mother makes this posy extra special.

~ Carolina wren ~

Winter feeding of the Carolina wrens on our porch and feeders was, 

as always, fun to watch. Cheerful entertainment on the most cold and 

bleak days of the pandemic. The entire winter was a great one for

 bird watching and made days of smiles and happy feelings when

 everything else was often uninspiring.

I purchased another nesting box and hung it on the front porch. 

Made specifically for wrens and chickadees our smallest birds, 

other than hummingbirds who come here later in summer, 

the 1-1/8" entrance hole is the favored size for these two

 birds - hopefully one or the other will start a family here this spring.

~ Black Capped chickadee ~

Other small to medium sized birds include these - House finches

 (two males) and Northern Cardinals (one female).

It's been raining this morning and the fig tree buds now

 appear a wee bit greener at last.

I'm still often making soups - always vegetarian - and tried this one

 for the first time recently. 

May make a pot again today as it was really quick and tasty - second

 day reheated even better.

PESTO BEAN SOUP

Makes 4 servings

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 large carrot, chopped

4 cups of low sodium vegetable stock

1/4 cup basil pesto

1-15 oz can cannellini beans,

drained and rinsed

2 cups baby kale, spinach or chard 

or a mix of all three - remove hard stems

and roughly chop

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1  Warm olive oil in medium-large pot

over medium heat

Add chopped onion, sauté about 3 minutes

Add chopped carrot, sauté 3 minutes or until

onions are soft and translucent

2  Add vegetable stock, pesto and beans

Stir to combine

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and 

simmer about 10 minutes - adding the greens

for last few minutes

3  Season to taste 

(I did not add additional salt, just ground black pepper)

Serve with Parmesan cheese, if using

Notes: 

I make my own pesto in summer and freeze in small containers

or snack size baggies - that way I can control the amount of added salt.

Baby kale is so much better than large leaves - if you aren't growing your 

own, or have a generous neighbor as I do, it is available in grocery stores.

Always use extra-virgin olive oil, the least processed and retains more

nutrients than other oils.

Bon appétit!

****************

 

Camellias are lovely right now - azaleas starting to bud but late this year. 

Our deck repairs/refurbishment are completed, we are very happy with
 the work and now have a great 'handyman' whom we feel we can call on
 for future jobs around the house.
That's a good feeling.