Birds and Soup

Although it has taken its time this year, Autumn is finally really here in Arkansas. (Do I say that every year? It is possible - I grew up in the north, and fall is supposed to come around the middle or end of September, so my reference points are always a little off for living in the south.) I finished raking the backyard last week, and just about the same time I did the last several years (at least according to my Facebook posts for those days). The front still needs it, but now it is raining, so I get a reprieve. Cooler weather seems to be sticking around, and it is raining regularly after months of drought.

Other signs of autumn:
* The state tournament for my combo tennis team was this weekend (we won!!), so now starts the inevitable lull, with only a stray singles match or lesson from time to time, until the regular season starts up again in the spring. I suppose it is good for me, but it can make me antsy, not playing several times a week.
* Project FeederWatch began over the weekend, so Malcolm and I are once again watching our bird feeders with heightened interest, as we count our avian visitors. I am excited this year, because Malcolm can really, truly participate now. Last season, he watched with me, and could pick out birds, but this season, he knows what he is doing, and he is excited too. We started our count today, and I had forgotten the thrill of spotting a new bird for our weekly list, even if it is just a white throated sparrow or chickadee.
* Soup. Maybe it has been soup season for a while now where you live, but here, we are just getting to the point where I feel a need to make a pot of soup at least once a week. I have a lot of soup recipes, and I try to make different ones, but of course we have favorites. Last night we made Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard, Sausage, and Tubettini. It is an Italian recipe that my dad passed along years ago, and I am not sure which cookbook he got it out of, and even though there are many similar recipes out there on the internet, I think it is worth passing along. Just in case you too need soup.

Minestra di Lenticchie con Salsiccie e Tubettini
Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard, Sausage, and Tubettini

Ingredients:
1/2 lb (250g) brown lentils, rinsed
10 cups (2.5 liters) light meat broth (I use 8 cups beef broth and two cups water)
1 celery rib with leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed
1 onion, finely chopped
10 oz (300 g) sweet Italian sausages with fennel seeds, casings removed, crumbled (The sausage at our grocery store didn't have fennel, so I just added a teaspoon of fennel seeds to the sausage while it was cooking)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried marjoram (oregano is an acceptable substitute)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup (125 g) tubettini or other small pasta
1/2 lb (250g) Swiss chard leaves, chopped (I include the stems too, if they aren't too tough)

1) Place the lentils in a large pan or soup pot with the broth and water, celery, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the lentils are nearly tender, about 20 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, in a skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic and onion. Saute over medium-low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage (and fennel) and saute for 10 minutes until golden.

3) Dissolve the tomato paste in a little of the lentil broth. Add to the sausage and onions and stir well. Add marjoram and tomatoes and stir.

4) Stir the sausage and onion mixture, the tubettini and Swiss chard into the lentils. Simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes (or a bit longer, depending on the pasta you pick. Go by the package). Discard the celery and bay leaf, and serve.

This is really good with a fresh loaf of crusty bread and a green salad.

Fall is definitely here

The weather has taken a cold turn - actually a bit colder than normal for this time of year, not that I am complaining - and the leaves are falling. Oh, the leaves. Oak trees hold a lot of leaves, and as you may recall from previous years' complaints, we have a lot of oak trees around our house. When my dad visited in October, he cleaned up all the leaves currently on the ground (some of which we had raked into piles in July, since they fell early due to drought), and a day or two later, the lawn was covered again. This past weekend I got out the mower and rake and cleaned up the front lawn. Thanks to the incoming cold front and the wind driving it, by mid-afternoon the lawn looked untouched. The only way you could tell I had done anything was that the grass under the leaves (what there is of it) was now tidy. The back yard is a solid carpet of leaves, and is likely to stay that way for a while, since neither of us has much time to do anything about it. Well, I have time during the day, since I am here all the time, but I can't exactly mow with Malcolm strapped to my chest, and raking with him puts a lot of strain on my back.

I have been reading a bit more lately. I found a new series at the library - the Samuel Johnson and Boswell series by John Connolly, about a boy and his dog who find themselves going up against demons from Hell who want to take over the world using a portal created by the Large Hadron Collider (it's funny, really!). I accidentally read the second book, The Infernals, first, which is something I usually would never do, but since I had already started it and didn't seem to be missing that much I kept on. Now Benjamin and I are reading the first book, The Gates, together and enjoying it. There are only two so far, but I wouldn't be surprised if it continues eventually.

Last night the UPS man delivered not one but two new books I have been waiting for - Soulless: the Manga Volume 2 by Gail Carriger, a manga version of her Parasol Protectorate series; and The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest, the newest book in her Clockwork Century series. I read the manga last night in one go, after Malcolm was in bed, and I will be starting the other today.

And, since this blog seems to be turning into an all-Malcolm blog, here is a recent picture:

Look Mama - I can grab my pants now!

Fall is upon us!

Picture by Mikey

The hardest part about going for a walk at lunchtime on a lovely day is coming back inside. We have been having wonderful weather for the past week, so I have restarted my lunchtime walks on the days that I have to stay late. At the moment, the rose beds around the capitol are blooming, the sun is shining - but not too strongly - and there is a lovely breeze. Ah...

I am sure I will be doing more yard work this weekend, and I will be baking sourdough bread (just getting a new starter going, let's hope it tastes good), and maybe even making applesauce. It was cold enough last night to put an extra blanket on the bed, and I could see my breath this morning when I took Miikka out to go potty. No frost yet - we are too far south for it to happen this early, I think - but cooler weather is just fine by me.

I love fall.

Monday morning

The sky is just starting to lighten as I eat my oatmeal and smoothie. It is cold - not as cold as it was in NY at this time last year, but cold enough to actually feel like fall. This is good. One thing that I disliked about living in Austin was the lack of real seasonal changes. It was generally only cold in January and February, and then only occasionally - I remember several years where it would be freezing cold on Monday, but 75 or 80 by Friday. Arkansas seems to be more steady, at least in its progression towards the proper season.

Anyway, it is Monday morning again. I get tomorrow (Veteran's Day) off, so Wednesday will sort of be like another Monday, but one with only a Wednesday and Friday to follow. (smile) I don't really feel like I need an extra day off yet - work isn't too draining - but I won't complain. Check back tomorrow for a post about some of the soldier memorials around the capitol grounds.