Fall has finally arrived,
with it a bit of rain but also some beautiful days of cool mornings and sunny afternoons. It is my favorite time of year, I love all the fall colors and uncertain weather. With this weather brings soups, braises, hot chocolate and a curling up with a good book.
What I don’t like about it is how it gets dark so soon and folks whining about how much it rains here.
Book Club
Get your list of favorite books you have read in the last few months ready to present to book club on Monday Oct. 9th. We will have our first meeting of the Richmond Manor Book Club, we will be meeting at Linda W. #301. We will pick the selection of books for us to read and critique. We will also be making out a schedule of hostesses for the year. Bring a list of books you would like us to read this year. We will pick the books, who will be hostess for the year.
Traveling neighbors
Cheri is on a trip to Portugal and Spain. She is hoping to get a chance to see and visit with CJ and Luis while she is in Spain. I’m anxious to hear about her adventures when she returns.
Bev has a trip planned to San Francisco this month
Linda and John had a good time in Whistler a few weeks ago as did we. We were able to get together for dinner while we were both there.
Neighbors with birthdays in September
Kaare, David Ridge and Dawson all share birthdays this month.
Recipe du Jour–
Because fall is in the air I thought a simple soup would be a good match.
20 Minute Chicken Parmesan Soup
4-6 servings
Ingredients
2 C rotini pasta uncooked
½ of small yellow onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 T olive oil
3 T tomato paste
2 cans )14.5 Oz EACH) Italian diced tomatoes
3 C Swanson Organic Free-Range Chicken Stock
1 Tsp dried parsley
1 and ½ dried oregano
½ tsp ground paprika
Salt and pepper
2 C rotisserie chicken shredded
Freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 T fresh basil chopped
Instructions
Follow package directions to cook the rotini pasta to al dente. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
Meanwhile, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
Place a large pot on the stove top and turn to medium high heat. Add the oil and onion. Sauté for a few minutes until tender. Add in the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
Add in the tomato paste, un-drained diced tomatoes, chicken stock, and seasonings (parsley, Italian seasonings, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper to taste, about ½ tsp pepper and ¼ tsp salt)
Mix and heat through and then bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Stir in the prepared rotisserie chicken and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference (salt and pepper here again if desired and/or feel free to increase any amounts of the seasonings).
Serve soup with a generous spoonful of the pasta mixed in, fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.
Keep the pasta separate from the soup base unless you plan to serve all the soup in one day, that way the pasta doesn’t get soggy.
Recipe from www.yummly.com
The Movies
Jerry and I went to see Dunkirk yesterday at the urging of several of our neighbors. We enjoyed the movie, as much as you can enjoy the depiction of such historic event. In 11 days 338,000 service men were evacuated from the shores of Belgium across the 21-mile English Channel to safety. 850 military craft were involved, over 200 of which were sunk by the Germans. Also used in the evacuation were over 700 merchant and private vessels of all shapes and sizes.
The movie was very well done with outstanding special effects. Jerry thought the story line was weak and depended too much on special effects but agreed that it was a good movie.
October is Breast Cancer Month
We were in Charleston in October — Breast cancer month, the window display of a cute shop on King street
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer risks, the value of screening and early detection, and treatment options available to women and men who are diagnosed with one of the many forms of breast cancer. More than 249,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year, and nearly 41,000 dies from the disease.
Tips Du Jour- It’s all about meat
Better Browning
Meat will brown better if you blot any moisture off its surface. A paper town makes a great blotter
Hands-free Meatloaf
If you don’t like getting your hands messy when mixing meatloaf, put the ingredients into a large, resealable plastic bag. Close the bag, then kneed everything together until ingredients are well mixed.
Pounding out chicken breasts
Often times when pounding out chicken breasts for cutlets or scaloppini the meat tears. Try this, wet the inside of a gallon freezer bag with a little water. Place your skinless breasts inside the bag. Lay the bag on a work surface and pound the meat to the desired thickness. The water keeps the meat from sticking and tearing, plus there’s no mess. Just remove the chicken and throw the bag away. This also works using plastic wrap.
Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner, so get ready for our little hobgoblins. Hopefully we will have our usual gang.
