Last week I wrote a post about The Staff of Life. Fresh bread, made without preservatives, will get stale sooner than white plastic bread from the grocery store shelf. But don’t be too quick to throw stale bread out… it makes delicious croutons.
Toasting up some croutons from leftover rolls.
One of the benefits of being retired is having more time to pay attention to the little things. Things that make your life cozier and more gratifying. For me, one of those is making my own croutons. They are quick, easy and taste so much better than store bought. Besides, there is something very satisfying about using food up in new ways instead of throwing it away.
Croutons are simple to make. You just cube dried bread, toss with a little olive oil (and/or melted butter) and some seasonings. Lay them out on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake. Viola! You have croutons to sprinkle over a salad or toss in a bowl of soup for a little crunch.
Below is my favorite crouton recipe. It is an extra step when you sauté the garlic instead of just using garlic salt, but it does add a better flavor. If you don’t want to use butter, you can use olive oil or some combination of both. Either way, they are good.
Not that you need a recipe to make croutons, but this is my favorite.
The croutons last quite a while in an airtight container. But, if you have more than you can use, just crush some of them up and use as toasted breadcrumbs for some of your favorite dishes.
When you are cooking for just one or two people, the leftovers seem to pile up. (Except wine.) Like you, I hate wasting food. It makes me feel over indulged and I have visions of the poor starving kids in third world countries. So, I am always on the lookout for creative ways to use up leftovers. If you have any that you like to use, please share them in the comments.
It is winter here in the north. The temperatures hover in the low 30’s and we often wake up to a blanket of snow. It is the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up by the fire and read. It is also the kind of weather that calls for a big pot of homemade soup and a slice of warm bread. Except that, apparently bread is public enemy number one now. Cottage cheese used to be, but it is in style again.
Bread has been given a bum rap. Who doesn’t love a slice of warm bread, fresh out of the oven, with a little butter slathered on top? Now people act like you are trying to poison them if you offer them a dinner roll. But the next morning they will eat a stack of pancakes. Hum…
Long ago, bread was considered the staff of life. It has been a staple of the human diet since biblical times. Back when bread was hearty. But slowly, starting in the early 20th century, white bread came into the picture. That is when bread transitioned from a whole grain product to a highly processed loaf of chemicals; all designed to decrease costs and increase shelf life. And people bought in fully. Factory made sliced bread became a huge convenience for people. After all, you have heard the sayings, “it is the best thing since sliced bread.”
A childhood with homemade bread
My mom made almost everything from scratch. We ate from my dad’s garden, our freezer was full of beef from a friend’s small cattle ranch, and my mom preserved peaches, pears and jam for the winter months. My siblings and I remember the big crock of “housewife pickles” sitting in the cupboard. We lived eating organic food long before it was in style. Ultra-processed food was rare at our home growing up. I am quite sure that is a large part of why my siblings and I are experiencing robust, health in retirement.
Every week, without fail, my mom made a huge batch of homemade bread. She would move through the kitchen with ease, tossing ingredients together, rolling and folding dough, while the local radio station played in the background. We had a couple miniature bread pans tucked away in the cupboard and sometimes I would get to knead a little chunk of dough and make my own mini loaf of bread. My mouth was drooling and my heart was bursting with pride when she pulled that little golden loaf out of the oven.
If we were lucky, bread baking day included warm rolls for dinner that night and cinnamon rolls, dripping with frosting, the next morning. My siblings and I clamored and argued over who got the cinnamon rolls with the soft, gooey centers… back before white flour became enemy number one.
When son #1 was home this winter he made homemade cinnamon rolls (left) and raspberry rolls with cream cheese frosting (right). Apparently, he inherited my mom’s baking skills. Soooo good.
Homemade bread was a treat hot out of the oven at home. Not so much in the brown sack lunches we carried to school the rest of the week. Oh, it was still delicious, but those chunky uneven slices of bread with leftover beef and a slice of cheese (not Velveeta) weren’t “cool.” Thin slices of Wonder bread were cool. My slice of homemade cake wrapped in wax paper was not as cool as a pre-wrapped Hostess cupcake either. I would try desperately to trade it for a Twinkie or Ding Dong. We did not know what we had back then. What I wouldn’t give to have a slice of my mom’s homemade bread today.
How did bread get a bad reputation?
Industrialization ruined bread, as it has done to many foods. Flour was refined, bleached and stripped of all of its’ nutrients and fiber. Then conditioners and preservatives were added, and the dough was “enriched” with some of the nutrients that were lost in the refining process. Time went on and people began craving this soft, white sliced plastic bread that would last on your shelf for weeks before it got moldy.
Then came the low carb diet craze and bread was viewed as one of the “bad” foods, thanks to factory produced sliced white bread. It is high in the kind of carbs that cause a quick rise in your blood sugar (one of the top culprits on the Glycemic Index). Common, factory produced white bread has too many calories and not enough fiber, vitamins and minerals. Of course, this is because processing of the wheat kernel took all of that out of it. Then they tried to put it back in. Ridiculous when you think of it.
Making your own bread is satisfying and then you can control the ingredients that go into it.
My favorite bread recipe, can you tell? You can adjust the ratio of white to whole wheat flour however you like.
Ways to still enjoy the staff of life
If you love bread but have been depriving yourself of it, you can stop. We do not need to eliminate bread from a healthy diet (unless you have celiac disease or a wheat allergy). There are several ways to include bread in your diet without guilt. The first option is to eat mostly whole grain. Whole wheat bread has retained most of the wheat kernel’s valuable nutrients and fiber. It causes a much slower release of sugar into the blood stream.
If you don’t like whole grain bread, consider sourdough instead. I am sure you have seen all of the beautiful loaves of homemade sourdough bread on the internet. It has become a popular hobby. While sourdough bread is made with white flour, the sourdough starter creates a lower glycemic index in the bread, which makes it a healthier option than regular sliced white bread.
Another consideration is to eat some protein when you have bread. I know, protein is all the craze now. But if you eat it with bread, the protein will help slow digestion which prevents that quick spike in blood sugar.
Also, I recently learned that freezing your bread before you eat it tends to lower the glycemic index. Apparently, the process of freezing it causes “starch retrogradation.” Bonus if you freeze it, thaw it and then toast it (more starch retrogradation). Good news for homemade bread since it does not have all of the preservatives in it to increase the shelf life. Just keep it in the freezer and pull out as needed.
The final key to eating bread is to enjoy it… in Moderation. Almost anything can be unhealthy for you if you eat too much of it. Life is short… enjoy the bread!
In a world full of disagreements, finger pointing, name calling and government shutdowns, it is good to know that there are still people quietly changing lives for the better. There are still people that care about others and are willing to step up and do something about it. People that are making a difference in the world… one person at a time. There is one woman who is doing exactly that with a bowl of kindness. This is a long post, so you may want to settle in with a cup of coffee… or a bowl of soup.
A modern society problem
Society is becoming more isolated. Is it because we are just too busy or because social media has become our pseudo friend? Or maybe it is fear. Fear of getting engaged in a conversation we are not interested in or the greater fear of someone that is different than us. Part of it could be because we don’t need to rely on others as much. Instead of borrowing a cup of flour from a neighbor to finish dinner, we call Door Dash.
Whatever the reason, we tend to protect and isolate ourselves from others. Three out of every four people in Britain do not know their neighbors (More than half of Britons describe their neighbours as ‘strangers’ | The Independent | The Independent.) Of course this is not unique to Britain. I am embarrassed to admit how many times I have sat next to a person on a plane (a little too close in coach, but that is beside the point) and never spoke a word to each other, other than a polite “hello.” Does anyone else find it odd that we are physically rubbing shoulders the whole flight, and we don’t even talk to each other?
The reason for this increased isolation is unclear, but the reality is that we tend to keep to ourselves more. And that is causing a lot of damage to people emotionally. Especially people that are already lonely.
Curing isolation one bowl at a time
Several years ago, my dear friend’s mother Lynda, lost her husband. She was forced into the slow process of moving on with life as a widow. And so, she bravely continued to do what widows do… going through the motions of living. It was during this time that Lynda met Maggie Stuckey at a party Lynda’s son and DIL were hosting at their home. Maggie is the author of several books, including Soup Night.
This book exposes the beauty of the human soul, and it is chock full of great recipes too.
This tome is part recipe book and part inspiration for gathering neighbors together, bonding over soup. Soup night originated in a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Once a month, the neighbors on Stanton Street gather together at one of their homes and share a meal of soup. This is a simple, informal dinner gathering. The magic is in the connection. Neighbors from all walks of life, all ages, races and political beliefs, gathering to talk, laugh and share their lives. This is what is sorely missing in our society.
The power of a woman’s heart
Lynda visited with Maggie and was fascinated by her story about the connections made through soup night on Stanton Street. Lynda was at a point in life that she wanted to reach out to others and make a difference in her corner of the world. The idea of gathering others over a hot bowl of soup to nourish their bodies and souls sounded like something she would like to do. But who would she invite? The neighborhood in her small town in Washington state, did not seem like a fit. So, the idea sat simmering in the back of her mind for a while. It was at this point that she went to a friend’s 90th birthday party.
After the candles had been blown out, the cake eaten and the wrapping paper unfurled, the guests at the birthday party gathered into smaller groups, as people often do. It was there, that Lynda noticed the widows were off on the sidelines. They were no longer part of the couples that shared in common conversations. They were outsiders looking in on a life they used to be a part of. That was the lightbulb moment for Lynda. She had found her calling. Why not have a soup night for widows?
Soup night for widows
Lynda went home and began writing down names of widows she knew that she could invite to her first soup night. She came up with a list of 12 names. She sent out the invitations and the women enthusiastically responded with the usual question of “what can I bring.” Lynda told them to bring their own bowl and spoon. That way, they were not coming empty handed and it had the side benefit of less cleanup afterwards. The idea was to keep it simple. That was over 11 years ago, and it is still going strong. It is an evening of camaraderie, laughter and sharing life, that all of them look forward to. Lynda typically has 12-16 widows attend.
Women gathering for widow’s soup night.
Before guests arrive, Lynda extends the tables in her large dining room and puts out the tablecloths and birds (more on the birds below). Her sister and BIL help her get the tables ready, but then they have to leave, because, well… it is widows soup night. Lynda makes two pots of soup: one clear and one creamy. She bakes fresh dinner rolls and opens her door. Others might bring a dessert or make one of the soups.
The intent is to keep it simple and informal. It is not about the food. It started as soup night, but it has evolved into warmth for the soul. It is about the connections and sense of belonging. Lynda said that it has gotten to the point that she could just provide a glass of water, and they would all still come.
Soup night is about the connection with others.
Unfortunately, some of the ladies have passed, but new ones are always joining. The one requirement is that you have to be a widow to attend. This is a hard and fast rule. Several of the ladies insist that you cannot even have a boyfriend! It is an exclusive club for women that share a common experience in life. One lady in their small town recently became a widow. Through her tears and grief, she found one positive light, as she claimed, “now, at least I get to go to widows soup night.”
And then there were the birds
Lynda has a beautiful home that she designed herself. It is decorated with her impeccable taste and includes a few bird figurines scattered throughout. I was fortunate to be a guest at Lynda’s lovely home a few months ago.
Lynda’s lovely home. Notice the bird figurine on the side table that prompted the mysterious migration of more birds to the house.
The ladies from soup night noticed that Lynda had several bird figurines and so one evening, after the soup pots were empty, the table cleared and the last guest was out the door, Lynda saw a new glass bird figurine tucked into a little corner of her home. When she asked about it at the next soup night, no one fessed up to leaving it. After that, little birds continued to show up periodically after soup night. Now, Lynda has quite a collection that she puts on two trays to decorate the tables on soup night. She said she still doesn’t know who leaves them, but she doesn’t want to know. She just enjoys the little surprises that show up periodically after soup night.
Some of the bird figurines left by a mysterious member(s) from soup night.
Final thoughts
It is one thing to tell a widow how sorry you are for her loss. It is another thing entirely to wrap your arms around her and invite her to soup night. Lynda is still making a difference in other women’s lives and it all started with a bowl of kindness. Over 11 years ago she saw a need and felt pulled to do something about it. One woman moving mountains, one shovel full at a time.
Meet Lynda, the originator of widows’ soup night.
There is nothing quite as powerful as women gathering together with a bond. Women of strength supporting each other, whether it is championing a small business owner, supporting a colleague’s promotion at work, sharing a plant start, or gathering around a hot bowl of soup. Often times it is as simple as being vulnerable and sharing an experience or heartfelt thought that causes another woman to whisper “I thought I was the only one.” There are very few things as powerful as strong women with beautiful souls. It is a gift that, when shared with others, lifts the world to a higher place.
Cheers to the retirement years and making a difference during them!
Photo credits: Several of the photos in this post were taken by Lynda and her daughter.
We can’t grow citrus in our neck of the woods, but the PNW is the perfect climate to grow apples. When we moved to our new home, we inherited a mature apple tree. What better way to spend a crisp, sunny fall afternoon than picking apples in your own back yard? The apples are not large, but they are plentiful and delicious to eat. And… I am happy to announce that neither of us fell off a ladder in the process.
A perfect afternoon to pick apples.
What to do with an abundance of apples
We ended up picking several boxes of apples. We separated the apples into the good ones and those that had defects or worm holes. (We clearly need to spray the tree next spring.) We left the worst ones on the ground for the deer to eat, and we gave away what we could, but we still had a few boxes left over. So, now we needed to figure out what to do with them all. Unlike some fruits, the great thing about apples is that there are so many things you can make from them. Of course, the number one way to eat them is biting into one that is fresh off of the tree.
Apple Cider. Mr. U has always wanted to try making apple cider so when his friend offered to let him use their apple press, he jumped at the opportunity. Armed with boxes of apples, sharp knives and the press, we went to work. We cut, crushed and pressed, and pressed and pressed some more as we watched the juice slooowly dribble out. We have never made apple cider before… and probably never will again. It is a laborious process for the amount of juice you get. But it was a fun experiment, and the juice tastes just like apples fresh off of the tree.
The apple press in action. Slow action.
Apple pie. Who doesn’t love apple pie? After all, it is as American as baseball. (Speaking of which, the Mariner’s did pretty darn good this year.) My dad’s all-time favorite dessert is homemade apple pie. Since we inherited the tree from him, it was only right that I make him a pie from the apples. The crust recipe is one I got from my mom years ago. I remember asking her for it and, like any really good cook, she did not have one written down. She just threw things together from memory. One afternoon, I sat down next to her and wrote down the amounts as she threw them together. I am so glad that I did. Otherwise, the recipe would have been lost to the years.
My mom’s pie crust recipe. I typed this on a recipe card years ago on an ancient typewriter.
A good pie is all about the crust.
Apple muffins. There are so many delicious things you can bake with apples. Just the aroma of them bubbling in the oven is enough to make your mouth water. I have a great apple cake recipe, an apple dumpling recipe from my grandma and this apple muffin recipe that I got years ago from a recipe book by Gloria Gaither and Shirely Dobson. (Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the book.) I have made this apple muffin recipe a lot over the years, and it is always a hit. The recipe card is tattered and stained, as all good, well used recipes are.
Easter apple muffin recipe. Don’t wait for Easter to make it.
Apple cocktail. A couple years ago Mr. U and I made a trip through the great smokey mountains to see the fall foliage. I wrote about the trip in this post titled, Autumn People. We made a detour to visit Cumberland Gap. It was a gorgeous, magical trip and we walked away with some beautiful memories. But one of the best things I walked away with was an original recipe for an apple drink.
We had spent a day hiking and were ready for a good watering hole and dinner back in town. Fortunately, we stopped at the Nineteen19 Grill in Cumberland Gap. The bartender was making his original apple drink. They looked amazing so we had to try one while we waited for our meal. I am so glad we did. We thanked the bartender and praised him for his original fall beverage. When I asked what was in it, he shared his recipe with me. Every fall since then, we pick a crisp sunny afternoon to sit outside and sip on this apple beverage (that has no name).
A perfect fall day to sip on a delicious apple drink.
I don’t think he will mind if I share the recipe with you. We modified it a little bit.
FAVORITE FALL APPLE COCKTAIL RECIPE
3 oz. apple pie moonshine
5 oz. apple juice
1.5 oz. Fireball (he used a cinnamon simple syrup, but we were too lazy to make that, so we used Fireball instead. Hence, we cut down on the amount of moonshine to keep it from being too strong.
1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon
Mix all together and pour over ice. Top with whip cream and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Garnish with apple slices and a cinnamon stick to stir it.
I hope that you are allowing time to let these beautiful autumn days wash over you. And when you have a few extra hours, light a cinnamon & apple scented candle, put on some music and indulge in making a delicious apple recipe. Bonus if you share the recipe with me!
What do you do when you have a ton of boxes to unpack and a new home to decorate? Go fishing. We have been working really hard for the last several weeks and we were both ready for a break. I am not crazy about fishing, but Mr. U enjoys it, and I love being on the water. So, we decided to ignore the garage that is stuffed with every item we did not think we could part with (even after multiple downsizing efforts) and fired up the boat. We threw in the poles, a cooler and some very disgusting maggots that I refused to allow in the cooler, and off we went.
Kokanee are a small type of freshwater sockeye salmon that exist in many lakes in the PNW and down into California. There are particular times of the year that the kokanee fish are biting, and fishermen are abuzz when it occurs. They discuss bait, the best spots to find them and the depth of water the fish are at. Then they adjust their downriggers to that depth. Don’t ask me how I know… I would rather be lying in the boat reading. However, I support the fishing effort because these small pink flesh fish are delicious to eat.
The calm before the fish started really biting.
The afternoon was pretty quiet with only a few bites, which was perfect for me to read and sip a cold drink. But once the sun moved down low in the sky, the fish really started biting. I am the official netter, so unfortunately that kept me busy. Well, that and trying to take pictures, which Mr. U did not really appreciate while he was trying to pull fish into the boat. (When my family complains about me taking too many photos, I always remind them that they will cherish them later.)
It is not easy netting a fish and taking a picture at the same time. At least I did not drop my phone in the water.
Kokanee are excellent to eat and bonus that they are high in omega-3. They have a delicate pink meat and no fishy taste. The size of the fish varies from year to year. Part of the reason we made a point to go out this year was that they were pulling in large fish, running from 10-14 inches. Other years they have been much smaller, in which case Mr. U has smoked them. The smoked fish are a wonderful addition to a charcuterie tray or in a smoked salmon dip with crackers. The fish we caught this year were good size, so we grilled them. Delicious, healthy and low calorie. A trifecta food!
Grilled up a couple fish for dinner and the rest went in the freezer.
So glad we jumped on the impulse to go fishing on a Sunday afternoon. Yes, there were numerous other things we should have been doing but heck, we are retired, so we can always unpack boxes tomorrow. What is a weekend???
Cheers to the retirement years!
The gentle rocking from the waves made it difficult to get a clear picture, but it was a beautiful evening.
Lover of flip flops, waking up without an alarm, fireside chats, street tacos, waves lapping up on shore, creativity, family, the cork and all things garlic.
