Friday, November 28, 2014

I am Famous, Just in Case You Didn't Know

It has become a tradition that "Aunt Priscilla" makes turkey soup the day after Thanksgiving. Since we also had ham yesterday, my husband convinced me that I should make the potato pea and ham soup that I am famous for, besides the traditional turkey soup. Yes...I am famous, in case you don't know. (Said with a smile of amusement) Here's the story behind the soup.

When Jamie and I were on our honeymoon, we stayed at bed and breakfast places in Vermont and New Hampshire.  We had a fall wedding, so it was really a perfect place to go. We were wandering around Stowe, VT and went into a little country store. We immediately were tantalized by an amazing smell. It was coming from the deli section of this store....a potato soup with some ham and peas in it. It tasted amazing! We wanted the recipe. The lady in the store would not give it to us. It was her secret which she wasn't about to share with anyone. Jamie guessed at the predominate spices and the lady said, "Yeah...okay that's in it," but wouldn't give more information.

We went home and decided to try to figure out how to make that soup on our own. We came up with one that was pretty darned close. A couple of years later, I decided to mail it in to Country Magazine. This was all before the internet, mind you. I never heard a thing from the editors of the magazine and eventually pretty much forgot all about sending it in. Years passed. We had at least two children and moved to a different part of town. One day, the phone rang and it was a lady congratulating me on the publication of my soup recipe. She had been reading her Country Extra Magazine and noticed that one of the recipes had been submitted by woman named Priscilla B______ of  Cdga, NY. She was so excited to see a recipe from someone in her town that she told her husband. He promptly got the phone book out and said he'd find out where I lived just for fun. It turned out that I lived on the same road as them! We were living on a country road at the time and they lived about two miles down the road from us. I still had never heard anything from the magazine and no longer even subscribed to it. I had to call up the magazine and ask for a back issue (March 1999).

Now, years later, you can google my name and add potato soup to the google search and it's all over the place. Looking at the published recipe is somewhat amusing because, while it is basically my recipe...I never really measure anything. I never have. The recipe has exact measurements throughout. I also changed how I create the thick and creamy milk base. I no longer use milk. Instead, I use heavy cream...which vastly improves it. More calories and higher fat, but I've never been one to worry too much about it. Everything in moderation. So, here is a link to my famous soup. Unfortunately many of the links have my first name spelled wrong and there are even some sites that refer to it as being "potatoe" soup. I can assure you, that I have never put any toes in it.

http://yumdom.com/new-england-potato-soup/12429

Oh...it was also published in a book called "The Best of Country Cooking 2000." (I think that was the year.)  So there you have it, and now you can say, "I knew her when...."

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Merry Chri......I mean, Happy Thanksgiving!

We made it to Jamie's brother's house in Pennsylvania last night without incident. No snow or any traffic trouble. This morning we awoke to falling heavy snow. It has accumulated about a half a foot...the heavy, wet kind.  Here is Cody (my nephew) snow blowing the driveway. He is 14 years old.
It is smelling good here. Kevin cooked the turkey already so that tomorrow he can bake the ham and everything else will be cooking too. The pie that Cody helped me make is baking in the oven. I always wanted kids who liked hanging with me in the kitchen and cooking too. It sounded like such a bonding thing to do.  It turns out that my own kids aren't very interested. Cody was nice company though.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Step Here


My life has become a faith walk...I suppose that is the way it ought to be. I keep picturing the crossing of a stream. The Lord just keeps showing me where to step next. The rock I'm stepping on now says, "Martha Brown Middle School" on it. I'm not sure what the next rock will say.

Saturday, November 01, 2014

Hope you read this

I just discovered this essay that my 19 year old son wrote.
Please read, and enjoy. I'm very proud of him.
http://beavercamp.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/walk-a-mile-in-my-moccasins/

Come to think of it, he is referring to an experience that happened the time I dropped him off at camp, which I blogged about here: http://scillyspot.blogspot.com/2007/08/hello-muddahello-fadda.html

He was actually 12 at the time.