hey jud

Some days it's easy, some days not. But regardless of how the words come, blogging is my voice. From my first posts in Paris, to Google cooking, to 'reverse the curse', I've reached family and strangers who shared my interests and read my story. Feedback for me is not a regular occurrence. There's the occasional email and request for a photo, but more often it's just a chance remark when I mention something and the response is, 'Oh yeh, I already read that in heyjud'.

The thing about blogging though, is I just do it for myself. Sometimes I have a crystal clear idea of what I want to say and the blog is done in just the amount of time it takes to type it in. More often, the idea is muddy and the whole thing takes a ridiculous amount of time. But the process is what forces me to really think things through. The posted result can surprise me and delight me, or sometimes make me cry. However it ends up though, thank you Ev for hanging in there. Above all, blogging has allowed me to know myself better.

...please

I might make this soup when I go to Nantucket this weekend. This way, I'll have the recipe and so will you.

Portuguese Vegetable Soup

1/2 lb. chourico
1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
2-1/2 c. diced potatoes
5 c. chicken stock
1-1/2 c. canned tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. drained canned kidney beans
1/4 lb. chopped kale
salt and pepper to taste

Cover chourico with water in a skillet. Bring to a boil and cook until water evaporates. Remove sausage and cool. Chop.

Add oil, onions and garlic to skillet and saute until onion is tender but not browned. Add to soup pot along with potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are quite tender.

Strain potatoes from stock and mash. Return to stock with tomatoes, beans and sausage. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Then add kale. Simmer another 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with chopped parsley. Makes about 10 cups.

There's one last huge purply, pink hydrangea on the bush right at the corner of the house. It makes a perfect warning light in the rear view mirror every time you back up the Jeep to go down the driveway.

Google cooking goes international! Follow the link and scroll down to the third article to read all about it.

...in New York at least. Now on to the World Series.

For Grandma Pete and the legions of other departed Red Sox fans, it's time to rejoice. The curse has been reversed and all of Red Sox nation is celebrating victory in the World Series. With fabulous hitting, incredible pitching and eight straight wins, the team gave us a victory that will never again be so sweet. I just hope they show the highlights in heaven.