It has been raining so long in Meadow Sweet Grove ... week after week of it! The fairies are having a hard time getting their laundry dry and all sorts of smalls are hanging in front of all the little hearths and stoves. Still, there are signs of Spring in the Grove. Lots and lots of merry songbirds are flitting about and wee, perky daffodils are cheerfully (and valiantly!) standing up to the rain. In the meantime, rainy nights make for some great soup nights. This recipe (with slight alterations) is from one of Meadow Sweet Grove's vintage cookbooks and is a very comfy and tasty version of Manhattan Clam Chowder. Pair with crusty buns and sharp cheese for a perfect rainy night supper! Manhattan Clam Chowder 1/4 cup finely cut bacon, cooked crisp 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion 1 can whole baby clams 2 cups peeled, diced potatoes 1 cup water 1/3 cup finely diced celery 1 can diced tomatoes 1 tsp. salt (if desired) 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. thyme 2 tsps. parsley Finely chop bacon and fry in frying pan until completely crisp. Add onion and saute together. Drain clams, reserving liquid and set clams aside. Add clam liquor, potatoes, water and celery to the onion and bacon. Cook, slightly bubbling, until potatoes are tender - approx. 10-15 min. Add clams, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat thoroughly and serve immediately. Makes approximately 4 servings. These little bowls are simply awesome. Perfect for setting out on the table at each place setting with (or as) the main course. Because they come with lids, the soup is kept piping hot until everyone is ready to join in at the table - and if there are any left-overs, simply pop the lid on top and store in the fridge. Fun way to serve soup to kids, great for sauces or small portions, and handy for saving any type of leftovers - all without the use of plastic wraps. Gotta love it! Source: Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book, McGraw-Hill, 1961 Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 / edited 2019/2020
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St. Patrick's Day is on its way in Meadow Sweet Grove and the fairies are celebrating! There's lots of singing, dancing, green mead and shamrock sugar cookies to go around. Of course, the hunt is also on to find those lucky four-leaf clovers before the mortals stumble across them. We have a special incentive to do so - it is said if you find a four-leaf clover, you will be gifted with the power to see fairies .... Combine dry ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl. Beat the egg, milk and vanilla into the wet ingredients. Sift and add dry mixture a bit at a time and mix well. Shape dough into a ball, cover bowl and chill until firm.
Meanwhile, grease or line cookie sheets. Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with shamrock or clover shaped cookie cutters and place on cookie sheets. Bake for about 7 minutes until edges are a very light brown. Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 / edited 2020 & 2021 & 2022 Last week at Meadow Sweet Grove the fairies shared their penchant for a daily tea break. And what goes better with a tea, a coffee (or a glass of wine or spirits if you prefer) than a good book? Each fairy in the Grove, no matter the size of home, cherishes their little library. While most true book lovers would love a library to rival the size of The Great Library of Alexandria, most of us have to be content with bookshelves and cases, over the doorway shelves and even piled up books on the floor and staircases if necessary! Reading is universal because it doesn't matter what you are interested in ... there is sure to be a book (more like thousands) written on your favourite subject! When you're interested in something, you tend to devour everything and anything you can find on the matter. All written word has value, even if you don't agree with the author or if the sources are suspect. Often an author who has been sloppy in their research or draws too many conclusions without supporting facts, will nonetheless touch on a little known event or story that spurs you on a quest for more reliable information. For example, the fairies have whispered to me that they are often misrepresented in books and that their stories have changed over time. This has encouraged me to seek out older and older sources of fairy tales, nursery rhymes, mythologies and even historical references that echo, essentially, the same story over and over, but quite often with juicier details ... The more you read, the more you can discern what rings true for you. Your collection of books and articles grow, until you have a wee library, and become a mini authority on your pet subject. When all resources are exhausted, you start to develop your own theories ... and bemoan the loss of all the fantastic scrolls of ancient information that were lost when The Great Library of Alexandria was accidentally (and also more often, systematically) destroyed. C'est la vie ... though I wish 'tweren't so. Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 |
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