Soups, Sauces and Casseroles! Oh My!

Today being a rather blah day, I jumped deep into the kitchen to cook up some delish home dishes-- comfort food that we can "git stuck inta" (as my husband says with his Glaswegian accent) when we come home from China.  I can just imagine craving the good cooking of home while we are away...although I will enjoy the exotic (not too exotic) cuisine while we are gone. 

My Mom sent home some ham and the bone from dinner the other night, so in the pot went the bone.  My homemade split pea and ham soup is chocked full with potato, carrots, celery, onion, spices and ham.  With the other hundred pounds of ham I had, I made a yummy ham casserole made in layers with sliced carrots, corn, egg noodles, and yes-- you guessed it-- ham, a package of Italian grated cheeses, a can of ready made Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (anything that has the name Campbell attached to it has got to be great!), parsley, tad of nutmeg and bread crumb topping.

And the spaghetti sauce is done.  I put one aside to use for the lasagna I'll make tomorrow.

I've included a few pics of the gifts nature has provided to us on our property.  We live on 260 acres, lots of maple trees for maple syrup, crop growing fields, but on the five or so acres just around our house grows hundreds of wild raspberry and blackberry bushes.  They are everywhere!  I am willing to offer some of my blackberries to anyone who will share with me your morels.  Still haven't found them yet here on our property, as they are quite elusive.  Thousands of wild leeks, mind you.

So while all that is simmering and cooking, I had David haul up all of Dylan's 12month - 18month clothing.  I want to wash them all before I hang them in Nevin's closet and tuck them away in drawers.  They were previously in the old basement of the old farm house and they have just a faint whiff of the old place, despite being in the new house for a year and a half. In the wash they went.  It was a fond walk down memory lane to see Dylan's baby outfits-- all of which look hardly worn.  He had so many clothes that some were never even on him. I can't wait to see them on Nevin. 

And to report on the Aligote wine from the other night, I didn't enjoy it as much as the Chateau Des Charmes Aligote. It may have something to do with the minerals right on the Niagara Escarpment. 

Yummy Wild Raspberries and Blackberries on Our Farm!

 Way To Be Organic!