Pumpkin Soup! This is Worth Coming out of Hibernation!

It's that time of year: cold, dreary and bleak outside. But pumpkin soup can enfuse joy into the dullest day, especially pumpkin PIE soup!

Check out these ingredients:

1 pie pumpkin, about 2 lbs, halved and seeded
1/2 lb bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces. Did someone say BACON!!!!
a handful of leeks, white parts only, on a medium yellow onion, diced
1 apple, cored and diced
6 cups chicken stock
1 T cinnamon
2 t allspice
1 t ground cloves
2 t nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Find a pretty little pumpkin in the grocery store. If you don't have a Whole Foods, be prepared to explain to the check out clerk what it is, how much it cost (because they never seem to know the names of foreign objects like vegetables.)



Bake the pumpkin, cut in half, for about an hour. Pour some of the chicken stock into the rimmed pan.



Cook the bacon in a stockpot. Add the onion or leeks, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook the mixture until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the apple and remaining stock. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered until apple is tender, about 10 minutes.



Scoop out the pumpkin and add to pan and simmer for another 5 minutes. Let the soup cool, and then ladle as much as you like into a blender or food processer and puree. Add back to the pan, and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. I like it better without the salt and pepper so that more of the "pie" flavor emerges.



Try not to eat the whole pot in one sitting! Serves about 7.

Day 3: Disney Cruise & Grand Cayman

Lest any of you feel insanely jealous that I got to go on this cruise, I'd like to put this trip in a little perspective for you:  this morning is was only 20 degrees here. April 20th, and only 20 degrees!  Uhhhhhhh! It's gone beyond the pale! We've now exceeded the all time records for the longest winter in North Dakota, and the lowest temperature for the date. Enough already! And what really distresses me is the realization that four months from now, in late August, we could be AT THE END OF OUR SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! done. I'm toast. but that implies heat.

I was not highly invested in the excursion we had planned for our 3rd day of the 5 night cruise. This was the "Grand Cayman and Mangrove Forest Tour". The mangrove forest sounded intriguing, but the Grand Cayman highlights seemed dismal. I was wrong: it was abysmal.

It's ok that a little island has very little to offer, and although I thought the saltwater forest would be interesting, I wish that it hadn't been packaged with "highlights."

The "highlights" consisted of a little narrated bus tour with a guide who was just bursting with information--about fast food restaurants. Why, yes! There is a McDonalds, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, and here is our Arby's! Bank buildings were pointed out (but really? did we need to see them?), and if only the man could answer some basic questions about the infrastructure or the economy. . . . One plucky tourist did keep trying, asking about how the citizens of the island got their drinking water, was there a method of desalination, but sadly, the tour guide was clueless, about this, or the economy in general on the island. Ah, well. . . I guess that's what google and wikipedia are for.

Our tour guide did not let us down, though, when it came to clever wit and repartee in pointing out that there is a street named "Hell". He managed to work this into about 15 sentences.

We even got to stop at a souvenir shop in "Hell" where we could buy postcards if we wanted. Most everyone passed, and sat this one out:

Disney Cruise: Day 2

The first full day of our cruise, we slept in late. A glorious, relaxing treat! We decided that unlike previous vacations, often accompanied by our commando vacationer children, we'd relax and zone out on our trip. That was our mission!

We slept in, and for lunch headed to Palo, the fancier Disney restaurant that requires a reservation and $20 per person. The server takes you on a tour of the food options: seafood, egg and pasta dishes, cheese tables, salads, fruits. . . .



. . . and desserts . . . it's eye-dazzling and overwhelming! And indulgent!



Next, when we could walk again with our increased weight and bulk and girth, without tipping over the ship, we wandered around, meandering to and fro, photographing Doug . . .




. . . . stuff  (Disney wouldn't like me calling their "art" "stuff", but there are now Disney Swat teams patrolling my blog :)  ). . . .




. . . . and me, reclining in the thoughtfully positioned portholes. . . .





But wait!  Doesn't all that meandering to and fro work up a thirst?  Why, it's time for the wine tasting!  Being saddened by pathetically small things, I was saddened that I didn't this time get a tiny little "wine-tasting" pin to attach to my lanyard.  What does one even do with a wine tasting pin, wear it proudly about Grand Forks?  I don't know; but I wanted one again. . . .




So, we seemed to be accomplishing our mission of zone out relaxing during the day at sea, but we weren't quite ready to crash on a deck chair just yet, so we decided to caffeinate ourselves before sitting with our book-laden Nooks by the Quite Cove pool. And right by the pool is this little Quiet Cove Cafe, where these cheerful servers recommended two fancy coffees with all manner of tasty liqueurs stirred into them.









So, some hours later, after reading and snoozing by the pool, we managed to have dinner at our 8:15 seating in Triton's, the dining room for the evening.  And further challenge to our bodies with the desserts of the night.





Unbelievably, we were still walking at the end of all this, and managed to find our way to Deck 4, where you can circle the ship a few times on their walking/jogging path. Definitely needed by this point!

Disney Magic Western Carribean Cruise: First of Five Nights

I love how relaxed and tranquil Doug looks now! I don't think you can actually relax on a vacation until you've got all the logistics of getting there finally accomplished, and this is The Moment: (Maybe. Maybe it's still "Fine! Take the picture already!" sigh)





See all that white stuff on Miami Beach? NOT snow!



The little pilot boat cracked me up! At first, I thought it was going to "sketch" Mickey Ears, but that would have probably been over-the-top! But I was impressed with the circle!



Only as we pulled away from Miami did it look cloudy. None of the coming days were cloudy--just beautiful, sunny, warm days! Perfect vacation weather! Apparently, our usual weather curse took a vacation this trip!







And at dinner: Yummmmmm! Dessert! We couldn't decide, so ordered the sampler of three desserts.



Our dinner the first night was at Parrot Cay.  Disney rotates you, with your same table-mates and servers, from dining room to dining room over the course of the cruise. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this cruise was the dinners, and not because of the food. The Disney Master Plan assigned three other couples as our table mates: one from New Jersey, one from Canada, and one from London. No children--which really does work better when you are not traveling with children, and all close in age. Good food, some wine, and great conversations! I loved the differing perspectives and life experiences! And hearing the London Sandra learn to imitate New Jersey's Lori and John's "you'll swim with da fishes!"

And then after dinner, we got to watch the movie "Lincoln" again. Even though we were exhausted, and I'd already seen it, it was absolutely riveting the second time through, after having read Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals."

And Now, We Interrupt this Winter Weather Snit for a Disney Cruise!

A month ago, we got back from one of the real treats of our life, getting to go on a Disney Cruise, in March! This anticipation of an escape from the winter doldrums keeps us going during the long November, December, January, February, March, April (and yes, often even May) months of winter.

It took me awhile to post photos, because the only souvenir that made it back with us was a nasty, lung-wretching cold that far surpassed any other cold of my adult life. And only now am I feeling energy to call upon my brain neurons to post. . .

This first shot is from a hotel window in Miami. We stayed at the Port of Miami Holiday Inn, just across the port. It's nothing fancy, just expensive, and very convenient to the port. We flew in a day early, because with a cruise in the winter, its a very good idea to allow a whole day for weather snafus. And with 12 hours of flights and airports, including one trek across an open field of snow to get from the parking lot to the airport entrance, a day of recovery time is a Very Good Idea.

And it gave me plenty of time to press my lens against the hotel window, using a slow shutter speed, to get light trails from the cars below:



Waiting in the Port of Miami just prior to embarkation is an exercise in containing excitement. You are so close, and have made it past so many of the Things That Can Go Wrong in travel!



Once you board, the first stop is the first buffet. This is your first chance to have Choice Overload of picking out all kinds of tasty things to sample. I've been trying to follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and had decided that on this trip, I'd eat whatever I felt like, and assess its impact. I noticed that for the most part, I genuinely wanted the choices that were still within the Diet guidelines. There was enough that was not, however, and although I felt the impact, it was not disastrous. I was very aware, however, that the effect might be being masked by medication, but all went well.



After the buffet is when you drag your carry-on luggage to your cabin and are allowed to check into the room. I find that the only reason to really keep much luggage with us at that point is because I'm just not willing to let me photographic equipment stray to far from my hands and sight.





Not too long after unpacking in our cabin, it's time for the mandatory life boat drill. Strangely, we don't have to put the life jackets on, just watch how it's done, and even though I'm one of those people who pay attention to the safety stuff on airplanes (and read my vehicle owner's manual), I missed the life jacket demonstration! I must have just spaced it out, watching some little kids torture their parents with sibling rivalry. Ooops! After all the Carnival Cruise line trouble, and seeing Titanic, I really did want to pay attention!



Time to check out the pools and decks!





And to check out a tropical drink-of-the-day! I'd thought we'd order the drink-of-the-day each day, but there really are just too many choices!




And before long, the Embarkation Party! Here's something really important to note: No one is wearing parkas or gloves! Or racing AWAY from the outdoors! . . . . *sigh. . . . it's another world!

Husband Loses It over the Weather in North Dakota (understandably!)

"We're in the f*ing suckhole here!"  This is what my mild-mannered, sweet-natured  good-humored husband said today.  Because of our f*ing weather. I don't disagree with him in the slightest. Enough already!  30 degree weather, snow, and the ugliest, bleakest, greyest landscape you can imagine, while the rest of the state gets to have 50 degree weather.

And Montana gets to have mid-60s, double our weather!

So, imagine how I feel about the following photos, taken a whole month ago, NOT IN MY BACKYARD!

*sigh* And we had to come back. .

Buffalo Buddies. . . Signs of Spring!

Signs of Spring? Really! They are! (sort of). Or at least signs of MY experiencing spring because I'm willing to get out of the car, approach these cute little beastlies, and try to make odd noises at them to lure them closer.



They're so strange and fascinating; they have very "herd-like" behavior, moving in unison, signaling some how to each other that one or the other should stand guard and check me out. And then when they decide I'm icky (how rude!) they all show their backsides to me at once, and move away.

Doug is NOT in the Trees!

More signs of winter. . . .



. . . . and LOOK! Doug is NOT in the trees!

Some Poor MisGuided Souls LOVE Winter!

It's true; there are those who love this white stuff and relish the idea of bundling up and heading out into it.
Not me!



And even though this was considered a gloriously wonderful day in terms of the temperature (15 above; keep in mind that our windchills registered around 37 below this past week), I still can fill volumes listing the ways I hate winter.

Here's a sampling:

1. It gets so dry indoors that my fingers crack and bleed at the corners. It's not a phenomenon peculiar to me; my friends and I spend long hours debating the relative merits of liquid bandaid, clear nail polish, first aid tape, and every possible lotion you can think of;

2. Your best bet to give your dog exercise is to throw a rubber ball down the stairs, over and over and over;

3. I'd never read the local newspaper for weeks on end if my husband didn't walk the two steps out the front door, because it's too freakin' cold;

4. The worse thing about filling your gas tank is NOT the price! (that is, if you can get the frozen gas cover open; *hint: credit cards are helpful for this.);

5. Wearing two winter jackets at once is not out of the question, as in: an inner down jacket and an outer windbreaker type Northface jacket.

OK, OK, in the interest of not being a total winter grump, one silver lining is each day, I scan the horizon for sun dogs, and we've had lots of them this year.

Yogurt: Specific Carbohydrate Diet

One of the staples on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is home-made yogurt. Happily, this is a very satisfying thing to make. . . . and eat.

The process involves heating whole milk to just over 180 degrees, to simmer, for 2 minutes, and then cooling it down to below 110 degrees. It takes a good long time for it to cool down. But in the meantime, I sterilze the little jars that I'm going to pour the yogurt in. I boil water, with the jars in it, for 10 minutes, and then just let it sit in the water until the milk is ready.



Next, I take about a cup of the cooled milk, and stir in yogourmet (freeze-dried yogurt start that I buy at a health foods store. If you can't find it, whole milk, plain, Dannon yogurt will work). For each bath, I have to use a packet of the yogourmet or Dannon starter, NOT a portion of my previous home-made yogourt.

SCD is very specific about the bacteria that must be generated in the yogurt, so not just any yogurt will do. And for this to be effective, the yogurt has to be cultured for 24 hours in order to eliminate the lactose from the milk. I have a yogurt maker by Cuisine, so it's very easy to just drop the little jars into the yogurt maker, and leave it on for 24 hours. There are other ways to make this, to provide the heat to a batch of yogurt, but this is the most convenient way.

The theory is that the colon becomes populated with more of the good bacteria, and the bad bacteria is starved out, by restricting carbohydrates. "The allowed carbohydrates are monosaccharides and have a single molecule structure that allow them to be easily absorbed by the intestine wall. Complex carbohydrates which are disaccharides (double molecules) and polysaccharides (chain molecules) are not allowed. Complex carbohydrates that are not easily digested feed harmful bacteria in our intestines causing them to overgrow producing by products and inflaming the intestine wall. The diet works by starving out these bacteria and restoring the balance of bacteria in our gut.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet™ is biologically correct because it is species appropriate. The allowed foods are mainly those that early man ate before agriculture began," (from Breaking the Vicious Cycle website ) As you can see, there are some similarities to the Paleo diet, although there are a few additional restrictions on the SCD diet.

But I'm relieved to know that 4 weeks into this diet, my symptoms of colitis are improving, and while I can't be certain whether it's the medication, or diet, or just the passage of time, I'm just glad I'm seeing improvement!

And besides, I get to eat some delicious yogurt! Honey is the only sweetener allowed on SCD, so of course, I add to the yogurt.. . .along with some fruit, or maybe coconut . . . or maybe I'll even throw in a little peanut butter (as long as it's "no sugar added".)