In Which My Efforts Are Rewarded—and Appreciated
After the grimness of The Gulag Archipelago, my literary society is taking a couple of months to enjoy classic British mysteries. As I mentioned yesterday, the kids could pick any of the eleven Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayer to read this month. I have been a Lord Peter fan for a couple of decades now, and it was so enjoyable to reread one of the best of the bunch—even more so since I had completely forgotten the plot and could be surprised all over again!
The day started with a trip to Wal-Mart to buy last minute groceries, and also some candy for the advent calendar. This is my last year to have to stuff seven candies into each one of the little pockets:
When I made that thing, I only had two children!
By a striking coincidence, the tooth fairy finally got her act together and left some long-overdue loot for Lucy and Jasper tonight. Even more striking is the fact that the tooth fairy hoard seems to consist entirely of the same kind of Christmas candy I used in the Advent calendar.
Our menu today wasn’t terrible complicated, but it was one of those meals where you end up doing a lot of stuff at once at the end. We started with cheddar cheese soup, and it was such a hit that I’m including the recipe. I found the original version online but I ended up altering it so drastically that I feel I can take credit for the results!
CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 c. butter
4 c. chicken broth
4 c. milk
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or to taste)
Cook onion in butter until tender.
Add chicken broth and 3 cups of the milk, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium.
Whisk cornstarch into remaining cup of milk, then add to soup and whisk until it begins to thicken.
Stir in Worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese.
Serve as soon as cheese has melted; garnish with grated cheese.
I had a whole pork loin roasting in my roaster oven all afternoon, along with some potatoes. The last half hour before dinner, I was madly making soup, making gravy, making glazed carrots, and making Yorkshire Pudding! Fortunately, the trifle was finished a couple of hours earlier.
The roast was tender and delicious and the Yorkshire Pudding was puffed to perfection. In fact it was a very satisfying meal, and the trifle at the end was a big success too. I hate it when I go to a lot of trouble over something and then my guests turn up their noses at it. I don’t think anyone ignored the trifle tonight, though.
Afterwards we gathered in the living room for a video of yet another classic British sleuth—Albert Campion (by Margery Allingham). I just recently acquired the Campion DVD’s—I had seen them years ago on public television, back when we used to have television. Sadly, I have a feeling that I was the only one who actually enjoyed tonight’s Campion episode.
And I nearly forgot:
Since today is the first of the month that means it’s time for the recipe index. If you are interested in any of these recipes, just go to the post for the date indicated (sidebar link) and there it will be.
Recipe Index
Apple Punch—December 19, 2005
Bacon-Wrapped Dates—June 22, 2009
Basler Brunsli (Swiss almond chocolate cookies)—October 24, 2006
Birdseed Bars—November 14, 2006
Breakfast in Bags—September 17, 2008
Broccoli Salad—November 20, 2007
Brunch Casserole—November 25, 2005
Butter Mints—December 8, 2005
Candied Peanuts—November 21, 2005
Caramel Rice Pudding—September 27, 2005
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing—February 28, 2008
Chai—September 5, 2005
Cheddar Cheese Soup—December 1, 2009
Cheese Soufflé—September 11, 2007
Cherry Cheese Pie—October 19, 2006
Cherry Crunch—January 31, 2006
Chicken Enchiladas—January 23, 2006
Chocolate Fudge (2 recipes)—January 31, 2009
Chocolate Wiggly—March 11, 2006
Coconut Squares—April 25, 2006
Cornflake Cookies—August 29, 2007
Corn Pudding—October 5, 2005
Cream Cheese Spread—February 6, 2006
Crostini (Fresh Herb-Tomato)—June 22, 2009
Crumpets—August 23, 2006
Deluxe Potato Soup—December 12, 2005
Dump Cake—December 12, 2005
Dutch Apple Pie—November 20, 2007
Dutch Oven primer and stew recipe—November 7, 2006
Easy Elephant Ears—October 20, 2008
Éclair Dessert—November 16, 2005
Freezer Ice Cream—October 27, 2008
Fruit Cobbler—March 29, 2006
Ginger Scones—January 3, 2006
Golden Divan—November 20, 2006
Granola Bars—September 8, 2005
Grits Puff—November 13, 2008
Guacamole—November 27, 2007
Guyanese Coconut Roll—October 10, 2006
Hot Chocolate Mix—October 24, 2005
Hot Cross Buns—October 19, 2005
Hot Punch—December 21, 2005
Jamaican Meat Patties—September 27, 2006
Javanese Chicken Dinner—July 16, 2007
Korean Marinade—January 21, 2006 & November 20, 2007
Lasagna—September 22, 2006
Lemon Curd—December 4, 2006
Mahogany Cake—October 7, 2006
Meringues—February 19, 2006
Molasses Spice Cookies—October 14, 2005
Nacho Cheese Dip—November 29, 2006
Nshima—August 18, 2006
Oatmeal Walnut Bars with Chocolate Filling—October 8, 2009
Parmesan Cheese Straws—November 10, 2005
Peanut Butter Fudge—November 4, 2005
Pepperoni Pizza Bread—October 8, 2007
Pink Punch—May 5, 2008
Pita Bread—March 28, 2008
Poached Eggs in quantity—September 8, 2008
Preeni’s Chocolate Dessert—May 22, 2006
Pumpkin Butter—November 21, 2008
Pumpkin Cheesecake—October 23, 2006
Pumpkin Soup—September 24, 2005
Quiche with Shiitake Mushrooms—January 19, 2008
Rye ‘n’ Injun Bread—October 6, 2008
Sakeji Rice Cakes—March 15, 2006
Scottish Shortbread—November 1, 2005
Six-Layer Cookies—December 1, 2005
Sombrero Dip Casserole—March 1, 2006
Spaghetti Sauce—November 9, 2006
Spinach-Artichoke Dip—November 27, 2007
Spinach Salad—May 6, 2007
Supreme Scalloped Potatoes—September 13, 2005
Sweet Marie Bars—February 8, 2008
Taco Rice—December 31, 2007
Taco Soup—February 2, 2008
Toffee Fruit Dip—December 6, 2006
Turkish Delight—November 12, 2005
West African Groundnut Stew—April 7, 2006
White Chocolate Bread Pudding—April 3, 2006
Ziploc Omelets—May 24, 2006
Parting Shot:

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