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Monday, October 26, 2015

Broccoli and stilton soup

You can beat finding absolute bargains at the supermarket. While doing my last big shop, I bought two packets of Stilton cheese. At their usual price they were $10.98 each, I could not leave them there for $1.10 each. They were swiftly put in the freezer upon arriving home.

Being an imperfect housewife, I still had a head of broccoli in the bottom of the fridge that was threatening to turn a lovely shade of yellow. The only thing I could think of to use it all at once, was soup.

The weather goes up and down like a yo-yo here in the south at the moment. This particular day, like today, was around 16 degrees. Yesterday it was 28! So soup is still acceptably on the menu, for me anyway. 

Izzy even had a go at the broccoli soup (without the cheese). Shock of all shocks, she enjoyed it. Win, win.

It wasn't until I was about delve into it's warmth, that I remembered the cheese in the freezer. I chopped a bit off and garnished the soup with it. It was heaven.

Stilton cheese isn't for everyone. It one of the 'blue' cheeses, or stinky cheeses and not loved by all!

I must blog my caramelised onion, stilton and rocket flatbread soon. It is delicious, so will be given a spin in the kitchen again in the near future.


Broccoli soup with Stilton cheese

1 head of broccoli, chopped, stalk and all
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
half and onion, or a small onion, chopped
2 bacon rashers, chopped
1 large, or two medium potatoes, chopped
about 5 cups of water

Gently fry onion, garlic and bacon in olive oil, until onion is soft.

Add broccoli and potato, then add water to just barely cover the veggies. You may not need all five cups of water. It is better to add too little, than too much, as you might end up with a watery soup. I like my soup thick. If it is too thick for your liking, you can always add a bit more water or even milk to make it a bit more creamier. The potatoes however give it a creaminess.

Bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

Blitz with a stick blender, or however you blitz your soup.

Serve in a bowl with a tablespoon of crumbled Stilton cheese scattered on top.

Yummo. I love the way the cheese melts through the hot soup :)




Wednesday, October 21, 2015

October blooms

The garden is going great guns right now, with new flowers coming out everyday. It's a task keeping the water up to it though, it's been so dry.  Yesterdays rain was a welcome relief.

This is the first time I took my new camera out for a test run. At the end of my old cameras life, I took photos in manual mode pretty much all of the time. I didn't want to stop with my new camera, and well, I needed to jump in the deep end to make mistakes, to learn how it worked.

It frustrated me at first, but I am getting the hang of things slowly. I do still have to think about what I am doing and which buttons to push and tweak. Sometimes I am just staring at the bloody thing thinking, now how did I just do that?






















Monday, October 19, 2015

One last hurrah from a dead camera

These photos are from the end of September. They've been sitting in my dead computer, which karked it soon after importing. Thankfully it's fixed now, and I can share them. Can anyone say "back up".

Funnily enough they are they last photos that I took with my old camera, which also decided it was time to go to techno heaven (probably listening to some phat beats, laid back with a cool drink I can imagine), a few days after the computer. It was a trying time.

Wonderful husband (on this occasion) surprised me with a new Canon he'd had on layby for Christmas. I cried a little bit. I can't help but think all those years with a $150 digital camera from Target was like an apprenticeship of sorts in photo taking, and now I am gunning with the big boys (as soon a I work out how to use it).  I've been coveting this camera for a long time, thinking it was a little out of reach of our budget. I am a lucky girl.

We'd gone down to the holiday house for the day. These are all taken around Carpenter Rocks, a small fishing village a couple of kays from Pelican Point. More importantly, there's a pub, and a shop to buy ice cream and hot chips.








Do not even ask me what this is. It was the size of my fingernail and unfurled a bit like a prawn. When it did I was creeped out. It seemed almost alien!






 


 
Cape Banks lighthouse



Wednesday, October 14, 2015

The road to Pelican Point

Often I have driven these roads, taken in the scenery and thought I must share it. Monday of the long weekend, I headed to Pelican Point to clean the house, after tenants had been through.

It's around a 40 kilometre drive through farm lands. After you turn off the Tantanoola/Kongorong road, the scenery turns to pine plantations all the way to Carpenter Rocks.

I was by myself as Brett was home from work, and had taken the girls to a friends house to play.

I had all the time in the world to stop and take the photos I've so often thought I should.
















 
 





Added to Raychael's Wednesday link up at Agent Mystery Case