Monday, November 21, 2011

A Rainy Monday

It's a pouring, rainy, gray day today. Perfect for the rain to wash the icy snow off of my patio.


See what it was a few days ago. Not a lot of snow perhaps but it was stuck like glue to the patio and it didn't melt.






Monday afternoon it looked like the photo to the left.





This is the view on a clearer day.

The weather is also perfect for a bowl of hot, steaming soup. I am low on my core vegetables today as I haven't bought any in a week.  My soup therefore omits carrots.

Ingredients:

-  brown a pound or so of minced beef (ground beef)
-  chop one large onion into chunks and add to the beef
-  chop two celery stalks and add to the beef and onions
-  add several splashes of soy sauce and brown this mixture all together, stirring occasionally
-  add 1 1/2 cups of brown rice to the browned beef and veggies and cook for a few minutes 
-  add several leaves of chopped kale leaves and continue stirring
-  add about 6 -8 cups of water and boil

Cook this mixture until the rice has softened, then check to see whether you need more water and seasonings. I always find the water has boiled down a lot because my burners only really cook on the highest heat. I like to add more water at this stage and assess the taste of things.

At this point, I added

-  a few shakes (1 tsp. or so) of oregano seasoning
-  a few more splashes of soy sauce (to taste)
-  add 3 medium, chopped potatoes
-  add 1 large, chopped yam
-  add one large can of stewed tomatoes or add several chopped fresh tomatoes.

Simmer together until the rice and potatoes are fully cooked. Keep an eye on things and stir occasionally.


It was delicious!

It is also a perfect day to finish reading my latest book, Assault on Reason by Al Gore, former US President. What an eye opening book! Very informative and fully referenced with resource material for any skeptic among you.  I highly recommend reading this book.



What activities do you like doing on a gray or rainy day?

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29 comments:

clairz said...

Penny, what a lovely looking soup! I will try it, and am putting that book on my list, too.

Joyful said...

Excellent, Clair. I know you will enjoy both :-)

The Happy Sparrow said...

Hi Penny! Congrats on your great nephews birth - he will blessed to have you as his aunty! Your soup looks delicious! Yum! I hope you are keeping well!
Love Martine

Joyful said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joyful said...

Hey Martine, thank you for your visit and your kind words. I love children so I am blessed to have this tiny new member in my family. I cannot complain for God is good and takes care of me no matter what the circumstances. Big hugs and love to you and your family.

Kay L. Davies said...

I thought your snow would get rained out of there. Actually, we're expecting warmer weather starting tomorrow, so our snow might melt. There isn't enough of it left to complain about, except that it gets the dog's feet wet, so we have to have a towel waiting.
Looks like it's going to be raining a lot out there this week. Sigh.
And the 27th is Grey Cup, and Vancouver is playing. I sure hope the town doesn't explode like it did for the Stanley Cup final.
Sigh again. LOL
Talk to you soon.
K

Joyful said...

Hi Kay, usually my snow does melt right away but not this time. There isn't any snow around where I live on the streets though I did see a patch of ice a few blocks away.

Yes, *sigh, it will be Grey Cup here on the weekend. Lots of people will be happy but I will avoid going anywhere near the crowds. It is warmer weather so you should be fine here ;-)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I love to make soup, and I'm sure your soup taste especially good on a damp rainy day.

Like you, I like to read when the day is gray. Thanks for your visit and comment. :)

magiceye said...

great for a rainy day!!

Joyful said...

Hi Pat! Thank you so much for your visit. I think there are a lot of us that like to read and eat soup on a cold, rainy day. I hope you come by again sometime. Have a wonderful week.

Joyful said...

Thank you, Magiceye!

Angelika Poe said...

hi Penny...because we still have great weather at -1 °, but with plenty of sunshine and dry, so it pleases me in November
have a nice day and you cuddle in a blanket, so you're okay ... Kind regards, Geli

Anonymous said...

Brrr.. looks cold. I do love some warming veggie soup on a cold day.

Anonymous said...

Dear Penny,
thanks for your good shots and the idea with a yummi-yummi-soup! :)I love hot soup an cold days.♥
Greetings - moni

OneStonedCrow said...

Rain AND Snow? .... eeek!

.... Pass the soup ... :)

Jo said...

Wow, it looks cold and miz, nothing though that your yummy looking soup and that good book can't chase away! Glad you took a rest. Blessings, Jo

betty-NZ said...

I have to admit--I don't miss the snow since I moved to NZ--at least, not that much!

Diane said...

I cannot believe your weather, I would be horrified if that happened here in November!!!! Diane

Barbara Rosenzweig said...

That soup looks so delicious, I can almost smell it!

Thanks for your visit and enjoying my dogwood painting!

Dhemz said...

the soup is looking good...perfect for the cold weather....:)

Joyful said...

Geli, I love it when you tell me to "cuddle in a blanket" ;-) But I was too busy today to do that...many Christmas cards to post, parcels to mail, bathroom to clean and vegetables to buy. I did enjoy my day. I pray for your safety. Blessings.

Joyful said...

Ladyfi, thank you for your visit. It has been coolish here but warmer (at least to me) the last few days.

Joyful said...

Moni, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. That is a high compliment since your photos are so wonderful. Enjoy the soup ;-)

Joyful said...

Graham, you make me laugh. Our weather can get a lot weirder than that in one day, lol. Enjoy your camping trip.

Joyful said...

Jo, it is the kind of weather where you can get "indoor" things done ;-)

Joyful said...

Bettyl, I usually like snow but not for too long!

Joyful said...

Diane, if you would be horrified then you couldn't live here. That kind of things doesn't just happen here where I live but more so in Ottawa, our nation's capital.

Joyful said...

Barbara, you're very welcome!

Joyful said...

Thank you, Dhemz. Thank you too for the new follow :-)

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