Plumgood no more

Plumgood Food is going out of business. I have been talking it up to everybody lately, having just recently placed my first order. I was just musing yesterday about how lucky Nashville is to have such a service. I'm sad and frustrated, but I understand the reasons.

I wish the owners the best and good luck on their next venture.

Cookie Day

I invited Katie over to bake some cookies while Mom and I sort of hung out.

Okay, so that wasn't the plan, but if you examine the list below, you'll see that Katie is the master baker--organized and methodical, this nurse-by-day kept us on track and the oven occupied. Promotion much deserved!

We each brought our own strengths to the table. Mom, with her years of cookie experience, was able to tell when the gingerbread was done and what substitutions were appropriate. I was great at standing frozen in one spot, trying to remember what I was supposed to do next.

1. checkerboard shortbread
Primary baker: Diana
2. oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip
Primary baker: Mom
3. gingerbread
Dough: Katie
Primary baker: Diana
4. cutout with sprinkles
Primary baker: Katie
5. chocolate peanut butter cup
Primary baker: Katie
6. candy cane
Primary baker: Katie
7. fruitcake
Primary baker: Katie
8. fudge
Primary maker: Katie
9. cutout with sprinkles
We had a 12th cookie, but I accidentally put the dough in the freezer, after which it remained hard as a rock for the next three hours.
10. blueberry jam thumbprints
Primary baker: Katie
(Rolled in coconut, dense and substantial, perfect with coffee: My favorite this year!)
11. pecan shortbread
Primary baker: Diana
12. molasses
Dough: Katie
Primary baker: Mom

Acorn Squash Soup

Do you like my fine china slummin' it with the paper napkin?

In an effort to get all job-related work done before Thanksgiving week (so I can do school-related work…bleh), I planned a series of “set it and forget it” meals: casseroles, soups, microwave-utilizing foods that will allow me to stay an extra hour at work.

Somehow, though, I get into the kitchen and desire to embellish. It’s stress relief. Luckily, the husband hasn’t been complaining about our increasingly later mealtime.

And so, what was a simple acorn squash soup needed a sprinkling of sugared pecans, feta, and sage. It was transformed! Here’s how it went together.

Ingredients
Olive oil for pan
1 medium onion, chopped
½ tsp nutmeg
1 acorn squash, roasted whole for 1 hour in a 350 oven, seeds and skin removed, chopped into large chunks
1 15-oz. can of pumpkin
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Probably makes at least 8 servings, depending on the size of the acorn squash.

For Soup
Heat olive oil in bottom of a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and slightly caramelized. Add nutmeg, squash, pumpkin, and vegetable broth. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Let the soup simmer until it reaches the desired level of thickness; I let it go for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Blend soup using an immersion blender or a regular blender in batches, as I did. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For Embellishment (makes enough for 2 bowls)
Olive oil for pan
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tbsp pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp feta or goat cheese
chopped fresh sage

Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic clove; sauté 1 minute. Add pecans and sugar, stirring until sugar is melted. Remove from heat. Sprinkle pecan-garlic mixture over soup. Add feta and sage.

Easing back in

I'm entering my third week since the half marathon, and I'm enjoying the groove of a daily run with no strings attached. I do 5 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; 11 on Saturday; and 5 on Sunday. All 31 miles are easy, with short bursts if I'm feeling frisky.

In Portland, I ran the half on Sunday, and I went out Monday to jog to a couple of parks in the pre-dawn mist. I had planned 4-5 miles, but I took an unintended (but perhaps, subconsciously, intended) shortcut and wound up doing about 3.5. My legs were toast. I finished out the week with 25 miles, but several times pain from shin splints actually made me think twice about going out. I was all healed up by the next week.

After a turkey trot on Thanksgiving Day, I'll start my "Yes, we can" program of faster daily five-milers with one speed session per week.

Don't worry. I practice sustainable running. I still take two days off. And the dog's still getting her walk. And food's still being put on the table.

On the table tonight...

We've voted. The polls are closed. Our hands are tied. It's the best we can do.