Yum and Glum

Mimi is back and bloggin' after a short hiatus. I truly don't know how some of the more ardent bloggers keep up on a daily basis - it is (a) hard to find time daily, and (b) hard to find things to jot down when your life is pretty much the same day after day! However, since I am feeling a little nostalgic today I thought I would take the time to note some of the happenings in Mimi-land...spent this past Saturday down in Fayetteville, the ol' hometown. Went down because my mom and dad were auctioning off one of the little ol' grandmothers' homes - yes, it is true that both of my grandmothers are still alive and kicking (well, kicking is probably way too generous a word but at least they are still with us!). Mabel is in the nursing home, and Lela is in assisted living. May I just add here that while both of them can be quite the handful, we have been blessed to still have some laughs during our visits and God has really blessed both sides of the fam with some longevity. This means that we currently have 5 generations that can get together, something quite unheard of these days. Anywho, back to the auction...a stressful affair for my mom and dad so I went down to lend a bit of moral support. As I stood there on the front lawn of my grandmother's home, it made me sad to think that this is what our lives come down to if we live long enough - a bunch of strangers going through your personal, prized possessions gathered over a lifetime and trying to buy them for a song. Something that may have meant a great deal to my grandmother probably is now in someone else's home after they paid a paltry sum to obtain it. It just made me sad and of course made me remind lovely daughter D that she will be having to deal with all my accumulated junk someday. The lesson here folks is to pare down your "stuff" so that the future generations don't get bogged down with details of unloading a lifetime of possessions. Just a reminder - there is no U-Haul behind the hearse, if you get my drift!!

Friday night football for the Bruins was another successful outing. So, we roll toward the end of regular-season play with a current record of 7-1 - GO BRUINS! Notice how I use the word "we" when talking about the football team? Now, technically no, I am not out on the field of play assisting in these victories. =) But the parents and fans and friends of the team do feel a part of their success - we sweat just as much for them in the stands as they do on the field. If victories could be achieved simply by folks willing you to win, then the Bruins will be state champs, no doubt!

Drove home today noticing all of the colors of fall. Crunched through leaves on the patio and smelled that special fall smell in the air. It always makes me sad. Not sure why, since I do love this time of year. But it always makes me feel lost somehow, like something is coming to an end. Actually, each day now makes me a bit sad because I realize how quickly graduation will approach and then Cam will be leaving us for parts unknown at this time. Trying to deal with that impending loss but so far seem to be losing the battle.

So, to turn my frown upside down I decided to throw in a couple of recipes for you to bring back some fun to the post! Here they are - I tried them out on my bible study gals and they were a hit and perfect for this time of year. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Red Pepper and Pear Soup (from October 2008 Southern Living magazine)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. olive oil
3 large red bell peppers, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
2 Anjou pears, peeled and sliced
1 32-oz. container fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash of ground red pepper
Garnishes: thinly sliced pears, plain yogurt, chopped fresh chives

Melt butter with oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add bell pepper and next 3 ingredients, and saute 8-10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken broth and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25-30 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Process soup, in batches, in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Return to Dutch oven, and keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish if desired. (healthy and yummy!)

Turkey, Apple and Cheese Sandwiches
2 Gala apples, thinly sliced
White cheddar cheese, sliced
Pepper Turkey, thinly sliced
Dijon mustard
Arugula
1 loaf artisan bread, sliced (I used the rosemary/olive oil bread from Costco and it was fabulous)

Spread Dijon mustard lightly on both sides of bread slices. Layer thin slices of turkey, then cheddar cheese, apples and arugula. Butter both outsides of bread and cook on griddle until lightly golden brown and the cheese starts to melt. Wonderful with the Red Pepper and Pear Soup - the flavor combinations make your taste buds dance!

Speaking of dancing, gotta get back to watching Dancing with the Stars. In my Mimi-mind I can really shake a leg!!

Hugs, Mimi