Warm your Palate and Neck!

Wow! Did we get hit with the cold weather just suddenly! Yesterday it snowed. Although it didn't stick, it came down for three hours, and the flakes were relatively small. The ground was too warm, though, for it to stick.

This morning we had our first official frost. I'd brought in some begonias that I'd dug up earlier this week--knowing the cold was only a few days away--and brought them inside. 

I'm finishing up another afghan, and it will be a good covering for the bed.

Now, for the goodies. I found this recipe for broccoli cheddar soup, which vows to be a copycat recipe of Panera's very same.

My husband is lactose intolerant, so I'm not likely to make it, unless I make it for myself. But it is my favorite when I've gone to Panera.
Okay, here it is!

• Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup Copycat Recipe
• Makes about 4 servings
• 1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups half and half (or 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped small
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Bread Bowls (Recipe Here!)
•  
• Cook the butter, onion, and garlic on about medium heat until tender. 
• Slowly add the half and half and chicken stock. Mix the corn starch with a little bit of water until there are no clumps and add it to the rest. Add the nutmeg and bay leaves and cook on medium low until thickened.
• Add the carrot and broccoli and simmer until tender. Discard the bay leaves. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and serve in bread bowls. 

I'd likely leave out the nutmeg, but that's up to you.
Hey, as I've been back to crocheting, I've yet to do any of these cowels but they are all the rage, and you're likely to see them in stores. As for me, I'll make mine. Here's some pictures of a few.

 I really want to make both of these

I've also got to make a warm hat for my husband, and a scarf for my... well, he's done some photography for me, so, I guess you can say he's my photographer. I guess I'll be busy!
I also want to make a new pair of these fingerless gloves.

Well, that's all from me today! Hope you're staying warm, wherever you are!

Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control...

I was without Internet for a few days, and so, I wasn't around... in case anyone wondered, asked, or even missed me?

It actually made it easy for me to get something done for a change.

Edits on Vampire Caprice is still in progress. I will be sending a section of chapters to my second beta reader to go over them. Meanwhile I have been using the saved PDF's from Grammarly. I'm finding that in some cases it's not fool proof, and it doesn't know French at all. But when it catches something, it's a good thing I had it. I will go through it using these various editing devices, and then my last editing will be me doing a find & replace, or whatever, when I'm ready. After that, I read through it TWICE. So, that being said, it might be April when I've got this bad boy out. It is a long book. 343 pages, as a matter of fact.

Meanwhile work on Dhampir Legacy is suspended until I have finished with Caprice, or, I'm letting the manuscript sit a while between readings.

Work on my large afghan (granny square), is coming along. I have placed a number of the squares out on a sheet on the floor to see how I want it, and where I want the colors. It also lets me see what colors I still need to make before I go ahead with stitching them together. And a friend is having a June baby, and I want to crochet a baby blanket for the bundle for her shower. So, I'm busy.

Despite the fact that it is March, we still have snow--piles that have been here since January, in fact--and are expecting more. But the weather prediction is for 40's coming in soon. Could we actually see some melting and thawing soon? We were discussing that perhaps we should bet on our last snow event, or the last day we see snow on the ground. I'm going with April 8th--on the snow sticking around. March 25th for the last snow flying.

So, there you have my updates. I'll be posting irregularly until further notice.

COME ON SPRING!