Bits and Bites

I was looking through my photos and doing some editing, organizing and all that (which, by the way, can I just say that while I love my new-old computer, and Windows 7 is not all that scary, the photo import is making me nuts.  Why can't I tell it NOT to put my photos into subfolders on import?  I don't want it to do that.  I want it to be reasonable and to what I say!  Huff.  End rant.  For now.).  I realized that there are so many cute things I have not shared here!  I guess I was writing blog posts in my head again-- they didn't make it to the intertubes.  I'm going to do my best to catch up.


For now, a teaser--

Andrew is walking (egads!) at a mere 10 months of age.  He no longer needs coaxing, he just practices on purpose and takes steps for fun.  He's pretty proud of his new skill.  He's really still a baby, but he's trying not to be.


And now I'm just going to bore you with the "recipe" for this yummy soup I just made.

This morning when Andrew refused to nap (oh, no, he can't be giving up his morning nap already, can he?) I strapped him onto my back and took the boys out to pick tomatoes.  We picked two 5-gallon buckets full (along with a few green ones since Evan doesn't quite get the difference).  Something had to be done with them, so I canned up a couple batches, froze several gallon bags for sauce later, and made soup.

This is my favorite summer-time soup.  Well, it's my favorite today, anyway.  I actually got the idea from a soup I once ate in the kitchen of my lovely midwife, who can come up with some amazing deliciously simple fresh meals. Since I was already dipping and peeling tomatoes, I peeled the soup tomatoes as well 'cause I like 'em better that way.  I have texture issues.  I put them in the pot and added zucchini, onions, garlic, salt, and some rich duck stock to temper the tomatoes' acidity.  I let the vegetables cook just until they're juicy.  I don't like to overcook this, and I don't saute anything to start it.  I just dump it in and warm it all up.

And then.  The dill.

My dill has already reseeded itself and started to grow anew, and I just love it when it's young and tender.   I like to put the dill in the soup after the vegetables are tender so that it stays very succulent and fresh.

The whole soup is very fresh and barely cooked.  It's like the ambrosial love-child of soup and salad.

Ah, I'll be so sad when the flavors of summer are gone again.  But I'll soak them up with fresh buttered bread while I can.