yum!

I got a soup recipe off the internet, but it wasn't quite right. I made a couple of changes, and am reposting the altered recipe here. It's very tasty.

Sisters Soup

1 - large onion, chopped
1 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped
3 to 3-1/2 lb butternut squash, cleaned, peeled, and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 - yellow crookneck or straightneck squash, cut into quarters lengthwise and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 - zucchini, cut similarly
2 - 14 oz cans northern beans, rinsed
1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
3-4 tsp Better Than Bullion Vegetable Base
3 Tblsp cilantro, chopped
1 to 2 tsp cumin
1 to 2 tsp oregano
juice of 1/2 lime

In a very large pot, add a few teaspoons of olive oil, and soften the onion over medium heat. Add the chipotles and squash, and stir to mix. Add the beans and tomatoes, then nearly fill the pot with water. Add the corn, cumin, oregano, and cilantro, and turn heat to high. Bring just to boiling, then turn down heat to simmer. Add bullion a teaspoon at a time, mixing and tasting after each. Simmer 20-30 minutes, until edges of butternut squash start to erode a bit (this will thicken the soup a little as well). Squeeze in lime juice and stir.

Serve hot in bowls, topped (if desired) with shredded Monterey Jack and tortilla chips, or cilantro and a wedge of lime.

snow blogging

This is the scene out the back window this morning. After about 4 inches on Saturday, the snow started up again about 11 am on Sunday, and didn't quit until after 9 pm, leaving another 2-3 inches. I think we have 6 or 7 inches in all. The trees are all weighted down with snow, and we have icicles hanging from the house (see upper left corner).

travel kitties

My parent's cats, Angus and Trouble, show how very stressful it is to travel.

Friday Cat Blogging

Marv will fry you with his frickin' laser eyes!

And this is my parents' Scottish fold kitty, Angus:
Isn't he a cutie?

Friday Bird Blogging

Meet Kianga: Kianga is a Congo African grey, hatched here in Washington in March of 1991.
"I'm eeeeeeevul!"

Meet Koga:

Koga is a wild caught, imported Timneh African grey. She is just as tame as a hand-raised bird, so we think she must have been caught very young, perhaps when she was still a chick in the nest, and had some hand-rearing before she was sent to the U.S. She has a USDA quarantine band that tells us she was legally imported. We got Koga at a pet store, she was being sold on consignment because the previous owner had just had a baby, and Koga and the baby were not compatible in the same house. I saw her in the store in early April 1991 when I was cage shopping for the Congo chick I was going to be getting in a few weeks. I asked if she was tame, and they said "Sure, you wanna see?" They put her on my hand, she ran up my arm onto my shoulder, and leaned over to give me a kiss. Sold! I've never regretted it; I hope she hasn't.