Mud Soup

Mud Soup a la Loo Lee

I swear, our kids do things JUST to make themselves different.  To stand out.  And Loo Lee, never to be outdone by her sister - just HAD to get dirty.  Of course, not on the same day as the Biggie Wiggie.  The next day.  Thankfully, bath tub day!

Soup instead of Pie.  And Loo Lee does things her way.  Slow.  Methodical.  Planned.  And messy.  I swear we worked on this soup for the whole day.  Of course, we stopped for lunch, a play in the park and a few snuggles - but it was a full day event followed by a dive into the tub with a whole herd of animals!

Mud Pies

Mud Pie a la Biggie Wiggie

Remember back when you were young(er) and playing in the dirt was THE.BEST thing ever??  I do - and I remember the look on my Mom's face when we were done.  Part disgust, part happiness.  And never anger.  Unless we were dirty BEFORE we got to where ever it was we were to be.

We grew up getting dirty - splashing in mud puddles, chasing cows in the back pasture, feeding the chickens and fighting with the goats.  Never fought with the goose though.  He was mean, and we knew it!

So, we've been raising our kids to know that getting dirty is part of being a kid.  And an adult too, sometimes.  And today was a day for making Mud Pies, Biggie Wiggie style!

Braised Fennel with White Wine & Cream

About a year ago, I had the pleasure of attending a function hosted by Kendra - who owns a great deli downtown here.  She's a terrific cook with great knowledge, new ideas and a wonderful attitude to home cooked meals.

The dinner she made while I was there included a side dish of braised fennel.  Now, I had never had fennel before, so I tasted this dish with wonder and amazement!  I mean - something so simple yet so tasty!  I was hooked, and have recreated her dish many times over and over again.

For those that don't know - fennel is a bulb (like celery) that smells remarkable like black licorice.  There are a number of ways you can use it (I've heard grilled in big slabs on the BBQ is quite tasty) so give other methods a try, once you enjoy this savory version!

So, grab yourself a few steaks, fire up the grill and go ahead and have this delicious dish along side!

The Better Burger - My Way!

So, if you know me well you know I have a few weaknesses.

Rum (thanks Nannie for the introduction), Man Tracker (he's a real, manly man), a Big Mac and the Double Gut Bomb (not it's real name) burger from Dairy Queen.  And since 3 of the 4 mentioned weaknesses can kill me if not consumed in moderation, I had to venture out and find my own way to make burgers that tasted great!

And let me tell you - I practiced for many years.  I read everything I could on the internet - searching for the one key tip that I was missing.  The one key that would catapult my burgers into burger stardom.