The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

Not Great, But Better

October 29, 2008

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. Thank the Lord the show isn't on Sunday evenings or I would have missed most of it. Sometime Sunday afternoon I started fading in and out and Sunday evening I stayed out for a good long time.

It's not being sick that's so bad. Gives you a reason to put your feet up awhile and people bring you hot chocolate and hot lemonade and prop you and cover you and touch your forehead and kiss your cheeks. You open your eyes to small piles of nice things like chocolates or magazines or cookies or coughdrops, and if you're lucky you may find flower petals strewn about you or your toenails painted sparkly pink.

What's bad about being sick is that you get taken away — from what it is you're doing, from the people you love, the dinner table, the knitting club, ordinary life. You get taken away from the world for a while and you don't have much to say about it. For me, these past few days, that meant no cooking, no loud music, no trips to the bagel shop, no chocolate cheesecake, no staying up late, no trampoline, no baking cut-outs with the kids, no practicing my dramatic interpretation of "The Raven" for Mr. Sundberg, no Halloween costume hunting at the Free Store, no decorating the trees along the driveway with giant plastic spiders dangling from fluorescent yellow fishing line, no homemade caramel corn balls to hand out to the kids...

You know, I'm feeling a bit better today. Not great, but better. Nothing like two full days of doing nothing at all to remind you what you're about. All isn't lost, thank goodness. There's still time. We can take care of costumes after school, and bake some cookies tonight, and maybe tomorrow I'll hunt down those big plastic spiders. For right now, though, I'm going to go sit on my trampoline. Maybe bounce a little. I won't jump, because my head still hurts like the dickens, but a little gentle bouncing with all those lovely leaves falling 'round just has to do a body some good. Can't hurt, anyway.

Try this one out on the bridge club. Or on your mother-in-law. Or on your next date. Whomever it is, they'll be back for more. You've been warned.

Scallop Chowder

3 c chicken broth

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 potatoes, cubed

1/2 tsp thyme

2 T parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 lb scallops

2 T butter

1/2 c white wine

1 egg yolk

1 c heavy whipping cream

In a large pot over high heat, combine chicken broth, carrot, celery,

onion, potatoes, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth

and set aside.

In the same pot over medium heat, sauté the mushrooms and scallops in the butter

for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and reserved puree mixture to the pot, reduce

heat to low and allow to simmer. In a separate small bowl, combine the egg yolk

and heavy cream. Mix well and add to the soup. Continue simmering over low heat,

stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

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