Potato and Ham Soup

(Revised from all recipies)

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (I use 1 cup cream 1 cup skim milk)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham, bouillon, salt, pepper and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
   
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Add cheese and mix into soup or sprinkle over the top. Serve immediately.

Next time I make this I want to add broccoli, cheddar cheese, or maybe even diced carrots. Yum.

Mothers Day Moth Orchid

This little orchid that was left behind at my hotel almost 10 months ago is preparing to bloom again. I guess all of my fears about killing it were a little premature.











It doesn't make sense how a pretty little topical plant can survive in an apartment in Ohio when my hardy succulents can't.

(The same orchid last year).

When an ice storm hits Ohio

we feel the need to go explore.




These pictures are not very scary as this is maybe three days after the ice storm. The big storm happened during a work day, so we missed out on the great photo opportunities.




My car still looks like a popsicle, though.












Welcome to the Hoover dam. A frozen arctic tundra.










There are not enough layers in the world to keep you warm in this kind of cold. Our extremities learned this quickly.


Look, we can see our car from the top of the dam, can you? Oh, so far away.


Let me help. That's almost three frost bitten toes away. Once we realized how far away we were, we decided to race back to the warmth of the car as quickly as humanly possible.


What Geoffrey didn't know until about fifteen seconds from this moment, is that there is a huge fence-like line of boulders at the bottom of this hill, buried under the snow. You don't want to run and roll uncontrollably down a steep hill towards piles of huge twisted-ankles-in-waiting... I decided to penguin shuffle my way down... Geoffrey risked death.


I huddled in the car and tried to thaw while Geoffrey braved the park restroom. Like the scary hill race, I was not brave enough to drop my pants in this cold.








Back home at night, we survived.

Progress

A view from inside the apartment...

at -19 degree's Fahrenheit.

Again, these are view from inside the apartment.

The frost and ice is INSIDE.

Cat's don't really sit well for photos

But that's okay. We've got a full week together to work it out.

Chandni Chowk to China

I can't wait to see this movie.