"Chicken Broth, Stat!"

Here is a quick idea that someone of my readership may also find handy.

I was out of chicken broth and needed some to make tomato soup the other day. I had this idea to use some partially thawed chicken leg quarters to make chicken broth in the soup while I cooked the soup.

I took the skin off a chicken leg quarter and cut it into a few pieces.

After I sweat the onions I added some celery seed to stand in for celery flavor that would have been in chicken broth and a little poultry herb blend.

Then the chicken pieces went in and simmered a couple hours with the soup.

Where the soup called for chicken broth I just added water and it turned into chicken broth while the soup cooked.

The gelatin that comes from the chicken adds a very comforting viscosity and mouth feel that makes for an exceptionally delicious tomato soup.

This turned out to be a great hack and the chicken we removed to eat later had a very good flavor.

The Best Pancakes: My Mom's Recipe!

Forgive me for dismissing all other pancake recipes in favor of my mom's pancake recipe. Trust me, after tasting this recipe you will need no other pancake recipes.

The stacks of pancakes are so tall and fluffy!

One technique that my mom always emphasizes is to hand mix the batter gently. No, beating or whipping. And it's okay if there are flour lumps left. It's better to have mixed the batter too little than too much.

The Best Pancakes 

3 cups Flour

2 TBS. + 1 tsp. Baking Powder 

2 tsp. Salt

2 TBS. Sugar

2 1/2 cups Milk

2 Eggs 

6 TBS. Butter, Melted 

In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

In a large measuring cup mix milk, eggs, and butter together.

Combine the two mix. Stir until just starts to become cohesive. The batter will be thick.

Use a 1/4 cup scoop or ladle to pour onto hot griddle or skillet. 

Turn pancakes once you see a few bubbles have popped. Cook on the second side about a minute.

Makes 10-12 Servings.

Enjoy!

The Song That Has Left Me Obsessed

I discovered the song Northwest Passage by Stan Rogers back in August of 2025. I became totally mesmerized. According to my YouTube end of year statistics I watched 95 minutes of Northwest Passage (as I recall) and it was my most listened to track for the year. 

Since discovering this song and learning the lyrics I have become obsessed with all that I can learn about the explorers and territory of the formidable North. I had to familiarize myself with the landmarks Davis Straight and Beaufort Sea.

 I had to learn about explorers David Thompson, Alexander McKinzie, Henry Kelsey, and Sir John Franklin. The more I dug into this subject the more fascinating history and people came into my realm of knowledge. I still have so much more to delve into and study. 

So far I have learned very much from the podcast The Other States Of America. The Other States of America goes into a lot of detail about how the Native Peoples' ran their societies, as well as the various European enterprises in the New World. The segments about Champlain are a good place to start.

My children and I enjoyed this old educational video made for TV about the French Voyageurs. The singing highlighted in this video is very jolly and the original account that is narrated makes the experience immersive.

I found this documentary style YouTube video made by Geodiode has some really helpful maps.

I have read this small book about Sir Franklin's expedition. (First book that I read in 2026!)

Last week I found this 123 year old book about American explorers at our local thrift store.

You can imagine my excitement when I saw Franklin's name in one of the chapter titles.

I am hoping to read a book about The Hudson Bay Company this year that my librarian said she can get for me through an interlibrary loan. 

And I started this audiobook called Realm of Ice and Sky not because it sounded interesting to me but it kept coming across my screen and I was desperate to find a book to listen to and I wasn't coming up with anything better. To my surprise one of  the first topics this book covered had to do with Roald Amundsen and his successful journey through the Northwest Passage!

All this learning is a testament to the powerful influence of music and poetry and I guess ultimately of beauty. In my wildest dreams I would never have been interested in learning about cold places yet I find the lyrics of the Northwest Passage inspiring and so poignant. The way Rogers conveys the excitement of discovery, the awesomeness of nature, and the spirit of those brave men who went into the unknown and untamed is beautiful to me. He was a real poet. He had a gift for putting emotion into words. Not to mention the tune, which I just love! And should I fawn about the fact that it is sung acapella? Acapella music is my favorite type of music!

Are you the kind of person that once your interest is piqued you just go all out after a subject? About what was the last thing you were really excited to learn?

Onion Galette Recipe!

Here I am again reveling in the qualities of caramelized onions!

Several years ago I was talking to my mom on the phone and she told me about this dish that my sister had made called an Onion Galette. She said it was delicious. Ever since then I have wanted to try making one.

My time has come to try Onion Galette. I followed THIS RECIPE FROM Justine Doiron blog. It was very good. I would definitely like to make this again.

I made some minor changes to the recipe to customize it for myself. Like using a larger portion of pie pastry and using dried herbs.

The pie crust I used was one with less fat than my normal pie crust.

Pie Crust for Galette:

4 cups flour

1 cup butter

1 tsp. salt

2 TBS. vinegar

1 egg 

1 cup water 

In a large bowl mix the flour and salt.

Cut in the butter with a pastry blender.

In a liquid measuring cup blend the vinegar, egg and water.

Quickly stir the liquids into the flour mixture. 

Form 3 discs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Onion Galette 

3 large onions thinly sliced (1 1/2 pounds)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBS. butter

1 tsp. salt

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp. Dried Thyme or 1 TBS. Fresh Thyme

1 tsp. Dried Rosemary or 1 TBS. Fresh Rosemary 

2/3 cup sour cream

1 egg for egg wash

In a large sauté pan heat oil and butter. 

Once butter has melted add the onions and salt to the pan and toss to coat the onions in oil. 

Cook on low for 45- 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Roll out the pie crust to about 14 inches round. Place the crust on a sheet pan and refrigerate until the onions are ready.

When the onions are almost done cooking add the garlic and herbs and cook a few more minutes just until the garlic is no longer raw.

Start preheating the oven to 375° F.

Remove the onions from heat and stir in the sour cream.

Scrape the onions onto the center of the pastry crust and spread out into a 10-11 inch area.

Fold the edges of the pastry over the border of the onions.

Place back in the refrigerator until the oven is preheated.

Beat the egg and use a basting brush to apply the egg wash to the crust.

Bake 45-50 minutes until the crust is golden.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Caramelized Onions

 I learned that caramelized onions are a delicious addition to grilled cheese sandwiches from an Ethan Chlebowski cooking deep dive video on YouTube. I learned a lot of onion information from that video. I will embed it for you here:

Caramelizing onions takes a while. It has to be done low and slow, meaning low heat and slow cooking. I am talking 40 minutes.

They don't look pretty, but Oh! They are so good! Sweet and savory. Warm and nutty.

 If you have never had caramelized onions on your grilled cheese sandwiches, I highly recommend you give it a try. Or, maybe you already have tried this. Did you like it? 

Gingerbread Houses 2026

We held a gingerbread house decorating party on New Year's Eve this year. This is the second year we made gingerbread houses on New Year's Eve.

 This year it was a big party with many cousins. I baked enough gingerbread house pieces for every child and adult to have their own house.

We had so much fun!

I made a short video to show all the houses and creativity displayed this year.

Happy New Year everyone! The grace of God be with you, in you, and around you in 2026!

Link: Blog post with 2024 gingerbread houses.

Link: Blog post with 2025 gingerbread houses and recipe.

John Paul Jones | Book Review

 

Title: John Paul Jones 

Author: Vinson Brown 

Copyright: 1949

Pages: 251

Books Read This Year: #15

In this book written for young readers I learned a lot about John Paul Jones and the early American Navy. John Paul Jones was a brave patriot. He fought hard to free America from the rule of England. He was awarded the Congressional Gold medal for his heroic command in battle.

John Paul Jones had to make do with sub-par ships. With these inadequate vessels he stung the King's Navy and even brought the fight to the British mainland.

His grit and determination are inspiring. He didn't give up in the heat of battle. He was the kind of leader who's courage was contagious. He rallied his crews and gave them an example worth following in his own conduct.

This book was written for young people and you can tell that one of the objectives of the writer is to give young Americans a hero. A hero and pride in their American forefathers. This book ignited an interest in me to learn more about the American Revolution and the battles fought at sea.

There's a nice diagram of one John Paul Jones' ships on the inside covers of the book.

Nature| December 2025

Our Christmas cactus started blooming at Thanksgiving this year. The flowers are so gorgeous. I found myself staring and staring at them.

My favorite: 

I admired these blooms so much that I made some sketches of them in my journal.

Snow and more snow!

We have had more snow this December than any other December that I can remember.

I think it is pretty. If it has to be cold, it may as well snow!

I haven't been outside at the right time to catch too many sunrises this month. At this time of year I have to put a lot of effort to get a good view of the sunrise. I had to walk to end of our road, cross the highway, and walk out into the bean field a hundred yards or so to capture these, but it was worth it. It's so invigorating to see the dawn!