Autumn in Maine

 My baby girl bought her first home this week, so I thought I'd share some of the lovely photos she has been sending me.

Here's a short video.

This one is a woodpecker. They really got a good closeup.

Honestly, they make me want to quit my job, pack my bags, and go join her.

Good Old Fashioned Potato Cheese Soup for an Autumn Evening

Jan here. I've been working as a Santa's Helper at our local Cabela's during November, and will continue into December. It's a lot of fun, and I'm getting used to the long hours on my feet and the necessity for quick meals - especially ones that are cooked in my Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.

One of the soups we still enjoy is this one that I shared here in the Cafe six years ago. This one is yummy, rich, and oh-so-good!

Enjoy this peek at the past, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week!

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Good Old Fashioned Potato Cheese Soup


Hey all,

This is your favorite Mid-Westerner relishing these warm sunny days and cool nights. The weather the last week or so has been the best of the best.

I have to share a picture from our trip up into the Hills Sunday afternoon. That foggy-looking stuff in the air? That's snow! There's nothing like snow in the air and the sound of wind in the pines to make my day perfect :)

Although you ladies from the south may think temps in the 50's during the day and in the 20's at night a bit extreme, it's perfect weather for homemade potato soup and bread.

Here's the great thing about soup: you can use whatever you have on hand! Start with a basic idea and add or subtract from there to make your favorite soup.

Last week, I made Potato Cheese Soup for my family. Super easy, in the crock pot so I can put it together in the morning and not think about it until supper time, and tasty.

It's comfort food to the max. Especially if you add in homemade bread!

So, here's the basic recipe:

Homemade Old Fashioned Potato Cheese Soup...your way

Start with basic ingredients.

It's Potato Soup, so start with potatoes.

I always throw in an onion for flavor.

Peel and dice all those potatoes and onions...

How many, you ask? Well, I cook for six, so I used eight potatoes and a half of an onion. Adjust accordingly for your tribe :)

Just for color and added flavor, I peeled and diced a few carrots, too.


Dice all those veggies so they're a uniform size. There's room for a bit of individualism here, but you want them to cook nicely.

And if you happen to have your potato pieces too big, they won't absorb the flavor of the soup, and you'll end up with a bite of...well, potato...instead of the flavorful concoction you're looking for.

The next major ingredient is broth. You want those veggies to simmer all day long in flavor.

I had some ham broth in the freezer from our Easter ham, so I used that. You could also use Vegetable Stock, Chicken Stock, or even plain water.

But you really want the flavor a good stock or broth will give you.

Use enough to cover your veggies by about an inch, once they're in the crock pot (or in your pot on the stove).

Cover that lovely mixture and let it simmer. I turn my crock pot on high for about an hour to get things started, then turn it down to low for 6-8 more hours.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve your soup, it's time to really dress it up. This is a nice, thick creamy soup - but it sure doesn't look like it yet.

The first step in dressing it up is to mash your potatoes. I have one of those old fashioned potato mashers that looks like a "W" gone crazy, but it works great. I use that to gently mash most of the potatoes against the bottom. It doesn't have to be all mashed - just not so chunky.

Now add milk, half-and-half, or cream. I didn't have any of those on hand, so I used some evaporated milk I had in the pantry.

The next part - the way to give your potato soup that nice, rich, stick-to-your-ribs body - is a secret.

Shhhh...don't let ANYBODY know I keep these in the house!

But instant potatoes are perfect for thickening all kinds of dishes, without worrying about lumps from using flour.

I used 1 cup of this secret ingredient for 8 cups of broth...it was perfect.




In the last 10 minutes or so of cooking time, add shredded cheese to your soup. I added 2 cups of cheese to mine, but I wish I had added more to make it cheesier.

Other tasty things you could add are ham, or bacon, or different cheeses. Steamed greens (kale or spinach) would be a great addition, too.

And there you have it! Good Old Fashioned Potato Soup - done your way.



Just remember the basic ingredients: potatoes, onions, broth, milk and cheese.

So, tell us, what will you add to your potato soup to make it your way?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Savoring Fall with My Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

I am thrilled that fall has finally come to the ranch. And after a stretch of gray, rainy weather, we're finally enjoying some glorious autumn days. We've had some beautiful sunrises...

And the weather has been perfect for getting out and enjoying all the ranch has to offer.

 Yes, these pictures were taken just a couple of days ago.

I know what you're thinking, though. It's so green. Well, here on the coastal plains of Texas, we don't get a lot fall color. Post Oaks aren't known for their changing leaves, Live Oaks are evergreen, then there are pines and cedars... You get the picture. 

Speaking of Live Oaks, there are some massive ones in our area and a good many here on the ranch. So many that we occasionally stumble onto one we've never seen before. Like this one we spotted the other day.

Notice how there are some big ole limbs stretching out from the main trunk. That one spreading to the right is almost as big as the trunk itself. Live Oaks can be some gnarly trees, but, boy, are they interesting or what? Just think of the tree house one could have in this thing.

This fall weather has me craving some autumnal-tasting cookies. Something with those fall spices we all love so much. Cinnamon and cloves...

And Oatmeal Raisin cookies fit the bill.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 2/3 cups old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup dried berries/raisin blend
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves, then, with the mixer on low, lest we send flying everywhere (experience talking), add flour mixture to shortening mixture and mix until blended.

Now stir in your oatmeal.

So about those nuts and the berry/raisin mixture.

First, I like to see and taste the nuts in my cookies, so I coarsely chop them.

And pecans are always my nut of choice. That said, you are allowed to use whatever nuts you like and chop them as finely as you prefer.

As for the berries and raisins, I had just a small handful of raisins on hand and about a half a cup of this dried berry fruit mix that had golden raisins, cherry flavored dried cranberries, regular dried cranberries and blueberry cranberries. Honestly, I loved it so much, I will probably make these cookies strictly with the berry blend from now on.

Add the fruit and nuts to the rest of the mixture

Stir to combine.

Then drop by large tablespoons onto your prepared baking pans.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. If you like them crispy, let them go the longer time, if you like them chewy, go with the lower time.

I ended up with a mixture of both.

Either way, they were so delicious. The spices, the berries... It was the perfect balance and had that delicious fall flavor I was craving.

Well, I got my book turned in a few days ahead of schedule. Now it's time to catch on some chores around the house before diving into the next one. And can you believe it's time to start thinking about Christmas. I have a lot of people on my gift list, so I'm always eager to get an early start.

Now it's your turn. When you're craving the flavors of fall, what your favorite thing to make to fulfill that craving?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

A Little Bit of Pumpkin (Cake)

So last week was about soups and some other fall weather favorite meals. But it dawned on me the other day that here we are, more than midway through October, and I have not eaten or made anything pumpkin.

Hmm...

Time to remedy that. 

Actually, I've shared this recipe before and I really do love it. First, it's delicious. And it's small, only an 8x8 or 9x9 pan's worth. Meaning you're not munching on cake for the rest of the week.

Here's what you'll need for this Pumpkin Cake:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup softened cream cheese
• 2 Tbs butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium to large size bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until well combined.

Add pumpkin and oil.

And beat a medium speed to combine.

Love that color.

With your mixer on low, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

And beat for one minute.

Yes, the batter will be thick.

Spread batter into greased 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan.

Bake until cake is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.

Allow cake to cool, then make your frosting.

In a medium size bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla.

And beat until fluffy.

Spoon frosting onto cake.

And spread evenly, using knife or offset spatula.

Delicious!

A taste of autumn in every bite. And what's not to like about that.

We've had a pleasantly cool and rainy week here in south central Texas. Perfect weather to stay inside and finish the second book in my current contract. I'm excited about the way it turned out. Those characters can sometimes throw you curve ball, but it usually makes things turn out better. Now it just needs a little spit-shine before I send it off to my editor.

So what are you up to this week? Writing? Reading? Making the most of autumn before winter sets in?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com