It’s been raining off and on for days around here.  That pitter patter on the roof every night puts me in the mood for tasty soups!   Yesterday I made this delicious version of Wild Mushroom Bisque.  In the past, I’ve called this Cream of Wild Mushroom soup, but since it’s puréed, I’m getting all fancy on ya and calling it a ‘Bisque’.

I’m one of those people who gets a craving, then has to run to the store just to grab the ingredients.  It’s a bad habit, one I refuse to break.  The other day, I was craving homemade creamy mushroom soup, so I whipped up a batch of this yumminess. 

Wild Mushroom Bisque

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

2 medium shallots, thinly diced

20 oz. of a medley of cleaned, trimmed, and sliced mushrooms

(I used 8 oz. button mushrooms, 6 oz. portabella, 6 oz. shiitake mushrooms, but you can substitute oyster, crimini, porcini, whatever is available.)

1 cup dry sherry

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

½ tsp tarragon

2 ½ cups half and half

½ tsp white pepper

Salt to taste

Sauté diced shallots in butter and olive oil mixture over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, add sliced mushrooms and sauté 3-4 more minutes to soften, stirring frequently.  Add dry sherry to mixture and bring to a low boil.  Reduce liquid on low boil for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add chicken (or vegetable) broth and tarragon, bring to low boil, then simmer on low another 8-10 minutes, reduce heat.  Fully purée mixture in a blender, or with an immersion blender. 

Return to soup pot, then add half and half, pepper, and salt to taste, reheat on stovetop on medium for 5 minutes, do not boil or burn.  Serve hot with croutons & shaved parmesan, crackers or crunchy sourdough.  Serves 6. 

Here are five more savory soups I’ve made in the past that I also love.

Slurp! 

I mean Bon Appétit ! 

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Today is just an ordinary Tuesday for most of you, but for me it marks the two year anniversary of my blog!  Yay!

What a year! I never imagined so many opportunities would come my way and I am so grateful to all of you who visit now and then, thank you SO much!

I’m one of those many multitasking moms, but lucky enough to be able to work from home, blessed with good health, great kids, a supportive husband, and a plethora of power tools.  Life is pretty good, and I’m thankful everyday. 

I often get these questions: How do you balance it all and get so much done? How do you manage your time?  How Do You Do It All?

My friends, let’s face the truth.  No one can ever “do it all”.  Not unless you’re Martha Omnimedia with unlimited resources and highly paid staff to cater to your every whim.  Then yes you probably can do it all, I suppose. 

There are plenty of things I don’t do, and for me, that’s the key to the ‘balance’ question.  I’ve decided what I can accomplish in any given day or week, what I have to sacrifice to get it done, and the power of saying ‘No’ to the things that won’t work for me and my family. 

Life (and blogging) is an ongoing treadmill, and Year Two taught me a few things.  But like a runner who’s been running for awhile, most importantly it taught me to find my stride.  The last two months have been extremely challenging.  I flew to the east coast three times in six weeks, all the while doing all the other things I ordinarily do.  I can’t believe I haven’t fallen down or gotten sick, which is nearly impossible when you’re on so many airplanes and picking up all those germs on every hotel doorknob and elevator button. 

I absolutely could not have stayed afloat this past year without my eternally patient husband, daily devotions, the support of some ‘got your back’ moms in my community watching over my munchkins, and Dori’s ‘just keep swimming’ attitude!  

I’m pretty disciplined with my time, but I’ve also learned to be forgiving of myself.  My house is never perfectly straightened, dust free, and it is rarely ready for company.  So what?  Perfection is not my goal, contentment is my goal.  Dishes and laundry and kid toys pile up, clutter creeps in, and to tackle it all I just keep swimming. 

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My honey and I aren’t big on lavish expenditures on Valentine’s Day.  Usually, we spend it at home with just a few decadent treats like dark chocolate and champagne ~ a thoughtful card with a sweet sentiment is always exchanged.

For the longest time, I’ve been wanting to craft something with the sheet music from our wedding song, but couldn’t decide what to do.  A card?  A picture frame mat?  Then it came to me a few days ago!  How about something sentimental we could actually use?  A decoupage tray!

Perfect for serving chocolates and bubbly today . .

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I think I’ve finally recovered from my whirlwind trip to the Big Easy last week.  I was there for an event sponsored by RustOleum, but I did have a few hours to walk the famous French Quarter.  I haven’t been to New Orleans since before we had kids, and it was fantastic to be back, if only to spend a few hours indulging in the best of that crazy wonderful place. 

I purposely left my Nikon at home, so all of these images were captured with my phone on a rainy day, but oh what a glorious time I had!  I love the sights, smells, sounds and flavors of this place.  I made it my quest to cram as much as I could into my brief stay. 

When in New Orleans, one must savor pralines.  I made the fateful mistake of ordering a ‘pray-line’ like we say out here in California.  Oh the disdainful ‘you poor sad tourist’ look I received.  When in New Orleans, the proper way to pronounce this sweet treat is ‘praw-leeen’.  I shall never make that mistake in enunciation again. 

When in New Orleans, one cannot escape the gorgeous architecture of the French Quarter.  Funny how lantern fixtures are so in vogue now, popping up everywhere over dining room tables and above kitchen islands.  N’awlins has had them on display since oh, forever.  Always classic, always gorgeous, indoors or out!

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