A Long Cozy Sunday

Looking up Henry asks, "Any last words, Rhys?"

It's really beginning to feel like fall now that we're experiencing some gloominess. The rain from the night before brought a crispness to the air, clearing the smog for a bit and blessing us with some cooler weather. And the cooler weather has brought me a craving for soup.

Whenever I think of soup I always touch upon a memory of Kenny. This incident occurred in the early days of our courtship. Angele had made a delicious batch of soup one day and not long after took a trip somewhere. While his parents were away we happened to be in their kitchen when it struck Kenny that he really wanted some soup.

He then pulled out and began to expertly chop all the vegetables in the refrigerator, after which he threw them into a large pot filled with water and peppered with various seasonings. We then proceeded to sit and wait while it cooked. When the soup looked done, we took a taste and quickly spat it out! What emerged was a pot of boiled tasteless vegetables. From what you might have gathered my interest and knowledge of cooking was small to minuscule; otherwise I would have figured out that he didn't know what the heck he was doing. My only excuse is that I was spoiled by a mother who was an excellent cook; so spoiled that I never took much interest in cooking.

I've been anticipating my soup fix for the past week and so in accordance bought all my ingredients a couple of days ago for one of the very few soups I've taken the time to ask how to prepare, oxtail soup.


This is a very loose recipe I memorized from my mother, and so never bothered to write it down or use the exact same ingredients or measurements. Tonight's version consists of:

oxtail
1 large onion
a handful and a half of small potatoes
1 can of tomatoes
carrots
celery
broth

I chopped all the vegetables into bite sizes. Added olive oil to the pot, threw in the onions and began to brown the oxtail. When the oxtail was finished browning I then added the potatoes and then a can of tomatoes. Broth and vegetables. Cook for 45 minutes on a medium low heat. Ta Da!


Brushes with the culinary side of myself occur randomly and do not usually last long. I often feel panicked when faced with the daunting task of throwing a meal together, as those of you in similar situations with hungry mouths to feed can sympathize. But recently I've been getting immense enjoyment from the site of my high school friend Heather. She started a cooking blog not too long ago called Stories from a California Kitchen and she was nice enough to mention me last week. Thumbs up to Heather for inspiring the chef in all of us!

PS Happy Birthday Auntie May!!