Friday, February 8, 2013

So good, reminder of home and thinking of them

- I suppose food bloggers would put this in a bowl to photograph it, or at least wipe the sides of the soup pot.  :)  This delicious recipe came from the smitten kitchen blog and I loved making it.  Crushed tomatoes, lentils, carrots, celery, onion, Italian sausage, garlic, spices, greens.  So good!  Click the Smitten Kitchen link above to get the recipe.  It could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the sausage.  It's for lunch today - topped with some grated romano cheese.  Yum.

- Switching to Gain laundry detergent just because of this story:  my sister Jo and her husband own a small business and one of their employees was deployed to Afghanistan several months ago.  They keep in touch and he told Jo in an email that what he misses most is fresh sheets on the bed.  His always seem to feel sandy.  So she bought some sheets in the correct size, washed them with Gain and packed them in a zipped plastic bag and sent them off to him.  He told her that he hasn't wanted to put them on his cot - he just likes to unzip the bag and breathe in the smell of the detergent every now and then.  It reminds him of home.

- The delightful smell of that detergent when I walk by clothes that I hung to dry in the doorway.  They also make me think of my sister and the young man in a faraway land.

It's the weekend!  I am looking forward to my two days off and hope you are, too.  Have a great one!

20 comments:

happygirl said...

I'm making that stew. It looks so good. I've always been transported to different times and places by aromas, myself. I know what that soldier means. Have a wonderful weekend. :)

Granny Annie said...

I'll be putting Gain on my list and maybe send some fresh washed sheets to a few of our soldiers. That is a lovely story.

Now this was another side to the coin. When Ron and I were miles apart, I had him send me one of his dirty shirts. Yes, I mean a worn and unwashed shirt...and I slept in it every night. Perhaps that is a story I should not tell. I still have the shirt but it is too small for either of us now. LOL (And yes, I have since washed it.)Hum, might have to turn this into a blog post.

I must find the recipe I have for a potato sausage soup that is also great even without the sausage. I will email it to you when I find it. Your soup looks delicious.

LL Cool Joe said...

That is a lovely story. It's amazing how smells, both good and bad can be so powerful.

Have a lovely weekend Lynn!

Jannie Funster said...

Ahhh, I love Gain too!! And it's really quite a good price.

They say smell is our oldest and deepest sense!!

Looking good in the stew pot. I like Smitten Kitchen for a name, nice rhyme.

Now... on to your Wednesday post.....

oxoxoxox

Chatty Crone said...

Gain - huh? And I saw that recipe on there too - so it's good? sandie

Lynn said...

happygirl -

I put all four links of sausage that my package had - she does half. Either way I'm sure it's good.

Have a great weekend!

Granny Annie -

That is a wonderful idea. She got those tshirt material sheets - not that he's sleeping on them - he just likes to unzip that package and breathe it in.

I can totally understand wanting to wear his shirt that smelled like him. Hey - my best friend left her coat at my house before she died and I still have it in my coat closet with tissues, etc. in the pocket. I can't bear to part with it.

I would LOVE to have that soup recipe. My mom used to make potato soup for us when we were little and I loved it.

Joe -

Thank you - and I sometimes encounter other things that remind me of family and friends. Yes - powerful.

Jannie -

I like original scent Gain, not that lavender scent.

xo

Sandie -

SO good.

Jannie Funster said...

And funny, I'm just now returning, your window's been open here on my computer since I left the above comment. That happens sometimes, eh? :)

Meantime... I packaged up 6 eBay parcels, drove to the library where I printed out the shipping labels, came home and attached them, set them out for Postie, reheated more coffee, then continued on with some house and eBay shelves culling / reorganization, songwriting and Valentines gift wrapping. Package for my faminy. Hopin' to mail today, we'll see how the day shapes up. :) It may not arrive for the 14th.

NOW I shall go to your Wednesday treat that awaits.

And yes, -- I totally agree on Original Gain, not lavendar. Original is like all the best smells in one at the same time, like springtime picnic with autumn forest and sunset beach. :)

xoox

Jannie Funster said...

my family don't get much food way up thar in the Canada winter -- they get kind of "faminy" (as typoed above) this time of year. yikes. :) :) :)

xoxo

Jannie Funster said...

Oh, outta ink -- thus printing at the library. I hear Costco refills them, so I'm gonna check them out. I've not had good success lately with the refilled cartridges I've bought off eBay.

And Costco has good steaks, and not a bad price at all!

You probably don't need to know any of the above, but I enjoyed sharing. :) :)

NOW, to Wednesday, then to Snaggle's... Then to other awesome places and back to those valentines notes and packaging...

xoxo

TALON said...

It's amazing the things we miss when we are away...when my son was in Afghanistan, he said the thing he really missed the most was the taste of home's milk and butter. Neither tasted just right to him :)

That stew looks scrumptious. And it's photographed in just the right way! :)

Have a beautiful weekend, Lynn!

Sparkling Red said...

I love how your soup looks in that pot. Homemade, delicious, and abundant. Food shouldn't be too tidy. :-)

Riot Kitty said...

Yum! I can totally make a vegan version of that.

G. B. Miller said...

That soup sounds very yummy. I too love the smell of freshly washed clothes. Kind of reminds you of the simpler things in life.

Ileana said...

Sweet story about the Gain detergent. Now I want to smell it again. :)

The soup looks delicious and I'd definitely want it with sausages! Maybe even chorizos, the Spanish ones. They are so tasty, if you haven't tried them.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Lynn .. what a wonderful post - loved the soup .. and I think I need a chocolate - as I've had lunch .. but could do with a spot of spicy soup!!

Then the complete change of top - isn't that wonderful and what a brilliant idea to send the sheets off - I love the imagery you've created here ...

Cheers Hilary

Betty Manousos said...

your soup looks and sounds very delicious!
i love soup. i'm so seriously craving this right now.
thanks for sharing it:)

big hugs.

Lynn said...

Jannie -

I figured you meant family, but had a giggle over your fun response to that. :) Your day sounded busy busy!

Hugs! And xoxo

Talon -

There's a whole thing about food photography that I just don't have in me, I guess. You are supposed to bounce light off of it, etc. Thanks for making me feel better. :)

Yes - I can imagine the butter in a setting like that would be institutionalized in some way. Kind of like it was when I was in grade school - they always had it in iced down water and would give you a pat of it for your cold roll. Icy tasting butter on a cold roll - there's a diet plan. :)

Sparkling Red -

I agree!

Riot Kitty -

You can get those soy crumbles that are supposed to simulate meat in chili, etc., but I always wonder if any actual vegans want that.

Let me know if you make it.

Lynn said...

G -

I'm all about the simpler things in life...

Ily -

Hmmm - chorizos. I have had them at restaurants. I might have to try them in this soup / stew.

Hilary -

I don't try to stick to a topic - my main focus is to post about three beautiful things of the day.

I washed with Gain all weekend and it gives the house a nice scent, too.

Cheers!

Betty -

I wish I could share some with you. Big hugs to you!

happygirl said...

Just finished enjoying the stew. This is a great recipe. My husband loved it. Two links of sausage were enough. Thanks for sharing this one.

Lynn said...

happygirl -

I'm so glad you liked it!