Hearty Broccoli Potato "Cheese" Soup

I went searching for a Potato Broccoli soup recipe a couple weeks ago and this is what I found. It came from someone's blog on the internet and I've tweaked it to suit our tastebuds. It is YUMM-O! And very easy too, I might add.

Hearty Broccoli and Potato Cheese Soup
6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 small onion, diced
1 bunch broccoli
1 T sea salt
½ C vegan cheese

Put the potatoes and onion in a pot, approximately 6 quarts. Add cold water until they are covered by about an inch of water. Add 1 T of salt. Place the pot over high heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

Turn on the oven, set for 400 degrees F. Chop the broccoli to remove the florets. Keep the florets intact and spread on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil.

When the oven is at temperature and the potatoes are boiling, set a timer for 7 minutes. Place the broccoli in the oven and let each cook until the timer beeps.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and take the potatoes off the heat. Add half the broccoli to the potatoes and puree using an immersion blender (can use regular blender). Chop the remaining broccoli and stir it into the soup, then slowly fold in about half a cup of vegan cheese.

Serve with hearty bread and garnish with a teaspoon of the remaining cheese if desired.

Quercetin - My Miracle Allergy Cure!

A while back allergies hit me like they never have before. I was MISERABLE with a capital M! Sneezing, itching, watery eyes, the works! Finally I got the brilliant idea to research natural allergy remedies and this is one of the links I came up with:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2006-08-01/Six-Natural-Allergy-Remedies.aspx



With the exception of one odd day, I have been allergy symptom free since the day after I starting taking Quercetin. I also started taking garlic capsules and every once in a while I drink nettle tea. I am amazed at what quercetin did for me.

100% Functional

Here's the long awaited kitchen!! It's totally functional, but only about 90% complete. There is still trim, ceiling repair (and thus no light yet), and a few minor things to finish. The important things work though. The dishwasher is making up for lost time and the garbage disposal runs just so I can hear it's sweet hum. :) I'm very, very grateful!

Shrubs and Plants and Flowers, Oh My!

For those of you who have seen our house from start to finish, you know it's a work in progress. Well, we (my mom and I!) finally got around to planting some things around the outside of the house. In the blank corner spot, you'll have to imagine the rhododendron that is going there next spring. :)

The Sanctuary

Our church had a 1/2 size Sanctuary Model for the past 5 days. They've had this for a few years as part of the Frontier Days in the city. We and another homeschool family took advantage of the opportunity for school on Thursday. It was quite an experience and the kids learned a lot. This was just the first tour they went on. We stayed Sabbath afternoon and they went 4 or 5 times (the manna kept drawing them back!).

My Canning Buddy

Little did I know just how much Dillon could help me with canning tomatoes. Before he started I sure didn't give this little 3 year old enough credit! He was a tremendous help!

The Beach

Last Sunday we decided to take advantage of some of the last warm weather...we went to the beach! The kids were thrilled, and although we didn't stay long enough for their liking, we did have a great time!