Monday, April 13, 2015

What's Happening At My House



I am trying to write this post at the same time I have a sleeping kitten in my arms.  If my camera was nearby, I'd take a selfie of us both even if my hair is plastered to my head from perspiring with the heat this kitten is generating.  He may be very comfortable...me not so much.  

The things we do for our furkids.  He was banished to the basement after knocking a plant off a table and all the soil ended up on my carpet.  Now a few hours later, he was let back upstairs and I think he is trying to get back into my good graces.  Or maybe he just wants to know he is still loved.  Little stinker.  He is cute but a handful.  He will be going to live with my daughter when she gets moved into her new home.  Whenever that may be.  Sissy is actually her cat, so she will be moving, too.  I'm not sure how that will play out as the two don't exactly get along.  


I have a recipe to share.  I've decided to clean out the cupboards and freezer before buying more groceries as I have lots of food on hand.  It's just too easy sometimes to grab something at the store, but I've been noticing some expiration dates are looming so I need to use what I have.  As high as groceries are getting to be, I hate for good food to go to waste.  I made a delicious Broccoli Cheese Soup for supper with some odds and ends of cheese and a package of broccoli that needed using.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

6 TB butter
1 onion, diced
1-14 oz pkg frozen broccoli, thawed (I chopped it up more finely)
4 cans chicken broth (I made my own using chicken base)
1-1 lb. loaf Velveeta (or shredded cheddar cheese)
2 cups milk (I used 1 pint half and half)
1 TB garlic powder                   


2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

Melt butter over medium heat in dutch oven or large pan.  Saute onions in the butter until softened and then stir in broccoli and cover with the chicken broth.  Simmer 10-15 minutes until broccoli is tender.  Stir in cheese on low heat until melted and then stir in garlic powder and milk.  To thicken soup, mix cornstarch in the water and add as much as needed.  Very easy and quick to make and very tasty!

Note:  I made my own chicken broth with the chicken base, about 1 heaping teaspoon per 2 cups water.  Also, I only had about 1/4 lb of Velveeta left, so I cubed that and added enough shredded cheddar to make 16 ounces.  Lastly, I only needed about half the cornstarch mixture to thicken.  We love this soup and my daughter says it's the best broccoli cheese soup she's ever eaten.


Today is National Lineman Appreciation Day.  I would like to thank my lineman hubby and all the men and women who work across the country keeping us in power during all kinds of weather.  They will work all night long or as long as it takes until the electricity is restored.  And often in very hazardous conditions.  

My hubby is still going strong at 66 years of age and wants to work at least 2 more years when he will have in 40 years as a lineman.  That is him on the pole in a photo taken last year.  

I recently read an article in the latest Rural Missouri magazine we get about a man who retired last year at age 77 after working as a lineman for 54 years.  I asked BG if he had seen the article and he got a gleam in his eye as he said that he had.  I said "Don't even think about it!"  lol!  I don't think he'll want to work that long...at least I hope not!  But, I do appreciate all the long hours and hard work he has done.  And I love that he loves his job so much.

We have had more rains and there seems to be a chance of rain nearly every day this week.  April showers bring May flowers, they say.  I can't wait to get started on planting flower pots.  I have seen beautiful flowers at the shops but have resisted buying yet.  Soon!

Happy Monday to you!
xo Cheryl

42 comments:

  1. Good Morning, Cheryl. Your broccoli cheese soup sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.. Kudos to your hubby and all the linemen..We do love to keep our power on! Have a happy day and new week ahead!

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  2. Oh my, I'm wanting some of that scrumptious sounding soup now! Thanks for the recipe, may try it soon. Congratulations to your hubby, what a lineman!

    Have a glorious week!
    Nancy

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  3. Happy National Lineman Appreciation Day.to your husband. They do a great service, indeed. My hubby is still working at 76. But it is hard to imagine climbing as high as yours does at that age. The soup sounds yummy.

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  4. Your flowers are so pretty!
    Congrats to your husband... it's great that he still loves his job after so many years, and is so great at it!!

    Your soup looks yummy! I like to shop and cook from our pantry as well.... I mean, if I bought it, we may as well use it up :)

    ~K.

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  5. Always a good idea to use up what we have in the cupboard. Your husband is amazing!

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  6. What a cool photo of your man! I do so appreciate the linemen who are out all hours trying to repair things after a storm. I always think of them when the power goes out. So much to do after a storm! The soup sounds delicious.

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  7. What a cool photo of your man! I do so appreciate the linemen who are out all hours trying to repair things after a storm. I always think of them when the power goes out. So much to do after a storm! The soup sounds delicious.

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  8. Hi Cheryl, Great photo of your husband. During a recent ice/sleet storm here in GA and being without power 50 hours, I have great appreciation for linemen too. They work in such extreme conditions. Thank you for the soup recipe; I will have to try this as it is a favorite of ours.

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  9. Aww, tell your husband how much I appreciate the linemen and thank him for me. Your recipe looks and sounds good.

    PS I think Spring has sprung in Missouri. Yay!

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  10. WOW! That soup lools and sounds good. I think I must make that. I suppose if you added a large potato that would thiicken it.

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  11. Kudos to your hubby, Cheryl! Wow, 40 years will be a long time climbing poles.
    Your flowers are beautiful. Mine will look like that sometime around the first of June!!

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  12. Tell you wonderful lineman hubby thanks from his end of WI! Good for him-he looks fit as a fiddle!

    I copied your broccoli cheese soup recipe over and have some stuff I need to use up, too. I may make this thyis afternoon. Thanks! xo Diana

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  13. amazing guy to be up on that pole that many years and still climbing.. thanks go out to all the lineman who keep my computer ON LINE... i love broccoli cheese soup but have never made my own. this looks great...

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  14. Your husband and other linesmen are brave and strong! I don't think many people realize how they can be taking their life in their hands if they do not use proper procedure. So they need to be very focused. Your soup and your flowers look delicious! Oh, that soil cleanup was no fun!

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  15. Shoot, could have used that recipe while my company was here.
    I use to work for a power company but even if I hadn't, linemen are my heroes. They work in the nastiest of weather to keep us comfortable. Kudos to your hubby.

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  16. i read about national linemen day in our electric coop magazine and immediately thought of your hubby. however, i thought he had made the decision to retire - guess not! go, lineman, go!!

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  17. Morning, love those Spring blooms, so pretty... Good looking soup too, yum.Blessings Francine.

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  18. Good Morning, I thought about your husband yesterday when they were restoring power on the Belt Highway. Somebody took out a power pole and he didn't get hurt but caused several business to be closed for several hours as well as people had to find another way around. It is cloudy out and I wish that it wasn't so I figure we will get some more rain. I loved the pretty pictures at the top of your post. Take care. Hugs and Prayers from Your NW Missouri Friend Shirley

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  19. Delicious looking soup. Yes, people with jobs like your hubby work so hard and in so many emergencies and go just taken for granted. So, tell him thanks for his devotion to his job!

    Judy

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  20. Soup sounds delicious and congrats to your husband for all of his hard work. xo Laura

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  21. Beautiful flowers and the kitty sounds adorable! Thankful for hard working hubbies!
    Lori

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  22. Beautiful flowers and the soup sounds delish...broccoli cheese is one of my faves! Congrats to your hubby with so many years in as a lineman! That is awesome....and I cannot think of that type of work without thinking of the old Glen Campbell song, "Wichita Lineman"...such a pretty one!

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  23. Thank your husband for me, we wouldn' get very far without him or his fellow linemen. I watched a show on the linemen in Alaska once, fascinating show. All of them have an incredible head for heights which I don't and congratulations to your hubby for doing this valuable work for 38 years with two years to go. That is quite an accomplishment. Kittens are so cute, your flowers are gorgeous and thank you for that wonderful recipe. I have all ingredients on hand and will be making it. Have a great day :)

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  24. Been raining here all day. But April showers make May flowers!
    Brenda

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  25. I think it's great that your husband is still working at his job and loves what he does. He must be very healthy and strong to keep climbing those poles! I don't know what we'd do without linesmen here after the terrible storms we've had the past year and really needed them to restore power. Have a good week Cheryl.

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  26. hey, if you love your job - that is great. i wish so many other loved their jobs too. i hate to hear of folks not loving theirs. love your recipe. thanks!! love you blooms. spring rocks!! happy it is here now. looks like the leaves will be in full force by the end of the week. they are getting ready to pop. time flies. ( :

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  27. This was a awesome post. I do love the picture of your husband on the job. It looks scary to me. I do appreciate the linemen for all they do. I consider them very brave.
    Thanks for the soup recipe; it looks so yummy and easy too. Your pictures were great and I love the flowers. I wish that we were getting more rain; we need it badly. I hope we won't be restricted this year on watering our grass and garden.
    Thanks for your fun posts; I love following your days. Hugs!

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  28. Big "Woo Hoo's" to your hubby for all of his years as a linemen. This is a job that we all sometimes forget to give thanks for....until we have NO Electricity. Hope he gets to retire soon. I definitely want to try this soup recipe. sounds delicious...and my crew loves Broccoli Cheddar soup...
    have a good week

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  29. The soup looks delicious. Tell your husband he is deeply appreciated- his job is one that can be very dangerous and in the worst weather too. I think lineman are the unsung heroes after bad storms.

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  30. Your husband is amazing, anyone that is willing to be out there in all kinds of weather and fix our electrical problems has my gratitude.

    Jen

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  31. Hi Cheryl!

    I love nothing more than cuddling with a cute little kitten . . . it makes me sleepy thinking about it! They can be so naughty, but the cuteness outweighs all, or at least most, of the naughty.

    I think it's wonderful that your husband loves his job, and is willing to sacrifice so that people in your community can be comfortable! Many thanks to him and all who put their life on hold so much of the time!

    I love cheesy soup, and yours looks so delish! My husband and I are trying to eat better, which translates into . . . DIET, so no half and half for us these days, but, I'll bet I could make it work using a lighter version of ingredients, it looks amazing!

    Your flowers are gorgeous! I'm looking forward to getting out and planting flowers in my pots as well. I'm so ready for Spring!

    Hugs,
    Barb

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  32. Dreamy springtime flowers . . .
    Yummy soup . . .
    Feisty kitten . . .
    Lineman hubby . . .
    And he deserves my thank you . . .

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  33. A hardworking hubby is a real gift!! But I hope he's not inspired by that article! :)

    Broccoli cheese soup sounds good, as does your plan for using food that you have already. That is such a good, frugal idea and I should join you in doing that.

    Kitties. Gotta love 'em.

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  34. Those Lineman are terrific!! Tell him his work is appreciated!! We are still working on the freezer and getting it ready for summer produce! It is a good reminder for me to check out my canned goods and their exp dates. You are sure right food it too expensive to throw out. We find planning ahead really helps us and we have a left over night if we need it! :)

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  35. Hooray for linemen!!!!! I can picture you and a sweet kitty sitting together. :)

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  36. Yes, a BIG thank you to the linemen! They were just here last month to put up a new outside light for us.. the other one died! Your soup looks delicious. I am addicted to the broccoli cheese soup at Panera's. I love broccoli any old way. It would be nice to make our own! Hope you are loving all this rain we are getting!

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  37. ohhhh that soup looks good! i happen to be cleaning out what we have in the freezer this week too ha...so much in there! yay to your hubby!

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  38. Boy does that soup look good. And what would we all do without those linemen.

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  39. God bless your husband fro being able to do that job at 66 years old--it looks so physically demanding!

    Your broccoli cheese soup soup looks so good!

    Glad the kitty was forgiven for his bad deed...lol!

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  40. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe for the delicious looking soup! I will definitely try it! Enjoyed the post...

    Blessings,
    Dianne
    www.sweetjourneyhome.com

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  41. Wonderful , wonderful post Cheryl, thanks for the broccoli cheese soup. cleaning my cabinets is on my to do list ! i agree with you about electric line men they stay until our service is back on. we have a rural electric co-op, and they are superb. Congratulations to your husband on his upcoming 40th service. We have lots of rain here this week, everything is getting to be so green.
    Enjoy those kitties,.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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