Cleaning House & Thrifting

CLEANING HOUSE

My grandfather passed away last month at the age of 90. My grandmother passed in 2004. We started cleaning out their house recently. It's sad and there are many memories. We have to sort through what we want and what we plan to donate. On a positive note, the attic is full of great vintage stuff. I found matching rooster wall plaques and a decorative tray that matches my kitchen perfectly, strands of bells that I played with when I was little..... 

I'll post more pics of other things later on. Lots of owls and 70's decor! My grandparents really had good taste :-)

The coolest thing I've found so far is a LOOK magazine from 1968 with some amazing Beatles pics

THRIFTING

Went to our local Goodwill this week (Portsmouth, OH). I usually don't have much luck there. It seems like they don't get much good stuff and they ask a lot for it. For instance, you'll see a bowl with a dollar store $1 price tag on the bottom and Goodwill will have it marked for $1.89. I mean, seriously?

Anyway, I decided to stop in just in case and picked up a couple cheap treasures. 

I got this Vino sign for 69 cents which will be so cute above my wine fridge 

Carved wood coaster 59 cents. Not sure why I bought this :-)

Danny has been wanting a magazine holder for months.
I got this one for $3.10. It needs some TLC but cheaper than a
new one.  Maybe I should paint it? Not sure about that yet.

BARGAIN SHOPPING

This salt and pepper shaker set is not a thrifting find. I got it at Kmart, but it is seriously so cute for $7.00!

Life is Short Sign, Eat Dessert First sign. A bargain at Hobby Lobby $9.00. Half price!

Until next time......

Cheesy Beer Soup with or without Macaroni

This is a combination of 3 recipes, 2 vegan and 1 non-vegan. Please read entire recipe through before starting :-) This soup is perfect for cold nights like tonight.

3 C vegetable broth (I use a combination of vegetable and 'no chicken' bouillon dissolved in water)
1 large russet potato (diced)

2 T Earth Balance margarine (or) 1 T olive oil
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1 large onion diced
1/2 cup diced baby carrots
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloved garlic, minced

1/2 C all purpose flour
1 C almond milk (you may need more at the end)
2 1/2 C vegetable broth (I use a combination of veg and 'no chicken' bouillon dissolved in water)

12 oz. beer of your choice

1 C uncooked elbow macaroni (you can omit but I like it)

3/4 C nutritional yeast
1/2 package Daiya Vegan Cheddar Cheese or other brand
1 t mustard
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t turmeric
salt, pepper and season salt to taste

Bread- you will definitely want bread to dunk in this. I chose rye bread

1) Prepare your 5 1/2 cups vegetable broth if using bouillon. The brand I use calls for heating the water so the bouillon cubes will dissolve. Divide it as follows: one bowl with 3 cups and another bowl that has 2 1/2 cups broth

2) Simmer your diced potato in the 3 cups of broth you have prepared (save other 2 1/2 cups broth for later) for about 15 minutes until potato gets tender. Then, place potato and broth into a blender and puree until very smooth. Set aside. This little concoction will help thicken your soup.

3) While you are simmering the potatoes, start on your veggies. Place margarine or olive oil in soup pot over medium heat, add carrots and celery. Allow these to saute for a while until they start to get tender. I always have trouble getting my carrots tender enough for soup. Once these start to get tender add your onions and broccoli and give it another 5 minutes. Add garlic and heat another minute,. Watch constantly and turn down heat if needed. Stir often.

4) In a bowl, combine flour, remaining broth (2 1/2 cups), and the cup of almond milk and whisk until all the lumps are gone. Add this to soup pot that has the veggies in it. Bring to a boil and cook 1-3 minutes until it starts to thicken. Whisk constantly.

5) Add the potato/broth mixture into the soup pot along with your nutritional yeast, mustard, turmeric, and salt and pepper. Cook about a minute. Then add your beer, Daiya cheese, and macaroni (if using) and cook on medium, covered, for another 15 minutes.

6) At this point, your soup will get quite thick, almost a chowder consistency. I like mine a bit thinner so I add about a cup of almond milk to thin it out. At this point, I also add season salt to taste. I just love season salt!

Garnish with fresh pepper. Serve hot with bread or in a bread bowl. Makes enough for 4 or 5 people. If you have leftovers, you may need to add milk or broth when heating this up as it can get thick in the fridge.
Enjoy!