Simple Goodness ~~ Homemade Alfredo Sauce

The Professor and I have been making this sauce for our family for about ten years. It began when our friend Ike cooked for us from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. The tomatoes and basil drizzled in olive oil, the green beans with butter and parmesan, and the orange sorbet put us over the edge, and we splurged on this cookbook when there was no money for splurges. We stay close to the proportions Marcella shares for this classic, but a small deviation from her method (credit to The Professor) yields a much thicker, creamier sauce. This is so simple to execute, and so good, you'll forget it's sold in jars and wish the restaurants knew what you know about pasta Alfredo.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

4 T. butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 1/3 cups shredded parmesan, divided
1/4 t. ground nutmeg (essential! do not substitute.)
salt and pepper to taste

After draining your cooked pasta (penne is a favorite with our small children, linguine is the standard), place the pot back over low heat. Melt the butter, add 1 cup of the cream, 1 cup of the parmesan, and the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir until the parmesan melts and sauce thickens, maybe 2-3 minutes. Toss in pasta, coating it thoroughly. Then add the meat/veggies and the remaining cream and parmesan. Toss gently. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.

Regarding additions:
Grilled chicken is always good. As are fine, steamed green beans. Cooked and sliced Italian sausage works well, too. I often use a frozen Tuscan mix when I'm in a rush. I simply place the still frozen mix in a large, hot skillet (8 of 10) with olive oil, sprinkle with a little garlic salt, turn the heat down to medium and let them steam/brown 'til tender while the pasta cooks.

This recipe makes enough sauce for one pound of pasta and another pound or so of additions.
That feeds our family of five with generous moreovers for the next day.

Prairie Girl Fashion

On our way to model in a historic fashion show earlier this fall, I snapped a picture of the girls in their prairie dresses, circa 1870. These are made from Sense & Sensibility patterns in period correct fabrics. The Truffle had to remove her precious glasses for the trek down the runway, so the girls held hands as they went, and even coordinated an adorable little - hop - off the stage. No mishaps and an appreciative audience. A good morning all around.

Happy Blue Dress

November's chill + 'fall back' means the Wonderbug has worn this summer favorite for the last time this year.




Good news is I made it with growing room.

(pattern from the Japanese sewing book Pleasant Cotton Wardrobe 3)

Simple Goodness ~ Mushroom Soup

Craving + impulsive purchasing of mushrooms. This has inspired a search for new dishes that feature this fairy-tale food. Which brought me to a recipe as old as the tales themselves.

Mushroom Soup

2 lbs. mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
1 chopped onion
large pinch of thyme
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 pinches salt
ground black pepper
1 cup plain yogurt
1 T. sherry (opt.)

Cook broth, mushrooms, onion, and thyme in a pot until tender, 10-15 minutes.
Puree this soup base in a blender, leaving about a cup of the mushrooms in a separate bowl.
Set aside.
In the pot, melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, yogurt, puree, and mushrooms. Stir well and heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste and add sherry, if desired.

Served with a large salad, homemade bread, and lit pillars, this makes a comforting autumn supper.


In my head:

~Just finished reading Tony Woodlief's Somewhere More Holy. An excellent sense of humor seasons this convicting and encouraging memoir/meditation on the refining fire that is family life.

~Sewing the apron dress from Basics for Girls in chocolate corduroy and flannel for the Wonderbug.

~Pumpkin Penne with Rosemary from the Toby Show blog, another fall delight.

Pick a Bale o' Cotton Quilt

A couple of years ago my mother gave me a few faded, but treasured, cotton seed sacks that belonged to her grandmother. My nana has told me stories about her. She was a fast cotton picker, and is said to have ginned it as she went. Ah, the heirlooms of the farm girl.


For a long time, I wondered how I could share, display, and preserve them. Last summer, inspiration struck.



The sacks were folded in a cabinet together with a vintage quilt top I had picked up and some striped linen. I pieced a simple top with the seed sack, then used the quilt top for the backing.



The quilt is pick-stitched right down the rows in the field. Every time I worked on it, this old song played in my mind.

Jump down, turn around to pick a bale of cotton
Jump down, turn around to pick a bale a day.
Jump down, turn around to pick a bale of cotton
Jump down, turn around to pick a bale a day.

Oh, pick a bale, yes pick a bale, oh pick a bale of cotton,
Oh, pick a bale and pick a bale
Oh, pick a bale a day.

Me and my gal can pick a bale of cotton,
Me and my gal can pick a bale a day.

(Chorus)

Me and my partner can pick a bale of cotton,
Me and my partner can pick a bale a day.

(Chorus)

Me and my papa can pick a bale of cotton,
Me and my papa can pick a bale a day.

The quilt now sits in my grandparents living room. I'm told that PawPaw fusses at Nana when it migrates from his chair to hers.

The Tallest Munchkin

As long as I've known her, my colorful-speeched mother-in-law (known as Dears to my children) has claimed that anyone shorter than her is a munchkin. A scant five feet herself, she teases her grandchildren and the good-humored little old ladies she works with in the kitchen at the church.

Well, one night recently, the Professor and I were having happy supper conversation with our three little ones. To stress as fact something I'd said, the Professor stated, "And anyone shorter than Dears -is- a munchkin."

To which the Truffle piped up, "Yes, Dears is the Tallest Munchkin."

We lost it.

Which is why her perpetually chilly Dears received a pink hoodie emblazoned with a three-leaf clover and the new moniker "The Tallest Munchkin" for her un-birthday this year.

Anticipating Autumn Chills

The Wonderbug is so pleased with herself. And rightly so. She designed and knit this scarf herself.

Her favorite features are the wooden button, the fringe to match her hat, and that it is yellow- her color of the moment. The earflap hat is one I knit last year from a Peace Fleece pattern I've used many times. Jack Frost, she is so ready for you.