Blog Archives: January, 2004
Potato-Leek Soup
It’s a windy, ugly day here in Oxford, and what better way to spend it than making soup? Here’s a recipe for a very British potato-leek soup that’s hearty and hits the spot.
Potato-Leek Soup
Ingredients:
- 1½ lb leeks, cleaned and sliced thin, including 1″ of green top
- 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
- 9 cups chicken broth or stock
- 3¼ lb baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
- ½ tsp black pepper (optional)
Instructions:
- Put the leeks, onions and broth in a pot.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover. Simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add the potatoes; return to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Process in a blender until desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in the pepper.
Makes 12-14 servings. From http://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/potato-leek2.html.
View comments (3) or Post a comment
Happy Birthday Dad!
In our apartment A brief shout-out wishing happy birthday to my dad (the silly looking guy in the top of the picture).
View comments (0) or Post a comment
Mother Nature reads my weblog
After reading yesterday’s post chastising a poor snowfall, it seems that Mother Nature has responded by dumping nearly 2 whole inches on the quaint college town of Oxford. Will the city grind to a halt? Will school be cancelled tomorrow? One can only hope that Oxford recovers quickly from such a heavy winter storm.
View comments (1) or Post a comment
Snow! In Oxford!
With the temperature barely reaching -1°C, I experienced my first Oxford snowfall. How exciting! Well, snowfall might be a bit of an overstatement. What would you call half a dozen water-based flakes falling from the sky but not even reaching the ground? I wonder if they’ll have to close schools tomorrow… eat your heart out, southwestern Ontario blizzard.
View comments (1) or Post a comment
A nearly nice day
Hold on to your hats, dear readers: today, for the first time since my return to the island of Britain, it was sunny. I woke up to the sun streaming in through my windows, had a late breakfast, and enjoyed an early afternoon run. But the weather here, being an unpredictable pain in the galoshes, decided to rain later in the afternoon. But now there’s a clear evening sky, and I saw stars tonight for the first time I’ve noted while in England.
This afternoon’s run also marked the beginning of Douglas’ Hilary Term Training Program (“HTTP”). (Hilary term is the name for the January-April term at Oxford.) In just 8 short weeks, I will be a fit running machine. Either that or I’ll have shin splints. But both will be fun, I bet.
Another project for the term is Conquering the World. I’ve already got henchmen working on my skull island headquarters off the coast of Point Pelee.
View comments (0) or Post a comment
Best Housemate Ever Contest
The contest is officially on. It’s the Best Current/Former Housemate Ever contest. Eligible participants include anyone who has lived with me for a period of 1 month or more. Sorry, family members are not eligible to enter.
From January 17 to 20, former-housemate Heather was in the lead, for having baked a caterpillar birthday cake for me. But now current-housemate Caroline is the leading contender, for having a wonderful chocolate cake (topped with white chocolate) waiting for me on my desk when I arrived back in Oxford.
The contest winner will have his or her name displayed in perpetuity on the web’s leading news and information site, www.douglas.stebila.ca, and will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having been a good housemate to me.
Let the games begin. Enoch, I’m waiting for your entry.
View comments (6) or Post a comment
Obligatory Navel Gazing
I’m glad that I have friends who make me caterpillar birthday cakes, and friends who will read children’s stories to me. I’m glad my mom worries about whether I’ll get to the airport on time. Some friends send me emails that aren’t very coherent yet make sense if you read them enough times, and ones that call me on having done something wrong. A crazy aunt who gives me cufflinks from beyond the grave, and another crazy aunt who takes me to coffee to talk about participating in medieval wars. Even the “friends” who put my face on student government propaganda aren’t so bad. And who can complain about allergenic “kids” that get Christmas photos at Petsmart. Age-old enemies turned friends and friends who remember more stories of your life than you do. Family, friends, and family friends. If the next twenty-five are anything like the first, it should be a good ride.
View comments (0) or Post a comment
Math on FoxTrot
I highly recommend reading today’s FoxTrot. They’re having a π-recitation contest, but with a bit of a twist.
View comments (2) or Post a comment
