SMALL BITES…………adventures in downsizing

By Jan Kinzel

Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

The upside of downsizing . . . Are you a shopaholic?  Do you have hoarding tendencies?  Is your home disorganized?  (Remember Lucille Ball as the Vita-meata-vega-min Girl?)  Do you have too much ‘stuff’?  Well, guess what!  Downsizing solves all of these problems.  By the way, did you know that some of the aforementioned conditions are classified as psychological disorders? . . . mmmmm . . . I have to think on that for a while!

The thing is, there isn’t space for all of the things.  It’s essential to organize and pretty much make every inch of space count.  Organizing a large space is fairly easy because everything can be put somewhere; however, that is not the case in a small space.  Purging your ‘stash of stuff’ is a good start and it forces a prioritizing of items that are needed or that have other value: sentimental, medical, bank and legal records, etc.  What to do with the extraneous items?  They can be donated, given away, sold, or delegated to the trash bin.

Lack of extra food storage space, both cold and dry, causes a major change and that affects many aspects of daily life and of hospitality.  Two refrigerators, a big freezer and a wine refrigerator in the garage provided a vast amount of cold storage and came in mighty handy for entertaining.  Combined with a kitchen side-by-side refrigerator and freezer, whole troops of people could be served!  A large five-shelf pantry housed every ingredient imaginable!

Well then, in regard to cooking and entertaining, just what is the upside of downsizing? Two advantages I believe are paramount: (1) the utilization of fresher ingredients and (2) the end of wastefulness.  With pretty much unlimited storage, it was easy to “stock up”.  Items in the pantry and freezer went unnoticed and slid past their ‘sell by’ and ‘use by’ dates.  About every six months or so, these items got tossed.  It was literally throwing money away.

Solving the problem of the lack of food storage space is easy.  Shop more frequently for the meal you will be serving.  Purchase the required items for the menu and cook fresh.  Let the market store the groceries!

MENU

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Arugula Salad with Summer Fruits and Herbs

Crusty Sourdough Bread with Herb Butter

Arnold Palmers made with Raspberry Lemonade

RECIPE

Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 medium yellow onion, chopped into a small dice

2 eight ounce boxes of sliced white mushrooms

1 eight ounce box of sliced brown mushrooms

½ stick unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 large can or box of good quality chicken broth*

¼ cup crème sherry

½ cup non-fat half and half cream

1 tablespoon salt

4 twists of freshly ground black pepper

In a 4 or 5 quart heavy sauce pan over medium high heat, melt the butter and add the olive

oil. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are

soft.  Season with the salt and pepper as the vegetables are cooking.  Stir in the flour and cook

for a couple of minutes, not letting the flour brown.

Add the chicken broth and mix until smooth.  Cook a few minutes until the soup thickens.  Add the sherry and cook for a few more minutes to cook out the alcohol but leaving the flavor.   Stir the cream in and simmer for 5 minutes.  (Add more seasoning if needed.)

Bring to the table in the pot, and ladle into individual bowls.  Garnish with a sprig of parsley. 

*For a heartier soup, use beef broth. Chicken broth is best for the summer; beef broth is best for the fall and winter. Take advantage of seasonal produce.  In the fall and winter, serve with a salad containing sliced pears and dried cranberries.

Arugula Salad with Summer Fruits and Herbs

12 ounces of arugula

3 stems of fresh basil, leaves removed off and torn into halves

4 mint leaves, cut into small strips

2 peaches, ripe but still firm, cut into ¼ inch thick slices

1 carton of large strawberries, cut crosswise into ¼ inch thick circles

3 cantaloupes, fragrantly ripe, cut in half and seeded

Scoop flesh from cantaloupes ½ inch from the skin to for bowls.

Combine remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.

DRESSING

1/3 cup of orange juice

¼ cup of raspberry vinegar

Juice of½ lemon

½ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon of honey

Generous pinch of salt

2 twists of freshly ground black pepper

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small glass bowl and pour over salad.  Toss lightly making sure all of the greens are coated.  Place servings of salad in cantaloupe ‘bowls’.

Crisp up the bread by dampening the loaf with water.  Place in a 375⁰ oven until water has evaporated and the crust is crispy.

Offer some butter that has been softened , mixed with finely chopped parsley and a teaspoon of truffle oil, rolled into a log in clear plastic wrap and re-hardened.   Unwrap butter log and place on a small oblong dish, or cut into discs and place on individual bread plates.

Make the Arnold Palmers by mixing equal parts of strongly brewed tea and raspberry flavored lemonade.  Pour over ice in tall glasses and garnish with mint leaves and fresh raspberries.  For a festive look, stick a long fancy straw in the drink.

Tip:  Less is more.

Matthew 6:19 . . . do not lay up treasures where moth or rust destroys . . .