It was worth coming over just for the Mexican Chocolate Loaf Cake
You know too well the Pirate's penchant for pitching parties.
Said proclivity led to yet another semi-impromptu soirée at Casa Weber last week.
It all began with a question from Dagny on the previous Sunday, a deliciously rainy day, as we all had an après-church lunch together at a local brunch spot:
Mamaw, do you know how to make potato soup?
My valentine gnomes presided over the party from their place on the ledge
I nodded. Sure do, I said. But I call it potato-corn chowder. Do you want some?
She nodded back with an impressive amount of enthusiasm, her eyes getting bigger the whole time.
Finding this immensely gratifying, I began cooking up a plan.
It's supposed to be rainy all week, Erica pointed out, meaning, soup weather.
Here's your sign
I allowed the thing to simmer and by Monday evening I had issued an invitation to the girls:
Let's do potato-corn chowder and homemade bread on Thursday night ... February the second. Two Two Twenty-Three. Groundhog Day.
They agreed.
Thursday was forecast to be a cold, rainy day, and for once the meteorologists hit the nail right on the head.
You make this loaf in the Crock Pot and then brown it beneath the broiler
By the time the day of the party rolled around, I had decided to make not only potato-corn chowder and homemade bread but also a fairly spectacular dessert: Mexican Chocolate Loaf Cake.
If you make that cake, take my advice and use Hershey's Special Dark cocoa and Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips -- no chopping necessary; just toss them in as they are.
And use a whole one-half teaspoon of cayenne. The heat with the chocolate is delectably different and shows up even more if you eat your slice of cake slightly warmed.
Erica made this lovely square valentine wreath
If you try this recipe, or if you already have in the past, let me know what you think.
But I should pull over and park here for a mo.
Sometime towards the end of January I saw this reel on Instagram.
The very next day, I made the peasant bread. It is as delicious as it is easy to do.
This little house wears its heart on its door
Over the next week or so I bought a big bag of organic flour with zero additives and did some research into various no-knead bread recipes.
The one I made for soup night with the family was this one: no-knead slow cooker bread.
It was insanely easy and -- everyone agreed as they slathered hunks of it with real butter and consumed it lustily -- scrumptious.
Stephanie gave me the pink heart-shaped pie plate for Christmas
Next I plan to try this recipe for no-knead bread. This is an exact replica of the New York Times recipe that went viral and supposedly started it all over a decade ago, although I'm sure people were making no-knead bread long before that.
I have bought a cast-iron Dutch Oven -- yes! I am perhaps the last pirate in the Western Hemisphere who until last week did not already own a Dutch Oven -- specifically to use in making this bread.
And I'll probably use it to make more soup, too.
I plumb forgot to lift the lid of my ancient pot and show off the potato-corn chowder
About that soup! Let me tell you how I do it. There is no real recipe so listen up.
During the week that you have potato-corn chowder on your menu, make some mashed potatoes. Be sure to have some leftovers.
On the day you want to serve the soup, cube some russets. I leave the skins on and you should too. The number of potatoes you use depends on the amount of soup you want to make. I was making a large potful so I used at least ten potatoes. Maybe twelve.
Rustic hearts in the lit trees carried valentine messages
Cut up some celery -- again, the amount of celery depends on how much soup you're making.
Boil the potatoes and celery to fork tender and drain.
Back into the soup pot add the potatoes and celery and some chicken stock. I used a whole quart.
Pop a steamable bag of frozen sweet corn into the microwave and cook it.
This wee angel is always in attendance
Drain, and add the cooked corn to the potatoes and celery in the chicken stock.
Heat through and season to taste. Use a wooden spoon to randomly push down into the soup on the soft potato chunks and make them crumbly and rough around the edges.
Now comes the fun part. To thicken the soup, add a quantity of the leftover mashed potatoes. Just use your best judgment. It's your thing; do it the way you like.
If you don't have mashed potatoes and don't care to make any, you can switch it up by making a béchamel (white sauce) and building the soup from there.
My heart-shaped plate is displayed with my Pioneer Woman ramekins
I've done it both ways. I prefer thickening this soup with mashed potatoes but the white sauce-based version is just as creamy and delicious.
As everyone piled into the house on the evening of Groundhog Day, with talk of Punxsutawney Phil having seen his shadow, presaging six more weeks of winter, it was cold and drizzly and set to rain all night.
In other words, ideal atmospheric conditions prevailed for enjoying homemade potato-corn chowder and no-knead slow cooker bread, with Mexican Chocolate Loaf Cake to top it all off.
We ate almost everything. I sent a little bit of soup home with each of my girls, for the children to enjoy the next day.
This chair was left empty in case you could join us
On the afternoon of the party, in between cooking chores, I decorated for the month of February. Red and white lights frosted the railing outside and heart-themed things assembled on the dining room ledge and on the table.
I had commissioned a valentiney wreath for my front door, from Erica. My crafty daughter delivered it on February first, and also gave me a sweet heart-shaped plate.
Dagny, who loves the heart motif above all others, was duly impressed with the table decorations as well as with the menu. She notices everything and is always appreciative.
Love is all you need
It made for a truly memorable family gathering, all the more interesting because it was planned around a single request for something as plain as potato soup.
Hearts and tummies were warm and full. As it should be.
And that is all for now.
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Happy Tuesday
