Chicken Gumbo Soup

Chicken Gumbo Soup

I found a recipe for Chicken Gumbo Soup years ago and lost it and then found it in my files a few weeks ago.  I've always used Chicken Gumbo Soup to make my version of Sloppy Joe's,  but found out I'm terribly sensitive to MSG so could no longer use canned soup.  The Organic soups didn't include Gumbo Soup and they just didn't have the flavor I wanted.  So I took the old recipe and reworked it for my family.

Chicken Gumbo Soup

Servings 10

1 whole chicken

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 - 3/4 cup carrots, sliced thin

4 cups diced tomatoes or tomato juice

3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice - Not Instant

3 quarts of chicken broth

1 bay leaf

2 cups fresh or frozen okra
2-3 tablespoons broth base (*see note)

Place chicken in a large kettle or stock pot, cover with water.  Bring to a boil and turn down to medium/low heat and simmer until done.  Remove chicken and allow to cool.  Set the broth aside to use in the soup.  When chicken is cool, remove from the bones and chop.

Strain the broth and measure.  If you don't have enough broth, add a little water and a little extra broth base.

Add the onion, celery, carrots and tomatoes bay leaf and bring to a boil - add rice and turn the heat to medium.  Cook until the rice is done - about 20 minutes - stirring occasionally.

Add okra and chicken.  Simmer until okra is well cooked.  I like to simmer mine for several house.

It is great in recipes or as a main course for dinner.

*Note:  I prefer Orrington Farms Broth Base, it is organic and has no MSG or unpronounceable ingredients,  and it has wonderful flavor.

It's a new world!!

Well, It will be a new world for me soon.  So many things are happening.  I had to have cataract surgery a week ago Tuesday - and another one next Tuesday.  Seeing is a bit difficult right now - but surprisingly - out of my left eye - I can see pretty well - which only makes the right eye seem worse!!  By this time next week I will have a bright new world. 

I have finally completed a couple of things.  After my disaster last year, not a lot got done.  But the other day I made a pattern for and made a vinyl lined bag for when I am able to return to water aerobics. 

I still need to make a couple of drawstring bags to put in it for my shower gel and sundry things - just procrastinating on that. 

I also just finished a quilt.  I quilted it on my domestic machine in a version of quilt as you go that I worked out myself. 

I've called it Stars on the Prairie.  It started life as a BOM but there were some things I didn't care for so I redid them to my liking.  It is 90" x 90".  I know it will be gifted to someone, I just don't know who yet.

Working on the pattern for our Lydia Circle Guilds new BOM for this year.  Have the quilt designed, just need to get the first month's pattern together.  It's called Life's Journey. 

Well I need to get some things accomplished so be ready for my eye surgery next week.

Lovely Summer for a change.

The last two summers have been a trial for us as a family.  It started 2 1/2 years ago when my husband nearly died from Pancreatitis.  He was airlifted to Iowa City University Hospital where he spent nearly two weeks between ICU and a regular room.   While he was there they discovered a heart murmur which had to be addressed.  It turned out he had a leaky heart valve that needed to be replaced and a partially blocked Vein that needed to have a new grafting!  He was back in the hospital for open heart surgery in August and was not fully recovered until after the first of the new year.  Nearly a full year from his first attack.

My episode started a year or after his first attach, when I went to the emergence room with pain in my chest.  An EKG showed nothing wrong with my heart - thankfully.  Further tests showed a shadow behind my heart.  At that point I was sent to my regular doctor - then to a  pulmonary Doctor for evaluation and biopsy. 

It was cancer.

After months of daily radiation treatments and weekly Chemotherapy treatments, the tumor was reduced enough for surgery.  A month after surgery I started another round of Chemotherapy - much stronger stuff.  That ended right before Christmas.  I've been back once and do to return in another month for some evaluation.  Been praying that all continues to be well.

Dave and I are working on our bucket lists - so far this year we have been to Gettysburg:

Little Round Top

Scenic Tower

Cemetery Ridge

Cemetery Ridge.

   After Gettysburg we drove down to Antietam which is in Maryland. Had a great time there, learning about what happened.

It was a great trip.  Later this year we want to go to Vicksburg and Shiloh and my friend and I want to go to Paducha , Kentucky to visit the American Quilt Museum, Hancock Fabrics of Paducha and whatever other trouble we can get into!!  LOL  

In the meantime I have done some reading.  Not a lot when I was on Chemo, but later when I was in recovery.  

The Last Chance Olive Ranch & The Darling Dahlias and the 11 O'clock Lady by Susan Wittig Albert

The Fix,  The Fallen, and No Man's Land by David Baldecci

Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon, Down Under & Detective by Nancy Atherton 

Lord of the Rings by Donna Andrews

The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Borderline by Nevada Barr

A Large Number of books by Hope Callahan

Pirate by Clive Cussler

Murder at the Book Fair and Body on the Porch by Steve DeMarre

And Then You Dye by Monica Ferris

Partners in Crime by Gallager Gray 

Sanctuary by Celina Grace

The Tarnished Chalice, To Kill or Be Cured by Suzanna Gregory

Rock-a-bye Bones by Caroline Haines

Among the Mad, Mapping Love and Death, & Lessons in Secrest by Jacqueline Winspear

I didn't get a lot of sewing or quilting done.  Chemo just takes it all out of you,  but things are getting better and I am starting to get things accomplished.  I'm working on two Quilts of Honor for Veterans and have two more planned.  I also taught a quilting class and have another one or two in the planning stages.  

Northern Illinois Shop Hop - Part 2

I went on the Northern Illinois Quilt Shop Hop on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of November.  My friend and I went to 16 total shops - only 15 of them were on the Passport - the other one was in Wisconsin and since we'd never been to a Wisconsin shop - we just had to do it!!  lol.

Anyway - I got a phone call on Monday - November 21 - informing me that I had won the grand prize for the shop hop - a Bernina 215 Sewing Machine.  Believe me when I say that I was in shock - I rarely if ever win anything.  I go to at least 3 quilt clubs a month that give door prizes and I'm never called - even when there are 6 people attending and 5 prizes are given away.  But I won this wonderful machine.  Dave and I drove up to Rockford yesterday to pick it up and I unpacked it and set it up this morning.  I'm having an issue with the bobbin but I found a couple of U tube videos so I should be able to sort it all out while I'm trying to make Christmas Presents!!  I am really stoked about this.

My next post is going to be my take on making half square triangles - 8 of them at a time.  Hopefully I will get it posted over the weekend.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'll have a picture of the new machine by Friday also.

Northern Illinois Shop Hop

Spent the last three days doing the Northern Illinois Shop Hop.  There were 15 shops - spread from Rock Falls, Il to Orangeville, Il to Clare, IL and down to La Salle, IL.  It was a lot of driving but we found so many really neat things, so some towns and roads we had never been to before and generally had a great time.  My passport is ready to be sent in today so maybe I will win something and maybe I won't but it was worth the time.  I'm not so sure my husband would say that as he was left here to fend for himself for three days - oh well he should be used to that by now.

We were responsible citizens and did vote - early voting a couple of weeks ago to make sure we got it in as we had to leave at 7 AM on Tuesday to get to where we needed to be, and we didn't get home until after the polls closed.  Very grateful for the lovely weather we had - no rain or snow - there was a little wind, but not bad enough to stop anything.

I think I'm taking tomorrow off.  Going to do a little sewing, bake some dinner rolls for the Church Harvest Dinner on Sunday and just chill with a new book I'm reading - A Summer of Discontent by Susanna Gregory - so far it is good.  Set in 1354 Ely in England.  I truly love Medieval fiction.

I am working on Christmas gifts for family and some friends - so that has been on my agenda for several weeks and I'm making good progress.  I found nearly everything I needed to finish all of the projects while on the shop hop - so now I just need to settle down and do it.

November First!!

I am having a hard time believing that it is the first of November - where in the world did October go!!  It seems like just yesterday it was winter and my Husband was rushed to the hospital - everything went really fast from there - with the pancreatitis - and the working on the new diet and the discovery of the heart condition and all the tests and doctor appointments and then more tests and then the waiting for the pancreas to heal so they could do the essential Surgery that would get him back to normal - what ever normal is supposed to be.  At any rate the surgery is now nearly 10 weeks behind up - there are no more Doctor appointments before March, he has rehab three days a week but he can do whatever he wants to do - within reason.  He's not going to bench press 500 LBs.

The other reason it is hard to believe that it is November is the WEATHER!!  It was a most glorious day today.  It was close to 80 degrees - dry - calm - the birds were singing - I took some of my sewing out and sat in my front yard and enjoyed the day.  Hubby was working on a project over by the garage.  Is that what is called alone together??

At any rate - I'm working on Christmas Presents and getting ready to go to the Northern Illinois Shop hop next week.  We decided to sneak into Wisconsin as we have never ever gone to a quilt shop in Wisconsin - that ought to be fun.

I started two new blocks of the month in September - one is called 1930's Farm Wives and one is Called Freedom Bound.  They both have their challenging moments, but that is why we do them to challenge ourselves.

My friend Merrie and I are thinking of starting a quilting circle at our church - called the Lydia Circle.  We'd start off with a block of the month and then maybe morph into making quilts for local needs.  Houses that get destroyed, new houses that get built.  Va Quilts - I don't know yet, but I think we should do something like that.

I've had a very productive reading schedule the last few months.

July 2016 Book List 
Death Comes Quickly by Susan Wittig Albert
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner
Murder and Moonflowers by Leslie Leigh
On the Fringe by Aaron and Charlotte Elkins
The Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
Pick of the Litter by Laurinda Wallace

August 2016 Book List 
Savannah Gone by Doug Keeler
Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis
Daughter of Jerusalem by Joan Wolf
Booty Bones by Carolyn Haines
Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt

September 2016 Book List 
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
Illusion Town by Jayne Castle
Motherhood is Murder by Diane Orgain
Spider Woman’s Daughter by Anne Hillerman
A Temporary Ghost by Michaela Thompson
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear

October 2016 Book List  
Dinner for Two by Drea Stein
Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia Macneal
The Nightingale before Christmas by Donna Andrews
Obsession by Nora Roberts
Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton
Heron’s Cove by Carla Neggers


Many are old favorite authers, Jayne Castle, Donna Andrets, Nora Roberts, Carolyn Haines,Aaron Elkins Susan Wittig Albert, Carla Neggers, and Joan Wolf.'

New are Jacqueline Winspear - on a recommendation from a Friend I tried Maisie Dobbs - I was hooked in the first few pages and have now read 4 of the books. Anne Hillerman is another.  The daughter of Tony Hillerman and she is continuing the story line that he started - it is a very good book.

I'm really tired so I'm off to get some sleep

Bummer Year

I am actually not the first to say that 2016 has been about the worst year on record.  For my husband and I it has been especially trying - starting in February and has not ended yet - probably won't end until Thanksgiving at the earliest.  Between traumatic hospital stays - including him being air-lifted to a bigger teaching hospital - 4 days in ICU - 13 total days in the hospital - complete lifestyle change - and the discovery of a second life threatening condition which needs surgery.  The surgery couldn't be performed until the initial condition was completely healed.  So here we sit 5 months later and they can finally do the heart surgery he needs for a condition we didn't even suspect he had.

I would never have considered the possibility that I would be thanking God for my husband being taken in the ambulance to the hospital in the middle of the night and nearly dying from a condition I had never heard of before - but I do.  If it hadn't been for that sudden and acute attack - they would never have found the heart murmur which lead to finding the Aortic Stenosis - from which he would have died in less than 3 years if left untreated - and he NEVER goes to the Doctor's - he's as healthy as a horse!!  He can now have the surgery and the recovery time is about 3 months - which will be shortly after Thanksgiving in late November.  I don't ever want to repeat a year like this.

But on the other hand - I have gotten a lot of sewing and Quilting done.  I'm working on completing 16 UFO's in 2016 and to date I have 9 completed - one I am hand quilting - one sandwiched and ready to quilt on the machine - and 2 ready to sandwich - So I'm doing good there.  I have them posted Here - 16 in 16.

I've also was the first to turn in my 2016 Row x Row Experience quilt to Neal's Sewing Center in Muscatine, IA.  I only did the required 8 rows this year as opposed to the 18 I did for last years and didn't finish until June - right before the new one started.

2015 Row By Row

2016 Row by Row

We have also been doing quite a lot of work on the house - cleaning, repairing and painting the front door, storm door and trim - and replacing all the flooring on the deck - I learned I can break 2x4's by hand - of course when the said 2x4 is rotten to the core it isn't really that hard!

I have been doing a lot of reading this summer also - especially in July.

Death Comes Quickly by Susan Wittig Albert
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner
Murder and Moonflowers by Leslie Leigh
On the Fringe by Aaron and Charlotte Elkins
The Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
Pick of the Litter by Laurinda Wallace

Some of the authors are old favorites like Susan Wittig Albert and Aaron Elkins, but some are new favorites like Jacqueline Winspear and Joan Wolf.  

I love Jacqueline Winspear's Heroine, Maisie Dobbs - a 1930 London girl who is a psychiatrist and investigator.  So far her investigations have had their roots in the horrors of the Great War but are occurring in the here and now so to speak.  Very interesting historical reads.  

It has been raining most of the last 24 hours, but the sun has finally come out to hopefully it will begin to dry out a little bit.  It is horrible what is happening in Louisiana and all up through the Ohio Valley with the torrential rains and flooding.  What we have had is just a blip compared to that.