Chef Earl's Soup (and Ruby Red Rutabagas)

In February 2003, Canadian Living Magazine published a story about chef Earl Johnson's way-better-than-your-average-cafeteria-food at Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg. They followed up that October (after many requests) with some of his recipes. We've been making his Potage Paysanne ever since, on cold days and when we can manage to get turnip (we use rutabaga), parsnips, leeks and parsley all in our fridge at the same time. (Sometimes we leave one or the other of those things out.)

Now Mama Squirrel must be unflinchingly honest: she hates rutabaga. Rutabaga crumble, rutabaga casserole, rutabaga disguised with apples and spices--it's still rutabaga. Rutabaga raw and sliced is tolerable; and Earl's soup makes it taste...well, about as good as you're going to get a rutabaga to taste. We figured if Earl could convince the teenagers in Winnipeg to eat this, it must have something going for it.

And it gives us one way to eat our ruby-red rutabagas with a smile.

(I'm not posting the recipe, in case you wondered or missed the link; Canadian Living did it nicer than I can, here.)

Equuschick's Alphabet

,Equuschick at The Common Room posted her version of this ABC meme. Athena wrote one too. Here's Mama Squirrel's.

A - Accent: Southern Ontario
B - Breakfast Item: I love granola (I guess that makes me one of those Crunchy people)
C - Chore you hate: Figuring out whose socks are whose
D - Dad's Name: Grandpa Squirrel.
E - Essential everyday item: The Equuschick said “Losing your glasses is distressing.” I haven’t lost my glasses for a long time (or sat on them), but yeah, that would probably be the most distressing here too.
F - Flavor ice cream: Chocolate ripple.
G - Gold or Silver?: Silver
H - Happy Place: Up in the treehouse.
I - Insomnia: Occasionally. Usually I would rather sleep.
J - Job - Love or want to leave: Mostly love, all except the socks.
K - Kids: Yes.
L - Living arrangements: 3 bedroom raised bungalow.
M - Mom's birthplace: in a hospital.
N - Number of houses you've lived in (there, I changed it from the original): Counting university living arrangements, I make it 16.
O - Overnight hospital stays: Not since 1969.
P - Phobia: Driving
Q - Question: Who makes these things up, anyway?
R - Religious Affiliation: United Church of Canada Presbyterian Church of Canada United Church of Canada Presbyterian Church of America Brethren in Christ Presbyterian Church of America Funky NonDenominational Lutheran Church Canada Fellowship Baptist Mennonite Brethren. You sort it out.
S - Siblings: One. Call her FarAwaySis.
T - Time you wake up: About 15 minutes after Mr. Fixit.
U - Unnatural hair colors you've had: Orange, when FarAwaySis and Mama Squirrel experimented with Sun In one summer a very long time ago.
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Turnip, beets. (sorry, Common Room)
W - Worst habit: Why would anybody want to know that?
X - X-rays you've had: Don’t remember exactly. Lots of dental, one big toe.
Y - Yummy: Lasagna. Pasta with sundried tomatoes and olives. Really dark chocolate.
Z - Zodiac sign: Doesn’t matter.