Squawk Radio

Why does Connie keep blogging about homey things?

IS she...nesting? My GOD. Is immersing herself in the World of Cozy because she’s—!(In horror, the reader backs away from the monitor.)

No, no Dear Reader. Fear not that some future Brockway will be toddling into kindergarten next to her mother’s walker. I’m immersing myself in the Ways of the June Cleaver because the book I am writing is all about homemaking, celebrity, food, mothers we are born to and mother we choose.

In a way, it’s a natural route for me. I love creating (I do not love cleaning up the mess that creating often entails. You know, dishes, weeds, fabric snips, paint brushes.) I especially enjoy cooking and, well, I’m not too ...oh, hell. I’m fabulous at it.

So, now that I’ve jerked you all into slack-jawed wonder at my hubris, let me ask you: Is there anything you do that you do so well that you really don’t have any desire to demure about it? Are you a damn fine dancer? Musician? Skier? Bridge player? Are you willing to announce your talents or are you modest? And how do you feel about that? I want to know because this all plays into the book I’m writing—the willingness to own up to your talents and put them pout there also means you may have to prove them. And yourself.

So, in the spirit of proving myself, a recipe. I have added as many comments as I can to make this as fool proof as possible.

Connie, Always Keep a Backdoor Open, Brockway

FRESH TOMATO BISQUE

¾ c. fine chopped yellow onion
½ c. butter
1 ½ tsp fresh dill (3/4 tsp dried)
2 tsp. fresh oregano ( 1 tsp. dried)
1/4 c. flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp white pepper, ground
3 c. chicken broth
4 c. fresh, ripe diced tomatoes, seeds removed (can substitute 28 oz can of diced
tomato)

In large soup pot sauté onions and spices in butter over medium-high heat. Stir in flour. Sauté 2 minutes (this will cook out the raw flour taste— the mixture will be foamy so keep stirring). Remove from heat and gradually add ¼ of the chicken broth, stirring quickly to incorporate. Return to heat , gradually add rest of chicken broth and then tomatoes, stirring all the while.

¼ c. fresh, chopped Italian parsley
¼ c. honey
¾ c. heavy cream
¾ c. half and half

Remove pot from pan. Wait a minute or two, add the above ingredients, then return to low heat if not serving at once in order to heat gently through. DO not at any point boil or simmer the soup after adding the creams or it will curdle. And finally, if you like a smooth tomatoe soup, this is where you get out your submersible bhand blender or cool the soup down and pour all of this into a blender.