Poetry Saturday . . .

A house that's built to live in
And not, just a place for show,
With growing plants on every sill,
And warmth of fire glow.



A window looking to the lake
With a wide table there,
Where one can eat a simple meal
That tastes like angel's fare.



A bedroom high against the eaves,
Where birds will build a nest;
A home where happiness is found,
And laughter is a guest;



A house where all your dreams are kept,
Untarnished and unspoiled;
A bit of land toward the lake
Where you have sweat and toiled.



A place of dignity and charm,
Shaded by age-old trees . . .
Oh God, when folks are tired out,
Let them find homes like these.
~Edna Jaques

I hope you enjoyed the poetry today. I have always loved the poetry of Edna Jaques. When I was a girl, my mother kept a book of her poetry in the family bookcase. I believe it was called Fireside Poems. It had a green cover and I used to often take it out and read the words on it's pages. She gave it to me when I left home . . . I think, because she knew I loved it so . . .

Poetry speaks to your soul and sings a song in your heart. I do love it. Simple words, often written by simple folk, not unlike you and myself . . . they weave a magic thread through our lives do they not?

and help us to dream . . .

Here's something else that is simple and yet beautiful at the same time. A delicious souffled omelet! Oh, I do love a simple cottage supper, shared with my beloved by the fire . . .



*Cheese and Mushroom Souffled Omelet*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

I have never had a problem making a souffle . . . I guess I am one of the lucky ones. This is the next best thing. It’s easy, really, and very quickly put together once you have all the ingredients assembled.

6 large eggs
2 ounces of mature cheddar, grated
2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 heaping TBS freshly snipped chives (I use my kitchen scissors for this)
1 1/2 ounces unsalted butter
½ pound fresh white mushrooms, sliced
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Melt ½ ounce of the butter in a small skillet and fry the mushrooms, starting over high heat and reducing the heat once they get going. Try not to stir much at the beginning. Stirring brings out the water in the mushrooms and they end up stewing instead of frying. Once browned, set aside.

Pre-heat the grill on your oven to it’s highest setting.

Separate the eggs into two bowls. Put the yolks into a smaller bowl and the whites into a scrupulously clean larger bowl. (I separate the whites into a smaller bowl, one a time first, before adding them to the rest. That way if a yolk breaks I haven’t contaminated the whole bowl of whites) Put a 10 inch skillet on to a low heat on the stove to begin warming it.

Beat the egg yolks with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk the egg whites with an electric hand beater until they form soft peaks. Put the remaining butter into the heated pan and turn up the heat.

Fold the egg yolks into the egg whites, adding all the cheddar, half the Parmesan and the chives at the same time.

Once the butter is foaming, tip the whole omelette mixture into the heated pan and give it a bit of a shake to even the mixture out. Let it cook for a couple of minutes. (Run a flexible spatula around the edges to loosen it and check if the underside is getting browned) Sprinkle the grated Gruyere all over the top and then spoon the fried mushrooms on top of that.

Slide the omelette, in the pan, under the grill and let it cook for several more minutes, until the cheese is melted and oozing and the top is tinged golden brown. Remove from the oven. Run the flexible spatula around the edge again, to loosen it again….then slide the omelette carefully onto a heated plate, folding and easing one half of the omelette over the other. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve hot, divided in two.



In The English Kitchen today, a delicious White Chocolate and Cardamom Cake. To die for.

PS - I think a certain little furry someone will be in deep trouble when the master gets up this morning. She did her first nighttime damage last night, chewing through the eternet cable which is attached to my laptop and one of the stereo sound wires for the sound system to our television. Oh my . . . I think she will be banished to the kitchen from now on . . .