As in, this was a very fast moving week, but it was mostly things that everyone else but me would find very boring to hear about (my parents came to visit, we did nothing to celebrate the 4th of July, and now the weekend is here again). Yup, we are party animals. This is why it's taken me several days to write this post...slow news week.

Let's talk cooking for a second. I've done a new recipe! And, most impressive of all, I actually wrote it down!!! And by wrote it down I mean I asked the hubs to take dictation while I made it. Hey, this is an improvement for me. This was a great use-up-what's-in-the-fridge recipe, as that's pretty much what I did.

Summer Corn and Potato Soup

4 bacon strips, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 lb red potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
3 ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut from cob (reserve the cobs)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups broth
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

Cook the bacon on medium heat in a pan until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve about 1 tbsp of the fat. Saute the celery in the bacon fat until it's soft. Then add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add in all the other ingredients, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Now lower the heat to simmer and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with cheddar cheese if desired.

Sooooooo yummy and warm!  It's one of those dishes that just makes you feel good to eat.  And, yes, we had funky rolls because there was one GF hamburger bun left, which served our purposes very well. — Sooooooo yummy and warm! It's one of those dishes that just makes you feel good to eat. And, yes, we had funky rolls because there was one GF hamburger bun left, which served our purposes very well.

And then there was the excitement with the kids the next day...

“Oh my goodness, your puppies had fun!”

— Sally, the BFF

I was not amused, not at all. The children have since gotten into the trash can again, which makes three times now (there was an incident before with the hubs). Three strikes and you lose privileges! So my poor kids have lost some of their freedom when they're home alone. Do not feel sorry for them; they are still the most spoiled fur-babies on the planet.

And back to cooking...I MADE MINCE PIES! For any of my readers not familiar with this traditional British foodstuff, mince pies are like autumn and Christmas and joy and what love feels like and a sense of discovery wrapped up and baked into a simple shortcrust pastry. Raisins and figs and allspice and cloves and apples and happiness make for a sweet and heavily spiced dessert. They are my favorite! Those of you who are familiar with mince pies may be wondering what the heck I'm doing making them in the middle of July?! Well, dear readers, some friends of mine had a Christmas in July party. I mean, I kind of had to. :-D I use Alton Brown's recipe here, in case anyone is interested. Also in case anyone is interested, I use bacon fat instead of beef suet because that's what I have on hand 100% of the time, as opposed to beef suet, which I have on hand 0% of the time. Of course, you can always leave that out to make it vegetarian-friendly.