Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

At the prompting of the lovely Mrs. G, today will be Favorite Things Friday.  If you haven't already stopped in to visit with Mrs. G, you must do so now.  She has a way with a crockpot and a stash of secret boyfriends that make a girl's heart go aflutter.  If she lived within driving distance of me, I would stalk her until she let me be her BFF. 

Amy the Mom's Favorite Things

1. Nordstrom Rack This is the outlet store for Nordstrom's, and I'm very lucky that there is one just over the river from my house.  I was cursed with big feet.  You know what they say about girls with big feet....big shoes.  Nordstrom's and Nordstrom Rack are the only places that I can find awesome shoes in size ten and a half.  I wear suits to work most days, and I can find beautiful suits here for under $100, too.  It's the shoes that lure me in every time, though.  I love a beautiful pair of shoes.
2. Mids Sauces I've said it before, I'll say it again.  If you don't have the time or inclination to make your own pasta sauce, get Mids!  I have sampled every jar sauce from the grocery, including the spendy ones that go for eight bucks a jar, but none comes close to the robust taste of Mids.  I love to simmer a pot of sauce all day long, but rarely have the free time.  Mids is the closest to homemade that you will find.
3. Blogs.  I love blogs.  It's been about four years since I discovered Dooce's blog while doing a Google search for constipation cures.  I was hooked, and found all the other popular kids by reading her comments and following her recommendations.
4. Heggy's peanut brittle.  I made peanut brittle once.  I burnt the shit out of my hand doing it, and decided then and there that I would never make it again.  Heggy's is an old fashioned diner in Canton, Ohio that serves luscious milkshakes, old fashioned vanilla cokes and puts butter on french fries.  Their peanut brittle is buttery goodness.  It is also verboten on my diet, but guess what?  Sometimes you need a little peanut brittle.
5. Aveda hair products I almost wish I had never discovered this line of hair care products.  My husband's hair looks like crap unless he cleans it with the cheapest bottle of Suave shampoo from the drugstore.  Me?  I have to draw against the home equity line to fund my product addiction.  Their products are so wonderfully fragrant, and their Be Curly curl enhancer broke me of a decades long curling iron habit that consumed two hours of my life every day.
6. Zyliss Suzi Garlic Press I've owned mine since my freshman year in college, and that was twenty-two years ago.  It gets a regular workout, too.  I love garlic, and it shows up in just about every main dish I cook.  If I could ever find a dessert recipe with garlic, I'd give it a try.  I bought a cheaper garlic press once when mine was being held hostage in packing boxes and I couldn't coax the clove out of that thing no matter how much pressure I applied.  Stand back and aim carefully when you're using Suzi, the garlic flies out of this baby.
7. My KitchenAid mixer.  My parents gave this to me for a wedding present eighteen years ago.  Never once have I had a problem.  I would love the copper model that Williams Sonoma offers, but the price tag is a little too steep for me.  I'll keep checking Craig's List.
8. HBO I love my HBO.  Mostly for their original series, I'm a devotee of the Sopranos, Sex in the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Six Feet Under.
9. Method Cleaning Products I was skeptical.  I am now sold.  Not only are these products environmentally friendly, they're really good.  I heart the granite cloth and cleaner.  Love, love , love the almond wood polish and lavender kitchen cleaner.  I even get a little excited about cleaning when I'm using these products.  A little, not a lot.
10.   Levenger pens and ink.  I have a love affair with beautiful writing instruments.  I wouldn't be caught dead with a disposable pen, and have several different styles at the ready in my purse with a variety of tips for different purposes.  It's a ridiculous indulgence, totally irresponsible, but nonetheless important to me.  I've never spent more than $50 on a pen, while my boss enjoys tormenting me with his collection of Mont Blancs.  Given the means, I'd probably cater to a luxury like that, too.
11. Wild rice soup.  I never had this lovely soup until I moved to Minnesota.  Wild rice harvested here is actually a grass.  Whatever, it' s fantastic.  Coincidentally, yesterday's Pioneer Press posted the recipe for Marshall Field's Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, which is wonderful with their Popovers. 

Boundary Waters Wild Rice Soup

Makes 6 servings.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 small leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed well and thinly sliced
1½ cups sliced button mushrooms
3/4 cup diced carrots
½ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth
1½ cups cooked wild rice
½ roasted chicken, meat chopped (1 to 1½ cups)
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish

To prepare vegetables: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add leek, mushrooms and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.

To make stock: Add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.

To make soup: Add rice, chicken, cream, sherry, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes or until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Garnish with almonds. Serve hot.