The Wedding Party, Arles, France ~ 2009

On a trip to France in December 2009,

I was lucky enough to happen upon

this wedding party posing for photos

outside an old cathedral in Arles.

The faces are extraordinary. 

Mama & Papa of the groom perhaps.

The musician!

A Great Recipe for A Chilly Day

 

Sausage and White Bean Stew with Kale

Cook with Steve Peacock: Better Homes & Gardens ~ March 2012 issue

All vegetables except canned tomatoes that I used in this recipe came fresh from our Bastrop 1832 Farmer's Market.*

This recipe requires planning. The dried beans need to soak overnight before cooking.

Soak: 8 hr. Prep: 30 min. Cook: 45 min. Stand: 30 min.

1 lb great Northern beans, picked through**, soaked overnight in water, drained, and rinsed

8 or 9 cups homemade chicken stock, unsalted chicken stock,  or reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used the latter)

3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups diced onions* (2 medium)

1/2 cup diced celery* (3 stalks)

1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots* (1 to 2 medium)

1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped garlic (about 3 cloves); remove any green shoots inside

1/4 tsp. dried thyme, crushed (I used fresh thyme*)

1  14.5-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained & crushed

    Freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch black kale or regular kale*, washed and stemmed (about 8 cups)

1 lb. smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or andouille (I used the latter), cut in 1/2-inch slices

1. In a heavy nonreactive 4- to6-quart Dutch oven combine drained and rinsed beans, 8 cups stock, and a generous pinch of kosher salt (I used Mediterranean sea salt). Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 30 to 45 minutes, until beans are tender, stirring occasionally and adding stock if level is below top of beans. Beans should move about easily in the stock. Cooking time for beans varies from batch to batch.

2. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet heat the 3 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion in oil until translucent, stopping before onion browns. add celery, carrots, and garlic; sprinkle with a pinch of salt and dried thyme. Stir well. Cook 5 to 7 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes; season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook 5 minutes longer. Add to simmering beans.

3. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook kale for 5 minutes. Drain; set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, squeeze any remaining water from kale, then coarsely chop kale.

4. Rinse and wipe out skillet. In skillet cook sausage in 1 tsp. olive oil over medium-high heat about 3 minutes, until well browned on each side.

5. When beans are tender, add kale and sausage to beans in Dutch oven. Simmer 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Let stand 30 minutes. (Soup flavor improves when allowed to rest 30 minutes or longer before serving. This soup can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated.) Makes 8 servings. 

**To pick through dry beans, spread them on a large rimmed baking pan. Examine beans, discarding shriveled beans and small stones.

Each serving: 453 cal, 16 g fat, 40 mg chol, 1,199 mg sodium, 52 g carb, 14 g fiber, 27 g pro.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Winnie, Texas

White-Faced Ibis (dark birds) and undetermined birds in forefront.

White-Faced Ibis

Northern Harrier

Willets

White Ibis

Loggerhead Shrike

Say's Phoebe

Say's Phoebe

 The wetlands are beautiful in this area of the refuge.

Brown Pelican (immature) and Cormorant (to right)

 As we were walking along we spotted this

Brown Pelican resting on the railing.

 The Pelican just sat there and posed for me.

It didn't seem to mind whether I was 

far away or getting rather close.

It just sat there and rested.

The Pelican picked a beautiful spot to relax.

American Coot swimming about the pond.

 This Cormorant was a striking figure

on the stark tree with gray sky as background.

 Usually a Grebe dives at the first sign of a human,

but this Pied-Billed Grebe just paddled around

making circles in the water.

Pelican in the distance... it finally took to water.

 The Great Blue Heron (above)

and the Great White Egret (below)

barely tolerated my presence.

They were searching for a meal and I just wanted

to take photographs of them.

 Great White Egret

On the way back home from our visit to Amelia Island

and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the G-man and I

spent the night in Winnie, Texas with plans to visit

the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge the following morning.

We didn't get out and about at the crack of dawn as most birders do

because we are just damn lazy!

Actually it was late when we rolled into Winnie

the night before, so we slept in and finally

got to the refuge around 9:30 AM.

There were not as many birds about as we have seen on other

of our winter visits. Actually, we were not able

to get to parts of the refuge because there was quite

a bit of roadwork being done.

I was quite happy to see that money is going into this refuge.

A visitor center is being built and roads are being repaired and paved.

This place is a real treasure and is a bit off the beaten path (so to speak).

It is about 15 to 20 miles off IH-10 from Winnie, Texas.

The area is a birder's paradise as there are many places

along the coast and inland to see migratory birds.

 High Island is the place for spring migration and is just a few miles from the refuge.

The "Birding High Island" website gives more information.

Winnie has many hotels to accommodate travelers & birders.

We may make a trip over there in the spring to see what's flying!