For Pete's Sake If you want to use something from my blog, feel free, just let me know in advance okay? Because really, everything is copyrighted so I'd appreciate a link back to my blog if you use something, it's just common courtesy for Pete's sake! Say, who is Pete anyway?
Being a quilter for over 30 years, I've learned one thing that's for sure (as my good friend Ops - short for Oprah - would say) and that's this: You can't go wrong if you buy too much! You will never be forced to have a "close enough" fabric in a quilt again! I've always said that I make 30-foot quilts - or put another way, quilts that look good from 30 feet away! One day I hope to make "inchers." In the meantime, as I struggle to make points match, I'm happily trying to cover every bed, sofa, and chair in my house with a quilt - that's normal, right?
My quilt books can be ordered on line from Leisure Arts at: www.leisurearts.com My children's books can be ordered directly through me, just send me an email: nans17@hotmail.com
Ahhhh....food....
We may live without poetry, music and art;
We may live without conscience and
live without heart;
We may live without friends;
we may live without books;
But civilized man cannot live without cooks.
He may live without books,
what is knowledge but grieving?
He may live without hope,
What is hope but deceiving?
He may live without love,
What is passion but pining?
But where is the man that can live without dining?
Owen Meredith...or as I like to call him....
The Earl of Sandwich
It's been a while since I've posted...no, I didn't win the lottery and run away...I plan to win THIS week...I've just been busy with Mrs. Claus - my mom. She truly is Mrs. Claus - she has made sure that every Christmas, from my very first one, was special - from the tree to the lights to the presents. Christmas may still be two weeks away but since she carries the Christmas Spirit with her all the time, it felt like Chrstimas morning every day she was here. Mom came to visit last week - for my birthday (there's still time to send cards and presents my way as I'm celebrating this week as well...one day is just not enough!) I fear I ran her ragged...movies, lunches, dinners and I couldn't let her leave Seattle without seeing the Gingerbread Houses!
These are not your run-of-the-mill gingerbread houses...they would not fit on a table...they are HUGE! You can see a man's leg's behind the creation on the left, that should give you some idea of how big these things are! Each one was made by a local Seattle architectect firm and they are fun, imaginative, very creative and I imagine they are all earthquake proof as well!
This was my favorite - it reminded me of the ride at Disneyworld - the Yeti ride - the one my sister tricked me into going on - the ride that still haunts my dreams!
IF you live in Seattle then hurry yourselves down to the Sheraton Hotel so you can see these fabulous houses. It's best not to go on a weekend as the line is long but if you have to stand in line, it will be worth the wait!
After seeing the gingerbread houses, mom and I raced through traffic to get to Bellevue for dinner and then we went outside on "Snowflake Lake" to see the drummers - above are some of the drummers lined up waiting for their que - they are so young and adorable!
We watched all the festivity with the thousands of people lining the sidewalks...drummers drumming and snow (soap) flakes falling...it was, in a word, magical! When we got back to the car my mom was crying and I thought she was hurt or suffering from hypothermia - it was very cold out - but when I asked her what was wrong she said, "It was just so much fun!" And so it was. Merry Christmas mom!
1. I've been working for the mister, and he either fires me or I quit and demand a signing bonus to come back. There's nothing he likes better than ordering me around...except ordering me around and NOT paying me...which explains his jolly good mood!
2. I've had several medical tests and lots of visits to the doctors...labwork, 3 ultra sounds and 2 MRI's with contrast...just to be told there is nothing wrong with me...except the pain in my side that stops me in my tracks...it hurts as much as the extremely large hole in my wallet from all of those tests! Godfrey, I could have had an entire house full of carpet for what those tests costs! Apparently there are more tests that I can be tortured with but the doctor already delivered the bad news to the mister...I'm going to live...looks like wife #4 (or is it 5?! I've lost count!) will have to wait!
3. I've mastered the peach pie. Over two weeks time I've made six peach pies, fresh peach pies so rich, so flavorful I could just weep thinking about them...oh, and 40 miles of walking to counteract all the pie taste-testing/eating/snarfing. Now I'm a bit like Pavlov's dog, at the mere mention of Peach Pie I put on my Nike's and head for the door! I don't know whether that's good or bad! No, peach pie has nothing to do with the pain in my side, I already asked the doctor about that! Recipe for Peach Pie up soon...just in time for peach season!
4. Playing tourist. In all of my free time from work, doctors and baking, the mister and I set our sights on the quaint little town of Kirkland, Washington, which is about 10 miles from our house, as the crow flies. Kirkland has wonderful art galleries, restaurants, parks, a great marina and the best outdoor walks around...along the east side of Lake Washington. We've spent a good deal of time (and $$$) there recently, and so I want to tell you about some of our favorite spots:
Milagro Cantina...their chips, the size of a large pancake, and salsa are not to be missed! And their food was out of this world good!
Hector's has a great breakfast...but go early to get a good seat.
Don't miss the Potato and Leek soup at Wild Rover's...absolutely delectable. I wanted to lick the bowl.
Olive You is good, fun, loud, and the outdoor seating provides great people watching!
Of course, Cactus, is still my favorite, their butternut squash enchiladas are amazing.
And we love Anthony's - formula food at it's best...all of their locations are great but the one in Kirkland is right on Lake Washington...at sunset it's hard to beat.
Kidd Valley has the best hamburgers and shakes around and you can get everything to go then walk across the street to eat on the shores of the lake...doesn't get any better...unless you walk down to the Marina and sit on the sea wall and eat while you watch people try to paddle surf...so funny when they fall over!
At the risk of making my California friends regurgitate, I have to say, Kirkland is the Laguna Beach of Seattle...as close as we can get!
Salmon...what can I tell you...it's the Northwesterners answer to, "What for dinner?" We've had it every possible way...grilled, baked, fried, deep fried, glazed...and this is one of the easiest and best tasting ways to serve salmon...guarandamteed! Wrapped in parchment paper and baked in the oven, it is perfect every time and clean-up is a breeze!
Adding radishes to the mix was a nice touch - they give a light peppery taste. And baking the asparagus with the salmon means the entree and vegetable are done at exactly the same time. The original recipe called for 3 tablespoons of fresh tarragon, which I would have loved, but the mister is not a fan so I left it off...but I think it would just make this taste even better, if that was possible.
Salmon with Asparagus - Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens
1 salmon fillet (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
thinly sliced red onion, to taste
4 radishes, thinly sliced
20 asparagus spears, trimmed
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
parchment paper
kitchen twine, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the asparagus on the parchment paper and carefully set the salmon on top of asparagus. (I forgot to do this so I had to stuff my asparagus underneath the salmon - which works - but it's easier to start with it under there!) Sprinkle salmon with lemon zest, lemon juice and drizzle olive oil over the top. Spread sliced onion and radishes over the top. Season with sea salt and pepper. Wrap up salmon in parchment paper, making a nice little pouch, folding over the ends to seal. You can tie with kitchen twine to secure, if you want or just fold the ends under. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Serves 4.
Last month, the girl and I were in Seattle for a bit of retail therapy. We were strolling down the streets, taking in all of the beautifully decorated windows when we came upon this:
Look closely...behind that big plate glass window is a floor to ceiling, wall to wall, Vintage Sewing Machine display! Most of them are Singer Sewing Machines - and they are fantastic! We went inside the store, which is located across from Westlake Center where Coldwater Creek used to be, and I took out my camera because every window and wall in the store is covered with antique sewing machines - it was like a museum! As soon as I lifted the camera to my face the manager hurled himself in front of me and said NO PICTURES! Spitalfields is a very trendy clothing shop, "British Rock-n-Roll" - torn jeans to the tune of $300, slinky vests that costs as much as your 401k lost last year and coats priced as high as a mortgage - who buys this stuff?!?! Are there really grunge-goth-wanna-bes who can afford to shop there?!? IF you are in Seattle, or New York or London, or any of the other 70 cities in the world where they have a Spitalfields, make sure you go in to look at the machines! The manager told me Spitalfields has the largest, privately-owned collection of vintage and antique sewing machines in the world and their Seattle store has 650 machines!! They are welded onto iron bars that make up the frame work for their displays - they would look SO fabulous in my sewing room!
The above pic is of the Soho, New York store - just look at all of those machines! That store has over 2,000 of them! So, the next time you're on e-bay bidding on a Featherweight for yourself and SOMEONE outbids you, you'll know who! No wonder they are so darn expensive!
I now have a new love and appreciation for my old Singer machine...and every time I look at it I think about how I can frame it up and hang it on the wall!
There's a new use for everything my friends...sewing machines as window art...who knew!
Read this post, leave me a comment and you'll be entered to win a $65 e-certificate to ANY of the 200 CSN stores!! Hurry, contest ends Sunday, December 26th at 6:00 pm Pacific time!
You've seen the show, Man vs. Food, right? It's on the Travel Channel - you MUST watch it - on an empty stomach or not because either way, at the end of the show you really won't feel like eating. Man vs. Food is one of The Boy's favorites - and when he saw that Adam Richman had been to Seattle to take on Beth's Cafe'sTRIPLE BYPASS 12 EGG OMELETTE , he had to try to beat him. Adam quit with two bites left...TWO BITES!!! And if you saw that show you saw Adam grimacing in the most uncomfortable way - he looked like he was going to hurl at any moment and probably wished he could! The boy was full of bravado on his way to Beth's (7311 Aurora Avenue North, Seattle) thinking 12 eggs with double Swiss cheese, double American cheese, ham, bacon and sausage, along with a side of hashbrowns, and toast would be a piece of cake - albeit a very large piece of cake - but cake nonetheless.
Here's a cell-phone pic of the beast/omlette before The Boy dug in...please join me in a rousing chorus of Let's Hear It For the Boy! Let's Hear It For The Man! Let's Hear It For The Babe!
Okay - that's enough - before the song would end The Boy had met his match...he quit after eating only HALF of the omlette...he looked a bit bloated, somewhat sickly, and before issuing a NO PICTURES order he grunted slightly and burped in a most unpleasing manner!
The Boy waddled back to the car - sitting silently except for the occasional moan, on the way home - vowing not to eat another morsel for at least two days! It was great fun to watch...definitely worth the $19.50 price tag...oh, Beth's does have regular-sized breakfasts and they're worth the trip, no matter how far you have to drive.
The clouds have rolled back in and we're set for rain for a week - that's what the weather talking heads say - but this is how I'll get my sun fix - I'll think back to my day on Lake Washington, floating along in the nicest-best-most-reliable-dependable boat EVER (thank you for starting each and every time dear boat!) with good friends and good food and one handy little book of info:
Lake Washington 130 Homes by David Dykstra is available here and might be at your local Seattle Barnes and Noble or Borders, which is where I found my copy. This book is fascinating, if you're into stalking, voyeurism, peeping, playing papparazzi or like my friends and me - just into beautiful homes and yards. We floated under the I-90 bridge up the Gold Coast past them all - the huge and the huger, including the Windows 2000 House (owned by the guy who created Windows and according to the book his house is valued at $12 million...I spit on that!), Bill Gates house (where he is having a bit of work done on his dock and again, according to the book, he has 8 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms...they must have very small bladders in that family - can't go ten feet without needing to go potty! Oh, it's valued at $150 million...that I can't spit on!), and we picked out our favorite house - the one we'll buy if we win the lottery - a really, really big lottery!
The book points out the 130 most magnificent mansions, impressive in some manner or another, like the house that has a Statue of Liberty on the balcony and the house that put up a sign that says: "Only an egotistical JACKASS would build a house like the one next door!" Hilarious! Most of the homes listed in the book are owned by the movers and shakers of Seattle (Microsoft, Costco, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Seahawks, Amazon, etc.) - people who laugh all the way to the bank - not hysterical laughter as in "PLEASE LET ME GET THIS DEPOSIT IN BEFORE ANOTHER CHECK GOES THROUGH!" No, no, no...laughter as in, "I'm just going to withdraw some pocket change, I'd like a hundred grand in small bills, my Gucci purse is stretchable!" I begrudged them nothing - after all, this is America, the land of opportunity...so like the old joke where the lady is begging to win the lottery each week, over and over she prays to win and finally God says, "Do me a favor, meet me half way and buy a ticket!"
When family and friends come to town I become an unofficial tour guide for my great city. I have six different tours I take them on...but my favorite is Tour No. 4 - it's all about Pike Place Market - and therefore all about food! Here's a quick peek at some of the highlights, featuring my niece Vanna White Callie:
Uli's Sausage. I've mentioned Uli's before and it's the ONLY place I buy sausage...don't let the fact that the people who work there don't wear gloves so they pick up sausages bare-handed, then take your money, then grab more sausages...I'm assured whatever germs they pass around get cooked to smithereens as the sausage is cooked...and I'm still alive so there's your proof! Besides, it's worth the risk because it's dang good stuff!
Pike Place Bakery is just down from Uli's and they make the best sugar cookies outside of my kitchen. I claim the Best Sugar Cookie Maker Title because the boy bestowed it upon me when he was all of 6 years old...right after he told me I made the best Macaroni and Cheese...from the little blue box.
Market Spice...no market tour would be complete without a stop here. I purchase colored sugars for baking and their "7th Wonder" spice packet is TO-DIE-FOR. If you're a tea drinker, you'll love this place - an entire wall of interesting teas!
The Mini-Donut Shop. Around the corner from Pike Place Bakery and just down from Market Spice you'll find the tastiest little donuts EVER. Buy yourself a little bag and eat them while they're hot...before you notice the amount of grease in the bottom of the bag! Powdered-sugar donuts are the best!
While you're munching on the donuts, take the stairs by DeLaurentis' Italian Market down to see Sasquatch...Callie used to love hearing the stories of Sasquatch when she was little - but now she doesn't believe me when I tell her he's real and he and his family live in the forest and they are Animal Doctors...when a deer is hit by a car, or a rabbit is hurt in a trap, the Sasquatch dash to the rescue - careful to not be seen - they help the wounded animals to safety and then nurse them back to health. It's all documented. I have it written down. It's true.
Back up the stairs, head into DeLaurentis' Market and buy yourself some of their fabulous olives, or bread or proscuitto or any of their cheeses...when you get home, tired from schlepping your purchases around Seattle, you can make yourself a bit of antipasto, put your feet up, turn on Sinatra and relax...it's what I live for!
Next stop is Pike Place Nuts - located next door to DeLaurentis' Market. I always purchase the cinnamon/sugared almonds...but everything is good, no make that great!
Across from the main market are where my favorite spots are located...Le Panier, the French Bakery and Piroshky's, the Russian Bakery. It's worth it to stand in line for the chocolate eclairs and palmiers at Le Panier and you simply cannot go home with buying the onion cheese rolls at Piroshky's! It's mandatory...buy two, one to eat immediately and one to eat later...you'll be SO happy!
The Chocolate Market, located near Kells Pub in Post Alley, is fairly new, and definitely worth the trip...delicious, mouth-watering chocolates...I only wish I'd bought MORE! My niece, who had her pick of anything she wanted in the shop chose the wax-bottles with the fake juice inside!!
I love to stop in Lungu Gifts, near Mercado Latino, where I buy my vanilla. Lungu has all kinds of Indian/Asian clothing and interesting things...things I need...and incense, which the mister hates but oh well, like that matters! One more tip...unless you're desperate for a special kind of fruit, DON'T buy it at the market...you can find everything there but their prices are HIGH...and your local grocery store will carry it for much less...if you really want to buy fruit, head to Sosio's Fruit...they are the best and the most friendly, plus you can taste before you buy - always a good thing.
Beechers Handmade Cheese is a fun place to visit - you can watch them make their cheese du jour - and then buy some to take home. Beechers is just down the block from Sur La Table, another mandatory stop because they just might have a gadget I don't own - something totally impractical but fun - something that screams my name - those kind of things are my favorite!
The last stop at the market has got to be the Gum Wall...it's infamous. Make sure you are chewing gum before you head down the stairs (by the Spice Market) to the Gum Wall...you'll want to add yours to the every growing/changing wall of Art/Gum...
That's it...Tour No. 4. If you come to town and want a tour guide, give me a call...my rates are reasonable and a good time is practically guaranteed.
While The Girl was here she arranged for a rendezvous with Carrie, the brains behind Bella Cupcake Couture - only the most stylish cupcake wrappers around!
Pictured above are just some of the darling designs Bella Cupcake Couture has to offer - and you can purchase them at my favorite Cupcakery - New York Cupcakes in Bellevue (Crossroads area) - along with the best cupcakes this side of the Mississippi...although Someone had other things on his mind while we were there...
These wrappers (Olivia - Sea Blue) are absolutely perfect for my Flying Angel Cupcakes...(The Navy's Blue Angels will fly over Lake Washington and I can hardly stand the wait!) The blue wrapper reminded me of the water and the little white squiggly lines seem to me to be the exact pattern the Blues will be flying!
(pic lifted from Bella Cupcake Couture...please forgive me!)
My Flying Angel Cupcakes are really Lemonade cupcakes with a lemon-flavored cream cheese frosting - and they are delicious! On top sits an "exact" replica of one of the Navy's Blue Angels - like it's on a cloud...ready for the afterburners to kick into high gear!
If you squint your eyes and look closely I think you'll see Tom Cruise in the cockpit...he feels the need, the need for speed!
Little planes are available at party shops for about .25 cents each...sprayed blue they look just like those Navy jets I'll be swooning over later today - and tomorrow - and Saturday - and Sunday...can you ever get enough?!? The individual cupcake stands were a gift from a dear friend, but if you REALLY want to get yourself some, then visit Farmhouse Wares, one of my favorite shopping sites.
Here's the link to the recipe: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes and Frosting. Since I didn't want pink cupcakes or frosting I just eliminated the red food coloring. This is one of my all-time favorite cupcakes and frosting - (thanks again to Stephanie!) if you haven't tried it you should - even if you don't have little blue planes to put on top!
We have one quilt group member who doesn't live anywhere near the rest of us - she lives in Port Angeles, which is across the pond, over the bridge and past the Banana Belt; every year we make a trip to her home and we have so much fun getting there!
The "fish-mobile" is actually a bicycle - wouldn't be my first choice of travel - and neither would the cruise ship, you know how I feel about them!) Nor would the Seattle F.D.'s fire boat - as cute as it is!
We sailed out of Seattle on the ferry - it was picture-perfect weather! Don't I live in the most beautiful city?!? I pinch myself every time I see the Seattle skyline - it's such a great place to live...oh wait, I didn't mean that, I don't want ya'll packing up and moving here - the traffic is terrible and then there's the CONSTANT RAIN!!! You'd go crazy - best to stay where you are! The crossing to Bainbridge Island is 35 minutes and I'm still kicking myself for forgetting to stop at the Black Bird Bakery in Winslow to get their orange rolls! Now they're stuck in my brain and the only way to stop thinking about them is to go and get some!
We made a stop at the Sunshine Lavender Farm just outside of Sequim - so beautiful! They have a lavender festival in Sequim (pronounced squim) every July but we missed it by a week. The largest lavender fields in the US are here! Who knew?!? The little shop was amazing - like walking into a candy store - where all the candy is different flavors of lavender!
We also stopped at a roadside sale - it looked promising - all kinds of crappola but everything was ridiculously HIGH...as in highway robbers! Once at Terry's, the FIVE of us started our show:
Denise made four of these darling little fabric books - the first book has just pictures of dogs, the next has pictures of chickens. She also had a book with fish - so very cute - her new grand-daughter is going to love them!
Stephanie is at it again! She is the queen of scraps and nothing ever goes to waste! Just look at these darling blocks she is making! (After I got home I immediately went straight up to my cave where I dug out the scraps I had thrown in the trash...if I copy Stephanie I'll probably have TWO quilts from what I was going to toss! I just wasn't thinking clearly...I plan to in my next life.)
Terry has a new grand-daughter, Amaya, and in a month she is going to get a new grandson! So she is busy sewing up a storm for him...a new diaper bag, changing mat, and wipes holder...plus the diaper bag is filled with goodies! I may have said this before, there's nothing like a grandbaby...speaking of:
It's been a while since I've shown you my Max so I had to squeeze him in - he's a darling even if prefers enormous afghans to my handmade quilts!
It just wouldn't be quilt group without a circle quilt! This is Terry's latest - don't you just love her border fabric? It's Kaffe - works so great with her fabrics!
Terry's view can't be beat - from her deck we looked straight into the Strait of Juan De Fuca...try saying that three times fast! Terry served us tomato soup, chicken salad and for dessert, Banana Foster Bread Pudding...in a word? Incredibly delicious...one word just didn't do it justice! Thanks Terry!
That's it for today - I brought a few old quilts and my latest creation to show the group - I'll show them to you tomorrow - I know your eyes need a rest now.
My sister called me in the middle of the night a while back and told me to turn on my TV...Food Network was doing a show on a little shanty of a place called Paseo in the Fremont area of Seattle...well, given my mental acuity late at night I tried in vain to find the show...THEN the hour time difference dawned on me...my sister got a great laugh out of that - and she also got a hankering for some Cuban food which gnawed at her like a dog with a bone until she flew into town last week and insisted our first stop be Paseo.
Paseo has been a favorite of ours for a couple of years now - ever since the Fashionista discovered it by following her nose and I've made many attempts to duplicate their sandwiches over the years - coming pretty close but not yet nailing it. We must drive over the bridge once a month just for one of their Cuban sandwiches...which taste better than you can imagine when eaten on the beach at Shilshole. And that's where I took my sister...first braving the Kiddy Parade in Wallingford and the Salmon Parade (click on picture above to enlarge) in Ballard...it's the start of Seafair (the big summer festival that culminates with the Blue Angels and hydro-plane races) so every little community will be having parades and street fairs each week, snarling traffic, until it's over. Mind you, I'm not complaining...I love parades! (I missed the naked Solstice parade again this year - can you even imagine how funny that must be?!?) Traffic was terrible but once we got to the beach we parked ourselves in the shade, ate our delicious sandwiches, with sides of Black Beans, and had ourselves a great time people watching.
Before heading back across the pond we stopped at Trophy Cupcakes, it's a mandatory stop if driving through Wallingford. My sister walked next door to a hair salon and decided to get her hair cut just like that. While I waited for her I stood in front of the window watching the street fair below...then noticed a couple of old "hippies," for lack of a better word, who caught my eye - two rather large men dancing in the street...as I snapped away another man walks over, reaches into his pocket, looks around and acting very suspiciously, pulls out thin, white, cigarette looking things...money is exchanged and the dancing hippies danced off into the crowd. So I witnessed my first drug deal! The last pic above right is of the Space Needle from our car on I-5...notice there is not ONE cloud in the sky - it was a beautiful day - a rare treat in the Northwest!
Paseo Black Beans are runny, liquidy, like a soup with the most amazing flavor. In fact, calling them Black Beans is misleading because there is no way you can eat them with a fork! If you have to use a spoon then it's soup! Now, my sister's only talent (she may have others but I've yet to see them) is to be able to decipher ingredients in dishes...so I put her enviable skill to the test and she told me Paseo Black Beans definitely have the following ingredients: cumin, bay leaf, salt, pepper, pimientos, onions, tomatoes, garlic, butter and the coop-de-group...Rosie's Sweetened Lime Juice! Watching her taste and do her magic is like watching an old computer whirl and whiz until it finally spits out a tiny piece of paper with the results! So this is my version (along with my savant sister's help) of Paseo's Black Beans. My beans are a bit thicker, but the flavors are there...cumin, lime, garlic...if you're a fan of the real thing, I think you'll like these. (You'll notice two different pots of beans in the pics shown, that's because I've made these beans TWICE in the last two days...practice makes perfect! One other note, I would guess Paseo starts with dry beans, soaking them overnight in spiced water, but I have neither the time nor inclination to do that, so I used canned beans.)
Paseo Black Beans/Soup - Pots and Pins
3 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons butter
1 large white onion, diced
1 jar (4 oz.) diced pimientos, undrained
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cumin
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Rosie's Sweetened Lime Juice (available in the drink section of the grocery store)
1 can (14.5 oz.) vegetable broth
In a Dutch oven over medium high-heat, saute onions in butter until tender and slightly carmelized, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in pimiento and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cumin, bay leaves, pepper, salt and lime juice, mixing well to combine. Stir in 2 cans beans and tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender (or use a regular blender by transferring small batches at a time) blend beans until smooth. Stir in last can of beans, increase heat to medium-high and cook for one minute or until heated through. Serves 6.
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