Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

• 1/2 to 1 lb fresh mushroom 
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/4cup butter 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 TBSP arrowroot powder
• 1 quart stock - preferably homemade beef, chicken or vegetable
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 1/2 brick cream cheese

Instructions

1. Chop mushrooms and onion and mince garlic.
2. Melt butter in a large pan and add chopped mushrooms and onion.
3. Saute until translucent and cooked.
4. Add garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and arrowroot and stir.
6. Add broth and simmer about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken.
7. Add cream and sour cream and stir in until smooth.
8. Serve as a soup or use as cream of mushroom soup in recipes.

Birch Syrup Frosting

I only bake maybe once a year, on my wife's birthday, when I make her a birthday cake.  This year I made cup cakes.  I am also in the process of processing Birch water (sap) that we have collected from Birch trees on our property and cooking it down into Birch Syrup.  So I thought to myself and said, "Self, why not make Birch Syrup Frosting for the cupcakes!".  Well, not knowing much about baking and making frosting, I took to the interweb and couldn't find any Birch Syrup Frosting recipes.  They were all Maple Syrup recipes.  So, here is my Birch Syrup Frosting Recipe that I concocted with the help of a 1976 Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Recipe.  Yes, they get the credit for this, I just simply adapted their recipe.

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3 Tablespoons Birch Syrup
1 1/2 Cups sifted confectioners sugar


Mix together the cream cheese and butter, beat on low until creamy.
Add Birch Syrup.
Gradually add sugar.
If it becomes too thick, add just a little bit of milk.  For this batch, I added 1 T milk.

This frosted 12 cupcakes.