contents
closeups 6
Chris Jones ...the art & business of writing
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a different take ...visual artist a.e.bayne
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brandon newton ...here & there
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porch talk 3
kelly pawlick’s city soup
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on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages
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on the trails:: peace like a river
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downtown buzz: making spirits bright
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tell...the gift that keeps on giving
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empowerhouse sheltering survivors of domestic abuse
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vino: hal bell’s micro-winery
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season’s bounty: holiday dessert table
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Cooking with Kyle ‘’tis the season:
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color me orange: citrus red #2
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Calendar of events
KELLY PAWLICK’S CITY SOUP
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history’s stories.: civil war christmas
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a 19th century christmas @ ellwood manor
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companions: dog on athletics
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mind your mind: holiday blues renew: fitness & nutrition is for the mind, too!
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Senior Care: seniors & religion
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wellness: happy december emancipated patients: on the road again
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art in the ’burg: ponshop holiday show
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stories of fredericksburg: michael lewis
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porchlight: she was 64
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fxbg music scene: measure by measure
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fpcug: technology for non-profits
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fredericksburg sketches
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poetryman autoknown better from my porch: why i believe in santa claus
By a.e. bAYNE
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...And more! 9
A Home Cook Goes Rogue
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Fxbgers: Ruth Spratt, MWH’s loyal volunteer
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habitat for heroes: homes for veterans
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candlelight tour: dec. 12-13 Cover By David Kennedy
The promise of a home cooked meal is rooted in nurturing and love. We so often forget this promise in the rush of modern life. Do we care for our loved ones and ourselves the way we should? What’s in a meal? In Kelly Pawlik’s mind, quite a lot. City Soup has been going strong for a year now. It’s a simple system that requires mountains of prep work and delivery hours on Pawlik’s part, but which provides a nourishing solution for an ever-expanding base clientele. People want to feel cared for in the rush of the day. Pawlik’s one-woman show requires her to shop, prepare, cook, deliver, clean and recycle each week. She
says it’s turned into a six day-a-week job with orders that ebb and flow. She has a number of regular clients, and others that order from time to time. Every week is different. Pawlik is technically certified as a home producer, so she is able to run City Soup much like a farmer’s market vendor. She plans her batches of soup per order, always using the freshest i n g r e d i e n t s possible. Favorite local sources for ingredients include Blenheim Organic Gardens, Fredericskburg CSA, and Green Thumb Growers. Pawlik adds, “Beyond being organic, vegetarian or vegan, many of my clients order from me because they know I’m aware of food allergies. Most of the time the soup is even gluten free. I don’t use pasta. It just doesn’t convey well upon reheating.”
These criteria make Pawlik’s recipes unique. She says her philosophy about food is similar to Julia Child’s: the recipe doesn’t have to be fancy or involved; it just has to be made with fresh, wholesome ingredients. Pawlik explains, “None of my soups are necessarily hard to make, nor are they gourmet; however, my clients are becoming more aware of how food is produced. They don’t want chemicals or preservatives. I’ve been aware of that and have cooked that way for over 20 years, so I have insight I can share with them about the ingredients in my soups.” Pawlik says that City Soup receives the most requests for her potato leek recipes, her Hungarian mushroom soup, and Orbits’ Vegetarian Chili, a proprietary recipe she retained after managing Orbits Restaurant when it claimed the space that is now Colonial Tavern. Since her ingredients are seasonal, Pawlik’s asparagus soups, made with Snead’s Farm asparagus from in Spotsylvania, makes a four-week heavy rotation when it’s in season. Other examples of seasonal favorites include
watermelon gazpacho and a mushroom lemon orzo salad in the summer. Feeling hungry yet? Pawlik’s delivery service is simple. Just head over to City Soup’s Facebook page/eatcitysoup where you’ll find the soups of the week. Respond in the comment section with your order. Pawlik will confirm and deliver your soup between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday or Thursday. You will leave a check for her to pick up when she makes the delivery. Each quart is $12, no matter the recipe. Pawlik notes that City Soup can be kept for 8-10 days in the refrigerator and can be transferred to freezer bags for longer storage of up to a few months in the freezer. Hang onto the jars so you can recycle them with Pawlik when she brings you your next order. She does like to get those jars back. Pawlik laughs, “I don’t get every jar back, but most of my customers are environmentally conscious, so they send them on back.” A.E. Bayne is a writer and visual artist who has lived in Fredericksburg for seventeen years. She is the editor of Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review
Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose?
Have a Hot Drink
where warm hearts wish you Happy Holidays
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December 2015
Front porch fredericksburg
front porch fredericksburg
December 2015 2015
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