Soup's On

It's soup season at Sophie Junction and I have found a few new recipes to add to my collection of perennial favorites.  Here are eight from my list of go-to recipes for soups.

When I get into soup-making mode, I always start by pulling out the slow-cooker and making vegetarian stock. Having some delicious stock on hand is the first step to yummy soup. There is no doubt when you are cleaning/chopping these colorful veggies, that the result will be tasty, healthy goodness:

Diabetic Vegetarian Stock

The same day I make the stock, dinner will be a simple soup that uses it, based on what's in the fridge–it's usually French onion soup. This recipe is an easy one.

Carmelized Onion Soup

Lately I have tried two others that were made because of what was in the fridge–I love finding recipes with ingredient search–and they were both pretty good and worth making again (and again).

Curried Carrot Soup (photo from Allrecipes)

Cashew Cream Kale Soup

I've also been cooking a couple of old-favorites that I've blogged about before:

Spicy Tomato Lentil Soup

Eat the Rainbow Black Bean Soup (photo from Fatfree Vegan)

Ever since ordering some creamy, sweet butternut squash soup in a restaurant in Lansing, Michigan, I have been a fan ... and willing to try almost any butternut squash soup recipe that crosses my path ...

For Thanksgiving, I tried a new-to-me, slow-cooker recipe from a new-to-me foodie blog with a great funny name, Gimme Some Oven.  I was wary it might be too sweet because of the added apple, but the sweetness was balanced by the cayenne and other spices.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup (photo from Gimme Some Oven)

On Sunday, I mentioned my ingredient scavenger hunt as part of an afternoon of running errands–I was on the hunt looking for preserved lemon, dried apricots and fennel. I needed them for a recipe spotted on the New York Times, I wanted to try.

Moroccan Chick Peas with Chard (photo from NYT)

Even though I can now count how long it has been since I lived in the south of France in decades, I still remember how many of the cafes served Moroccan dishes as the plat du jour on Thursdays ... so,  although the combination of ingredients in this one was curious, I have to say, they had me at "Moroccan."

Sometimes, you just have to suspend disbelief and take a chance.  I'm glad I did exactly that with this interesting combination of ingredients and spices. It will be lunch for me a few times this week.

Do you love soup at this time of year as much as I do?  Please share YOUR go-to favorites in the comments ... because I DO love to find something new to sample and maybe add to my list.

Post-Holiday Re-entry into Normal (whatever that is)

Yesterday I woke up too early–from something that happened in a dream, I think. I was immediately wide awake, feeling well-rested and happy and knew I had been dreaming about something, but couldn't grab hold of anything that would help me remember what it was.  It must have been a good one. I wandered into the kitchen, fed the cats and made my morning late, decided it was too early and too cold and crawled back into my warm bed.

Out of (a bad) habit, I grabbed the iPad on my nightstand and checked for email ... and ended up chatting a bit with someone who plans to suspend disbelief and jump into the Old MacDonald's Mystery Sampler and quilt along with me.  Her vote of confidence reinforced my inexplicable happy, optimistic mood.

I quickly filled up my morning pages (journal), then turned on the TV for some breakfast television–I know, TV in bed, another bad habit–enjoyed an interview with Lily Tomlin on Sunday Morning and the luxury of staying in bed a little longer than I should.  I picked up my knitting–more on that later–and wasn't really paying attention to the TV when Sunday Morning became Face the Nation with Donald Trump doing his thing and provoking us all (OK, mostly women and especially Hillary Clinton).  Thank you, Donald, for that push out of bed. 

When I returned to the kitchen to find breakfast, I glanced at the clock, saw that it was later than I thought and decided to make the effort to treat myself to brunch for one.

I had some cooked black-eyed peas left over from New Years day and some rarely-seen-in-my-house tortilla chips and bacon and decided to make the Homesick Texan's New Years Day Migas with Black-eyed Peas Salsa.

While the eggs were cooking, I was thinking how some recipes are like souvenirs from travels or experiences. I found the Homesick Texan's blog after my first trip to Quilt Festival in Houston. I had gone with a friend to Ninfa's for dinner and loved their "green sauce" so much that when I returned to Michigan, I went looking online for a recipe. I found it on the Homesick Texan, a blog written by a woman who was living in New York and recreating the foods she missed from home. I started following her blog, way back when.  I had never heard of migas (eggs scrambled with various things including strips of crispy tortilla strips) until I lived in Austin. She suggested this recipe for New Years brunch last year.

The calm of the day felt like a return to normal life after the holidays. As a bonus the sun was shining and the temperature had climbed to something above freezing.  I decided to run a quick couple of errands and come home and quilt.

I went to Santa Fe Quilting, looking for Michael Miller fabrics so I could make the next block in the Everything Old is New Again challenge for Modern Quilts Unlimited.

The traditional inspiration block this month is the Double Pinwheel.

I had a design idea I liked and walked into the quilt shop–the only one in town–planning to pick up Cotton Couture (solids) or some other Michael Miller fabric (a requirement for the challenge) in bright red, dark red and gold.

But, incredibly, there were hardly any Michael Miller fabrics in the shop. With the help of a friend from the guild who was working there, we went through the whole store, color by color, theme by theme and found a total of 8 to 10 bolts of ANY kind of Michael Miller fabric ... all but three–three that wouldn't play nicely with one another–were Fairy Frost. Those sparkly Fairy Frost fabrics just aren't me ... but since time I don't have enough time to order anything online or make the trek to Albuquerque or Las Vegas (NM) to continue the hunt, I will be making a glitzy, sparkly Double Pinwheel-inspired block for the challenge this month.

It all took so much longer than I thought it would to look through all those bolts and the result was disappointing, but that, too, was somehow a return to normal. For whatever reason, I rarely find what I am looking for at the only quilt shop in town.

I quickly made the trip to the Trader Joe's to pick up a couple odd things I needed for a recipe I wanted to try, but couldn't find at the nearby chain grocery: fennel, preserved lemon, dried apricots ... can you guess what they might become?

By the time I got home and put things away, I had run out of steam, probably because really, I didn't get enough sleep before I woke up feeling all happy and rested.  My plans for dinner were simplified. I didn't have the creative or physical energy to settle into a quilting project afterward, so my Sunday evening Slow Stitches were of the knit and purl variety.

I am working on a sweater, made from yarn reclaimed from a commercial sweater I couldn't resist in the store a few years ago. It was on sale and I bought even though it was probably two sizes too large.  I did wear it for a while, but ultimately decided it was just TOO oversized and I unravelled it and put the yarn in my stash until the right project came along.  When I saw the Helga pullover sweater in the new patterns for winter on Knitty.com, I knew it was the one.  My gauge swatch was exactly what was needed for the pattern, so I jumped in.

I was on a roll, happily knitting the 3 inch ribbing at the bottom of the sweater, until I noticed this.

Eagle-eye knitters will spot that I have done that thing that you're always supposed to guard against when you are knitting in the round–twisting the stitches when you join them into a circle.  For the non-knitters, I found myself knitting a mobius, which can work if you're making a scarf (AKA infinity scarf), but not a sweater.

So I ripped it all out and CAREFULLY, started again one evening–wrapped in a cozy flannel quilt with the company of my ever-helpful, textile-loving cats.


I snapped this iPhone photo to capture the moment.

The new year prompts us to make resolutions, plan for the future and reflect on what aspects of our lives are worth bringing forward with us as we move forward in life and blogging and which things, people, habits are maybe best left behind.

A few months ago, I wasn't sure I would bring the Block Lotto forward with me in 2016–obviously, ultimately I decided it was worth it.

Last weekend, I knew I needed to get back to the practice of Slow Sunday Stitching ... the return of Downton Abby last night was a nice bit of synchronicity with that practice.

After my twisted start, things have been progressing quite quickly–or as quickly as a knit with all that cabling can ...  The front and back (knit together in the round) are done and I'm now working on the first sleeve, which I am also knitting in the round–more carefully joined to avoid the mobius affect.




I suppose this rambling, steam-of-consciousness post is also a sure sign of a return to normal (for me) after the holidays ;-)

If you have read this far ... I'm sorry.

Pretty Pretty Pili Pili

My Pili Pili has been sitting in the pantry for a little over a week; it may be ready for a test drive on some eggplant pizza soon.

I used this recipe for the spicy herb oil on the New York Times site.  The bottle is more full of herbs and peppers than I expected, but, other than that, it looks exactly as I remember seeing on restaurant tables in the South of France.

It was sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen, back-lit by the afternoon soon when I took this photo, so you can see the Rosemary, Thyme, Chilies, Bay Leaves, Oregano and Fennel seeds.

It looks right, but how will it taste?   Here's hoping it was worth the wait.

I Love Breakfast

I have always loved breakfast, brunch and breakfast for dinner.

Over the years, though, my eating habits have changed.  I rarely eat "meat with feet" any more and almost a year ago, after reading some research, I (mostly) gave up gluten to see if it would have a positive impact on the pain in my arthritic knees.  (It did.)

So my ideas about breakfast have changed as well.  This is one of my current favorites: Polenta, Fried Eggs, Greens and Blistered Tomatoes.  The recipe is from the Williams Sonoma website and comes from one of their gluten-free cookbooks.

I usually make this for dinner, but still recovering from Thanksgiving feasting, I thought this super-healthy dish would hit the spot for breakfast this morning.  It did.

I deviated the recipe by adding a little chopped Portabello mushroom, using kale instead of swiss chard, baby heirlooms for the cherry tomatoes and only adding one egg.  The photo on the right was taken just after the egg was added to the greens to cook.

This month on the Block Lotto, I asked everyone to link a food-related post.  I'll be joining the Linky party (again) with this one.

Do you have a favorite recipe to share with us?

Peter Peter Pumpkin (Stew) Eater

As I was preparing this pumpkin stew, baked in a pumpkin, that children's nursery rhyme popped in my head and–maybe for the first time ever–I wondered what the heck it means.

If you look, you'll see there's some discussion about it, but no consensus.  From the Wikipedia entry: 

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,

Had a wife but couldn't keep her;

He put her in a pumpkin shell

And there he kept her very well.

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,

Had another and didn't love her;

Peter learned to read and spell,

And then he loved her very well.

It's a terrible photo–aside from the kernels of corn, which you can see, there's also sweet and white potatoes, carrots, onions and peppers in the stew, from the McDougall recipe for Festive Pumpkin Stew at the top of a newsletter on this page.  I used fresh jalapeño instead of canned green chiles and didn't have seitan, didn't want to go out in the cold to get some, wasn't sure I wanted to add gluten (which I mostly avoid) anyway, left it out and didn't miss it.   I made a half-recipe (4 servings) and baked a little less than half of it in a very small pie pumpkin.

After my experience last year with the Veggie Turducken, I was wary of baking anything inside a vegetable like that again, but I would make this pumpkin stew cooked in a pumpkin again, make it for a crowd and serve it in a large pumpkin tureen.  Next time I'll take a better photo :-)

I reheated the left-overs, adding black beans, chopped kale and cumin.  Even without the pretty pumpkin presentation, I liked it.

Another first for me, I saved and roasted the seeds–that little pumpkin was chock full of them.  I used this process and they really did come out perfect.

Pumpkin Butter ... Mmmmm

I've never been a fan of those Pumpkin-Spiced Lattés (PSL) at coffee shops across the country. They always seemed to me to taste more of artificial flavors than pumpkin pie.

But then, on impulse, I brought home some pumpkin butter in a jar which led to the idea of making my own, less sweetened version.

I am always surprised when it occurs to me to look online for recipes for something in my head ... and I find them.  I made the Smitten Kitten's version of Pumpkin Butter, found here, along with Pepita Granola.

I have made it a couple times, starting with a pie pumpkin or a can of organic pumpkin. Last week, I made a half recipe, using a 15 oz can of pumpkin and ended up with these two jars of pumpkin-y goodness.  They will probably last through my Fall cravings for these flavors.

It does makes great PSLs with the flavor of pumpkin pie, not artificial flavoring. At my house they are made with almond milk, espresso, a big spoon of pumpkin crack butter and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

It is also good as a spread on toast or apple slices, stirred into oatmeal or yogurt,  added to smoothies, or as part of a cheese plate after dinner.  I haven't tried it (yet), but I'll bet it would be tasty blended with bananas to make an ice-cream like desert.  Lately, though, i've felt more like building a fire in the fireplace than making ice cream ... winter is definitely on the way.

Simple. Healthy. Good.

I collect lots of interesting-looking recipes, but it's usually the simplest ones I go back to again and again.  What's better than fresh ingredients, simply prepared that taste good?

Kate blogged a tart that sounded so good ...  and I turned it into pizza with a gluten-free crust.

The original recipe is on BBC's Good Food site here: Courgette, Mushroom and Mozzarella Tart. I used Chebe All Purpose (gluten-free) Bread Mix for my crust ... and when I was done, I cut up the box and made the templates on yesterday's blog post.

Looks like Christmas

In Santa Fe, a common question asked by servers in restaurants is, "Red or Green or Christmas?" They are asking about chile sauce, but when I tried this recipe, Buttery Brussels Sprouts with Sage, Dried Cranberries and Pecans, I was conditioned to see the red plumped up cranberries and bright green brussels sprouts as Christmas.

You can click the link above for the recipe, but the name pretty much says it all. I decided to try it because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand.  The cranberries and brussels sprouts are an unexpected, interesting combination.

I think it would be a nice side dish for the upcoming holidays.  The author suggests adding cooked quinoa and shredded chicken to turn it into a light meal.  It could be a good candidate for what to do with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Autumn Salads– Yum!

It's a sure sign that Autumn is here when I make up the bed with flannel sheets, pull out a flannel quilt and turn on the oven and start roasting things.  After seeing this recipe, I went looking for fresh figs in Santa Fe ... and settled for dried, which were apparently only available because, "they're seasonal."  Still, it made for a tasty lunch yesterday. The figs are combined with kale (massaged with lemon juice and olive oil), roasted butternut squash, shallot, pumpkin seeds and a balsamic reduction.

I thought I was all done with salad meals at the end of summer (and the end of fresh heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market), but this one was so good, it has me shifting gears and thinking about roasted vegetables and autumn salads.  

A Foodie's Favorite Time of Year

It's that time of year, when any trip to the local Farmers Market means many tasty meals and new things to try.

I was disappointed that the goat cheese ladies didn't have their feta this week, but happy to find a basket of beautiful heirloom tomatoes on a table in the corner inside. I came home with three of the beauties, picked up some quinoa-millet bread at the gluten-free bakery on the way, and knew I'd be making Panzanella for lunch today.

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad made from mostly tomatoes and bread.


Today, I tried this recipe for Heirloom Tomato Panzanella from the blog, What's Gaby Cooking?  The bread became garlic herbed croutons, I added some yellow cherry tomatoes to the heirlooms and made a fresh vinaigrette, with lots of basil.

Yum.  

I wasn't the only one excited about all the beautiful veggies and fresh herbs that came home with me from the Farmers Market ... Johnny thought the green tops of the organic beets were irresistible.

It's also that time of year when chile roasters are being set up all over town.  I bought chiles, both fresh and freshly roasted, too, and told myself I was going to taste my way through all the varieties available this year as part of my continuing chile education.

Life is a Bowl of Cherry Ice Cream

Some beautiful organic cherries at the market inspired me to make some of this today.

After trying a recipe found online for Raw Chunky Monkey, I wondered if I could create something similar for one of my other favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor, Cherry Garcia.   I will probably play with the idea more,  but this first attempt was pretty good.  Here's how I made 2 generous servings ... for me, tonight and ... me, tomorrow.

Life is a Bowl of Cherries (and Chocolate) Frozen Desert

For the Ice Cream: 

1 cup of fresh cherries, pitted

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup no-fat greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Blend all the Ice Cream ingredients together until smooth. 

Taste. Depending upon how ripe/sweet the fruits are, sweeten as desired.    

Pour into an ice cream maker.  

Prepare the mix-ins. 

For the Mix-Ins

1/2 cup fresh cherries,  pitted and chopped
Chocolate of your choice, chopped into chunks.  Chocolate chips would work.  The chocolate in the Raw Chunky Monkey recipe would work.  I used 2 squares from a bar of Green & Blacks Dark 70%

When the Ice Cream is about 5 minutes from being ready, add in the mix-ins.
Scoop and enjoy.

Making this treat and having the phrase, "life is a bowl of cherries," pop into my head made me head to the internet to find out where it came from ... I found this interesting quote by C. JoyBell C.

“I think that there are those who write of life being a skip on the sidewalk, a chocolate bar, a bowl of cherries... the problem with that is it ends up disappointing people. Because life is more like being on the tube in London; you never really know what could happen! But then there are those people who bring a box of chocolates to eat on the tube...so life, it isn't a skip on the sidewalk, but it is a matter of strength: "Can I bring my bowl of cherries to feast on while I stand here in the gutter?" that's the essence of life. Can you still put on your rose-colored glasses while your eyes are filled with tears, and see everything in rosy colors? That's the strength that fuels a true life. Can you think to bring your little box of chocolates with you while you sit on the tube running under the streets of London? Because you should. Because even if you don't know anybody, and you don't know what's gonna happen next, you should have your box of chocolates with you. You should eat your bowl of cherries. And that is what life is.” ― C. JoyBell C.

The sharpest knife in the drawer ... and something to do with it

The sharpest knife in the drawer at my house is the one that I took to the farmer's market today to have sharpened.

Patrick Romero has no website nor business cards.  He just shows up at the Farmer's market twice a week and works his magic to make knives and scissors and tools sharp again. He also makes custom knives and tools.

This morning I remembered to take my big kitchen knife with me to the market. Until now, it was well used and definitely NOT the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Next I'll be taking my Dovo scissors.

Cutting–fabric or vegetables–is so much easier and more pleasant when our tools are sharp.  Most of my knives in the kitchen are 30 years old or older–purchased when I lived and worked in Europe and they are still going strong.

Lately, I've been making a lot of this salad–Hail to the Kale.  You can follow the link for the recipe (the photo also comes from there) or watch the video below.

It has a creamy, sweet and tangy sauce which is poured over the kale and then massaged in by using a curved blade like an Alaskan Ulu or a mezzaluna to cut the kale and mix things up ...

Which was my excuse for buying a new contender for sharpest knife in the drawer, this mincing knife.

Added to my rationalization was the great price I found for one online ... darn that internet :-)

Here's the video where I first found Hail to the Kale.


Like the Chef and the Dietitian in the video,  I often enjoy this salad for breakfast.

This weekend's theme for the Block Lotto weekend update linky party is sharing something UN-quilty, so I'm linking this post.

Seasonal Shift

Is there something in our DNA that makes our tastes change with the season? Maybe it's a nature-nuture question.  Whatever is behind it, I am noticing some seasonal shifts within me.   It's not even hot yet, but I don't feel like cooking and nothing appeals as much as fresh juice to start the day. I am still a fan of Green Lemonade, but this morning I made Super Red Beta-Carrot Juice, which is becoming another favorite.  Here's what's in the glass:

1 apple
1 beetroot
2 small carrots
2 celery sticks
1/2 lemon
a small slice of ginger

When I found green garlic at the farmer's market earlier this week, I knew I'd be making Edamame and Asparagus salad with Green Garlic.  I found this (uncredited) photo on Pinterest ... I have to pick up some fennel today so I can make mine.

I don't think it's just about what's fresh now; some foods I love in summer never appeal in winter.

Around the house, I keep pulling out the white/light stuff like the cutwork table cover on the dining table above, and this old fashioned scrappy quilt that's back on my bed.

I also keep thinking I need to make some pretty light, white curtains for that room.

It may not always seem like it outside, but my body is telling me that summer is here.

Are you feeling the seasonal shift?

Quilters who Cook

While I do follow a few food blogs,  I am always interested by recipes shared by quilters and other artists.   The Black Pepper Tofu that Kate blogged about almost a year ago has become one of my favorite stir-fry recipes.  (Photo and recipe at the link, courtesy of the The Guardian).

Last week, when June mentioned making sweet potato soup, I thought that sounded tasty. When an interesting recipe for Sweet Potato Leek Soup popped up in an email from PBS the next morning, using soy milk to create a traditionally cream-based soup, I knew I was meant to try it. I combined it with a spicy black bean quesadilla on blue corn tortilla.  Follow the link for step-by-step directions and photos.

Here are the basics.

Ingredients

• 1 medium leek (about 250 grams/9 ounces)
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for garnish)
• 600 grams (21 ounces) small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into coins
• 1 cup + 2 cups soy milk
• 1 cup water
• salt and white pepper to taste
• curry powder (for garnish)

Directions

1. Trim the end off of the leek, and slice it into thin rings, discarding any darker green leaves. Put the sliced leeks in a salad spinner and fill with water. Use your hand to swirl the water around and dislodge any dirt from between the leek's rings. Lift the basket out of the spinner, then dump the water out and repeat once. Dump any water out of the bowl of the spinner, return the basket, cover and spin the leeks to remove the excess water.
2. Add the leeks, celery and olive oil to a pot and cover with a lid. Turn the stove on to medium-low heat and cook, string occasionally until the leeks are soft (10-15 minutes). Remove the lid and turn up the heat and sauté, string constantly until the leeks are reduced to about 1/4 of the original volume and caramelized.
3. Add the sweet potato, 1 cup soy milk, and water. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium low heat until the potatoes are tender and falling apart.
4. Turn off the heat, and then add the rest of the soy milk.
5. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you are using a regular blender, cover the lid with a large towel and hold it there as you slowly turn up the speed of the blender, otherwise the sudden escape of steam will cause the lid to blow off, spewing hot soup all over you and the kitchen.
6. Add salt and white pepper to taste, as well as more soymilk if you want the soup thinner. Return the soup to the pot to reheat.
7. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of curry powder.

Yield: 6-8 servings

I made a half-recipe, which meant there was plenty left over  for lunch the next day.  For a little variety, I replaced the olive oil and curry garnishes with sour cream and (slightly over) toasted pepitas.

Yesterday Judy blogged about making Pad Thai and shared her version of Martha Stewart's Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai.  I will be trying this soon, substituting spiralized zucchini for the noodles.

Lazy Saturday Afternoons

After racing around running errands earlier today, I returned to a lazy saturday afternoon and evening in the studio. I know crockpots can make for easy meals while you're sewing away ... I am also a fan of sticking veggies in the oven to roast. Today, it was these tomatoes, eggplants and whole cloves of garlic, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

My dinner was loosely based on Giada de la Laurentis' Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree.  The roasted veggies were so beautiful and fragrant when they came out of the oven, I almost skipped the puree step.

I didn't have any pasta in the house, so I sliced up a couple of small zucchini into faux angel hair using the newest tool in my kitchen arsenal, the spiralizer.



I warmed up the zucchini with some of the sauce in a couple minutes.  I realized after the fact that I forgot the parmesan cheese in the recipe and didn't miss it ...

After a bowl of roasted veggie goodness with a glass of chardonnay,  I'm ready to return to the design wall and my Saturday night sew-in.



Tonight I'm working on my January pick for Melissa and Shannon's Lovely Year of Finishes, this table topper made from a couple of last year's lotto blocks from April and December.

If only we'd made those Hot-Crossed 9-Patch blocks in May, then this combination could have been a May-December Romance ...

Squash Envy

Yesterday, I surfed past this video about how to make a vegetarian turducken.

It looked like an interesting recipe, but I have never before seen one of the banana squash which plays the role of the turkey in the veggieducken and thought my chances of finding one in Santa Fe were quite slim.

Today I made a quick stop at the Farmer's Market ... and look what is coming home with me (as soon as I finish my late breakfast at the Flying Saucer Cafe.)



As I finished my shopping, walking around with this monster squash cradled in my arms, everyone had a comment or a question--Is that a squash? What kind of squash is that? Wow that's a big squash! The best comment came from one of the growers in another booth.

"This is the first time I've ever had squash envy."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tasty (Veggie) Treats

There is finally enough of a chill in the air that I feel in the mood for making soups and roasting vegetables.

A couple weeks ago, when I read Julie's post about making baked kale chips, they sounded so good, I dropped what I was doing and headed to the kitchen to make some.

Today, I followed a link to Make Your Own Veggie Chips on chow.com and . . . decided to make an afternoon snack of  Carrot Chips.

(The photo is from the chow.com site–I confess that my carrot slices were not as uniform as these and a few looked more like curly fries . . . but they were tasty.)

I'm off to the farmer's market tomorrow to stock up on more veggies: for chips, for roasting and to make stock for soups.  Yum. 

I'm ready ...

Today I made veggie stock and am ready for all the soups I know I'm going to want to make this week and I finished these.  (Coincidentally, when I blogged about my veggie stock it was almost exactly a year ago.)

They are actually predicting snow for Dallas ... here it will "just" be hard freezes at night and not very highs during the days. (It's kind of amazing how quickly one can adapt to warm weather ;-)

And now that I have made the PERFECT variation of the Braided Mitts pattern for me and the weather is going to be frosty, I am ready to knit something a little more substantial.

Easy Peasy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

I wanted something quick for lunch, so I made this cream of broccoli soup. Yes, it is easy peasy (and cheesy!)

How easy?

As easy-peasy as one, two threezy:

1. Steam broccoli in vegetable broth–I used my homemade vegetable broth

2. Transfer the broccoli and broth to a blender and blend to your personally preferred level of smoothness

3. Return to the pot on low heat. Taste and season as needed. Add a little cream and some grated cheese. Stir over heat until the cheese has melted.

I used 2 cups of broth, a little over a half-cup of cream and (I'm guessing on these ) 3 cups of broccoli and a cup of grated pecorino-romano cheese. It made enough for 3 generous servings.

If you're a meat eater, you might garnish with a little crumbled bacon.

Making Soup on Winter Days

The weatherman says these are the coldest days and nights in North Texas in a decade . . . it is cold, but contrary to all those walking around in big fur coats, fur hats and fur-lined boots, compared other parts of the country, it's really not as cold as all that ;-)

Nonetheless, it puts me in the mood for making soup. Yesterday, Melody Johnson blogged about making beef stock, at the bottom of this post. She used the phrase, "looks terrible, tastes delicious."

Today I made my standard vegetable stock using this recipe from the Recipezaar site. I was thinking that it tastes as beautiful as it looks . . . and better than any commercial stock I've ever tried.

I highly recommend the recipe. The most time-consuming part is the first step sautéing the onions until they are brown, almost black. Since those carmelized onions contribute a lot to the color of the final product, as well as the taste, it's well worth it to be patient. The good news is that while the onions are on, you can chop all the vegetables and herbs you'll be using: carrot, leak, parsnip, celery, celery root, parsley.

Unlike Melody's photos of her beef broth in-process, I think this looks quite beautiful in the pot:

Like Melody mentioned about her beef broth, once the stock is made, it's easy-peasy to make French onion soup. Or to roast a butternut squash, sauté some onions and blend it up with some stock and spices to make some sweet (without any sugar added), yummy butternut squash soup. With the 7 pints I now have in the fridge, I'm thinking the future soup possibilities are endless ;-)