Soup is all about comfort and I needed comfort this week. What with being all sad and slightly stressed with a little touch of the holiday blues. And I needed something to warm me up because is has been freaking chilly cold. I needed soup. But I wanted something slightly special, not the everyday, but also not anything fussy or finicky. A soup that I could make really fast or let sit on the stove all day. A soup that would bring a little brightness without being overly rich. A soup to take away the chill and make me happy.
Is that asking to much of a soup? I think not.
This soup, it did it all. But also take into account, this soup is not for the people that do not like squash. Or for the people that do not like apples or cranberries. Or for people that do not like thick creamy soups. But if you are not one of this people (you are a person that likes squash, apples and cranberries, and creamy soup) then this soup is for you. It is for us. Creamy, flavorful, slightly sweet and spicy with a little tang and just so dang delicious. It is like a warm blanket of soup. Comfortable and lovely. I have basically eaten an entire pot all to myself in the past two days.
It has been just what I needed.
Join me.
The stuff. A butternut squash, a couple apples, and some cranberries. Also a carrot, an onion, some fresh ginger, a few cloves garlic, cumin and chili powder, salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar, and a little olive oil.
Start by chopping up the carrot and the onion. Small pieces just because they cook a little faster.
Peel and grate or mince some fresh ginger too.
Toss that all into a big pot with a splash of olive oil and a splash of water and cook on a medium heat until tender and fragrant.
While the veggies cook, chop the squash into small cubes. Remove the seeds, but no need to peel.
And chop up the apple too, but set aside a half of one for the apple cranberry relish.
Now toss all that into the pot along with the cranberries.
Add the spices, salt and pepper, a few splashed of apple cider vinegar, and water to cover it all. Then place it on stove, bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and let cook.
While the soup is cooking, make the relish. Mince the half apple along with about 1/2 cup of cranberries.
Place in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a few splashed of apple cider vinegar. Then just let it sit and meld.
Soup is looking good. Everything is soft and falling apart and ready to go.
Blend it all until smooth.
Thick and creamy goodness right here. If it is to thick, add more water, too thin, cook it down a little longer. The consistency is up to you.
Now all you need to do is ladle soup into bowls and top with a couple spoonfuls of the relish.
This is comfort. This is good.
Have a great, comfy weekend.
-C
makes 6-8 servings
1 small butternut squash (about 5 cups cubed)
1 large onion
1 carrot
2 macon or mac apples
2 cups fresh cranberries (you can use frozen too)
2 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili power
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon fresh minced or grated ginger
4-5 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
6 cups water
Start by chopping the onion and carrot into small pieces. Place into large heavy bottom pot with a splash of water and a tiny splash of olive oil. Mince the garlic and peel and mince ginger. Toss into the pot as well and place it on a medium heat to cook until the veggies are tender and fragrant.
While the veggies are cooking, dice up the butternut squash. Remove any seeds but there is no need to peel. Also dice up the apples, reserving 1/2 of one for the relish. Place the chopped squash and apples into the pot with the cooking veggies along with 1 1/2 cups of cranberries , the chili powder and cumin, 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and the water. Place the pot back on the stove, bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let cook.
Once soup is on the stove, take reserved half apple and the other 1/2 cup of cranberries and dice into very small pieces. Place into a bowl with a little pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Toss around and set aside.
And back to soup. Once the squash is tender and starting to fall apart, it is time. Remove from heat and either with a immersion blender, or a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. After its blended and creamy smooth, check for thickness. If you think it is too thick, add more water. Too thin, place back on stove and cook down until it thickens up a bit more.
When you are ready to serve and eat, ladle soup into a bowl and top with more pepper and a spoonful or two of the apple cranberry relish.
Then eat and feel cozy.
This summer has been weird. And when I say weird, I mean too stupid freaking hot and humid and it’s screwing up my life. I think I have gone a month, maybe more, without making soup. That is just not right. For as long as I can remember I have made soup, or at least eaten soup, just about everyday, even all summer long. But the terrible heat and humidity this year, I just have had no desire. It has been straight up shredded zucchini and whole tomatoes for some time now. I just don’t want to have any residual added heat to my life. But the other day, oh how lovely. I woke up with a chill, enough that I needed to grab a long sleeve before leaving the house, and had the very strong urge to return home and get my soup on. And soup on I did!
For my first trip back into soup (oh how I missed soup!), I went simple and used what I, and many, many people have ample supplies of right now. Tomatoes. And beans because I wanted my soup to be thick and creamy and I had the beans so why the heck not.
This soup really requires very little and you get the most thick, delicious, creamy, tomatoey soup. Perfect to eat alone, but is fanatic with some crackers, or a hunk of crusty bread. And it uses a lot of tomatoes which is nice because I am (as are many of you.. My neighbor is bringing me HER tomatoes now too) trying to make a dent in the ever growing pile or these beauties on the counter. This soup dented it, until I went out to the garden a few minutes later. My pile is bigger then ever, which is fine because I am back on my soup game.
The stuff. Lots of tomatoes, some white beans (I used navy, but any white bean would be good) a large onion, a carrot, salt and pepper, a lemon, some olive oil, and honey (optional).
First off, chop the carrot and onion into chunks.
Toss the chopped stuff into a big ol’ pot with a drizzle of olive oil and cook on a medium heat until nice and soft.
While veggies are cooking, core and cut up all those tomatoes.
When the veggies have cooked up a bit, add the tomatoes, the beans, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the pot and give it a good mix. Return to high heat, stirring even so often, until the tomatoes give off enough juiced to start boiling then turn heat down to medium and cook for a little while, like 1/2 an hour or 45 minutes.
Until it looks lit this. The tomatoes have all fallen apart and the beans, carrots and onions are mushy.
Blended with the juice of the lemon and a sprinkle of pepper and more salt if needed.
Now serve into a bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of honey if you are feeling it. Sliced cherry tomatoes make for fancy garnish.
Creamy tomato bean soup for everyone!
Hurray for soup!
-C
Makes about 1/2 gallon (enough to serve a crowed or enough to serve one for a few days and maybe freeze some for later)
10-12 large tomatoes
2 1/2 cup or 1 can of cooked white beans (I used navy but any white bean will be good)
1 large onion
1 large carrot
I lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
honey (optional)
Start by chopping the onion and carrot up into small chunks. Grab a large heavy bottom pot, drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive on the bottom then toss in the chopped veggies. Place the pot on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion and carrot start to soften.
While the veggies are cooking, core and cut up all the tomatoes. Once the veggies are soft, dump in all the tomatoes, along with the beans and all the liquid they are in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn heat up to high, giving it a good stir until the tomatoes start to get super juicy then bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for another half hour to 45 minutes, giving it a stir ever so often. When the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the carrot, onions, and beans are mushy, you know its done.
Remove the pot from heat and dd in the juice of the lemon. Using a hand blender, blend until it’s a smooth creamy consistency. If you only have a counter belnder, let soup cool a little before handling and be really freaking careful and blend a few cups at a time, making sure to have the blender lid on. Hot soup in the face is no fun.
Once soup is creamy and smooth, serve in bowls with a drizzle of honey (totally optional, but some people really like a touch of sweetness to their tomato soup) and more pepper to a taste. Garnish with thinly sliced cherry tomatoes if you are feeling fancy.
Any extra soup can be refrigerated for up to a week. Can also be frozen.
What are you doing this weekend? It is suppose to be cold and rainy (if not snowy) and crappy and just not a good weekend to be hanging outside, which makes it the perfect weekend to spend some time inside, SPRING CLEANING! Haha. Doesn’t cleaning get you excited? No, well, sorry for you. Me, I like to clean, and I really like to tackle jobs that really really need to be tackled, like cleaning out the fridge. And a crappy weather spring weekend is probably the best time to do it.
The refrigerator. My pride and joy of the kitchen. It’s an old harvest gold Fridgaire from like 1970. This is the fridge I spent almost a year hunting down and finally finding on craigslist from a man who was cleaning out his dead mothers house. The fridge that I almost gave up on when I couldn’t find it and almost bought a big stainless steal thing instead.mBut last minute, I found it, like it was meant to be. And this fridge has a story all of it’s own. It was a prize won by on of the ladies daughters from a cereal company contest. The family kept it for all these years and took such good care or it because of that. A well cared for and loved fridge. It is a good one with faux wood trim and metal shelving. It keeps my food cold and frozen (sometimes frozen when it shouldn’t be. The back top shelve in the fridge has a few cold spots the might freeze whatever is there. My solution to that is to not stick things in the cold spots.) and is just as pretty as can be. Some people question it, don’t understand why I didn’t just buy a matching fridge to my stainless steal stove, but you know what, if you don’t like it, well I really don’t care. It makes me happy and I love it.
And to what goes on on the inside. To know me is to know what is inside of my refrigerator. It is always packed. There is and always will be carrots, beets, lemon, cabbage, turmeric, greens, greens, and more greens in there. There will always be some hummus of some kind, mustard, bread dough, tofu, and lots and lots of any and every veggies you can think of. Plus a bunch of jars and container, which I have a bad habit of not placing lids on all the time, full of lentils and beans, rice, and quinoa. There is usually a baked sweet potato or some squash and more likely the not, tomatoes and plant milk. In the freezer, well that’s getting pretty empty now, but after harvest in the fall, it is packed to the brim with bags of frozen veggies. Now it has a few bags of veggies, frozen bananas and berries,flours, and nuts. But the fridge, The fridge is always full. And it an get a little messy….
And now I it’s time to clean it out.
I spot clean and straighten it out often. Usually before I pick up farm share I go through it and tidy up, make more space, and pull stuff out that needs to be eaten first. But that is just the surface cleaning. Stuff gets sticky, stuff gets stuck, and especially with veggies, stuff gets dirty. Spot cleaning has a place but it’s not cutting it anymore. It’s spring and it’s time for a full fledge deep clean.
Now I know most people have their own methods for cleaning but here are a few tips and techniques that I have to tackle the beast.
-Prepare. You don’t want to just go at it without a plan and supplies. Get out your cleaning supplies. Grab a recycling can and a compost bucket, and have a big lean surface ready to place stuff on. The vacuum or a broom should be handy too.
–Cleaning solutions. It is a fridge so you don’t want to be cleaning it with a bunch of chemicals. What I use is a vinegar solution. 50/50 white vinegar and water and a squirt of dish soup. It cleans, degreases, disinfects, and won’t kill you.
–An empty sink or bathtub to wash all the drawers and shelving off.
–A few clean containers. Just have them on hand, with lids, to place stray things roaming around in there.
–Clean from top to bottom. This avoids crap falling into something you already cleaned.
–Labels. Any containers that are not clear might benefit from a label. And if you tend to leave things in the fridge for a long time, a label for the date of opening is also a good idea.
–Inventory. Knowing what is in the fridge is very important, this prevents food waste.
–Too many condiments. I don’t know how many times I have looked in peoples fridges and seen 5 different bottles of ketchup or Italian dressings open. Consolidate. And if you don’t like it or don’t use it, get rid of it.
–Wipe it all down. Not just the fridge itself, but all the stuff going back into it. So many times I have stuck the soy sauce in the door and had it leaked all over.
–Know your fridge and place accordingly. Most people don’t have super old fridges, but even the new ones have some quirks. Know if there are cold spots or dead zones or places that things get stuck and place food accordingly. Also think about where you are placing food. It don’t make sense to but the milk way in the back if you use it all the time.
–Under and behind. Don’t forget to clean under the fridge and behind the fridge. It will be dusty, maybe a little gross, but it must be done.
–Music. A good playlist is always going to make you better are cleaning.
As for the Use it Up Soup, do just that. This is the perfect time to use up what you got. I know that I have way more veggies then the average person, but don’t let that stop you. You could even pull stuff out and fill in missing ingredients form the store if you want. And be creative, pickled hot peppers, all the frozen veggies, any wilted greens. Even almost empty bottles of mustard. If you think it sounds good in soup, use it up. Add some canned tomatoes and a handful of spice, you are gonna end up with something tasty.
. A clean fridge and soup, how can it get any better?
The before. Veggies all over. Jars and containers stacked, with and without lids. A stray half of banana, and empty water bottle, and a half eaten salad in a bowl just having out. The shelves are kind of gross. The veggie drawers are nasty, and I think almost everything is wet because I dumped over a container of tofu the other day and all the tofu water leaked all over…… This deep clean was a long time coming.
I always have so many bags and containers of veggies and beans in the fridge.
The stuff in the door too. This is actually a lot of crap. The last dinner party we had someone brought over salad dressings. The mr and I don’t use salad dressing, but I guess it’s not so bad to have them here. The littles like them and I know that they will be eaten.
And the stuff that is going to be soup. I found a wrinkly parsnip, some celery, carrots, a few cooked potatoes, some cooked butternut squash and a half a kale and carrot salad. The jar of almost gone lentils, and jar of tomatoes. Some ginger and turmeric root which is always is the fridge. A rutabaga, some cabbage, an onion, and I also grabbed some frozen green beans and the rest of the frozen rhubarb ( resh rhubarb is on it’s way)
I chopped it all up, tossed it into a big pot. Added some spices and water and stuck it on the stove to cook away while I got to the cleaning.
After. Clean fridge wand clean food. All organized and pretty.
The freezer before. It looks a little crazy but there really isn’t that much in there.
After. I pulled it all out, wiped it down, and put it all back, organized, and wth lids (again, my bad habit of no lids)
And all the while I was cleaning, the soup was cooking.
Clean refrigerator. Makes this lady happy here.
And the reward for all of your cleaning. A big bowl of soup.
-C
Whether you are stuck at home because you have the flu or because you do not want to leave the house for fear of turning into a human popsicle, or maybe even you just don’t want to because this is the first weekend that you have no plans, no obligations, no parties, well then you are in good company.
Unfortunately for me, I have to leave the house. I have obligations, I am getting over the flu, and I am pretty sure I am going to turn into a popsicle because when -8 is the high for the day, well, it’s bound to happen.
But lucky for me I already made the soup, in my fitful sicky, but able to think about and eat food again state. Yes I had the flu, or better yet, the stomach flu. And the stomach flu and food do not mix. Even the thought of food would send me reeling and it was just no good. I seriously thought I would never be able to think or better yet, eat food again without turning straight to the bucket. But I will stop there because you don’t need to hear about my misery. Anyway, the death spiral subsided and food was no longer the enemy. I actually wanted (kinda of) to eat again. So food it was to be.
Because it was my first day back to food, I really wanted to take it super easy. (Before I made this soup I actually boiled a carrot until it was mush and ate that just to test my tummy) Nothing heavy, obviously hot and warming, not to spicy. Just soothing and nourishing. And I didn’t really want think about it and worry about it and spend much time in the kitchen. Sure I could have bought a can of soup but actually no, canned soup is not for me. And I know the mr would have thrown something together for me but I was determined to be a slightly productive human and do something with my day even if it was minimal. I had to make the soup, I had to do it.
This soup was exactly what I needed and could not have been any easier to make. Chop up some shit, toss it into a pot, and walk away (or nap on the couch) for a little while. It can be done on the stove, in a slow cooker, or if you have a Instapot and want to do that, I should say go for it. And I am not saying this because I was starving, but this was one dang fantastic tasting soup. Right in every way. It’s going on my semi permanent soup rotation for the next few months.
No bad after 48 hours of dying and no food. (stupid flu)
The stuff. Carrots, celery, a small rutabaga, and and onion. A red potato, a parsnip, some green been, garlic, canned tomatoes, navy beans, thyme, rosemary, a bay leaf, and salt and pepper.
Note here that all this stuff was already in my house. Say you do not have a rutabaga or a parsnip, it’s totally fine. You can add
Here is the hardest part. Chop it all up into little pieces. All of it all mixed together, just get it chopped.
And toss it all into a big pot with he green beans, a handful of dried beans, and the spices.
Add in the can of tomatoes
Then fill the pot with water.
Now stick the pot on the stove and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a little lower the medium and loosely cover with a lid.
A couple hours later, once the beans are cooked and the veggies are tender, you got yourself a big ol’ pot of some fantastic home made, easy as can be, vegetable soup.
Chunky, hearty, and easy as can be. And the best part is that I have left overs and we all know that left over soup is the best soup.
Stay warm, don’t turn into a popsicle.
-C
Makes a big pot of soup
2 carrots
3 stalks of elery
1 onion
1 small rutabage
1 red onion
1 parsnip
2 cups frozen green beans
1/2 cup navy beans
3-4 cloves garlic
1 28oz can (no salt added) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon roasemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leave
salt and pepper
water
Note. You might not want rutabaga in this or you might want to add some cauliflour or peppers, so go for it. It’s a pretty adaptable soup so use what you got and like.
Grab all you raw veggies, give them a quick wash, then chop them all up into bite sized pieces. Mince up the garlic. Dump it all into a large heavy bottom pot. Add in the frozen green beans, the dried beans, the spices and the can of tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and enough water to cover the everything 3-4 inches.
Place pot on stove, bring to a boil, then reduce heart to medium low and loosely cover wit a lid. Cook, giving it a stir once in a while, for a least 1.5 hours ( can cook all day on long on simmer if you like) or until the beans are coooked through and the veggies have soften. Add more water if needed.
Serve when you are ready to eat. Refrigerate leftovers.
It’s finally getting cold around here which I know some people are pretty bummed about but not me, I am ready for the days of it being cold and dreary (seriously). These are the days that I like to hunker down and keep myself all warm and cozy. And what is more cozy then a big bowl of hot soup? Nothing I say. Or maybe a big cup of hot tea and a cozy blanket by the fire, but I don’t have a fire so soup it is.
And I know a few of you people have a little pie pumpkin or two laying around from Halloween and are thinking ” what the heck am I going to do with it”. Well I got you here. You are going to make that pumpkin into something great and amazing that is not a dessert (because you are still working your way through all the Halloween candy). You will make it into soup and then you will eat it and then you will thank me later.
The stuff. A little old sugar pumpkin, some red lentils, celery, a carrot, and an onion. A few heads of garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and ginger, salt and pepper, and water to round it out.
Start with dicing up the carrot, celery, onion and garlic.
Into a heavy bottom pot they go. Stick the pot on heat to sweat the veggies a bit.
Dicing up the pumpkin. No fuss here, just chop it in half and scoop out the seeds (keep seeds to roast and top soup with) then cut into little chunks.
Grab the pot that the veggies are cooking in and toss in the pumpkin, the spices, the lentils, and the water. Give it a good stir and back to the stove.
All cooked, smelling and looking so good.
A smooth creamy delicious bowl of pumpkin warmth and goodness. A soup to take into the chilly days ahead.
serves 3-5
2 1/2 -3 cups diced pumpkin (one small sugar pumpkin)
1/2 cup red lentils
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
3-4 cups water or veggie stalk
salt and pepper
olive oil
toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)
Start by dicing up the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Toss into a large heavy bottom pot with a splash of olive oil. Place on medium heat to start cooking. Now grab pumpkin, cut in half, and remove all the seeds (reserve seeds for roasting) Dice up the pumpkin and toss into the pot with the veggies. Add in the spices, the lentils,3 cups of the water or stock, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to low. Place lid on pot, but not tightly, and let the soup cook for about a 1/2 hour or until the pumpkin is fork tender.
Once everything in the pot is all cooked up it needs to be blended. You can either transfer to a blender or use a emersion blender and blend until the soup is a silky smooth Either way, be freaking careful cause the soup is hot! While you are blending, if you think you need to add more liquid, go for it. You can make this as thick or thin as you like.
And now soup time! Laddle into bowls, top with parsley and roasted pumpkin seeds (optional) and get to eating all the good.
Place any leftovers in fridge and heat up later (makes a great breakfast soup)
I’ve gone on a complete split pea binge. I have been making it (or reheating it if I have left overs) every day for the last two weeks, no joke. (This lady needs her protein) I get home, grab what ever veggies I see first in the fridge, a few jars of some spices, the giant jar of dried peas, and make quick work of lunch. Chop chop, dump, splash, stir. I am a soup (stews and bisques too) master. Soup for lunch. Right in all ways and just needs to happen.
Sometimes I’ll make soup and it’s just good soup. Sometimes it will end up being really good .This soup, well this soup is really freaking awesome and is my new go to for split peas. Thick and creamy, mildly sweet from the parsnips and ginger, but mellow at the same time. Add a little or a lot of pepper (lots of pepper here) and you got yourself perfection.
Soup that warms you up from the inside out and leaves you happy and full.
Split pea for life!
The stuff. Dried split peas, parsnips, a carrot, and onion, some Italian seasoning, ground ginger, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Also need water.
Chop the veggies. Smaller chunks are good, but don’t worry to much, it’s all getting blended up anyway.
Now toss all those veggies into a big heavy bottom pot and mix in all the spices. Stick o stove with a splash of water and turn up the heat to give the veggies and spices a few minutes alone to active all the goodness.
Once the smell hits you nose and the veggies look like they need some water, dump in the split peas and add enough water to completely cover everything plus a few extra inches. Bring the pot to a boil then turn down to low, stick a lid on pot, and let cook. Check an stir every 10 minutes or so. If it starts to look dry, add in another few cups of water.
Peas are soft, veggies are cooked and now soup is almost ready to go.
Just blend it until smooth. Take liberty hear and smooth it as much or as little as you like. Also if you want to thin it out, just add more water. Want to thicken it up, just cook for a little while longer. ( spit pea is so easy).
And that is it.
You know what to do from here.
Soup time!
Stay warm and have a great weekend.
-C
makes a large pot of soup that will feed 4-6
1 pound dried split peas
1 medium yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 pound (about 4-5) parsnips
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning*
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
water
*Note. Italian seasoning is pretty basic and you probably have it, but if not you can make your own by mixing equal parts thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary.
Start by rough chopping all the veggies and placing them in a large heavy bottom pot. Mix in the spices and bay leaves. Stick on the stove with a splash of water and cook for a few minutes to let the spices ans veggies heat up and smell all nice. Add in peas and enough water to completely cover everything in the pot plus a few inches. Bring to a boil, them turn heat to low, cover pot, and let cook for about 1/2 hour-45 minutes, checking and stir ever 10 minutes. If the soup seems to get too dry, just add in a few extra cups of water.
Once the veggies and peas are soft, turn heat off and using the blending device of your choice, blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and eat hot but watch your tongue.
Today is the day, the moment of truth. The concrete counter tops that we poured a few days ago are getting un-molded, flipped, and set into place. I am so super excited and very much scared. Finally we will have a counter and we will be that much closer to a finished kitchen. But what if? What if something happens between removing the mold and placing the counter, like what if it doesn’t fit right or maybe it breaks? I shouldn’t be even thinking about that. It will be great and awesome and the best freaking counter ever. (and Ikea is only a few hours away and sell emergency counter tops)
The house. Oh have we got ourselves a little gem. All week we have been staying here, doing all our living here (minus showers, we take those at the loft) and still managing to get a bit of work done here. Working in the place you live is such a bitch. Plus it’s the holidays which makes everything not covered in tinsel and lights seem unimportant, but we are getting there. A few more weeks and I tell you, we will most likely have ourselves a pretty nearly done 98% livable house.
Even though the house might not be perfect, we still had a the littles over for a school night sleep over where we finished decorating the tree, watched the Santa Clause, made claims on table settings and ate black beans for breakfast. That was a tough morning with -20 cold and no desire to leave the house. We might have been a few minutes late for school, but hey, I never drive in the mornings and didn’t realize 20 minutes wasn’t enough time to compete with the crazy ass traffic. And they might not have been late, so yeah. (I didn’t ask) What else….Well have been on the hunt for doors and glass for doors and all the odds and ends that we need. Every day it seems we end up at the hardware store, the junk store, or the salvage yard looking of that one thing that may or may not exist. It is driving me nuts. The mr, he is really good at the back and forth. Me, not so much. I really wish there was a store made for just me that sold (or gave me for free) everything that I could possible need. Doors, carrots, socks. That would be great. Oh and my crock pot. It has turned into the center of our living because it’s not our main source of hot food. It has been entirely new territory for me (never used a crock pot before last week) and there were a few soups that might not have so great, but I think I have got the hang of it and we have been eating hot food from the crock like champs. I’ll have to share some of my soups and tips with you guys soon. (once the kitchen is done there will be sooooo many new recipes and food fun coming your way!)
So besides the counter tops today, I think I have some serious cleaning to do. The loft is a mess, the house is getting a little on the dusty side, and the pile of dirty clothes has gotten out of hand. I might drag the hamper to the loft, be domestic for the afternoon and do some chores. A little Christmas music, lots of coffee, and amazon prime last minute gift shopping. It should be an interesting afternoon to say the least.
Links brought to you by the internet.
-I want this, it would bring me so much joy. This Infinity Galaxy Puzzle Has No Beginning or End
–5 of Humanity’s Best Ideas of What Dreams Actually Are
-Lapland is on my travel bucket list. 10+ Reasons Why Lapland Is The Most Magical Place To Celebrate Christmas
–Meet The Spleen, The Strange Little Organ That Can Multiply
-Gift idea for your stinky loved ones. Shreddies flatulence filtering garments
-The mr and I are starting to plan our next cross country trip. National Parks all the way (free days are great but if you are planning on going to a lot of parks, get the pass) WHEN TO VISIT ANY US NATIONAL PARK FOR FREE IN 2017
-An Eleven-Story-Tall Tree Hugger Sprouts on the Side of a Building in Chile. Imagine painting that…..
-Food is always a good present.10 Last-Minute Recipes to Make for Homemade Food Gifts
The week in pictures.
Yes that is a giant tree monster about to eat a Christmas tree. So good.
Have a great day!
Yesterday we had a few pieces of really log ass metal roofing delivered to the new house so we can finish the little side parts of the roof off. The funny thing is we ended up with way more wood then metal. The roofing is super light and flexible so it has to be strapped to a super long wooden structure. And it was perfect. The mr and I have pretty much finished the fence except for the gate from the driveway which sucks because we still can’t bring Washer over to play without it ans we pretty much fenced the yard in for him. But the long ass wooded palette things.. IT was perfect. Well a perfect for now solution. A Already constructed tall and long (too long, we had to cut it down) wooded wall that is now our temporary gate.What a score! And now the pup can spend all day long laying around outside and not getting into any neighborhood fights with the other dogs. And look at us making use of all the scraps. We are so awesome.
Ok, so besides our awesomeness and the new temp gate, let talk about this greenest freaking soup that there ever was. It is probably the best green soup that I have ever tasted. (I know, I have habit of proclaiming all of my soups as the best soup ever, mostly because they are.) It’s one of those soups that is super fast and so simple to make and is perfect for all the spring and summer time eating that will be going on. Eaten hot or cold and out of a bowl or a drank out of a glass. A soup for any time, any place. The mr even liked it and he says he doesn’t like peas. (but he so does). Who doesn’t like the best soup ever?
Now here is how to make it.
The stuff. A big bowl of fresh spinach and a bowl of peas (fresh or frozen.. mine were frozen) Also need an onion, a carrot, a few cloves or garlic, water, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
First thing first. Get the onion and carrot all nice and chopped up and tossed into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a little splash of water,and salt and pepper. Stick that pot on the stove on medium high heat and start to cook cook.
Soften and yummy carrots and onion. I am not exactly sure if my carrots turned the onion orange or if my pot because it is so stained with turmeric that it turns everything yellow. Keep the pot on low heat and mince and stir in the garlic.
And for magic. The pot is sill on low and you are going to pile all the fresh spinach right on in to the pot. Add a few splashes of water and a lid and let it cook for a few minutes. And when you go back and remove the lid..Ca bang ! All the spinach is gone (not really, it just wilted).
It’s time for the peas and water to be added.The blender comes out and the soup gets blended until super smooth.
So green, so good.. This soup is all ready to go. But here is the thing, you can eat it at any temperature and it will be amazing so if you want to heat it up a little more, go for it. Cold soup shooters, just stick it in the fridge for a while and wait until its chilled. Or both. I ate a bowl warm then had cold soup for dessert.
And to finish, you must serve with fresh lemon and if you have it, a pretty little mint plant. I love the flavor of a little fresh mint added, but not all do. So mint if you like( it really is so good) but lemon in a must!
Enjoy all the green things!
-C
serves 3-4
2 cup peas (fresh or frozen.. I used frozen)
3 packed cups fresh spinach
a few sprigs of fresh mint (optional)
3 cups water
1 small onion
a carrot
3 cloves garlic
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
Small chop onion and carrot and toss into a big heavy bottom pot with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Stick on stove on medium heat and cook until it becomes soft and fragrant. Now mince garlic and add that it too. Stir and cook for another minute or two then add in all the spinach and a splash of water. Place o lid on pot and let until cook until spinach is all wilted. (give it a stir to get it all cooked down). Once wilted, add the peas and the water. Stir all together and let simmer for a few minutes then remove from heat. Now blend the crap out of it until silky smooth.(use your blending device of choice).
And it’s done. You can either serve right away as a hot soup or sick it in the fridge and serve cold! Just remember that you need to serve it with cracked pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon and some chopped up fresh mint(mint it optional but so good)
Eat with a spoon or forget the spoon and slurp out a a cup like the cool kids.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
December 21, 2018 by maximios • Blog
Soup is all about comfort and I needed comfort this week. What with being all sad and slightly stressed with a little touch of the holiday blues. And I needed something to warm me up because is has been freaking chilly cold. I needed soup. But I wanted something slightly special, not the everyday, but also not anything fussy or finicky. A soup that I could make really fast or let sit on the stove all day. A soup that would bring a little brightness without being overly rich. A soup to take away the chill and make me happy.
Is that asking to much of a soup? I think not.
This soup, it did it all. But also take into account, this soup is not for the people that do not like squash. Or for the people that do not like apples or cranberries. Or for people that do not like thick creamy soups. But if you are not one of this people (you are a person that likes squash, apples and cranberries, and creamy soup) then this soup is for you. It is for us. Creamy, flavorful, slightly sweet and spicy with a little tang and just so dang delicious. It is like a warm blanket of soup. Comfortable and lovely. I have basically eaten an entire pot all to myself in the past two days.
It has been just what I needed.
Join me.
The stuff. A butternut squash, a couple apples, and some cranberries. Also a carrot, an onion, some fresh ginger, a few cloves garlic, cumin and chili powder, salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar, and a little olive oil.
Start by chopping up the carrot and the onion. Small pieces just because they cook a little faster.
Peel and grate or mince some fresh ginger too.
Toss that all into a big pot with a splash of olive oil and a splash of water and cook on a medium heat until tender and fragrant.
While the veggies cook, chop the squash into small cubes. Remove the seeds, but no need to peel.
And chop up the apple too, but set aside a half of one for the apple cranberry relish.
Now toss all that into the pot along with the cranberries.
Add the spices, salt and pepper, a few splashed of apple cider vinegar, and water to cover it all. Then place it on stove, bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and let cook.
While the soup is cooking, make the relish. Mince the half apple along with about 1/2 cup of cranberries.
Place in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a few splashed of apple cider vinegar. Then just let it sit and meld.
Soup is looking good. Everything is soft and falling apart and ready to go.
Blend it all until smooth.
Thick and creamy goodness right here. If it is to thick, add more water, too thin, cook it down a little longer. The consistency is up to you.
Now all you need to do is ladle soup into bowls and top with a couple spoonfuls of the relish.
This is comfort. This is good.
Have a great, comfy weekend.
-C
makes 6-8 servings
1 small butternut squash (about 5 cups cubed)
1 large onion
1 carrot
2 macon or mac apples
2 cups fresh cranberries (you can use frozen too)
2 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili power
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon fresh minced or grated ginger
4-5 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
6 cups water
Start by chopping the onion and carrot into small pieces. Place into large heavy bottom pot with a splash of water and a tiny splash of olive oil. Mince the garlic and peel and mince ginger. Toss into the pot as well and place it on a medium heat to cook until the veggies are tender and fragrant.
While the veggies are cooking, dice up the butternut squash. Remove any seeds but there is no need to peel. Also dice up the apples, reserving 1/2 of one for the relish. Place the chopped squash and apples into the pot with the cooking veggies along with 1 1/2 cups of cranberries , the chili powder and cumin, 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and the water. Place the pot back on the stove, bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let cook.
Once soup is on the stove, take reserved half apple and the other 1/2 cup of cranberries and dice into very small pieces. Place into a bowl with a little pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Toss around and set aside.
And back to soup. Once the squash is tender and starting to fall apart, it is time. Remove from heat and either with a immersion blender, or a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. After its blended and creamy smooth, check for thickness. If you think it is too thick, add more water. Too thin, place back on stove and cook down until it thickens up a bit more.
When you are ready to serve and eat, ladle soup into a bowl and top with more pepper and a spoonful or two of the apple cranberry relish.
Then eat and feel cozy.
This summer has been weird. And when I say weird, I mean too stupid freaking hot and humid and it’s screwing up my life. I think I have gone a month, maybe more, without making soup. That is just not right. For as long as I can remember I have made soup, or at least eaten soup, just about everyday, even all summer long. But the terrible heat and humidity this year, I just have had no desire. It has been straight up shredded zucchini and whole tomatoes for some time now. I just don’t want to have any residual added heat to my life. But the other day, oh how lovely. I woke up with a chill, enough that I needed to grab a long sleeve before leaving the house, and had the very strong urge to return home and get my soup on. And soup on I did!
For my first trip back into soup (oh how I missed soup!), I went simple and used what I, and many, many people have ample supplies of right now. Tomatoes. And beans because I wanted my soup to be thick and creamy and I had the beans so why the heck not.
This soup really requires very little and you get the most thick, delicious, creamy, tomatoey soup. Perfect to eat alone, but is fanatic with some crackers, or a hunk of crusty bread. And it uses a lot of tomatoes which is nice because I am (as are many of you.. My neighbor is bringing me HER tomatoes now too) trying to make a dent in the ever growing pile or these beauties on the counter. This soup dented it, until I went out to the garden a few minutes later. My pile is bigger then ever, which is fine because I am back on my soup game.
The stuff. Lots of tomatoes, some white beans (I used navy, but any white bean would be good) a large onion, a carrot, salt and pepper, a lemon, some olive oil, and honey (optional).
First off, chop the carrot and onion into chunks.
Toss the chopped stuff into a big ol’ pot with a drizzle of olive oil and cook on a medium heat until nice and soft.
While veggies are cooking, core and cut up all those tomatoes.
When the veggies have cooked up a bit, add the tomatoes, the beans, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the pot and give it a good mix. Return to high heat, stirring even so often, until the tomatoes give off enough juiced to start boiling then turn heat down to medium and cook for a little while, like 1/2 an hour or 45 minutes.
Until it looks lit this. The tomatoes have all fallen apart and the beans, carrots and onions are mushy.
Blended with the juice of the lemon and a sprinkle of pepper and more salt if needed.
Now serve into a bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of honey if you are feeling it. Sliced cherry tomatoes make for fancy garnish.
Creamy tomato bean soup for everyone!
Hurray for soup!
-C
Makes about 1/2 gallon (enough to serve a crowed or enough to serve one for a few days and maybe freeze some for later)
Start by chopping the onion and carrot up into small chunks. Grab a large heavy bottom pot, drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive on the bottom then toss in the chopped veggies. Place the pot on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion and carrot start to soften.
While the veggies are cooking, core and cut up all the tomatoes. Once the veggies are soft, dump in all the tomatoes, along with the beans and all the liquid they are in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn heat up to high, giving it a good stir until the tomatoes start to get super juicy then bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for another half hour to 45 minutes, giving it a stir ever so often. When the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the carrot, onions, and beans are mushy, you know its done.
Remove the pot from heat and dd in the juice of the lemon. Using a hand blender, blend until it’s a smooth creamy consistency. If you only have a counter belnder, let soup cool a little before handling and be really freaking careful and blend a few cups at a time, making sure to have the blender lid on. Hot soup in the face is no fun.
Once soup is creamy and smooth, serve in bowls with a drizzle of honey (totally optional, but some people really like a touch of sweetness to their tomato soup) and more pepper to a taste. Garnish with thinly sliced cherry tomatoes if you are feeling fancy.
Any extra soup can be refrigerated for up to a week. Can also be frozen.
What are you doing this weekend? It is suppose to be cold and rainy (if not snowy) and crappy and just not a good weekend to be hanging outside, which makes it the perfect weekend to spend some time inside, SPRING CLEANING! Haha. Doesn’t cleaning get you excited? No, well, sorry for you. Me, I like to clean, and I really like to tackle jobs that really really need to be tackled, like cleaning out the fridge. And a crappy weather spring weekend is probably the best time to do it.
The refrigerator. My pride and joy of the kitchen. It’s an old harvest gold Fridgaire from like 1970. This is the fridge I spent almost a year hunting down and finally finding on craigslist from a man who was cleaning out his dead mothers house. The fridge that I almost gave up on when I couldn’t find it and almost bought a big stainless steal thing instead.mBut last minute, I found it, like it was meant to be. And this fridge has a story all of it’s own. It was a prize won by on of the ladies daughters from a cereal company contest. The family kept it for all these years and took such good care or it because of that. A well cared for and loved fridge. It is a good one with faux wood trim and metal shelving. It keeps my food cold and frozen (sometimes frozen when it shouldn’t be. The back top shelve in the fridge has a few cold spots the might freeze whatever is there. My solution to that is to not stick things in the cold spots.) and is just as pretty as can be. Some people question it, don’t understand why I didn’t just buy a matching fridge to my stainless steal stove, but you know what, if you don’t like it, well I really don’t care. It makes me happy and I love it.
And to what goes on on the inside. To know me is to know what is inside of my refrigerator. It is always packed. There is and always will be carrots, beets, lemon, cabbage, turmeric, greens, greens, and more greens in there. There will always be some hummus of some kind, mustard, bread dough, tofu, and lots and lots of any and every veggies you can think of. Plus a bunch of jars and container, which I have a bad habit of not placing lids on all the time, full of lentils and beans, rice, and quinoa. There is usually a baked sweet potato or some squash and more likely the not, tomatoes and plant milk. In the freezer, well that’s getting pretty empty now, but after harvest in the fall, it is packed to the brim with bags of frozen veggies. Now it has a few bags of veggies, frozen bananas and berries,flours, and nuts. But the fridge, The fridge is always full. And it an get a little messy….
And now I it’s time to clean it out.
I spot clean and straighten it out often. Usually before I pick up farm share I go through it and tidy up, make more space, and pull stuff out that needs to be eaten first. But that is just the surface cleaning. Stuff gets sticky, stuff gets stuck, and especially with veggies, stuff gets dirty. Spot cleaning has a place but it’s not cutting it anymore. It’s spring and it’s time for a full fledge deep clean.
Now I know most people have their own methods for cleaning but here are a few tips and techniques that I have to tackle the beast.
-Prepare. You don’t want to just go at it without a plan and supplies. Get out your cleaning supplies. Grab a recycling can and a compost bucket, and have a big lean surface ready to place stuff on. The vacuum or a broom should be handy too.
–Cleaning solutions. It is a fridge so you don’t want to be cleaning it with a bunch of chemicals. What I use is a vinegar solution. 50/50 white vinegar and water and a squirt of dish soup. It cleans, degreases, disinfects, and won’t kill you.
–An empty sink or bathtub to wash all the drawers and shelving off.
–A few clean containers. Just have them on hand, with lids, to place stray things roaming around in there.
–Clean from top to bottom. This avoids crap falling into something you already cleaned.
–Labels. Any containers that are not clear might benefit from a label. And if you tend to leave things in the fridge for a long time, a label for the date of opening is also a good idea.
–Inventory. Knowing what is in the fridge is very important, this prevents food waste.
–Too many condiments. I don’t know how many times I have looked in peoples fridges and seen 5 different bottles of ketchup or Italian dressings open. Consolidate. And if you don’t like it or don’t use it, get rid of it.
–Wipe it all down. Not just the fridge itself, but all the stuff going back into it. So many times I have stuck the soy sauce in the door and had it leaked all over.
–Know your fridge and place accordingly. Most people don’t have super old fridges, but even the new ones have some quirks. Know if there are cold spots or dead zones or places that things get stuck and place food accordingly. Also think about where you are placing food. It don’t make sense to but the milk way in the back if you use it all the time.
–Under and behind. Don’t forget to clean under the fridge and behind the fridge. It will be dusty, maybe a little gross, but it must be done.
–Music. A good playlist is always going to make you better are cleaning.
As for the Use it Up Soup, do just that. This is the perfect time to use up what you got. I know that I have way more veggies then the average person, but don’t let that stop you. You could even pull stuff out and fill in missing ingredients form the store if you want. And be creative, pickled hot peppers, all the frozen veggies, any wilted greens. Even almost empty bottles of mustard. If you think it sounds good in soup, use it up. Add some canned tomatoes and a handful of spice, you are gonna end up with something tasty.
. A clean fridge and soup, how can it get any better?
The before. Veggies all over. Jars and containers stacked, with and without lids. A stray half of banana, and empty water bottle, and a half eaten salad in a bowl just having out. The shelves are kind of gross. The veggie drawers are nasty, and I think almost everything is wet because I dumped over a container of tofu the other day and all the tofu water leaked all over…… This deep clean was a long time coming.
I always have so many bags and containers of veggies and beans in the fridge.
The stuff in the door too. This is actually a lot of crap. The last dinner party we had someone brought over salad dressings. The mr and I don’t use salad dressing, but I guess it’s not so bad to have them here. The littles like them and I know that they will be eaten.
And the stuff that is going to be soup. I found a wrinkly parsnip, some celery, carrots, a few cooked potatoes, some cooked butternut squash and a half a kale and carrot salad. The jar of almost gone lentils, and jar of tomatoes. Some ginger and turmeric root which is always is the fridge. A rutabaga, some cabbage, an onion, and I also grabbed some frozen green beans and the rest of the frozen rhubarb ( resh rhubarb is on it’s way)
I chopped it all up, tossed it into a big pot. Added some spices and water and stuck it on the stove to cook away while I got to the cleaning.
After. Clean fridge wand clean food. All organized and pretty.
The freezer before. It looks a little crazy but there really isn’t that much in there.
After. I pulled it all out, wiped it down, and put it all back, organized, and wth lids (again, my bad habit of no lids)
And all the while I was cleaning, the soup was cooking.
Clean refrigerator. Makes this lady happy here.
And the reward for all of your cleaning. A big bowl of soup.
-C
Whether you are stuck at home because you have the flu or because you do not want to leave the house for fear of turning into a human popsicle, or maybe even you just don’t want to because this is the first weekend that you have no plans, no obligations, no parties, well then you are in good company.
Unfortunately for me, I have to leave the house. I have obligations, I am getting over the flu, and I am pretty sure I am going to turn into a popsicle because when -8 is the high for the day, well, it’s bound to happen.
But lucky for me I already made the soup, in my fitful sicky, but able to think about and eat food again state. Yes I had the flu, or better yet, the stomach flu. And the stomach flu and food do not mix. Even the thought of food would send me reeling and it was just no good. I seriously thought I would never be able to think or better yet, eat food again without turning straight to the bucket. But I will stop there because you don’t need to hear about my misery. Anyway, the death spiral subsided and food was no longer the enemy. I actually wanted (kinda of) to eat again. So food it was to be.
Because it was my first day back to food, I really wanted to take it super easy. (Before I made this soup I actually boiled a carrot until it was mush and ate that just to test my tummy) Nothing heavy, obviously hot and warming, not to spicy. Just soothing and nourishing. And I didn’t really want think about it and worry about it and spend much time in the kitchen. Sure I could have bought a can of soup but actually no, canned soup is not for me. And I know the mr would have thrown something together for me but I was determined to be a slightly productive human and do something with my day even if it was minimal. I had to make the soup, I had to do it.
This soup was exactly what I needed and could not have been any easier to make. Chop up some shit, toss it into a pot, and walk away (or nap on the couch) for a little while. It can be done on the stove, in a slow cooker, or if you have a Instapot and want to do that, I should say go for it. And I am not saying this because I was starving, but this was one dang fantastic tasting soup. Right in every way. It’s going on my semi permanent soup rotation for the next few months.
No bad after 48 hours of dying and no food. (stupid flu)
The stuff. Carrots, celery, a small rutabaga, and and onion. A red potato, a parsnip, some green been, garlic, canned tomatoes, navy beans, thyme, rosemary, a bay leaf, and salt and pepper.
Note here that all this stuff was already in my house. Say you do not have a rutabaga or a parsnip, it’s totally fine. You can add
Here is the hardest part. Chop it all up into little pieces. All of it all mixed together, just get it chopped.
And toss it all into a big pot with he green beans, a handful of dried beans, and the spices.
Add in the can of tomatoes
Then fill the pot with water.
Now stick the pot on the stove and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a little lower the medium and loosely cover with a lid.
A couple hours later, once the beans are cooked and the veggies are tender, you got yourself a big ol’ pot of some fantastic home made, easy as can be, vegetable soup.
Chunky, hearty, and easy as can be. And the best part is that I have left overs and we all know that left over soup is the best soup.
Stay warm, don’t turn into a popsicle.
-C
Makes a big pot of soup
Note. You might not want rutabaga in this or you might want to add some cauliflour or peppers, so go for it. It’s a pretty adaptable soup so use what you got and like.
Grab all you raw veggies, give them a quick wash, then chop them all up into bite sized pieces. Mince up the garlic. Dump it all into a large heavy bottom pot. Add in the frozen green beans, the dried beans, the spices and the can of tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and enough water to cover the everything 3-4 inches.
Place pot on stove, bring to a boil, then reduce heart to medium low and loosely cover wit a lid. Cook, giving it a stir once in a while, for a least 1.5 hours ( can cook all day on long on simmer if you like) or until the beans are coooked through and the veggies have soften. Add more water if needed.
Serve when you are ready to eat. Refrigerate leftovers.
It’s finally getting cold around here which I know some people are pretty bummed about but not me, I am ready for the days of it being cold and dreary (seriously). These are the days that I like to hunker down and keep myself all warm and cozy. And what is more cozy then a big bowl of hot soup? Nothing I say. Or maybe a big cup of hot tea and a cozy blanket by the fire, but I don’t have a fire so soup it is.
And I know a few of you people have a little pie pumpkin or two laying around from Halloween and are thinking ” what the heck am I going to do with it”. Well I got you here. You are going to make that pumpkin into something great and amazing that is not a dessert (because you are still working your way through all the Halloween candy). You will make it into soup and then you will eat it and then you will thank me later.
The stuff. A little old sugar pumpkin, some red lentils, celery, a carrot, and an onion. A few heads of garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and ginger, salt and pepper, and water to round it out.
Start with dicing up the carrot, celery, onion and garlic.
Into a heavy bottom pot they go. Stick the pot on heat to sweat the veggies a bit.
Dicing up the pumpkin. No fuss here, just chop it in half and scoop out the seeds (keep seeds to roast and top soup with) then cut into little chunks.
Grab the pot that the veggies are cooking in and toss in the pumpkin, the spices, the lentils, and the water. Give it a good stir and back to the stove.
All cooked, smelling and looking so good.
A smooth creamy delicious bowl of pumpkin warmth and goodness. A soup to take into the chilly days ahead.
serves 3-5
Start by dicing up the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Toss into a large heavy bottom pot with a splash of olive oil. Place on medium heat to start cooking. Now grab pumpkin, cut in half, and remove all the seeds (reserve seeds for roasting) Dice up the pumpkin and toss into the pot with the veggies. Add in the spices, the lentils,3 cups of the water or stock, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to low. Place lid on pot, but not tightly, and let the soup cook for about a 1/2 hour or until the pumpkin is fork tender.
Once everything in the pot is all cooked up it needs to be blended. You can either transfer to a blender or use a emersion blender and blend until the soup is a silky smooth Either way, be freaking careful cause the soup is hot! While you are blending, if you think you need to add more liquid, go for it. You can make this as thick or thin as you like.
And now soup time! Laddle into bowls, top with parsley and roasted pumpkin seeds (optional) and get to eating all the good.
Place any leftovers in fridge and heat up later (makes a great breakfast soup)
I’ve gone on a complete split pea binge. I have been making it (or reheating it if I have left overs) every day for the last two weeks, no joke. (This lady needs her protein) I get home, grab what ever veggies I see first in the fridge, a few jars of some spices, the giant jar of dried peas, and make quick work of lunch. Chop chop, dump, splash, stir. I am a soup (stews and bisques too) master. Soup for lunch. Right in all ways and just needs to happen.
Sometimes I’ll make soup and it’s just good soup. Sometimes it will end up being really good .This soup, well this soup is really freaking awesome and is my new go to for split peas. Thick and creamy, mildly sweet from the parsnips and ginger, but mellow at the same time. Add a little or a lot of pepper (lots of pepper here) and you got yourself perfection.
Soup that warms you up from the inside out and leaves you happy and full.
Split pea for life!
The stuff. Dried split peas, parsnips, a carrot, and onion, some Italian seasoning, ground ginger, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Also need water.
Chop the veggies. Smaller chunks are good, but don’t worry to much, it’s all getting blended up anyway.
Now toss all those veggies into a big heavy bottom pot and mix in all the spices. Stick o stove with a splash of water and turn up the heat to give the veggies and spices a few minutes alone to active all the goodness.
Once the smell hits you nose and the veggies look like they need some water, dump in the split peas and add enough water to completely cover everything plus a few extra inches. Bring the pot to a boil then turn down to low, stick a lid on pot, and let cook. Check an stir every 10 minutes or so. If it starts to look dry, add in another few cups of water.
Peas are soft, veggies are cooked and now soup is almost ready to go.
Just blend it until smooth. Take liberty hear and smooth it as much or as little as you like. Also if you want to thin it out, just add more water. Want to thicken it up, just cook for a little while longer. ( spit pea is so easy).
And that is it.
You know what to do from here.
Soup time!
Stay warm and have a great weekend.
-C
makes a large pot of soup that will feed 4-6
*Note. Italian seasoning is pretty basic and you probably have it, but if not you can make your own by mixing equal parts thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary.
Start by rough chopping all the veggies and placing them in a large heavy bottom pot. Mix in the spices and bay leaves. Stick on the stove with a splash of water and cook for a few minutes to let the spices ans veggies heat up and smell all nice. Add in peas and enough water to completely cover everything in the pot plus a few inches. Bring to a boil, them turn heat to low, cover pot, and let cook for about 1/2 hour-45 minutes, checking and stir ever 10 minutes. If the soup seems to get too dry, just add in a few extra cups of water.
Once the veggies and peas are soft, turn heat off and using the blending device of your choice, blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and eat hot but watch your tongue.
Today is the day, the moment of truth. The concrete counter tops that we poured a few days ago are getting un-molded, flipped, and set into place. I am so super excited and very much scared. Finally we will have a counter and we will be that much closer to a finished kitchen. But what if? What if something happens between removing the mold and placing the counter, like what if it doesn’t fit right or maybe it breaks? I shouldn’t be even thinking about that. It will be great and awesome and the best freaking counter ever. (and Ikea is only a few hours away and sell emergency counter tops)
The house. Oh have we got ourselves a little gem. All week we have been staying here, doing all our living here (minus showers, we take those at the loft) and still managing to get a bit of work done here. Working in the place you live is such a bitch. Plus it’s the holidays which makes everything not covered in tinsel and lights seem unimportant, but we are getting there. A few more weeks and I tell you, we will most likely have ourselves a pretty nearly done 98% livable house.
Even though the house might not be perfect, we still had a the littles over for a school night sleep over where we finished decorating the tree, watched the Santa Clause, made claims on table settings and ate black beans for breakfast. That was a tough morning with -20 cold and no desire to leave the house. We might have been a few minutes late for school, but hey, I never drive in the mornings and didn’t realize 20 minutes wasn’t enough time to compete with the crazy ass traffic. And they might not have been late, so yeah. (I didn’t ask) What else….Well have been on the hunt for doors and glass for doors and all the odds and ends that we need. Every day it seems we end up at the hardware store, the junk store, or the salvage yard looking of that one thing that may or may not exist. It is driving me nuts. The mr, he is really good at the back and forth. Me, not so much. I really wish there was a store made for just me that sold (or gave me for free) everything that I could possible need. Doors, carrots, socks. That would be great. Oh and my crock pot. It has turned into the center of our living because it’s not our main source of hot food. It has been entirely new territory for me (never used a crock pot before last week) and there were a few soups that might not have so great, but I think I have got the hang of it and we have been eating hot food from the crock like champs. I’ll have to share some of my soups and tips with you guys soon. (once the kitchen is done there will be sooooo many new recipes and food fun coming your way!)
So besides the counter tops today, I think I have some serious cleaning to do. The loft is a mess, the house is getting a little on the dusty side, and the pile of dirty clothes has gotten out of hand. I might drag the hamper to the loft, be domestic for the afternoon and do some chores. A little Christmas music, lots of coffee, and amazon prime last minute gift shopping. It should be an interesting afternoon to say the least.
Links brought to you by the internet.
-I want this, it would bring me so much joy. This Infinity Galaxy Puzzle Has No Beginning or End
–5 of Humanity’s Best Ideas of What Dreams Actually Are
-Lapland is on my travel bucket list. 10+ Reasons Why Lapland Is The Most Magical Place To Celebrate Christmas
–Meet The Spleen, The Strange Little Organ That Can Multiply
-Gift idea for your stinky loved ones. Shreddies flatulence filtering garments
-The mr and I are starting to plan our next cross country trip. National Parks all the way (free days are great but if you are planning on going to a lot of parks, get the pass) WHEN TO VISIT ANY US NATIONAL PARK FOR FREE IN 2017
-An Eleven-Story-Tall Tree Hugger Sprouts on the Side of a Building in Chile. Imagine painting that…..
-Food is always a good present.10 Last-Minute Recipes to Make for Homemade Food Gifts
The week in pictures.
Yes that is a giant tree monster about to eat a Christmas tree. So good.
Have a great day!
Yesterday we had a few pieces of really log ass metal roofing delivered to the new house so we can finish the little side parts of the roof off. The funny thing is we ended up with way more wood then metal. The roofing is super light and flexible so it has to be strapped to a super long wooden structure. And it was perfect. The mr and I have pretty much finished the fence except for the gate from the driveway which sucks because we still can’t bring Washer over to play without it ans we pretty much fenced the yard in for him. But the long ass wooded palette things.. IT was perfect. Well a perfect for now solution. A Already constructed tall and long (too long, we had to cut it down) wooded wall that is now our temporary gate.What a score! And now the pup can spend all day long laying around outside and not getting into any neighborhood fights with the other dogs. And look at us making use of all the scraps. We are so awesome.
Ok, so besides our awesomeness and the new temp gate, let talk about this greenest freaking soup that there ever was. It is probably the best green soup that I have ever tasted. (I know, I have habit of proclaiming all of my soups as the best soup ever, mostly because they are.) It’s one of those soups that is super fast and so simple to make and is perfect for all the spring and summer time eating that will be going on. Eaten hot or cold and out of a bowl or a drank out of a glass. A soup for any time, any place. The mr even liked it and he says he doesn’t like peas. (but he so does). Who doesn’t like the best soup ever?
Now here is how to make it.
The stuff. A big bowl of fresh spinach and a bowl of peas (fresh or frozen.. mine were frozen) Also need an onion, a carrot, a few cloves or garlic, water, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
First thing first. Get the onion and carrot all nice and chopped up and tossed into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a little splash of water,and salt and pepper. Stick that pot on the stove on medium high heat and start to cook cook.
Soften and yummy carrots and onion. I am not exactly sure if my carrots turned the onion orange or if my pot because it is so stained with turmeric that it turns everything yellow. Keep the pot on low heat and mince and stir in the garlic.
And for magic. The pot is sill on low and you are going to pile all the fresh spinach right on in to the pot. Add a few splashes of water and a lid and let it cook for a few minutes. And when you go back and remove the lid..Ca bang ! All the spinach is gone (not really, it just wilted).
It’s time for the peas and water to be added.The blender comes out and the soup gets blended until super smooth.
So green, so good.. This soup is all ready to go. But here is the thing, you can eat it at any temperature and it will be amazing so if you want to heat it up a little more, go for it. Cold soup shooters, just stick it in the fridge for a while and wait until its chilled. Or both. I ate a bowl warm then had cold soup for dessert.
And to finish, you must serve with fresh lemon and if you have it, a pretty little mint plant. I love the flavor of a little fresh mint added, but not all do. So mint if you like( it really is so good) but lemon in a must!
Enjoy all the green things!
-C
serves 3-4
Small chop onion and carrot and toss into a big heavy bottom pot with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Stick on stove on medium heat and cook until it becomes soft and fragrant. Now mince garlic and add that it too. Stir and cook for another minute or two then add in all the spinach and a splash of water. Place o lid on pot and let until cook until spinach is all wilted. (give it a stir to get it all cooked down). Once wilted, add the peas and the water. Stir all together and let simmer for a few minutes then remove from heat. Now blend the crap out of it until silky smooth.(use your blending device of choice).
And it’s done. You can either serve right away as a hot soup or sick it in the fridge and serve cold! Just remember that you need to serve it with cracked pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon and some chopped up fresh mint(mint it optional but so good)
Eat with a spoon or forget the spoon and slurp out a a cup like the cool kids.