Start with Soup

I was searching for something in google, when out of nowhere the title: "Start with Soup"glared back at me. It felt like someone was trying to tell me something about how to combat the cold weather and snow. While soup is nice, and the last time I went to the grocery store with Mom, I lifted the lid of each of the soups they had to find out whether their scent piqued my interest (none did), today I preferred Williams-Sonoma hot chocolate from my Christmas gifted hot-chocolate maker. In the end, I had neither soup nor hot chocolate.

We've been seeing a lot of snow and today I felt so stir-crazy I almost went running in it, but, instead, opted to get my church on with Connie so I could get out of the house. In an unusual twist of fate, I drove and found that the roads and pavement were quite clear, just saturated, which meant I probably could have gone for a run, but lost my luster for it when we came home. Maybe it was all the white Bogey hair on my coat that I proceeded to remove, piece by piece, during the homily that changed my mind. At any rate, by the time we arrived back home, all I wanted to do was work on my syllabus and eat some yogurt. Unfortunately, the yogurt didn't quite pan out (turns out my dad digs fage, too!), but the syllabus did and I completed the whole thing, weekly schedule of readings and activities, as well, all before dinner time.

Also, I slipped in a little registry browsing whilst watching CSI with my parents (who are getting to the age where they ask me to please not run on the stairs. I partially want to remind them that I'm still young and fairly limber and that my hip won't break easily if I slip, but I don't want to remind them they're getting older and, by saying that, I'm fairly sure I will. More than that, I don't want them to know I recognize the fact that they're getting older. I want them to remain as young as possible for as long as possible, even if it is just at heart.) Anyhow, in my idle registry browsing, I stumbled across a "kitchen torch" which showed a picture of a small, hand held, flame-throwing torch being held up to semi-charred vine-tomatoes on a wire rack in, what could only be (I attribute this assumption to the name of the product) a kitchen. I sort of wanted it, but it reminded me of the time I left the oil to heat on the stove in a pot and forgot about it, only to remember just in time to see it burst into flames and shoot monsoon-sized waves of smoke throughout the house. It took Dustin's smarts on putting out electric fires and my running around the house opening all the doors and windows for us to stop coughing and the fire to go out. It didn't do much for the smoke alarm, which alerted us just a little too late that something was a rye. But they always do, don't they? Either they alert too late or they alert without cause (because the batteries are running out, of course!).

I opted not to register for the mini blow-torch, though it promised lots of charbroiled fun. I dig my house and would like it to remain in tact. Who knows if Dustin will be home the next time I almost set the place on fire?

My advice to you all, when the weather is crappy, like they're predicting it will be tomorrow, and keeps you from heading home to see the love of your life: start with soup. It won't take you home, but it sure is comforting and it beats pining for Greek yogurt that you ran out of and couldn't find a replacement for at the store two days ago. Trust me on this: soup.

xoxo

Neesha

PS-I miss you, D! Hopefully the snow will let up so I can head your way. I think the house must feel lonely with only half of us present! xo

Pumpkins

Fi and I decided to carve up some Jack-O-Lanterns last night after dinner (which was some lemony halibut with raita (Indian salad: fat free yogurt with cucumbers and tomatoes) and a mushroom/brussel sprouts combo with spicy garlic sauce-Fi LOVES brussel sprouts. It's amazing!). Beth swung by for some "Dustin/Neesha" time since she was feeling a little nervous about her observation today by the Dean (which we have NO doubt she blew out of the water because she's such an excellent teacher!) and we tried to coax her into having her way with a pumpkin, too, but to no avail.


My less-than-practiced pumpkin-cleaning technique.


Dustin skillfully cleaning out his pumpkin.

So the competition was on. At first I thought I'd look up some designs online. Then I changed my mind since I thought it might be construed as cheating (ok-really the computer froze before I could find anything). Fi is super artistic and I've seen his Jack-O-Lantern completed projects (last year). Hello amazing pumpkin head! So I had to bring my A-game to the table.


Dustin seeking out the face of the pumpkin with hot apple cider in hand.


Bogey served as his counsel.

After much staring and thinking on both our parts, Beth got bored and left and we set to the task of carving. Fi was finished much faster than I and I had some real issues with my entire Jack-O face falling into the pumpkin which nearly thwarted my entire ability to compete. You may be wondering how I could possibly have competed without a face on my pumpkin, right? Well, my friends, you haven't thought up the many uses of toothpicks!

With much effort and creative toothpick usage, I finished and we displayed our pumpkins for a photo-op on the kitchen counter:

Can you guess whose is who's?

It seemed a shame to throw out the pumpkin pieces we carved out, so, instead, I threw them on a baking pan with some vegetable oil and put them in the oven for about a half hour at 350. Meanwhile, I threw various spices on the seeds (salt on some, cinnamon and sugar on another group, and sage and cumin on a third batch) and baked them alongside the pumpkin. I'm personally not a fan of pumpkin but Fi loves it. The roasted pumpkin came in handy today when I got home from school and wanted some lunch. Since it was super cold, it was the perfect opportunity to make some pumpkin soup! I chopped up the roasted pumpkin and tossed it in with some vegetable oil, then I cut up a sweet potato I baked yesterday and never ate and tossed that in, as well, added a few sage leaves from the garden (chopped), two cups of vegetable broth, a dash of chili pepper and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. Once it all boiled and fully softened, I simmered it for about ten minutes, tossed it into the blender and voila! We had very tasty soup for lunch. If you decide you want to make something like this, I'd highly recommend more stock. We were pretty much out so ours had a consistency more like porridge than soup. Kinda thick, if you get what I'm saying, but still really good.



More to come later.
xoxo
N