Food: I love soup II!

Holla if you love soup!!!

HOLLA!

I am going to ROCK old age.

I love soup! 

Seriously, I am probably a little too fond of it, but if loving soup is wrong...I don't want to be right.

Last night, for about three hours I made soup. I also walked around in Ugg boots and jeans as our heat decided to quite working downstairs. So, it was appropriate that I was fussing over a new soup. 

Of course in typical fashion, I thought I had all the ingredients and was missing several key ones.

Now, if you read my post yesterday, I was stoked to not have to put the key into the ignition and put the car into reverse. So, instead of going to the store, I improvised and called my husband to pick up a few things on his way home.

He forgot to stop at the store. DANG!

No fear though,  I worked with what I had and dinner was awesome, filling and enough for lunch today and maybe tomorrow as well.

Here is the recipe from last night with my changes.

I made a veggie version AND a chicken version.

The recipe was easy and I had most everything on hand. I will make this again with the actual ingredients and report back. Or you can  make it and let me know what you think. OR we could have a cook off and you could invite me over...( I am shameless, I know).

The recipe I wanted to make had what sounded like would be a southwest flavor, which is what drew me to it. Mine, with the different peppers and less pumpkin, had a Thai flavor, which is popular at Casa Swann.

Hope you enjoy.

Pumpkin chicken soup

 1 tbl. olive oil
1 tbl butter
1 onion
1 large carrot ( I used about 10 baby carrots)
1 tsp celery seed (thought I had celery...)
3 cloves garlic (6 tsp. chopped garlic)
2 boxes of chicken stock
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa- thought I had barley
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbl. chopped jalapeno (canned)- thought I had chipolte chili
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

Saute onion and carrots in butter and oil. Add celery seed and garlic after about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper. Add stock, pumpkin, quinoa,  chicken and spices. Cook at medium heat about 1 hour. Add sour cream and cream, whisking to blend.  Add peppers.
Taste and reseason. Simmer about 15 minutes and serve.

Veggie Pumpkin Soup

1 tbl. olive oil1 tbl butter

1 onion
1 large carrot ( I used about 10 baby carrots)
1 tsp celery seed (thought I had celery...)

3 cloves garlic (6 tsp. chopped garlic)
2 boxes of veggie stock
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup quinoa- thought I had barley

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbl. chopped jalapeno (canned)- thought I had chipolte chili

1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

Saute onion and carrots in butter and oil. Add celery seed and garlic after about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper. Add stock, pumpkin, quinoa, and spices. Cook at medium heat about 1 hour. Add sour cream and cream, whisking to blend.  Add peppers.
Taste and re-season. Simmer about 15 minutes and serve. I added more peppers as the spicy- hater would not be eating the veggie soup. YUM.

*I am a classic fail at food blogging/photographer...here are some photos of what I do photograph.

Curiosity

Happiness

Love my city

This is why I improvised last  night...

Whatever: canceled plans

We have an unexpected night off tonight.

As much as it sounds like whining about being popular, 

we have been busy every weekend day and almost every night since school started. 

 

So, a night off is huge. 

We partied like rockstars 

(or parents of rockstars who have to be home early enough to get the rockstars  to rehearsal)

last night with our friends.

 

Good looking crew...

 

 

 

Today we have only one soccer, play rehearsal and I have to get a run in at some point.

But...after about 3pm, 

We have 

NOTHING 

WE

HAVE 

TO 

DO.

Actually we have a to-do list a mile long.

I have  not touched a paintbrush in over 6 weeks. 

Our grass could us a run over with the mower (the 5 blades of grass we have are tallish).

The kitchen floor is a weird color and sticky.

The dogs both are very stinky. 

 

But we don't HAVE to do anything and more importantly, we don't HAVE to go anywhere.

I am almost giddy.

I think I will bake some bread and make this soup. I will also make a veggie version of it, which will take at least two hours, if I am lucky. We might build a fire. A movie could get watched.

The options are limitless.

Amazing what one canceled plan will do for your psyche.

Gratituesday: A list

Hipster in training...down to the Japanese anime tee...

• Grocery store alone, with  no children
• Daughters who inspire and aspire
• Books
• A vacuum that really works after 16 years of bad ones
• Little dogs and their weird expressions
• Mother-in-law that rocks. Never in our business, funny and really a good friend.
• Mail ( I love getting mail, pretty much anything, but especially letters)
• My grandmother still being alive. Even though I rarely see her and hardly ever hear her voice. She writes me letters and I write back.
• Color (more on this later in the week)
• Answered prayers for friends. Being included in requests for prayers is pretty special too.
• Friends in general, but ones that bring bottles of wine on birthdays are truly special. 
• Running 
• GoodHew Socks. And Emily Eckardt for introducing me to them.
• Instagram...and my new phone.

 

Have a great Tuesday! Mine has been sublime so 

far. 

Whatever: I am so hungry

My husband and I did the unthinkable this Friday.

Before a weekend that was full of soccer tournament games, play rehearsal, child transporting and a fall festival, we did the absolute unthinkable.

We had a date night. All to ourselves. No kids.

Actually we started out that way, but our good friends called and asked if we wanted to join them for dinner and so we did that instead. After all, it was her birthday and birthdays are big around here.

Via

So, Friday night, we made our oldest stay home with her little sister. 

The horror.

We had a grown up meal at a very grown up restaurant and it was wonderful.

I had a fall salad of greens, Gorgonzola and pears that was so amazingly balanced texturally, I dreamed about it. Then mussels in a lovely garlic sauce with a crusty bread for the broth. 

Finished by tiramisu and a lovely cup of dark coffee. 

We ate very pedestrian the rest of the weekend, brats and burgers and our usual pretzel bread.

I ate a fair amount of nothing all weekend, as I was on the go and Oktoberfest is not so friendly for vegetarians. I had some leftover lasagne from last week, but our fridge is uttering it's death rattle and I am afraid to eat too much of anything out of it for fear of food poisoning. 

So, now on Monday , I am hungry.

I just finished reading Molly Wizenberg's   A Homemade Life which was hunger inducing and a lovely read. Books about food rank very high with me and this did not disappoint. However, I did not have any of the lovely ingredients she was eating in my pantry and so, I dreamed about food that I could not have. I believe that is a fable or Greek myth or something...
I digress.

This week, we will be eating healthy as it is Fall and all its glory is just hanging around waiting for us to find it.

My garden is on it's way out and the weather is supposed to be nice until Thursday, so I will grill some chicken and make pesto from my basil that has started to go to seed. I have decided to try my hand again at making sourdough starter so when it is cold and rainy this weekend, hopefully there will be bread and a hearty soup.

There are a few tomatoes left and if they ripen, there will be something fun with that later on, but I am not counting on it.

We will be busy this week. 

Shocker. 

Play rehearsal everyday, soccer practice, a trip to Nashville (me) and training for a race that is only 11 days away. Halloween costumes need to be finalized 

and we have parties and hayrides all weekend long. 

Oh, and soccer games as well. 

Until the new fridge comes, no groceries that can't be eaten right then. Leftovers are dangerous.

Happy (Almost) Halloween.

Casa Swann Menu De la Semaine

• Grilled chicken with pesto, baked butternut squash,spinach  salad with  greens, almonds and apples
• Tacos 
• Salmon cakes with mexican sweet potatoes, salad with apples
• Pasta with bolognese sauce (Momma's out of town)
• Pumpkin soup with sourdough bread and salad with pears and Gorgonzola
• (weekends are made for cheese)