carrot soup

A couple weeks ago I received a promotional offer in the mail for a subscription to Bon Appetit. I tossed the offer, but kept the sample recipe card for carrot and tarragon soup. I finally got around to making it the other day, and it was so good I thought I'd share it on this cold and rainy day. I should note that I was not  working with the pre-packaged 'classic cut and peeled' carrots called for in the recipe, so I think I may have been slightly over that 1 pound measure--making the soup a bit thicker. Also--I only had spiced  brandy, so I used only a quarter cup of the orange juice and  a quarter cup of water. The first night we had it, we thought it was just amazing. But, of course, last night, it was twice as good. The flavors had married thoroughly together and I had thinned the soup out a bit more with water--which improved the overall texture and balance of seasonings/flavors.

Chicken soup is on the stove for tonight. Cooking is therapeutic for me. This week it is keeping my mind occupied with something other than Haiti and the anniversary of my father's death. Much of my kitchen is stocked with pots and pans and utensils passed down from female kin and affines--like the big dutch oven in which I cook all our homemade soups. TH's mother bought it in France when she was there as a Fulbright student. In fact, she bought an entire set of  cast-iron enamel cookware. It must have cost a fortune to ship it back here, but I'm really glad she did.

And now, I'm going to make myself work on my syllabi for next Monday.

pumpkin bread

Two loaves cooling on the rack. I must say, the aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg is pretty hard to beat...and a wonderful antidote to a day of dealing with willful ignorance.

wanted: apple cake recipe

I need to put some gala apples to good use. I don't want to make apple crisp--I want a true apple cake and there are a gazillion options on the internet. I have fond memories an older cousin making apple cake in a skillet (maybe one of the best memories from our brief sojourn in Shreveport). Any recommendations?

Adventures in Tortillitas and other babblings

Yesterday, being really sick of eating out (isn't it amazing how this is so much fun on the first day of a trip, and then after that it's the LAST thing you want to do?), I poached salmon and made insalata caprese for dinner. While I was out, I also bought all the herbs, veggies, and other seafood (clams/shrimp, etc.) I'd need to make seafood soup for tonight. Then, this morning, while reading the New York Times online, I saw this yummy appetizer (complete with video instructions). I already had everything I needed to make these tortillitas--except the chickpea flour--so back to Whole Paycheck I went.

Now, I'm all set for tonight. But first, I'm going to check out a nearby estate sale and make up a reading quiz for Tuesday. Oh, and the nifty highlighter sharing the frame in this photo? A very clever freebie from the conference (courtesy of the lovely recruiter who had an outreach table next to us). LOTS of historical music/musical performance/musicology MA and Doctoral programs at her university. No jazz, more churchy and classical, so I picked up a flyer for MP1--who at this very moment is probably thinking of doing anything BUT going on for a doctorate. But, I'm sure she'll take the highlighter and brochure off my hands anyway...