Winter Blues?

I've got the cure.

Grab some lemons and make some citrus sugar! It's crazy easy and if it doesn't help I'm not sure how to help. I've never had a problem that food couldn't somehow fix.

Grate the skin of 2-3 lemons (wash them first please!) Try to avoid going too deep and hitting the pith. It's not that yummy.

Dump it in 4-5 Tablespoons of sugar and rub it together until the sugar starts to take on a pale yellow hue and the heavenly sent of lemons fills the air. 

Ta DA! Now store it in a cute jar and use it for whatever your little heart desires.

You can sprinkle it over fresh fruit.

Or just replace regular sugar in a recipe with it - like blueberry muffins.

Have a good lemon-y weekend!
xo

Loaded Potato Soup With Leeks

I love baked potatoes. Steaming and hot out of the oven, skin slightly crisp, inside fluffy and soft. And then the toppings. Butter, cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon. Mmmm.

This soup is a combination of two things; baked potatoes and a french recipe for potato and leek soup, called Vichyssoise. It's a delicious soup, but is traditionally served cold. I wanted a comfort food soup, and I wanted to put lots and lots of naughty ingredients on top.

The end result was even better then I had hoped for. Think delicate onion meets comforting, amazingly smooth potatoes, with crunchy bacon adding a nice end texture. Leeks cooked in butter is something that you need to experience if you haven't yet. Serve with crusty bread.

Loaded Potato and Leek Soup

8 oz. Butter, salted

1 lg. Leek

1 Clove Garlic, smashed

2 med. Potatoes, peeled, diced, and placed in water

2 c. Chicken Broth

1 c. Water

1/4 c Heavy Cream

Bacon, cooked and small diced

Shredded Cheese

Salt and Pepper as needed

Melt butter in large stockpot. Slice and clean leek(using only the white end), then add to butter along with garlic. Sweat until soft, about 10 min. Do not brown. Strain out half of the butter and the  garlic. Add broth, water, and potatoes to pot. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Place in blender - with that little top piece off- and blend until smooth. Put back in pot, add cream, and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

Top with cheese and bacon, but don't stop there if you have more ingredients; chives, sour cream, the sky is your limit!

Feel-Better Ginger Carrot Soup

I have a cold.

A nasty, my-head-is-about-to-explode head cold.

Aren't you glad I shared that with you? Your welcome.

They are talking about me.
. . . ok maybe that's wishful thinking, but if I can't have a personal Doctor and Nurse waiting on me, bringing me all the ginger soda I want, at least I can have some ginger carrot soup. And - dare I say it - I believe that it is a bit healthier for me.

So. Grab some carrots.

And this other stuff.

Then go make this lovely soup. It takes a bit of time, but its so worth it.

Once blended the soup has an amazing smooth creamy texture, you would think it was a cream soup. The carrots are more savory than sweet, thanks to the slight bite of garlic and the brightness of the ginger.

Homemade croutons are an added bonus that I can't take all the credit for. My sister Nadine gave me the idea. They add such a nice crunchy, rich contrast to the soup.

Go make this and let me know what you think. It will totally make your day.

Ginger Carrot Soup

6 large carrots, cut 1/2-1 inch thick

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs ginger, minced

3 Tbs vegetable oil

1 1/2 c. chicken broth (homemade would be awesome here, if you have it)

1-2 c. water

Place carrots, garlic, and ginger in heavy stock pot with oil, and saute over low heat until they begin to caramelize (brown), 15-20 min. Add broth and simmer, uncovered, until the carrots are soft when pierced with a fork, 45-60 min. If the liquid reduces too much, add the water, and simmer some more.

Once the carrots are soft, put everything in a blender and blend away! Place back in stock pot, bring back up to a simmer, then enjoy! Salt and pepper to taste.

Top with homemade croutons, extra virgin olive oil, and what ever else floats your boat.

Homemade Croutons

Several slices of old bread (I had sourdough)

3-5 Tbs butter

Dry herbs and spices such as garlic, coarse salt, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, black pepper.(psssst I used this) 

Melt the butter with the seasonings, chop the bread into large bite size pieces. Dip the bread in the butter, coating well on both sides. 

place on a cookie sheet in the oven(350) for 10-15 min, until they begin to turn golden brown.

Throw them in your soup, salad, crush them and bread chicken..the sky is your limit!

Today I will be Productive

I will post pictures more.






There! I'm already getting more productive.

Kugel.

Kugel. I love the stuff.

It's rich. It's custard-y. It's totally yummy when eaten cold. And its fun to say: Kugel. Kuuuuuugel.

Kugel kugel kugel kugel kugel.

If you told me that I would choose the hottest day since moving into my apartment to have a baking fit -complete with a trip to the Farmers Market- I would say that that totally sounded like me.

Plum Torte

While cleaning out my drafts on here, I discovered this Post from back in April. I'm happy 'cuz I really haven't had time to blog lately (oh, you noticed?) and now I have one more day before I start to feel guilty about neglecting my poor blog.

I made some Plum Torte for my dad the other day, and thought I'd share. Have you had Plum Torte? You really should try it. It's the easiest recipe, and makes a lovely sort of coffee cake, perfect for Sunday mornings...or Thursday afternoons..or, uh, Friday midnight snacks. Yeah.

I've been making this torte since I could reach the counter while standing on a stool. Its that easy. Everyone in my family has different favorite parts of this torte, the amazing crunch-y buttery top, the warm gooey soft plums, the the crumby, cake-like torte itself...the list goes on and on.

Alright. Let's get baking.

Cast of Characters:

Ice Cream. Cookie. Cupcakes.

My Sister made cupcakes for a picnic party we are having later today..but she forgot to put eggs in the batter. It's easy to forget small details like that, right? Riiiiiiight. (I'm not saying I'm better, though; I'm the one that put in a 1 1/2 cups of baking powder in a cake once, instead of 1 1/2 tsp. Heh.)

Lists, DampRid, Fishtail Hair, and Vodka

I'm in a weird mood today. 

Are you ever transported to another time when you smell something?
My room is underground, and its summer. Hello Moisture and dehumidifier working overtime. I hung some DampRid pouches, and every time I take a deep breath, I think its last year. (huh?)

I have so much to do before I move, and I can't get so much of it done until after my last day of work.
Here's a small list of a few things I have yet to do:

• sand Table
• refinish said Table
• make pillows
• shop for soap pump and other random things
• finish quilt
• get a manicure before my nails decide they can't take the abuse anymore and leave me
• drink some more coffee and take a deep breath

 So what's going on in your life this summer?

I am tempted to dye my hair just so I can do this:

So pretty.

And if there is one recipe I am determined to make this summer it's this one: