Ann Romney's Carrot Soup

Ann Romney has an awesome carrot soup recipe that she gave my friend (if you think the world is small try the Mormon world, it's like a studio apartment). My friend made it for my babyshower and I ate about 3 bowls full and still could not get enough. I made the soup last night for dinner and my family loved it even my very liberal soup-snob husband had two big bowls.

If we're friends on Facebook you probably hate me right now. I try so very hard to resist the urge to post any political updates but then Tina Fey says something brilliant and I just can't help myself. It seems like so much of this election is about, or made to be about women's issues. And then there is so much hate talk, from both sides. I don't want to hate on women (duh!) and I don't want to be hated on. Ann Romney and I agree on very little but I still want to give her credit for supporting her husband and putting herself out there. It takes guts.

All politics aside (if I can do it you can do it), Ann Romney knows how to make mad soup.

Ann Romney's Carrot Soup

Saute until tender:

1/4 c butter

5 c grated carrots

1 c grated potatoes

3/4 c onion

Add and simmer one hour:

4 c chicken broth

1 bay leaf

Remove bay leaf and blend

Before serving add:

2 c milk or cream

salt and pepper to taste

I substituted the potato for butternut squash and went with the heavy cream. When my friend made it she used potatoes and substituted the cream for half and half. Both versions work well.

Corn Chowder

On Sunday it rained big heavy rain drops. It was coldy to the bone and I was looking for something toasty warm to feed my family. I made corn chowder, warm corn chowder and it was perfect. Everyone liked it. Repeat : everyone liked it. Deep happy sigh.

Corn chowder sounds big and scary. It rhymes with clam chowder, that yummy creamy soup thing I had in a bowl made out of bread in Boston. That expensive dish I have at Fisherman's Wharf every time I'm in San Francisco. Corn chowder always seemed like a very complicated dish to make but after reading a  couple recipes I came up with one that I was very happy with, something straightforward and not time consuming. Adios crock pot.

I have a list of recipes that I archive in my head called "for my restaurant."These are the fail proof really yummy recipes I can eat over and over again. Like the asparagus-gruyere tart or the creamy blackberry frozen yogurt. In fact I should serve the tart and corn chowder together and then the frozen yogurt for dessert in my imaginary future restaurant. It's a cozy place, nothing fancy. It will have vintage china that I find in thrift stores and will be extremely kid friendly, so kid friendly your kids will want to live there. There will also be various comfortable chairs so moms can nurse while eating their food (come on you know you've done it) and there will be awesome babysitters, like your 12 year old neighbor who comes to your house after school just to play with your kids because she thinks it's so F-U-N. You will be able to eat in peace guaranteed or your money back. Speaking of money you won't need much, meals will be very inexpensive and if you want to wash dishes afterwards we'll call it a trade.

You should totally come to my future restaurant, specially on a rainy day, it will serve up a killer corn chowder.

Corn Chowder
yields 8 servings
(printable version)

• 4 ears corn
• 2 15 ounce cans whole kernel corn
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3 ounces prosciutto finely chopped (bacon would also work great)
• 1 red onion chopped 
• 3 medium potatoes diced
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cut kernels from ears of corn and reserve in a bowl.
2. Puree the canned corn in a food processor. If you're using a blender you might want to add some of the chicken broth so make it smoother while you blend.
3. Cook onions, cut corn kernels, and prosciutto in Dutch oven over medium heat until the corn is softened (8-10 minutes)
4. Add potatoes, corn puree, and chicken broth to Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (15-20 minutes)
6. Stir in cream and and cheese and serve warm.

why my baby eats butternut squash soup with shrimp {and a recipe}

Butternut squash soup with shrimp is my new favorite soup. I made it two weeks ago when it was a little less than 100 degrees outside. Then we ate it the next day cold because the weather was so hot and the thought of putting anything warm in our mouth just sounded unappetizing.

Luckily the soup tasted really good cold, refreshing even.

This weekend it was more on the chilly side so we had the rest of the soup warmed up with fresh biscuits. I had saved some for my friends who were coming from out of town.

The soup was a success. Everyone loved it minus my Enzo.

Butternut squash and I developed a tight relationship 4 yeas ago when Enzo started eating solids. Our daily ritual consisted of

Taco Soup

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup chopped onions

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can salsa

1 can white beans

1 can corn

1. Fry the turkey meat with the chopped onions until cooked.
2. Add the meat to a medium sized pan and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer on low for an hour.
4. Serve warm with cheese on top (avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream,...all good add-ons)
5. Eat with chips.

This is a contemporary Mexican dish. For more Mexican dishes created and re-created visit foodalouge. She's hosting an awesome blog event that features Latin American recipes. This week is Mexico. Next week is El Salvador. Does anyone have any good suggestions? Go to Foodalogue For more details on this virtual food tour.

 I normally don't cook with canned things but my norms are changing and I'm cherishing my canned goods. Life has been hectic and I appreciate meals that take me less than 10 minutes to prepare. I don't mind the time it takes to simmer. I actually enjoy that process. For one, it makes my house smell great and then it makes it seem like I labored long and hard to get the dinner on the table.

We had a dreamy vacation in Hawaii. Then we came back and it was cold. Christian started doing school again full time multiplied by 900. My mom is looking for a job. My kids are crazy. Actually, Enzo is crazy but I try not to single him out so Miss Mellow Maria gets blamed too. 

proof- Enzo has one speed, fast. He runs all day long and yesterday he totally ate it, hence the busted lip.

proof- My baby became a pirate. 

 Like I said my kids are crazy. My life is crazy. I got a job as a Reader which is like a TA (Teaching Assistant) but 3 times less pay. With all the craziness and some very deep sadness I welcome cans to simplify my life. Thanks Melissa for introducing me to taco soups and for comforting me during these hectic days.

Pumpkin-Fried Apple Soup with Leeks and Bacon

Pumpkin soup is perfect for Fall. Apples are perfect for Fall. Leeks and bacon are perfect with anything. This soup is perfect. I don't usually brag but what can I say, I fried apples in bacon grease and discovered a flavor I never knew could exist. If bragging pisses you off be of comfort because at this rate (eating ridiculous amount of fat) I'll probably be dead by the time I turn 30.

until then...
bring on the bacon.
and the [fried] apples.

Pumpkin-Fried Apple Soup with Leeks and Bacon

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 apples (cut in small cubes)
  
• 16 slices of bacon
• 1 large leek
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• salt and pepper to taste.
• 1 cup water
  

• Fry the bacon in a frying pan and remove the slices when it is crispy and set aside.
• chop the apples, leek, garlic and onion and add to the bacon grease. Fry on medium heat until crispy.
• In a medium sized pan bring the pumpkin puree and water to a boil. Add the fried apples, leeks, garlic, and onion and simmer on low for 15 minutes. season with salt an pepper to taste.
  
• Crumble the bacon and add to the soup right before serving.

enjoy!

carrot ginger soup

We've decided that we will try to plan our life so that we each work part time and we each get to stay home and raise our kids. However, if this plan fails and one of us ends up getting a full time job that person will for sure be me. Christian is a much better at keeping house then I am. Thursdays he has Enzo all day and I have school all day. I came home and the house was clean. This is totally expected from my clean freak husband. But the house was clean and smelled yummy. He made an awesome dinner; samosas and carrot-ginger soup from scratch. He also rocked out as a dad to a baby who hates sleep (see previous post) including naps, took Enzo to a museum, planted tomatoes in our garden, got two new plants for our living room and was in a total good mood when I got home. On Fridays I have Enzo all day. I can guarantee that the house will be messy, totally planning on eating left overs from today's dinner, and the fun activity that I have planned to do with Enzo is to go to Target to return curtains and shop for bras.

Christian's Carrot-Ginger soup

• 2 lbs carrots
• 4 cups water
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. freshly grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. cumin, ground fennel, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint
• 3-4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1. peel and trim carrots, and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place in a medium saucepan with water, cover and bring to a boil. Lowe he heat, and simmer until very tender.
2. Meanwhile heat the butter in a small skillet. Add onions, and saute over medium heat for about 5 min. Add garlic, ginger, salt and spices. turn heat to low and continue to saute for another 8- 10 min. Stir in Lemon juice.
3. Use a blender to puree everything together. Transfer the puree to a saucepan and heat gently just before serving.
   

Chicken soup for the blog

It's been a pretty depressing weekend. We've had rain like there is no tomorrow, I've been sick and don't feel like I'm getting better and...It's CARNAVAL in Brazil which is fun for everyone who is there but not so fun when you're so far away and wishing oh so badly that I could be there right now. Last year I was in Brazil during Carnaval and decided to go watch the Samba schools perform one night. In Sao Paulo and Rio there are lots of Samba schools/clubs and they each have a theme and they parade according to their theme and song. This changes every year and it is beyond incredible what they do. There are thousands (yes thousands) of people that partricipate in each school and they all parade. So last year I went with my little sis and cousins and we had an amazing time. The only problem was that it was the night before my mom's party. We stayed at Carnaval till 6:00am (we left early). I got home hoping to get some sleep but instead I got a list of errands to run before the party began. I was exhausted the whole rest of the day but... YES it was worth it.

This year it's a whole different story. Not only am I not in Brazil but I am sick. I hate being sick. I have a hard time getting better just because I hate being sick so much I pretend that I'm not sick and don't really take care of myself. This time, however, I've decided to actually rest and try to take care of myself. It's easy being sick on the weekends when Chris is home all day and I don't have class. Tomorrow we both have class. I made myself a hearty Chicken Soup and took lots of naps. The first recipe I'll put up is the one I made. I used a whole roasted chicken. If you don't want to roast a whole chicken I have another recipe that's super easy and that I make all the time.

Hearty Chicken Soup

• left overs of a whole roasted chicken
• 4 cups water
• 1 can tomatoe sauce
• 1 cup chopped celery
  
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 cups elbow macaroni

1. bring to a boil the left over chicken with bones and all the left over juices along with water and the tomato sauce.
2. add celery and carrots.
3. let it simmer for 2-3 hours
4. refigerate over night.
5. The next day take bring it to a boil once again and take out all the bones.
6. add a little bit more water and add the macorni and bring to a boil.

Easy, Easy Chicken Soup

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 grated carrots
• 2 chopped celery
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 package elbow noodles
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup

1. cup up chicken in cubes and cook in salted water
2. take out chicken when cooked but leave the water in the pan.
3. add noodles, carrots, celery and onions to the water
4. put the chicken back once the noodles are cooked
5. add 2 cans of cream of chicken
   

Beware that this recipe makes enough soup to feed probably 10 people so unless you have a big family I suggest making half. Also, don't try to freeze this. I did this once and I had to throw the whole thing out once it was thawed. I guess pasta should never be frozen it does some funky thing to the consistency.
Chicken Soup for your ears (listen to some Samba it's so delicious!!!)
I updated the Kitchen Dance party song for this week. It's samba of course.

• Escola de Samba X9
• Escola de Samba Mocidade Alegre

The first video is from the day that I was at Carnaval last year. This was my favorite school, Aguia de ouro. The scond video is a little better shot, not much. Enjoy and dance for heaven's sake!

The U.S also knows how to PARTAY. I enjoyed this documentary about Mardi Gras. This is a short documentary about Mardi Gras costumes, it's so fun but I just realized that you need to sign up to PRX in order to listen, oops. So this means that you probably didn't get to listen to the Spam one I put up last week. I totally encourage you to sign up for PRX (Public Radio Exchange) lots of good things to listen to. If you do have an account then listen to this piece.