First of all, important information: mommy blogger GRACE PATTON is expecting more happiness come June and that takes the total count of baby Pattons to FIVE and it’s important to note that this is the exact number of children in my family, therefore, find me more exciting news. You cannot. That was an exercise in futility.
So, winter is a thing. And it’s happening. And, in the nature of full disclosure, I broke down and purchased one of those “mimics the natural sunlight” lamps off of Amazon. (But first I read all of the reviews on several products. Because I may be a gullible hippie, but I’m a well-read one also gullible enough to read internet-reviews not going to deny that).
I guess that breaks down where I am at the moment. Yesterday and today I was like, “How fascinating, I’ve lost all of my interest in the things I’m normally interested in.”
Oh, I’ve been doing things alright. I’ve been planning a retreat for young adults for Lent, and right now it looks totally rock solid. Our locations are awesome, our speakers our great, our theme is super…but, my emotions are not invested. I usually browse cookbooks and the internets for new seasonal recipes but, right now, I’m cool with eating cold food I find in the refrigerator.
Last night I decided to finish some sewing projects, so I brought out the machine. Near the end, I needed to stretch, so I made my way over to the piano.
Now, I took piano lessons for ages as a child. I practiced the scales, learned the songs, earned the stickers. For a bit after lessons concluded, I would still sit down to play, but college and professional life (and SOCIAL LIFE) kind of pushed the ivories to the side a bit, so I don’t play much anymore. Plus, when I do sit down at the piano, it’s usually just for singalong purposes with friends, which means I’m scrambling to find chords. Not yesterday, though. Yesterday I pulled out one of the classical books, and found an arrangement of Beethoven that looked easy enough (plus, it was supposed to be played slowly, so, I took it slow with little guilt involved therein). And, you know, I had fun. I played through a few pieces, then finished my sewing. Upon reflection, I’m usually too excited and too distracted with new ideas to take it slowly enough to approach the piano. Maybe I needed the winter slump to appreciate the art form a little bit.
Interesting plus: more on that, later.
Things that are cool, though:
- Ginger tea. I tried this stuff from Target (Target…I don’t like you, usually) and my sister was like, “This is the worst, throw it away,” but instead I tried it and it’s awesome.
- I made this salad for Christmas and, honestly, it wasn’t all that astounding. BUT, then I made it into soup and it was LOVELY and I froze some and I just finished the last bit off and that saddens my heart a little bit
- Tell me your favorite soup recipes!!!
- Franklin has a sombrero, but he doesn’t like it, which is unfortunate because he looks SO GOOD in it. I’ll try to get a good picture some time.
How cute is his face??
Dewd! Nell! Lemme introduce you to an Irish Roasted Parsnip Carrot Potato Soup recipe I made up after visiting the lovely green isle, and my sister and I tweaked until it became perfection!
2 parsnips
5-6 carrots
2-4 potatoes
Olive oil
2 tsp Thyme
1.5 tsp Marjoram
1/4-1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/8-1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp pepper
Olive oil
1 pretty large onion, chopped
2-ish stalks of celery, chopped
6-ish cups of vegetable broth
Wash, peel and chop the root veggies, coat in olive oil, rub with the spices (which you’ve mixed all together for the ease of things) and lay them out on a pan in the oven to roast at about 400. (Make sure they’re somewhat spread out and not in a heap. They roast better that way.) Roast til they’re cooked, stir them twice or so, about every 10-15 minutes.
Chop the onion and celery, sauté til the onion is transparent, throw in the roasted veggies and cook til it feels right, about 5 minutes? Then pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Let cook together until everything is soft. Purée to your desired texture.
Cheers!
New fav soup recipe. 🙂
Oh my gosh, you’re the greatest. Can you give me your pasta sauce recipe too??
No recipe for that one, just gotta feel it out and throw in whatever veggie you have on hand. 🙂 I always start with olive oil, onion and garlic, then go from there. Throw in some zucchini, summer squash, whatever sounds good. You can’t go wrong with basil and/or oregano. Add in diced tomatoes and voila. You’ve got a pasta topper. I don’t usually purée it, but it was good when you did. So there ya go. It’s the closest I have to a recipe for ya! 🙂
HAHA, I was going to say, ask Lauren for her carrot soup recipe, but I see she already gave it to you. It is so good!