Our internet has been down all day, so I didn't think I'd say much about what a special day it is today, namely the best day ever. ("Namely?" Ha ha!) But then it started working again, so I felt I had to do a last-minute post before the day is over.
Hope you all had a lovely Ash Wednesday, however you celebrated.
The end.
*My apologies if this offends any of you.*
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Soup season
We've had a cold spell down here for the last couple of weeks, and only now is it warming back up to a normal 70 degrees. I'm being slightly facetious, which is required of you when you live in California, because "cold" means 55 degrees. But I want you to know that because Trevor and I are toughing it out and not turning our heat on, it has been a steady 65 degrees in our apartment and maybe colder during the night. Thus, among a bevy of other layers, I've been wearing socks to bed, which I am totally against. That alone makes my case, I think.
Anyhow, with all the cold and all the rain we've been having, I've been in the mood to make soup and more soup. I thought I'd post a few of my favorite recipes for the rest of you, since your winter is going to last another month or two. Bwah hah hah...
Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup
2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.
——————————
I got this recipe from my sister, who got it from the Food Network. She copied it directly from there, which makes the typo about the salt and pepper near the end even funnier. But the soup is absolutely delicious. A little involved, but totally worth it. I made some adjustments for Trevor's diet, and it's just as good made with turkey sausage, white rice (which I made in the rice cooker with chicken broth), and no corn.
The next fave is a Russian soup that I learned how to make in Poland... and which ironically comes from the all-American allrecipes.com. It's called Sweet Russian Cabbage Soup. There's a sweet and sour element that makes it quite delicious. (I won't post the recipe here; just click on the link.) It's very easy and very tasty.
Lastly, here's another from my sister and allrecipes.com: Best Italian Sausage Soup. A few words about this one, however. I usually use smaller pasta because fettuccine is hard to eat in soup, as are whole tomatoes, so I use diced. Turkey sausage does not work as well for this soup, and I also like it best using red cooking wine (surprise, surprise) instead of a grape juice-rice vinegar substitution. But either way, it's also quite good.
Anyhow, with all the cold and all the rain we've been having, I've been in the mood to make soup and more soup. I thought I'd post a few of my favorite recipes for the rest of you, since your winter is going to last another month or two. Bwah hah hah...
Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup
2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.
——————————
I got this recipe from my sister, who got it from the Food Network. She copied it directly from there, which makes the typo about the salt and pepper near the end even funnier. But the soup is absolutely delicious. A little involved, but totally worth it. I made some adjustments for Trevor's diet, and it's just as good made with turkey sausage, white rice (which I made in the rice cooker with chicken broth), and no corn.
The next fave is a Russian soup that I learned how to make in Poland... and which ironically comes from the all-American allrecipes.com. It's called Sweet Russian Cabbage Soup. There's a sweet and sour element that makes it quite delicious. (I won't post the recipe here; just click on the link.) It's very easy and very tasty.
Lastly, here's another from my sister and allrecipes.com: Best Italian Sausage Soup. A few words about this one, however. I usually use smaller pasta because fettuccine is hard to eat in soup, as are whole tomatoes, so I use diced. Turkey sausage does not work as well for this soup, and I also like it best using red cooking wine (surprise, surprise) instead of a grape juice-rice vinegar substitution. But either way, it's also quite good.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Silly names
I saw this on a friend's Facebook page and it gave me a chuckle. See if it gives you one when you figure out your own wacky names.
1. ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Daisy Accord
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Chocolate Chocolate Chip
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
A.Ban
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Kitten
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Scoresby Provo (Kinda lame. See, this is why you should give girls middle names.)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Banas (I don't really know how to pronounce that.)
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Lavender Pina Colada
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
William Alvin
9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names)
Judy Lynn (ha ha. This one made me laugh. So generic...)
10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Bennion Baltimore
1. ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Daisy Accord
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Chocolate Chocolate Chip
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
A.Ban
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Kitten
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Scoresby Provo (Kinda lame. See, this is why you should give girls middle names.)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Banas (I don't really know how to pronounce that.)
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Lavender Pina Colada
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
William Alvin
9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names)
Judy Lynn (ha ha. This one made me laugh. So generic...)
10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Bennion Baltimore
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Banks Hotel
Our dear friends Tamra and Rob came to stay with us a couple weeks ago, and we had some fun times with them. We went to the beach, to the Griffith Park Observatory, we shopped at H&M, and they went to the grocery store for me like 5 times. Thanks, guys. What a good trip.
As a sidenote, I thought I'd share my favorite quote of the trip, which came from Tamra, who has such a way with words. She had been commenting on what a delightful and smart little girl Anna is. (I know.) She talked about how fun it was to see Anna using complete sentences and using fun connecting words, like "I just think" and "So anyway..." But, Tamra said, sometimes Anna struggles to get everything out because her brain is working faster than her mouth. "So really, it's like listening to an 8-year-old with a learning disability." Awwww...
I'm posting pictures we took at the beach by the Santa Monica pier so you will see what an exciting destination the Banks Hotel can be.
I love this picture, but I tried to upload it like 7 times and this was the best it got. Small and a weird stripe at the bottom. Oh well.
(By the way, often when I upload pictures to the blog from iphoto, they upload like this. But not all the time. Does anyone know why?)
As a sidenote, I thought I'd share my favorite quote of the trip, which came from Tamra, who has such a way with words. She had been commenting on what a delightful and smart little girl Anna is. (I know.) She talked about how fun it was to see Anna using complete sentences and using fun connecting words, like "I just think" and "So anyway..." But, Tamra said, sometimes Anna struggles to get everything out because her brain is working faster than her mouth. "So really, it's like listening to an 8-year-old with a learning disability." Awwww...
I'm posting pictures we took at the beach by the Santa Monica pier so you will see what an exciting destination the Banks Hotel can be.
I love this picture, but I tried to upload it like 7 times and this was the best it got. Small and a weird stripe at the bottom. Oh well.
(By the way, often when I upload pictures to the blog from iphoto, they upload like this. But not all the time. Does anyone know why?)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
An open letter to Keira Knightley
Dear Keira,
I'm writing this letter to tell you I'm sorry. And here's why. When I worked at the Daily Herald a couple years ago, writing for the Life & Style section, I wrote a column once in a while called The Skinny. I rotated with a few other reporters and editors, writing a short blurb about whatever the heck we wanted, really.
One week, I decided to write about a couple movies that had recently been adapted from books, one of them being the latest version of Pride and Prejudice. I wrote some rather disparaging remarks about your acting and a somewhat famous facial quirk. (The line "Keira Knightley — whose idea of good acting is scrunching her top lip and her nose together" may or may not have been printed and sent to the homes of 40,000 people.) Worst of all, I hadn't even seen the movie yet.
But who am I to say such things? You're a person, for heaven's sake, and no one deserves to be mocked in any way, especially in print.
And who am I to judge acting ability? What do I know? Next to nothing! Even though some of your previous performances may have rubbed me the wrong way, this is no justification for writing this — let alone having it printed.
And even though you most likely never caught wind of my extremely lame column and it's literally years later, I still feel incredibly guilty for writing it. A poor attempt at humor turned into the needless mocking of a fellow human being. Despicable. And now every time I indulge in the guilty pleasure that is the aforementioned Pride and Prejudice, I wish I could take it back or at least somehow make amends.
I think this is as close as I'll get.
Seeking forgiveness,
Guilty in Glendale
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)