Today's guest blogger is Colleen. Thanks, Colleen!
Both of my 10 year old twin girls are home sick. They are watching endless episodes of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody on Deck (think Love Boat. Think Teenagers. Think it is too early to start drinking.)
So the alternative, while trapped: Carrot Soup
Making soup. Of course, one is limited to what is on hand. I have onions, celery, some shredded carrots, some baby carrots, and a giant can of chicken stock. I also have some turmeric which I bought because I seem to remember that this spice is supposed to do wonderful things for you. Of course you probably have to eat a cup a day, but still.
While the onions, celery and shredded carrots are softening in some olive oil, I went online to see if carrots should spend time with turmeric. Wolfgang Puck has a recipe that involves both, plus some ginger – Pan Puck Asian. I am not in possession of ginger. I’m going to just stick with garlic.
Results to follow.
Added 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric with two minced garlic cloves to the sautéed veggies. Then added chopped carrots and 6 cups chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cooked for about 30 minutes. It needed something, and as some of you know, I don’t do cilantro, so I put in some chopped basil and cooked a bit longer. Blended the whole thing up (but not too smooth – I like a bit of texture) and added about 2 Tablespoons butter (on principle). I can’t tell exactly if it needs something else. I tried a little lemon zest with about ¼ cup in a small bowl – too overpowering. I think I’m leaving it as is. A nice, comforting soup. And mostly healthy – as it has only 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Not bad for a giant Le Creuset pot of soup!
The girls have moved onto What a Girl Wants – a sweet movie starring Amanda Bynes and the incomparable Colin Firth. Walt D. would have liked it. There are some marvelous British character actors – it is a guilty pleasure for me and a huge improvement on Zack and Cody. Afternoon is saved!