I am currently sitting at the computer completely unmolested by a certain 1 year old girl who wants to type HER masterpiece on the keyboard. I slept in until 10:00. We went to a concert last night in Cincinnati. It was our first night away from Georgia since she was born. I miss her, but it feels good to know that after I type this, I am going to go downstairs and eat some breakfast, then I'm going to lay on the couch and watch TV or read without little hands trying to pull my book from me or close the TV cabinet. Then maybe, just maybe, we'll finally get the dining room nook painted before Georgia comes back home. The only question now is what to make for breakfast.
Oh, yeah, Georgia is over at her aunt's house, I'm sure she's having a great time playing with her cousins, having clothes bought for her, and not missing us at all.
9.05.2009
9.03.2009
Fall Decorating
I took yesterday afternoon to do some decorating around the house for fall.
The front porch, now with mums (and a small baby):
The front porch, now with mums (and a small baby):
The front door, with fall-leaf wreath:
The mantle, now with pumpkins:
Other areas were decorated, too, but they were too messy for me to take pictures of!
9.01.2009
Learning to Cook
It seems like every few years of my adult life, I go through a “self-improvement” phase. The first one was when I was a sophomore in college, and decided I was going to be a “lady”. I wore makeup and perfume and did my hair every day. I wore jewelry. I wore nice clothes to class (no sloppy t-shirts and sneakers for me!). I started drinking Perrier. I listened to jazz. I made cute decorations for my dorm room to make it homey and welcoming. Although I hope I retained some of the internal lessons of that period (ie, being gracious and welcoming and kind), the aesthetics didn’t exactly last.
The next period of self-improvement came when I was 22 or 23, out of college and post bad breakup. I decided I would read any classics I had missed in college or high school. I would knit and sew fabulous things. I would listen to music only on vinyl and make amazing mix tapes! I would rent the entire Criterion Collection from the library! I would learn to cook! And while I did, or tried to do, most of those things, the one that has served me best in life is learning to cook. One of the first recipes I really learned inside and out, and changed to become my own, is this one.
If you’ve never tried this particular soup before, please don’t be intimidated by or skip the peanut butter. It sounds weird, but it just makes the soup creamy and makes the other flavors fuller, somehow. This recipe can easily be adjusted for the kinds and amounts of vegetables you have on hand. You can also skip the rice step if you’re in a hurry.
African Peanut Soup
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 bell peppers, diced
1 can chickpeas
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Curry powder
Olive oil
Hot sauce and/or crushed red pepper
¾ cup rice
½ cup smooth peanut butter
Crushed peanuts for garnish, optional
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in some olive oil until soft. Add the chickpeas, salt and pepper, and curry powder. Sauté a couple minutes, until the smell of curry has filled your whole house. Add the crushed tomatoes and stock, bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered until rice is done (can take up to 45 minutes, depending on what kind of rice you use). Once rice is done, whisk in the peanut butter. Add hot sauce or red pepper to taste. Heat a couple more minutes to make sure the peanut butter is thoroughly melted and mixed in, then serve. We like this with just some crusty bread. Leftovers are even better the next day!
The next period of self-improvement came when I was 22 or 23, out of college and post bad breakup. I decided I would read any classics I had missed in college or high school. I would knit and sew fabulous things. I would listen to music only on vinyl and make amazing mix tapes! I would rent the entire Criterion Collection from the library! I would learn to cook! And while I did, or tried to do, most of those things, the one that has served me best in life is learning to cook. One of the first recipes I really learned inside and out, and changed to become my own, is this one.
If you’ve never tried this particular soup before, please don’t be intimidated by or skip the peanut butter. It sounds weird, but it just makes the soup creamy and makes the other flavors fuller, somehow. This recipe can easily be adjusted for the kinds and amounts of vegetables you have on hand. You can also skip the rice step if you’re in a hurry.
African Peanut Soup
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 bell peppers, diced
1 can chickpeas
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Curry powder
Olive oil
Hot sauce and/or crushed red pepper
¾ cup rice
½ cup smooth peanut butter
Crushed peanuts for garnish, optional
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in some olive oil until soft. Add the chickpeas, salt and pepper, and curry powder. Sauté a couple minutes, until the smell of curry has filled your whole house. Add the crushed tomatoes and stock, bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered until rice is done (can take up to 45 minutes, depending on what kind of rice you use). Once rice is done, whisk in the peanut butter. Add hot sauce or red pepper to taste. Heat a couple more minutes to make sure the peanut butter is thoroughly melted and mixed in, then serve. We like this with just some crusty bread. Leftovers are even better the next day!
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