Heart and Soul Warming Soup

There is a bit of a nip in the air today and I think this weather calls for a bowl of delicious, hearty soup.

I actually found this recipe in a book on Merlin’s shelves when I was sorting through them to throw them all away.  It was a strange recipe, requiring one to ask the neighbors for all sorts of ingredients.  Well, I don’t speak to most of my neighbors so I adjusted the recipe accordingly.

First of all you need a nice big enameled cast iron pot.  Don’t skimp on this step!

I find that the most expensive cast iron pot is always the best choice.

Put the pot on the stove filled with 2 quarts of water and bring it to a rolling boil.

Like so.

You need a clean white stone for the next step.  I suppose you could use any clean white stone, but I use one I found on the beach near Martha Stewart’s house.  I really think it is worth going to that beach in Connecticut to get your own stone because the quality is so much better than other white stones.

Maybe Santa will pack a Martha Stewart beach stone in his pack for you if you don’t already have one handy.

Bring the water back to a boil and let it cook for 45 minues to impart the delicious mineral flavors.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  I use about 1 1/2 cups of salt and a dash of pepper.

Yum!  My house is starting to smell really great right about now!

In the original recipe they threw a bunch of random vegetables in the water willy nilly, but I like the clean taste of spinach.  Occasionally I add a lentil or two for some chewiness, but I didn’t today.

Let it cook for awhile.  Sometimes I cook it so long the spinach just melts away!

When your kids come into the kitchen looking for dinner, you know it is done.  Remove from the heat and serve.

I usually add sriracha but I ran out so I used some thai curry paste.  I like a fair amount of heat, but feel free to add more if you like yours spicy!

How to Eat

One of my readers asked me to share a cooking post with all of you.  I know that a lot of people wonder how I keep such a slender figure but, like all of the supermodels I know, I just eat whatever I want.  I guess I have a great metabolism.

For my children I love to make kiddie favorites like organic vegan corn dogs and organic gluten-free chicken nuggets.  Organic, vegan and gluten-free mean healthy, so I don’t need to worry about them.  These all go in the microwave and they LOVE them, so it leaves me a lil’ extra time to pamper ME from time to time.

Here is my dinner tonight.  I feel bad that I didn’t take photos of each step, but you will be able to see the finished plates at least.

My first course was a cocktail.   It is my own recipe, a Celery-Vodka Martini, so refreshing!

 

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced celery stalk

Vodka

Vermouth

 

Method:

Slice a celery stalk to the thinnest sliver imaginable.  Slice off any parts that look extraneous,

Pour Vodka in glass, practically to the top.  Think about vermouth and reject the idea, LOL.

Put the celery stalk in the glass and use it to stir the flavors together.

Enjoy!

 

This is so sinful, but a nice treat at the end of the day.

For my main course I had celery soup, which is one of my favorites!  It is so rich and delicious on a cold evening.  It is also one of my very own recipes.

 

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced celery stalk (I use the one from my martini)

2 cups local mineral water

 

Method:

Chop the celery.  Put the water and the celery in a pot and boil it for 25 minutes.  Serve hot.

This is my winter go to recipe. It fills me right up! I don’t usually eat the celery.

Of course I always want dessert!  I love to eat and, like all the girls I know, I think sweets are the best part of my evening.

 

 

Ingredients:

Freshly whipped cream

Blueberry

Apple

Siracha

 

Method:

Whip some heavy cream with lots of sugar, and some delicious smelling vanilla extract.  Really smell it and think about just how delicious it will taste.

Slice a blueberry super thin.

Slice an apple so thin you can see through it.

Put the sliced blueberry and one slice of the apple on the plate in attractive manner.  Put a dollop of whipped cream on the plate and quickly rinse the spoon before you can be tempted to lick it, even though it smells so fantastic.

Eat one blueberry slice.  Chew the other ones, then spit them out.  Lick the apple slice then cover it and the whipped cream with Siracha so you won’t be tempted to eat them.

OMG! My favorite recipe ever! I am a real piggy when it gets to dessert, but who cares?

 

I hope you all enjoy my recipes.  Who knows, maybe someday I will write a cookbook.

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking is my Jam!

I think some of you may have gotten the wrong idea about me since I had a tiny bit of trouble making my Thanksgiving turkey.  I am actually an excellent cook.  And I really think “fixing up” a store bought item (like Sandra Lee does, I just adore her) counts as cooking.

This morning I decided to make some homemade soup.  I chopped up a tomato and tossed it in a container of soup from Whole Foods.  Wallah!  Homemade dinner, farm to table etc.

I am very creative in the kitchen, like Nigella.