What a year

There were vacation adventures...

pedaling a tandem bike through wine country=best idea ever

and parties and picnics...

someone turned 30!

there were races to cheer for...

and 5 days of warmth and sunshine...

I love waking up in the morning to decisions of:

which beach? which pool? which drink for your glass?

there was a garden that turned a hodgepodge of this and that...

Super successful ignoring my garden and then seeing what happens

-isn't that Dill plant gone to seed beautiful?

Midly successful Tomatillo Growing

-once I realized I need to buy more than 1 plant- opps

Not successful at all? red tomatoes...got lots of green ones

-but then contributed to the local economy as I went on a tomato hunt

and then there were the projects...

inspired by the cutting of the cable company cord (and pinterest of course) we spent less time on the couch and more time creating.

The piles and piles of Roasted Peppers I peeled: still have 1 jar of soup left!

The shirt sleeves I made better: the beginning of a trend

The lonely ol' TV we found on the side of the road. After removing the parts we don't need and a thorough cleaning, this will one day be home to the coolest fish tank ever

I can't believe Jesse talked me into a fish tank, just hoping I can convince him to wait till we get into a home, cause no one wants to move that.

Excited for what this year will bring

celebrating half a decade

crossing off my 50th state

and a big change coming up

"Spicy" Parsnip Soup

spoiler alert: this turned out not so spicy

So Jesse headed out of town for work- must mean that Winter is officially here. So glad not to be him and his working in 15* temperatures and pulling 16 hour days and what not. I'll take my toddlers over that anytime.

After a hectic day out East at Mamas Christmas (no drama this year- unusual) Sunday was spent in jammies at the stove. I climbed into my favorite apron, poured myself a big glass of wine and got to cooking.

Found my recipe here courtesy of Pinterest. Have I mentioned how much i heart Pinterest. Its addicting and I love it, clearly.

Confession: Never purchased a parsnip before, was a bit surprised to discover they look just like big white carrots.

Remembered how much I hate chopping Veggies. Jesse usually does this task. Decide to pretend I'm like one of those TV chefs. Amazed I didn't chop off a finger in this process.

Confession #2: I don't peel veggies, ever. A good scrubbing and I figure any dirt that's left on is good for ya right? I do think this lack of peeling made my finished product a little more brown than bright yellow. No problem, just add more Tumeric. Which may quickly become my new favorite seasoning- even if it did stain my immersion blender.

Any good soup is best served in my favorite Soup Mug accompanied by crunchy bread :)

The verdict: The soup was not spicy enough for its billing of "Spicy Parsnip Soup" Added some smoked paprika, salt/pepper and finally stirred in a generous pour of hot sauce-mmmm much better.

Will it makes it's way into my rotation of favorite soups? Nah, but it did taste good and it did make my house smell yummy.

Next up: Potato Leek

Avoiding the Winter Blues

its no secret that Winter and I have a love/hate relationships (although the percentages more closely resemble 20/80- on a good day)

I have a plan

to distract me from the quiet house

of a man who travels for work in the winter

then skis all the god damn time he is home

just kidding, kind of, not really

to combat the dreary cold gray of the environment

to inspire me to get out of bed in the morning

It mostly involves cooking projects, but I heart the way a simmering pot of soup fills up a whole house with love.

Gonna double, triple, quadruple recipes to fill up the big silver pot. Look out friends: I envision jars of soup ending up on doorsteps throughout the city.

Hoping I am able to Can some it, perhaps to end up on doorsteps in far away places.

Recipes I'm most excited for:

Mexican lentil Stew

Spicy Chipotle Bean Soup

Butternut Pear Curry Bisque

now doesn't that sound fancy?!

Starting today with Spicy Parsnip soup. My first time ever buying a parsnip...they look like albino carrots. Fingers Crossed, deep breath and go!