12 December 2007

weather or not...& feasts!

good morning, y'all!!(this morning's misty sunrise over the bay courtesy of D....thanks!) by the bay the calendar may say december, but the weather certainly does not. according to my resident meteorologist, yesterday's high of 78 broke our local record. today the forecast is for more of the same...a good travel day for Baby Girl's homecoming for Christmas break! Little Man is not only busy with local weather, he is deep into monitoring Olga...our post-season (it "ended" 11/30, so they say) tropical storm that is churning up the waters of the Caribbean. now, my cavalier attitude about december storms was brought in line promptly by Little Man this morning...he produced a historical hurricane map of a *category 2* hurricane that actually made landfall *right here* in december 1925!! i guess i just better pay close attention to Little Man's forecasts for the next few days ;) ...i like having this kid around!
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feasting...
last week i was indulging one of my favorite internet hobbies...reading food blogs & i found Paola. her fall recipes had me drooling! when i came across her "soul-warming soup" & it matched my pantry contents perfectly, i knew what i had to do! i know this what's cooking wednesdayrecipe may seem a little odd for nearly 80 degree weather, but all the same it is a very tasty, very satisfying find on the dinner table...& it is, indeed, "soul-warming!"
thank you, Paola!
soul-warming soup (with slight adaptations)
peel & dice 2-3 sweet potatoes, sprinkle with sea salt & olive oil...roast until tender
dice 3 stalks celery, 2 large carrots, 1 yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic
add olive oil to stock pot, then add diced veggies...saute gently for ~5 minutes
add 1-14.5 oz. can pinto beans, 3-1/2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth, & 3 cups tomato juice
add 1 t. mace, 2 t. cumin, 1 t. ground coriander, 1 t. chili powder, & 2 t. brown sugar
cook on medium for ~15 minutes
add roasted sweet potatoes & cook ~5 more minutes
puree the soup in small batches & reheat if necessary
serve with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley & a dollop of creme fraiche (0ptional)
today's feast day in the liturgical calendar...Our Lady of Guadalupe...

6 comments:

Rebecca E. Parsons/Cre8Tiva said...

not a another storm...i was sleeveless yesterday...85 degrees...the soups looks great...blessings, rebecca

Karina said...

In the 80's in December huh? I'm not sure I'd be able to get into the feeling of Christmas with that weather, but I'd still take it over the cold and snow storm we are expecting tomorrow and this weekend. ;-)

Annie Jeffries said...

Good morning dear friend. Got your long and thoughtful comment this morning. It is so much appreciated. Please visit Benedict Notes when you can today. I have a little surprise waiting for you there. I've been thinking about doing this all week and your comment this morning gave me the push I needed to get this going. Hugs, Annie

Anonymous said...

Soul warming soup.
What a delicious name, I'll have a bowl full please!

qualcosa di bello said...

rebecca...we're hoping that rain from the remnants of olga will give us some drought relief! but alas the 80's are departing this weekend...back to winter!

karina...this former yankee has no problems with the 80's at Christmas! i like my roads snow/ice-free!

annie...i was so humbled...you have no idea!

corey...isn't it though! it is a really, really good soup that fits the name just perfectly

Paola Westbeek said...

Hi there!

Thanks so much for reading my blog...and for trying my recopes! It pleases me to no end! I'm thrilled you liked the soup! :)

Greetings,

Paola