Evidently I’ve been on a soup kick lately. But really, when it’s all blustery and colorful here, can you blame me?
Last night, on the heels of the delicious tomato soup I made earlier in the week, I tried my hand at this roasted cauliflower and aged white cheddar soup using the massive head of homegrown cauliflower I scooped up at the farmer’s market last weekend.
Another perfect fall soup! Though truth be told, it was actually really tasty even before I added the cheese and cream/milk. It was good with the cheese and milk too of course, but I think if you wanted a really healthy option (just roasted cauliflower, veggies, veggie broth, and seasoning), you could leave out the cheese and milk entirely and still have a great tasting roasted cauliflower soup! I think I’ll try it that way next time. :)
The only things I did differently from the recipe was to use light half and half instead of milk, and to add a few drops of liquid smoke at the end to give it a nice subtle hickory flavoring. I topped it with bacon crumbles, scallions, and a slice of sourdough bread. Totally delicious…another must try!
On an entirely unrelated note, I made this soup while “watching” (I use that term loosely) the show Little Shop of Gypsies on TLC (this is what happens when I unexpectedly wind up with cable for two months). The culture and lifestyle of the travelers/gypsies in England is absolutely fascinating! Crazy, completely different, a little wild, a little sad in some ways…but really fascinating!
A few nights ago I made the most fantastic tomato soup ever! Think La Madeleine, only better. I thought the recipe looked tasty when I found it, but I was totally blown away when I took my first spoonful. I envision myself making this often throughout the rest of the fall and winter. It truly is perfect for a blustery autumn day – paired with a chunk of fresh sourdough or baked mozzarella cheese balls, it’s unbeatable. A true must try recipe. For added health factor I doubled up on the veggies, cut the sugar altogether, and used light cream cheese. I also doubled the recipe because if I’m going to go to go through the effort of making a soup without access to my food processor or blender to puree it, then you better believe I want to get more than two meals out of it.
I found the recipe here. Try it with the mozzarella balls…you’ll be glad you did :)
I also continued my epic park quest with a run through this beautiful park and a hike through a trail in the autumn woods. Gorgeous!
Here’s a brief sampling of the other parks I checked out this week.
I’d say despite the adjustment to the cold and the occasional bout of homesickness or anxiety, life is pretty good.
My mission: Explore a new park after work nearly every day this fall.
I can get used to this… :)
There’s so many beautiful places for me to go running I can hardly stand it!
This one had hundreds of friendly deer, dining in its meadows.
Ted’s lucky I can’t fit deer in my Buick. We almost had new pets.
It’s perfect for jogging, biking, frisbee, and with all those steep hills it’s going to be perfect for sledding, skiing, and snowmobiling in the winter!
– Ran the Photo Finish 5k…in the cold…in the rain…at 8 a.m…on a Saturday morning when sleeping in was so appealing. This is the first 5k I’ve registered to run instead of walk. I jogged two miles along the canal after work several times this past week to prepare and I came in at a time of 31:41, shaving about five minutes off my usual walk time! And I jogged the whole time without stopping. I’m pretty proud, and it really felt great!
My favorite after-work running path. I think you can see why!Not a bad time of year for running either!
– Went for breakfast with my race mates. Pumpkin pancakes and hot chocolate with whip cream is the perfect autumn breakfast!
Hot chocolate is truly one of life’s greatest joys.Pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup, cinnamon and whipped cream
– Picked up another bunch of fantastic grapes (living in wine country rocks!), yellow teardrop tomatoes, a bushel of McIntosh apples, and the biggest head of homegrown cauliflower I’ve ever seen at the public farmers market. I eat the grapes and tomatoes like candy, the apples make tasty applesauce, and that cauliflower will be finding its way into a roasted cauliflower and aged white cheddar soup in no time!
This farmer’s market is quickly becoming a Saturday morning tradition. You just can’t beat homegrown, farm fresh produce.
– Volunteered in the afternoon and evening for a gala event at an art gallery to raise money for the parents of the sweetest, most wonderful, articulate and intelligent, little 3 and 1/2 year old boy with spinal muscular atrophy to get an accessible van that can transport his motorized wheelchair so he can get out and explore the world beyond his neighborhood. The event was amazing and heartwarming, I met lots of great people, had a ton of fun, and I really cannot think of a more worthy use of my time on a Saturday night.
I think it’s obvious that fall is my favorite season.
“What’s that you say? Is it?”
What gave it away? Ted’s pumpkin patch marriage proposal, the pumpkins that lined the church and served as the ring bearer in our wedding, the bonfire or pinecones or birch stumps or hot caramel apple cider or bushels of hay or pumpkin or leaves that decorated our October wedding, my oft carefree and likely maniacal prancing through freshly raked piles of red, yellow and orange leaves, the umpteen pictures I take of autumny things every single day? No, really…which one?
Chic scarves, tall boots, swirling leaves, bold hues, pumpkins, bonfires, corn mazes, crisp air, apple cider, mulled wine, spiced scents, leafy decorations, Halloween, Thanksgiving, homemade applesauce, glow sticks, ghost peep s’mores (yeah, you heard me)…I look forward to autumn for nine months every year.
The food is no exception.
Yeah, don’t tell me you weren’t drooling.
This sassy sampler from my Autumn Eats Pinterest Page (which you should totally click on right now, especially if you’re a foodie, fall fan, or just a glutton for punishment) didn’t even include my awesome homemade Texas chili, caramel apple cider cookies, fresh cinnamon applesauce, or epic pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that I adore so dearly.
You’re welcome.
We have a fall fest ladies day in the works…I’m thinking of bringing apple cider glazed pound cake and the pumpkin mac n’ cheese that was such a huge hit at last years fall fest party.
(Of course this isn’t my final consensus yet because what potluck would be complete without salted caramel pretzel park, chipotle-cinnamon-orange candied pecans, mulled stovetop apple cider, or an apple/craisin/walnut/yogurt cold salad?)
Do you have any favorite fall recipes? I’m always up for more, so share away friends!
“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s “own” or “real” life. The truth is, of course, that what one calls “the interruptions” are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending on day by day.” – C.S. Lewis
I’ve been doing a lot of research on Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis lately for Freud’s Last Session. I rediscovered the quote by Lewis yesterday whilst perusing the dramaturgical packet for inspiration, and the day before someone posted the image to Facebook.
Though the timing is only coincidental, they’ll be handy reminders over the next few months.
My fall wardrobe finally makes an appearance!Fresh, steaming hot apple cider and the BEST lemon lavender sweet bun I have EVER had.This is one kind of change I can handle :)Museum day! Up first….science!Isn’t it though? Onto the 2nd museum of the day…the kids museum :)Midday diner break.My farmers market spoils…I am especially excited about that fantastic baguette (baked fresh this morning) the grapes (hand picked yesterday), and those gorgeous home grown apples!Apples that I promptly cooked up into a huge vat of homemade applesauce :)And that baguette? Gone.Over the bridge……and into the secret herb garden and shrub maze!And a spectacular sunset to round off the day!
We never had Ben & Jerry’s stores in Texas…or Michigan…or anywhere I’ve lived. And until I met Ted, I pretty naively thought that they only existed in Vermont. Ted had one right next door to the theatre he worked at in Palm Springs, CA.
Can you imagine?
If you need him, he’ll be the diabetic in the ice cream shop.
Of course their pints are sold in freezers across America, but to be honest, I don’t remember trying Ben & Jerry’s – ever. It looked good enough I suppose, and everyone waxed poetic over the thick chunks of goodness in every bite (and who doesn’t like ice cream stocked with a plethora of chunky goodies?), but…eh. I guess I just never got around to trying it.
The other day while I was out and about, I drove past a picturesque little old-town Main Street. You know, the sweet little village square that beckons you to park your car and go for a stroll to browse her gorgeous architecture, perfectly manicured lawns and sculpted trees, boldly-hued blooms in every window, and trendy little boutiques that sell yoga shirts for $238.
Yeah. I’m a sucker.
(No, I’m not stupid enough to spend $238 on a shirt. But if you are that person…I accept donations.)
It looked like such a beautiful area, right along the canal with red and yellow and orange leaves swirling across the blacktopped streets and roomy sidewalks, against the backdrop of pretty vintage streetlamps and cream and moss green buildings with crisp black shutters and welcoming store signs with catchy names outlined in chic fonts.
So I parked and walked and explored and admired and caught my breath after dry-heaving over the prices in the $238 store…and it was fun, to take in the scenery.
And then, obviously, I came upon a Ben & Jerry’s.
“Do I dare?”
It just seemed like the right thing to do.
So I did.
I sampled AmeriCone Dream (“vanilla ice cream with fudge covered waffle cone pieces & a caramel swirl”), and Late Night Snack (“vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl & fudge covered potato chip clusters.”) – which is a dangerously perfect pairing for those either with a swingin’ case of PMS or who just adore the sweet n’ salty combo – before settling on a homemade waffle cone of New York Super Fudge Chunk (“chocolate ice cream with white & dark fudge chunks, pecans, walnuts & fudge covered almonds”) which was to die for and seemed appropriate.
I think I might need this ice cream more than once every twenty-six years.
NYSFC and I walked along the canal together, enjoying each other’s company. Me more than it, I imagine. I was, of course, the only person walking the canal. Everyone else was running, or jogging, or biking – or some lofty and motivated combination of the aforementioned – likely wearing $238 yoga shirts with their spandex workout pants…and sneaking me the stink eye as they rushed past. It goes without saying that I was also the only one downing an ice cream cone.
Treat yo’ self.
Exercise and asparagus, there’s always tomorrow.
:)
Also, I know you’ve been hankering for an update on our sweet crays.
GigiAce
They’re gorgeous. They know.
Getting blue crays?
Best. Idea. Ever.
As always, can you even believe they used to be this tiny five short months ago!?
