The Thing About Soup

I have a thing for soups. Slightly thin and creamy broccoli soup in the summer. Thick, rich vegetable soups the second it becomes sweater weather (or I at least think it should be sweater weather). Hearty beef stews come winter, split pea as comfort food, or chicken noodle yumminess whenever I darn well please.

I just made a pot of vegetable soup. I'm pretty free form with the vegetable kinds. Whatever looks good just kind of goes in.

Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
1 onion, minced.
3 carrots, peeled and chopped fine.
3 celery ribs chopped fine.
1 large handful of green beans, washed, trimmed and cut into thirds.
4 leaves of chard, sliced super thin.
1 bag of frozen peas.
5 red potatoes, washed and diced. 
3 boxes of chicken broth (yes, this does make a lot of soup - more for later)
Salt and pepper to taste
Tarragon
Oregano
Basil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Heat the butter and oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion, carrot, celery and a heavy pinch of salt to the pot. Stirring occasionally, cook until the vegetables are translucent and smell amazing. Add the broth and other vegetables. Stir. Add the spices to taste (I have never measured my spices in a soup and I don't intend to start now) and simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Serve with a hunk of crusty bread. Yum.

Random Friday

1. I am going on a blind date tonight. I also have to pack a picnic dinner for the movie (it's a Sorority Date Night, so not a surprise).

2. Yesterday I said this boy had better be worth spending $150 on food. Today I don't care because I just made the pastry creme for the berry tart.

3. I really shouldn't make pastry creme. Left to my own devices, I would probably finish off the whole bowl without ever putting it on the tart.

4. I finished the Icarus Shawl from Best of Interweave Knits. See.


5. Some guy down by the pool where the grill is for this apartment complex tried to tell me he thought I was hot or something. He was smelling the awesome grilled chicken I was making for tonight (and I really shouldn't need a special occasion for this stuff. It's amazing!) and said that if it weren't for his girlfriend, he'd marry me just for the food. Then he got all embarrassed as he realized what he implied and amended it, but the other girls down by the pool were still laughing at him.

6. I dropped stats. Oh happy day.

7. Did I mention the pastry creme? Because I really shouldn't make it. The rest of it is sitting in a bowl in the refrigerator and it's calling my name. I may have to eat it just to make it shut up.