Pro-Soup Propaganda

Wow, this is my 100th blog post! I celebrate with recipes and the PajamaJeans.

Maybe I'm still a baby blogger with only 100 posts under my belt, but it's been fun! I got to come home and cook, cook, cook last night, so I thought I'd share some pictures of what I made! It was So Delicious!!

The other day Renai posted a link to Patrice's blog where they cooked together last week and provided some delicious-sounding recipes: potato leek soup and kale with white beans and blue cheese. They sounded delicious, easy, and just the kind of thing that I like to make! So I bought ingredients on Sunday and started on my task. I also really wanted to make kale chips, since I'd read about them and they sounded easy to make. Buying them from the store sounded crazy-pants, plus they are expensive!

(I can do anything. I can make kale chips.)

The two following recipes are from the blog post that Patrice posted, so please check out her blog and her other wonderfully delicious-looking recipes! I have many new ideas now. ;o)

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:
2 large leeks, trimmed, leaving white and pale green parts only, and chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons of dried thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Russet Potatoes, skinned and diced
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
Fresh chives for garnish

Instructions:
- Wash sliced leeks in a large bowl of cold water, and dry
- Sauté leeks, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper in 2 tablespoons butter stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Peel Russet potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice, then add to onion mixture along with wine, stock, water, and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Simmer soup, uncovered, 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf and keep soup from boiling.
- Using an immersion blender, food mill, etc. blend soup until smooth.
- Check seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed and garnish with chives
- drizzle olive oil & parmesan cheese if desired

Yes, I did tweak this to fit what I had on hand. I used the last of a bag of sprinkle carrots, I used more celery that was about to go bad, I used lots of olive oil instead of butter because I am always trying to get more oils in my diet during these cold times of the year, I used blue cheese for pizazz instead of parmesan, I did not use a bay leaf, and I also did not skin my potatoes (veggie skins are my fiberous homies).

Here is the link to Patrice's picture of Renai's handwritten recipe for the wilted kale with white beans and blue cheese.


Yes (again), if you are a fan of Pro-Soup Propaganda on Facebook you already saw these photos last night. I'm sure you can deal with it somehow.












This was the recipe I used for kale chips. I will be making these again soon. They were crazy good and an easy way to eat veggies! I bet they would be good with some sort of dip in them, like hummus or tahini. I don't know how you'd do it (to make it look nice, that is), but I'm sure someone else besides me out there has a great idea about it.

Side note! Before I forget (how could I forget?!), I bring to you.........

PAJAMAJEANS!!

Like the website says, "Just because you're busy doesn't mean you can't look sharp!"

More wise words were never spoken...



Thank you to my readers (I know I have a few, at least) for reading my blog and leaving comments. I love hearing from people! I hope to have more adventures other than working soon. We're *just* about past the holiday season and then, yes, I will be doing my busiest term yet, but I have hope for awesomelope things happening still that are worth blogging about!

P.S. I am selling my jadite dinner and salad plates on eBay right now, so check them out if you're interested!