what we've been eating lately, and a new trick!

soups. lots of soups.

winter is for soup, people.

and so?  we eat soup.

something i like about soups is you really can't mess them up.  whatever you

happen to have on hand is most likely going to work perfectly.

add a few spices, and bam- you've got dinner for a week.

 case in point: a little while ago, i found myself with a large butternut squash that needed to be eaten,

as well as some apples which were getting a little mushy...so i gathered together some of the usual suspects, chopped everything up, put it in a pot and called it 'soup'.

 chop everything to about the same size, add it to a pot with some olive oil, and cook over medium-high 

heat until the toughest ingredient {for me, carrots} is tender enough to be pierced with a fork.

then, add about 2 or 3 cups of broth and bring to a boil {add more broth 

if you want it to thinner}. lower the heat to a simmer and add any spices you like.

this time, i loaded it up with indian spices: turmeric, madras curry powder, a little cayenne 

{it's good to keep things spicy}

cook until you feel that your flavors are melded {20 minutes?}...like i said, 

you really can't mess this up.

i chose to blend my soup, but i think it would be equally as good left chunky.  

and...voila! 

soup.

we like to take soups to work for lunch...they're not too heavy, but they fill you up, and 

it's always nice to have something warm and homemade in the middle of the day.

next!

do you like brussels sprouts?  i love them.  but i hate cabbage...irony.

anyway, we picked up some sprouts the other weekend- cut them in half, added

olive oil, garlic {you can even leave the cloves in the paper- they roast just as well}, salt and pepper, 

and roasted them at about 450 until they were soft and getting a little brown {about 20 minutes}.

 so. good!

for us, this made a meal...somehow these little things really fill you up.

but if you have more of an appetite, i think this would go really well as a side to 

roast chicken, or even a pasta tossed with fresh herbs, and a side of crusty bread.

try them, and let me know how you like them! 

so i did promise you a trick.

i have always wanted to learn how to throw pizza dough.

and you want to know something?  it's really not hard.

but it looks pretty impressive...so next time you have a dinner party,

throw some dough.  i think you'll have some impressed guests.

  

 

 

 

 

 the finished product: broccoli pizza with shrooms and mozz.

interesting combo, and pretty good!

and for something sweet, sometimes i like to make cinnamon buns.

{i used fannie farmer's recipe}

 

 happy eating, friends!