leek & potato soup

I've been feeling a bit sluggish lately, and I've just been needing things to sloooow doooown a bit. Nothing seemed more appropriate than a vegetable-rich, hearty cream soup to soothe my hunger and calm my spirit. I found this recipe which is incredibly easy to follow.

Note:  Novio took one look at it and said, "that's filled with all those things I hate isn't it?" i.e.- he is not a huge fan of veggies. Hopefully the cream base masks that. I had second helpings--it is delicious!



A note about leeks: they harbor a lot of dirt and soil in that white base. Not only did I rinse them, but after the leeks were cut I rinsed them again with the help of a colander.

Then came the fun! I chopped (by HAND!) about a billion vegetables. Really it was one large white onion, 3 leeks, 2 stalks of celery. But it took forever. It may have inspired me to get one of those veggie dicing machines as seen on tv...



then, alas, more chopping (and peeling) of 6 potatoes



then, everything gets dumped into a large pot. Fill with a 32oz carton of chicken broth (low sodium of course!)



Then comes the easy part. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and mix in about 1 cup of half and half (this is what gives it a creamier texture). I guess the half and half is optional, next time I may try it without. Either way it's worth a 'go-round.  Enjoy!

southern goodness

Its no secret I was raised in the South. It's also no secret that the best comfort food in the world comes out of Southern family recipes. Since Novio wasn't feeling well today, I decided to whip up something that always makes me feel better: chicken and dumplings. I make it fairly often, and am always pleasantly suprised at how easy yet delicious it is ...





I start by mixing the dumpling batter...



then shred the chicken (I use a rotisserie, it's just easier that way)



boil the chicken and veggies in chicken stock and a bit of flour



scoop the dumpling batter into small clumps and drop into boiling stock



boil, then reduce to a simmer for ten-fifteen minutes



prepare a little side salad if you'd like



pour servings for yourself and whoever's joining you



set the table, and enjoy the salad while your chicken n dumplings cool off a bit.

Voila!

ps-Novio is now feeling much better. :)

banana pancakes

Saturday mornings have always been my favorite time of the week. I think it has to do with the fact that it's the time of the weekend where you realize you have two whole days to do whatever you want.

While I used to be excited to simply watch the morning cartoons, my excitement has shifted in expectations of lazy mornings and cooking decadent breakfasts/brunches.

Today I was a little caught off guard at how bare our fridge was of breakfast essentials--alas, we always have pancake mix. So banana pancakes it was (that makes TWO times this week of indulging...this time I eased off the peanut butter and just had a small spoonful on the side). Out of coffee, our sweet breakfast was complimented with cups of organic Earl Grey Tea. So this morning quickly became the culmination of two Jack Johnson songs- Better Together and Banana Pancakes :)

Now if I could only get out of my pajamas.