Soup & the decorating scoop

While Asheville is suffering through the gas crisis George and I marvel at how little it's effecting us.  So far as we can tell, there's no predicted shortage of biodiesel and the little single gallon tank on the scooter is full, but mostly we don't go very far even when we do drive.  I thoroughly enjoy my life revolving mostly around home right now: knitting, cooking, baking, attempted home decorating, garden watching are all at my disposal.  

The latest food craze around here is carrot soup.  Now that the weather is cool and we're both working with little time to make lunches, soups are our new best friends.  Yesterday I made the Herbed Carrot Soup* from the Moosewood Cookbook and after George snatched it away for the pot luck Wednesday at work, I started in on the Gingered Carrot Soup from the previous page.  The herbed soup was lacking something and I'm pretty sure it was enough herbs. And lemon juice.  In case you'd like follow along at home:

Gingered Carrot Soup

from "The Moosewood Cookbook"

2 lbs. carrots

4 cups water

1 Tbs. butter or oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs. freshly grated ginger

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp each: cumin

                        ground fennel

                        cinnamon

                        allspice

                        dried mint

3-4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 cup lightly toasted cashews

1) Peel and trim carrots and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a medium-large saucepan with the water, cover and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer until very tender (10-15 minutes.)

Meanwhile...

2) Heat the butter in a small skillet.  Add onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, salt and spices.  Turn heat to low and continue to saute for another 10 minutes - until onions are very soft.  Stir in lemon juice. 

3) Use a food processor/blender (or swanky immersion blender you got for Christmas) to puree everything together (including the toasted cashews.)  You may need to do this in multiple batches.  Transfer it all back into a dutch oven and heat gently before serving.

The changes I made included: omitting the fennel and mint because I had none, adding a potato, and sauteing the onions & co. in the bottom of the big pot and then adding water, carrots, etc.  Will it be delicious?  Perhaps.  Next on my list of soups are the Brazilian Black Bean and Susan's Easy Woodbury Chili.  

Now I'm going to share my home decorating woes with you.  Number one is that what little wall-worthy art we have is all miniscule for these walls - I don't know how to hang these without them swimming in a vast sea of wall color or without the walls become wicked cluttered.  Number two is that I'm still searching for an awesome room divider.  After dreams of a big Ikea bookcase turned to nightmares I'm finally moving on.  It would be great to do something so hip and so DIY like ladders with planks - but where do people find those oh-so worn and loved magical ladders?  I'm still considering the curtain divider which has potential to be neat, but also potential to be torn down instantly by Boy.  C'mon personal think tank, give me some ideas!

I leave you this afternoon with my next culinary task: Pine Nut Tartelettes.

*An interesting note:  while making this, the simmering carrots, onions, and potatoes smelled exactly like my grandmother Jane's kitchen.