Spaulding Soup

Celia’s Sweet Potato and Corn soup...Early December Soup...Spaulding Soup

first made: 12/2/08

The ingredients are flexible. Tonight, I had fresh corn, baked sweet potato, and a fresh can of chipotle in adobo, so it was obviously go time. 

I was experimenting with these ingredients when Spaulding Gray went into the river. I recently tried to read his journals, but could not continue. 

Givens:

1 large baked sweet potato

1 cup corn

3 cups stock (I make a veg stock with parmesan rinds)

Adobo or green chile or jalapeno (to taste)

Optional/Variations: 

Roasted red pepper strips

Parmesan rind

Miso

oregano

Add shrimp at the end

Stir in yogurt. (or milk or cream or sour cream)

Ideas:

Start with onions.  Caramelized

Something green? Scallions?

Add lentils, butter beans, penne?

A sweet, hot, slow burn;  very delicious. 

Springtime for Zero Mostel

It was perfect May weekend. 

I bought wine and groceries. I scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom floors. I washed my duvet cover and duvet, and got to dry it in the sun. I packed away winter linens and found a better location for everything. I dusted everything. I vacuumed and swept. I made lentils and pesto and salad and roasted potatoes. I decoupaged a box to gather bath things. Went through some stuff in the crazy back room. I washed most of the windows, inside and out. I decided on a Mother's Day gift. I planted at the community garden, and watered same. I washed my hair. I weeded the front beds. I pulled all the knotweed in the back yard, and washed off the tarp before I re-laid it. I moved a bunch of rocks around garden beds. I made The Musician come with me to heft mulch and soil. I planted 4 pots of herbs, and seeds for lettuce, onion, cilantro and purple beans. I transplanted some lifted violets. I researched garden edging, violets. I read several chapters of Year of Wonders. I stripped the bed. I did laundry. 

Seared scallops, salad with the first lettuce from the garden and carrot dressing (so colorful!), and pasta with pesto of spinach, sweet peas, walnuts, almonds...eaten on the deck with wine. So happy.

I feel productive and peaceful. Up next: new sheets on the bed, ahhh. 


Anyone know about carpet/creeping phlox? I think I am going to plant it to spread on the flat part of the front yard, and at the edge of the wall, to creep over it. For me, this is Fancy! I am excited!


Tomorrow morning I must get up hours early to take depressed mother to the doctor, and then to have durable Power of Attorney forms to be notarized, all before an 11 a.m. meeting. Palpitations!


Right now I am watching The Producers, the Zero and Gene one. 


Haiku: 


Dog at my feet/looks up when I think of her. /Where are we going?

Pulling the knotweed/The invader must retreat--/where toss the weed's root?






Wedding tulip pot/masthead of the facebook page/where has she gone?

Deck Dinner

Joe made our dinner last night--salad (with red onion, red pepper and bits of cheddar cheese) and chili and steamed broccoli. We had it on the deck with cocktails (mine a Manhattan on the rocks, his some gin thing). Our deck furniture, acquired secondhand last summer in an act of desperation, is cheap white plastic crap. The table was the worst of it--wobbly, white and grimy, and we were constantly knocking the legs with our knees.In Buffalo, evenings on the deck are as precious as they are rare, so...


For dessert, we went to T@rget, where I knew there was a metal mesh table (folding! essential for us) on temporary price cut. It is slightly smaller than the white thing, but just right for two. If we were to have more company, it would be easy to set up the plastic thing. too, but for now it is in 5 pieces in the garage.

Our deck is really rather small (pre-table shot), so decorating it in any semi-permanent way has been a challenge. I'd like to plant some herbs in large pots there, and have a small weather proof place to store some candles and cushions. It also has an awning which can be arduously rolled out when the sun is blinding, but it must be reeled back in after use, as a strong wind will rip it off without effort.