week forty two.

 

   

 

A busy week calls for a lazy Sunday. A busy week also means I didn't get any good pictures. Until today. While couch-surfing this morning I asked Mabel if she could get breakfast for everyone and sure enough, she did! They looked so cute rustling around in the kitchen together I had to snap a few pictures.

coconut curry carrot soup.

 

I love the idea of carrot soup but it can be a little boring. The other night I made this quick and EASY, not to mention healthy, carrot soup on a whim and it turned out delicious. We've been eating it for days. You have to give it a try.

What you'll need:

2 lbs carrots

1 yellow onion

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk

curry powder

48 oz chicken or vegetable broth

scallions and lime for garnishing

naan bread for dipping if you prefer. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and roughly chop the carrots. Peel and roughly chop the onion. It doesn't matter what they look like because it will all be pureed in the end so don't worry about your knife skills here. 

Place carrots and onion in a sheet pan and season generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a GOOD AMOUNT of curry powder. I can't emphasize that enough! If you go easy on the curry I promise your soup will be bland. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until everything looks caramelized. 

About 10 minutes prior to removing carrots and onion,  In a large stock pot, bring your broth to a boil. Put caramelized carrots and onion into broth making sure to scrape the goodness from the pan along with it with a rubber spatula (you'll want that flavor we talked about) and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

At this point you're ready to puree your soup. You can use an immersion blender and do it right in the pot or transfer to a blender which you'll have to do it in two batches for safety. If you use a blender, transfer your soup back into your pot and continue to simmer. 

Add your coconut milk and some more salt and pepper (taste your soup and season to your liking) Simmer for 10 more minutes until flavors really meld together. 

While it's simmering, slice some limes and chop some scallions for the garnish. We toasted naan bread for dipping. You can even set the table or cue up homeland. Serve and enjoy!

Roasting the carrots, onion and curry make you feel like your indulging while it's rich and creamy because of the coconut and the lime gives it just enough zing.

Let me know what you think!

week forty one.

  

 

Mabel: She got her hair cut this week which is one of her favorite things to do. I love it! I also love getting little works of art from my girl specifically made for me.

Gus: Hanging out in his underwear reading his favorite book right now, Things That Go. I love watching him go through the pages, naming each piece of machinery - what it does and what type of noise it makes. He could do this all day long.

week forty.

 

 

Mabel: We went to Flagstaff for the day and ended up at Buffalo Park, a huge park set in the mountains with wide open space to run wild and free. She was in her element.

Gus: A little help from Daddy while we were out for a hike in Sedona.

week thirty nine.

  

 

Mabel: She brought home a rigatoni necklace she made at school and has not taken it off. This is the first of many little projects we will see over the years and I absolutely love it.

Gus: As I was cleaning up the breakfast table I turned around to see he had come back to drink his left-over milk from his bowl of cereal. 

Grilled Caprese Sandwich with Basil Pestou and Balsamic Reduction

Heirloom tomatoes. The last of the summer crop are still available but wont be for long as we transition in to fall. We have to use them as much as we can while we have them. Tonight I decided to make something quick, easy and fresh with a couple extra levels of flavor that the kids would enjoy as well as Sam and I. Who doesn't love a good grilled sandwich?

Grilled Capresse Sandwich with Basil Pestou and a Balsamic Reduction

 

I made sweet potato wedges for our side but trust me this sandwich stands alone. We make sweet potatoes a lot because they are fiber rich therefor filling and super easy. Get your Sweetpotatoes going first because they take the most time.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
With the skin on slice lengthwise into wedges. We used 2 giant SP's but your family may need more or less.
Arrange on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and I sprinkled with Paprika for fun.
After 25 minutes, check them. They should be sizzling hot and cooked through. At this point turn on your broiler and place pan back in the oven under broiler for about 10 minutes to crisp them up.  Voila!

While your potatoes are cooking you'll have plenty of time to make the Pestou, reduction and sandwiches.

 

 

 

Easy Balsamic Reduction. 

In a small saucepan over medium high heat add one cup of Balsamic Vinegar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons raw organic cane sugar. Give it a whisk and bring it to a high simmer. Turn down slightly to Medium heat and let it simmer for about 12 minutes until it is reduced down to about a 1/4 of a cup. It should be thick like syrup, look rich and taste amazing.

Basil Pestou 

Prounounced \ PEE - stu \ It's different from Pesto because it doesn't contain nuts as traditional pestos do. I spread this on the inside of the bread and my kids ate it up. It's a great way to sneak in flavors for the littles that they really don't see because the melted cheese and tomato meld everything together.

Here is what you'll need.

A handful of fresh basil

2 cloves of fresh peeled garlic

1/4 cup of olive oil

A good squeeze of lemon about a 1/4 to a 1/2 of one. 

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

 

 

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until desired consistency. Make sure you taste it and add more of whatever you think it needs. 

Now on to the Caprese Sandwiches.

Here's what you'll need.

A good rustic loaf of bread.

heirloom tomatoes

whole milk mozzarella cheese. 

Turn your pan on medium heat and brush with olive oil. I assemble them in layers while they cook.
Start with cheese side down then when cheese starts to melt, add tomato slices.

Spread Pestou on top slice of bread and cap it off.

Brush the top of sandwich with olive oil and flip when your ready.

Slice and serve. I drizzle the balsamic reduction right on the sandwich but Mabel prefers to dip. It was even good to swipe the SP wedges in it. If you're feeling not so ambitious and want to leave out the reduction. Just drizzle on regular balsamic vinegar. 

Let me know what you think!

week thirty eight.

 

Mabel: I love her sense of wonder. When she is curious about things she wont stop until she figures them out and has complete understanding.

Gus: I love our mornings together, he is such a peaceful little boy. He loves reading together and taking breaks to snuggle. We have the best conversations about things that you wouldn't think a two year old understood.