Fall Soup-tacular...

When Brady and I started living together in Valdosta we'd always throw a big 'bonfire bash' and invite lots of our friends over...even when the south Georgia weather wasn't quite cool enough for such things.  Eh, we're rebels!  One of the things that I'd always cook up was a big batch of spicy pumpkin soup because it's a) easy b) enough to feed lots of folks and c) delicious.  So, even though we aren't having a shindig this year in Athens (we still don't know too many people up here...but that will hopefully change soon) I decided to whip up some soup for the two of us.  Pair it with some fresh bread and a good beer (Red Hoptober is our new favorite), and you've got a hearty dinner on your hands...

You'll need:

• 6 cups of roasted pumpkin
• 5 cups of veggie stock
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 T chopped roasted garlic
• 2 t curry powder
• 2 small pinches powder cayenne pepper (be sure to wash your hands after handling!!!)
• 1/4 t smoked paprika (optional)
• 2 large pinches of fresh ground pepper

Heat up the stock on mid-low then add all ingredients except coconut milk.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Puree in smallish batches in either a food processor or blender.  Return to pot and heat again on low.  Slowly add coconut milk.  Taste and adjust spices accordingly.  If there is too much heat from the cayenne pepper then add a dollop of plain yogurt or heavy cream to even it out.  Either serve hot or store for reheating.  Remember that soup is always better the next day since it does allow the flavors/spice to become more prominent...but you may have to adjust spices during final reheating.  Oh, and you can double the ingredients if you're serving a large number of folks (6-10). 

I'm planning on having a big bowl of this tonight after I finished getting organized for the day.  Maybe finally watch a documentary I've been obsessing over lately?  Yes, that sounds amazing!

Happy Friday everyone!

PS - Today at the restaurant I waited on a guy who looked exactly like Andrew Bird.  Guess who's in town and playing in Athens tonight?  Yep!  I met Andrew Bird and didn't even know it at the time.  Ha!

It's All Me And Minestrone...

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my outfit posts and how much more comfortable I've grown in front of the camera.  I do like (LOVE!) to be comfortable.  And because of that, today I'm letting you in on a little secret...

I don't always, and in fact rarely, wear vintage dresses or put together outfits or have hair that is styled.  Not that I'm really 'put together' in my fashion choices or big on hairdos but you know what I mean.  A good deal of my time lately has been spent pulling my clean hair up into a big bun, and wearing comfy clothes around the house and very simple outfits to the job.  My nice clothes would get stained easily in the kitchen or serving food (both at my house and at The Grit) so I wear cotton skirts and a fitted boyfriend t-shirt.  Or, I wear what I've dubbed my minestrone making outfit.

Yep, I wear shorts and baggy sweatshirts! And the shorts thing only started last year during our honeymoon vacation...so it's still a bit weird to look down and see my legs out.  I never wore shorts because I thought my legs were too big/chunky (I'm a 14) but now I don't care!  I'm comfy, dammit!

Complete with scarred knees from several childhood bike and skateboarding accidents.

Even my skin care routine has simplified with just some tinted moisturizer on the face and rose salve on the lips.  Slap and go!

This doesn't mean that I'm doing away with fashion posts or that I'm putting away my fun thrifted/vintage finds.  Nope.  It just means that I've shared a bit more of my true self in my photos and here on the blog.  Honestly, it's awesome for me to not have to think about dressing up right now...and when I do it'll be a special treat.

And speaking of special treats, today I'm making minestrone soup!

This book has an excellent recipe for it...and pretty stellar illustrations too.  I can't wait to ring in the first day of fall with a big bowl of soup.  What?  It'll be 88 degrees here tomorrow?   Pffft.  Doesn't matter.  It'll be fall...FALL!

So, what about you?  What's your favorite comfy outfit?  Are you excited about fall?  Have a great soup recipe to share?  I'm all ears...

Oh, and everything I'm wearing is thrifted except for my old Bensimon shoes. 

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Today...

My day so far...

Listening:

All week long I've been downloading a backlog of podcasts from The Splendid Table.  I've been woefully behind on the episodes for months now but I'm slowly catching up day-by-day.  A few weeks ago they replayed some conversations with Julia Child and I found myself doubled over with laughter...that Julia seemed like one tough cookie!  Cookie?  Food reference?  Get it?  Ok, I'll stop.  They'll be featuring the Roadfood Festival in a few weeks and I can't wait to listen to that one...and the one about orange wine sounds good too...oooh, and the one about cheese making!  Can you tell I'm a wee bit addicted?

I'm also exposing the ear drums to lots of Beirut.  They've always been a favorite but I lost all my music a good while ago and it's been a slow process recouping.  I love this song, this one and this one.  There's something about Baltic influence in music makes my heart sing.  Plus it is excellent music to clean by...

Watching:

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The movie Seven Psychopaths looks amazingly funny and I have to watch the trailer a couple of times a day in order to get my Rockwell, Walkin, Waits and Harrelson fix.  It's beyond over the top and I can't wait for it to come out in November.

I know it may seem weird but I can't do much violent cinema but I love quirky/cheesy action stuff.  Die Hard?  Yep.  Little Trouble In Big China?  Of course!  The Last Dragon? Oh yeah.  It's my Dad's doing...he'd watch all the old BBC shows - Avengers, The Prisoner, Dr Who - and all the shoot-em-up or karate-chop-em-up movies on Saturdays, and I'd be right there with him.

Reading:

Tropic Of Capricorn by Henry Miller is my selected tome of the day.  I've had this book for years but never started really reading it until today.  I can see, but not agree to, why so many places banned it...very forward and honest words/themes for the time.  And sexy times to be had all over the place!

I also picked up several old Calvin And Hobbes and Far Side collections, and I've been glancing at them all morning.  Let's just say that they go wherever I go - car, volunteering, porch, grocery store, bed, couch.  

Crafting:

I was gifted with a vintage purse that had a bit of staining so I'm soaking the cover in tea to make it lovely again.  I'll share more on the blog in the future...

Thanking:

Today I'd like to give thanks to all of those bloggers who've nominated me for awards lately.  It warms my heart to know that you like me and my tiny-eensy-weensy corner of the world.  As I've said before, blogging for oneself holds little reward but helping to create community is what it is all about, eh?  I'm beyond grateful for your support.

Crushing:

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Mr. Benedict Cumberbatch has my heart right now.  He's a feminist and an outspoken man with cheekbones for days...and I adore him!  I watched both seasons of Sherlock within 2 nights and I'm beyond excited for his role in the new Star Trek movie.  Yes, Star Trek is part of my action movie addiction.  He's going to play a villain and I bet he's the coolest, British-iest and craziest bad guy ever!  Well, the guy who played Moriarty on his show was pretty darn impressive too but Benedict (yes, we are on a first name basis) will surely eclipse all bad guy roles forever.

Welcoming:

There are several new supporters/advertisers of the blog so please make sure to stop by and welcome them to Grits And Moxie!  They're all awesome folks and I know you'll enjoy learning more about them...

Well, I'm off to meet up with our friends and show them the town!  They won't be here long so we have to make every moment count.  I hope your Saturday is wonderful and full of fun/friends/joy...

Food Fun - Roasted Tomato And Garlic Dip

You may remember that when my best friend Adam (who is adjusting beautifully to his new town and University...yay!) was here visiting a few weeks ago, I made a delicious roasted tomato and garlic dip/spread for our fresh cut veggies...and it was pretty darn a) easy and b) delicious!  You have the sweet acidity of the tomato, the earthy pungency of the garlic, the cool and tart of the Greek yogurt, and a hit of spice from lots of cracked pepper.  This stuff is not for those of you who don't like a strong flavored food experience.  And hey, if you dont?  That's cool.  Do your thing!  There are some other recipes here that you might like..

For this recipe you'll need:
- 5 large tomatos
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 T olive olive
- splash balsamic vinegar
- ground pepper

Heat oven to 350.

Slice tomatoes into thin discs.  Add olive oil and pepper.  Toss well.  Place in shallow dish.

Cook tomatoes for 35 minutes.  Add whole peeled cloves and gently stir.

Increase oven temperature to 475.  Cook tomatoes and garlic for 10-15 minutes or until crisped but not burned.

Once cooled, add the tomatoes and garlic to a food processor and pulse.  Add yogurt and balsamic, and pulse until smooth'ish'.

Place in clean container with airtight lid and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Serve with fresh veggies - zucchini, squash, carrots, celery...yum.  Spread onto bread and top with avocado and arugula.  Dollop onto hummus and crackers.  Mix with oil and vinegar and Zing Zang for a Bloody Mary Marinated Veggie And Pasta Salad.  That's a Jennifer Keene creation and I'd be glad to share the recipe!  Oh, the possibilities are endless! 

I will say that all food is more delicious when shared with good company.  So grab some friends or family and enjoy!

PS - I've been making some slight adjustments to the blog...especially the photos.  Things have been a bit uneven but I'm working out some HTML kinks.  Thanks!

Recipe - And Now For Something A Bit Different...

When Adam was here earlier in the week I made a big bowl of chopped Caprese Salad in order to help satisfy his low/no carbohydrate cravings.  And when I say I made a big bowl I mean that I made a big bowl.  6 tomatoes.  2 gigantic mozzarella balls.  An entire bunch of fresh basil.  A generous dollop of Georgia Olive Oil.  A hearty splash of balsamic vinegar.  Chop.  Toss.  Chill.  Eat.  And eat.  And eat.  And then store the obscene amount of leftovers.  [end scene]

So, when the next morning rolled around and I was reaching for the usual fare of eggs (to be made sunny side up) and soysauge, I decided to pull out the Caprese Salad instead.  My thoughts?  A fresh and easy frittata that cooks in one dish.  Yay for one dish meals!

You'll need:
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups chopped Caprese Salad
- 1 T olive/grapeseed oil
- fresh ground pepper
- sea salt
- 1 t of cold water

Heat oven to 350.

Spray or coat an oven safe shallow dish (pie pan, etc) with olive/grapeseed oil.

Whisk eggs with cold water.  Add several generous pinches of pepper and a small bit of salt.   *Note: you can do this 2 ways.  You can whisk in the pan or you can whisk in bowl and pour in pan.  If you do the latter then I recommend you heat the pan up first so there will be a nice crust on the frittata after you pour the product in

Sprinkle caprese salad goodies evenly around in the egg mix in pan.

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes depending on depth of pan.  Check regularly.  You want the eggs soft but not too runny.  Oh, and it will firm up a bit after removing from oven so be aware of that.

Let cool.  Slice.  Garnish with plain yogurt.  Eat.

The great thing about this is that it is very good cold too.  I wouldn't recommend reheating if you cooked the eggs firm originally...it might be too dry.

Brady put the finished frittata on a bit of french bread and nommed away.  I had a bit of an 'everything' bagel on the side to go with mine.  Adam had his plain.  Every single way was delicious!

Enjoy!  Oh, and please share your own results if you give it a whirl.  I promise you'll be pleased!  And feel free to share a favorite recipe or suggestions in the comments.  I love to try new things in the kitchen...

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Guest Blogger At Life, Chaos and Quotes...

Today I'm guest blogging at Life, Chaos and Quotes, and I'm sharing Nana Farmer's easy freezer jam recipe...with strawberries and rosemary!  Yummy.  Stop by Mandee's blog to find out how to make your own simple batch of delicious jam.  And say hi, won't you?

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Adventures With Homemade Pasta...

Earlier in the week I was able to cross off one of my 100 Before 40 items - learning how to make fresh homemade pasta.  It was both simple and time consuming, with the rolling and cutting the most tedious parts of the recipe...but it was also a joy to watch one of my favorite things - pasta! - unfold from my fingertips.

Nana's Homemade Pasta Recipe

For this recipe you'll need 3 main ingredients (listed below), a food processor, plenty of counter space, a rolling pin, a piece of wax paper, and a rack that you can dry the pasta on.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T salt
3 eggs
2 C flour

Crack 3 eggs into food processor and then top with flour and salt.  Pulse until the product becomes a large crumble.

Turn crumbled mixture onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.  Place dough ball in a sheet of wax paper, wrap and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Chilling gives the dough a chance to rest, and it will help make the rolling and cutting a bit easier to manage.

Remove dough from fridge, roll out a bit and the cut product in 1/2 or 1/4.  This helps to cut down on the amount of dough you're working on at one time...and in a small kitchen like mine, it is a must.

Roll dough out til thin.  Really put your back to it and use long, fluid rolls with the pin.

Trim off rough edges and then cut pieces to your preference but try to stay consistent with size if you're cooking all in one style. I chose a bit wider and longer pasta, but you can cut it thinner or even wider...the latter is great for lasagne!

Drape individually over rack.  Allow to dry.  This took about 4 hours for me but the humidity is fairly low in Athens right now.

Eat immediately or freeze in an air tight container.  We ate most of ours immediately.  Duh.

This pasta is very rich and heavy so you don't have to use as much as you normally would.  It really swells during boiling too, so make sure you keep that in mind or you'll have boocoodles of leftovers.  I cooked a small handful for about 10-12 minutes and it was perfect!  Top it with a bit of red sauce or just olive oil, roasted garlic and fresh parmesan.

You could also add chopped/ground herbs to the mix at the beginning.  I added some fresh ground pepper to mine...and next batch will have fresh rosemary.

All credit for this recipe goes to my Nana Farmer.  Love and miss you Nana!

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Homemade Blue Potato Chips...

The other night my friend Melissa made a huge batch of low country boil and then brought me the leftover goodies the next morning.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love low country boil?  I love it a lot lot lotlotlot.  I can't, however, eat 10 pounds of it in a day...so I decided to make homemade potato chips with some of the leftovers.

Blue Potato Chips

The recipe is fairly straightforward...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the potatoes prior by boiling.  Allow to cool and then slice into 1/4 inch rounds.  Place rounds on slightly greased sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook rounds for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Keep checking on them because they cook up quick at the end and they are a bit darker in color than regular pale potatoes. Remove from pan and allow to cool.  Eat immediately or store in airtight container.

I went even further and took some of the plain cooked chips and topped them with a bit of rosemary and bleu cheese crumbles.  Just put under broil for a few minutes and they'll be perfectly yummy.

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How To Do A Seafood & Roasted Veggie Stew...

Last week I shared a post that included a photo of veggies prepped for roasting.  What ever happened to that pot o' veggies?  Well, it became deliciousness!  I can't wait to cook this again...

Looks yummy, ya?  And this is just the beginning!

 Seafood Stew with Kale and Roasted Vegetables

Here's the recipe in case you're interested...

You'll need:
8 carrots
6 gold potatoes
1 red pepper
1/2 onion
2-3 cloves of course chop
1/4 cup olive oil
small/med batch of fresh kale
2 ears of corn
2-3 T tomato paste
2-4 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
6 basil leaves
Seasonings - salt, pepper, sage and onion powder
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 thawed/fresh fish filet with bones and skin removed
1/2 pound fresh/thawed raw shrimp with veins and shells removed

Cut and combine veggies except for kale and corn, toss in olive oil and seasonings, cover and roast for one hour on 400.  Check frequently.  You want veggies firm and not anywhere near mushy.

In a separate pan saute kale in a small amount of water over mid-high heat for about 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Grill/cook corn and remove from cob.

Grill/bake a lightly seasoned filet of fish of your choice (I used flounder) til almost cooked.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Once everything except the shrimp is cooked then combine together in one pot.  Whisk the tomato paste into vegetable stock and then pour liquid over veggies.  Use as much of the liquid as you need to acquire the consistency that you prefer.  Toss in bay leaves.  Stir and use medium heat to bring to a fast simmer.  Remove from heat and stir in shrimp.  Ring pot with fresh basil leaves, squeeze lemon over entire pot, sprinkle with more seasoning if needed and then cover.  Let sit for a few minutes and then serve.

Another option is to wait to add shrimp til reheating the next day...which is what I did.  You don't want the shrimp to overcook and when a stew sits overnight it marries the flavors.

Of course you could add almost anything to this...oysters, mussels and the like.  Heck, you could even nix the seafood part and make it vegan...or add sausage (or soysage) for a twisted low country boil style feast.

And if you happen to make a bit extra of the roasted veggies?

 Breakfast!

Put them in a small pie pan, heat up a bit at 350 and then add 4 whipped eggs.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes.  Dollop with Greek yogurt and a handful of chopped basil.  Eat.

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