ding ding ding! round 3 goes to SF BECAUSE: THE GIANTS WON THE WORLD SERIES!
moroccan carrot soup
i’ve kinda been going crazy making soup lately. it’s been so cold that all i want to do is warm up in my cardigan, sweatpants, and hushpuppies by the fireplace drinking soup (see chicken soup … that i’m ALMOST finished eating finally).
i bought a bag of carrots for last week’s party, but totally didn’t get to use any of them. instead of letting it go to waste, i remembered that i visited a restaurant – perhaps le cheval? – that starts each meal with a bowl of the creamiest carrot soup. also, i thought an orangey soup would be fun, both in honor of the sf giants and in time for halloween!
so i looked up recipes and found this one from epicurious. i pretty much followed the instructions — minus the measuring (just do it by taste). the only other problem i had was figuring out which spice from my unlabeled spice rack was cumin and which one was allspice. because i didn’t have whole cumin seeds, i just used the packaged ground cumin, which seemed to work fine. overall, it turned out pretty deliciously and can’t wait to serve some to mgs when he gets home in a few minutes!
serves: 4 / cooking time: about 40 minutes
ingredients
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped white onion
1 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (i used 3/4 of a 2lb bag)
2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred to loosen
1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in carrots. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir cumin seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes; cool. Finely grind in spice mill. (i didn’t do this, but let me know how that works out!)
3. Remove soup from heat. Puree in batches in blender until smooth. Return to same pan. Whisk in honey, lemon juice, and allspice. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle yogurt over; sprinkle generously with cumin.
my suggestions: some of the other recipes i saw asked for cayenne pepper and/or curry. i think i might try adding a bit of both into the next batch just to see how it affects the flavor. i imagine the curry would give it a really nice punch. overall, this was SUPER easy to make and is a great soup for the times!
let it be
the grass is greener on the other side.
that’s been my response to most everyone who’s asked me how it feels to be unemployed.
when i’m employed, i want to focus on my creative pursuits. when i’m unemployed, i want a stable job. what i really want is a stable job in a creative field, but that’s neither here nor there in respect to this post topic.
point is, i’ve noticed that i’ve taken this grass is greener attitude with almost everything in my life. for instance, i can’t take my mind off of last weekend’s party where i felt somewhat disrespected by one of the guests. it made me wish that i had less — err… dramatic people in my life. dealing with divas other than myself can get a bit taxing after awhile. but on the other hand, these are some of my favorite people precisely because they have such supersized personalities. my life would be so boring without them. and barring their ridiculous behavior sometimes, they’re actually some of the most loyal, kind, and thoughtful friends i do have.
at this point of my life, i need to learn to accept my realities and be more present. it is what it is so just let it be. and most important of all, enjoy it. i don’t want to be lying on my deathbed thinking i should’ve enjoyed this side while i was still on it…
tweezing the bloodsuckers
for most of my life, i called anybody and everybody i met a “friend.” if you were in my class, you were a friend. if you were in a show with me, you were a friend. if i knew your name, you were a friend. people would always comment on how many friends i had and honestly, popularity was a source of pride.
after awhile, i started noticing incredible disparities in some of my friendships where the balance of who gave and who took never arrived at an equilibrium. well, let me rephrase that: i noticed at a young age that some friends just sucked the life out of me, but it wasn’t until i was older, more confident, and more self-assured that i actually cared enough about myself to come to terms with the fact that real friends would never treat me disrespectfully, whether through words or actions.
yes, i had cultivated a batch of bloodsuckers and fed their neediness with my own blood, sweat, and tears. while it was easy to weed out the casual acquaintances with whom i shared the occasional awkward conversation, it wasn’t as easy to deal with these emotional leeches. i wasn’t ready to because i thought that they were MY lifeline — not the other way around.
i’m fortunate. i am so spoiled by love now from mgs and my close friends and family that i know when a friendship just doesn’t feel right. i have less of a problem distancing myself or relegating bloodsuckers to “acquaintance” status (if that). the biggest change though is that i think bloodsuckers sense that i’m less likely to take their bullshit and they’ll back away. or maybe it’s my B.O.
either way, i’m so grateful for the friends in my life who value me as much as i value them. may i never take them for granted.
pink saturday
today i’m hosting a potluck for two of my former co-workers who are 7 and 14 years cancer free. it’s inspirational to hear them recount that period in their lives: how unexpected the cancer was, how there was no question in their mind that they would beat it, how their family and friends came together to provide them with contacts, resources, and support to help them get through it.
today, they’re living – and living loudly. one is a mother of two, a giants and warriors fanatic, and set to retire from the agency in a couple of years. the other went on to complete her phd and received her lcsw AND is now the coo of the agency. both are hilarious, outspoken, and often inappropriate — which is why i love them so much!
today i pay tribute to them, but also remember my loved ones, acquaintances, and colleagues who have lost their lives to cancer. it’s frightening to me how little progress we’ve made in understanding the disease, its causes, and alternative cures other than radiation. i’m sure a lot of the technologies and products that we use today aren’t exactly helping us live healthier lifestyles (i mean, hello cellphones aka mini-microwaves for the brain!).
but let me not end this post on a sour note. today is about celebrating life. cheers to J&K — le cheim!
Will Dao 