other people's food

What is it about food made by other people that makes it taste so tasty?

I went home for Easter this past weekend and raked it in. A freezer full of delicious homemade bread, bagels, and buns from my sister Sarah; multiple jars of soup from my mom; a Le Creuset (!!!) dutch oven and small frying pan that had been a wedding gift to my parents; a gorgeous quilt made of old suit fabric; old, hand tatted pillowcases made by long-ago relatives. Seriously. Is it fall? Because I did some heavy RAKING!

So yeah, here is a picture of me eating some Mom curried pumpkin soup, heated up in my new dutch oven (just because I wanted to use it), and served with some Sarah bread for dipping.

desperate measures

I have been cooking, I swear. I just fell into a rut where I basically ate spaghetti with kale, or lemon risotto, or crispy black bean tacos and that's about it. There just hasn't been much time or desire for experimenting lately, thus no new posts.

But now it's really cold and I've been having a bit of a cooking challenge: what can I make without leaving my apartment AND can be considered a meal? Some attempts are more noble than others. I do know now that coleslaw mix with a green onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and an array of spices is actually ok. Ugly, but ok. Also, almond butter is not a meal. It is delicious but will never seem to fill you up, just give you a stomach ache.

And so this is how I ended up making red lentil hummus. I doubt I'll ever make it again. The texture kind of grosses me out and regular hummus is so much better. But in case you've got the ingredients and don't want to leave the house for something better, here you go. And why yes, that IS homemade bread. That part was delicious, thank you. So much so that Matt told me, "This is really good! It tastes like actual bread." ... I chose to take it as a compliment.

Red Lentil Hummus (via Chow.com)

Ingredients-
2 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tahini
5 tablespoons olive oil (I used much less and just added more lemon juice)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat water in a small saucepan over high heat until boiling. Add lentils and reduce heat to low. Simmer until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Drain through a fine mesh strainer and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
2. Place lentils, garlic, and tahini in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until lentils are broken up, about 10 pulses.
3. With the motor running, add oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and blend until evenly incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend for 40 seconds more or until smooth.

souper bread

Woah. Woah woah woah. Just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Let me tell you a thing or two about a thing or two.

First of all- I got a freaking bread maker. And I made me some damn good french loaves today. I'm too excited to write more about it right now. Just know that you should probably be jealous of me.

Second- the soup. Creamless creamy tomoto soup. Super easy and sooooo yummy. And not too bad for you either.

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup (via Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients

1/4	cup extra virgin olive oil
1	medium onion, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
	Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1	bay leaf
2	(28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1	tablespoon brown sugar
3	large slices sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4	cup chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

2. Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

bread & cheese

I have a cheese problem. Right now in my fridge I have the following cheeses: goat, blue (seen above), leek and morel jack, asiago, and parmesan. No, there is absolutely no reason to have that many. I live and eat by myself for the most part. I blame it on my high school job of working at the Hy-Vee Cheese Island. It hooked me and gave me expensive taste.

Today for lunch I had some curried pumpkin soup (thanks mom!) with toasted french bread and goat cheese. Then later for a snack I had some blue cheese on crusty bread. Seriously. I have a problem.

The weather is so nice lately. The sun makes me want to close my eyes and listen, not sit down and type. Sorry that these posts have been a little boring. Look at my bread and cheese and be soothed.