There are some really nice things about being single. One of them is that your free time is all your own. As someone who seems to enjoy alone time more than most, I'm trying to take full advantage of this while I can.

For example, I've fallen into a wonderful Sunday routine. I wake up, eat some oatmeal, then pack a bag full of books and magazines and take a long walk to a coffee shop a couple of neighborhoods over. I get a big cup of coffee, a seat on a deep couch, and read for hours. Then around 4:30 or 5 I pack up and head north about a mile to go see a $4 movie at the cheap theater. This usually involves a dinner of Junior Mints or Raisinettes, but not last week. At some point during my walk I developed a huge craving for broccoli soup. I feel that when you get such a specific craving like that, especially when it's a healthy one, you should probably honor it. So after an embarrassing 86 minutes of Beastly I went to my produce store to get soup fixins.

And here is the result. Simple, yummy broccoli soup. I will definitely be making it again, but this time I will make sure and have some Junior Mints on hand for dessert.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

From Gourmet  | December 1993

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped onion
1 carrot, sliced thin

1 clove of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound broccoli, chopped coarse (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup sour cream

Preparation  

In a heavy saucepan cook the onion, the carrot, the mustard seeds, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is soft, add the broccoli, the broth, and the water, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is very tender. In a blender purée the soup in batches until it is smooth, transferring it as it is puréed to another heavy saucepan. Whisk in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, heat the soup over moderately low heat, and whisk in the sour cream (do not let the soup boil).

apple + walnut oatmeal

Not much noteworthy cooking going on lately. We have been trying to find a new roommate to replace the one getting kicked out because of the fire, hunting down shady contractors and landlords that won't call us back or even get started on the fire room, aaaaand my other roommate Heather loses her job tomorrow. So mostly I've just been trying to stay calm, deal with everything that needs dealing with, and take food when I can get it. February can end any time now. 

Here's a bright spot, though- my morning oatmeal. I have a running contest with myself on the best combination I can come up with (this may tell you something about my current lack of a social life). So far it's a scoop of almond butter and a scoop of raspberry/rhubarb jam. But today's apple chunks, walnuts, and brown sugar was not too shabby!

saidshesaidhe

My friends Paul and Roy are the kind of people I would hate if I didn't love them so much. They are both just a little too perfect. They have an adorable bulldog named Tonka, an apartment decorated how I wish someone would decorate mine, are insanely attractive and, as icing on the stupid, perfect cake, they have the kind of relationship that is so strong it gives me hope for my dating future.

And I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. The part that really does make me want to punch them in their stupid butts- each of them is incredibly talented. Paul is a writer, photographer, and artist, while Roy is, among his stupid, many talents, a pastry chef with an amazing new blog. One of the things that keeps me going with our friendship is that I get to reap the benefits of knowing them. For instance, I have been lucky enough to eat both of Roy's entries for SaidSheSaidHe. I seriously almost cried on the first bite of both the lemon + lavender tart and last week's blood orange pudding (shown above). You may not have such strong responses to good food, but I highly recommend following this new blog.

the great chicago blizzard/fire

This week.... what do I say about this week? Challenging? Maybe that's the word. But let's start at the beginning.

Last Monday I heard about the upcoming blizzard. In a rare act of thinking ahead I trudged to the store and got fixins for a new chili recipe I'd just come across. It touted itself to be the best ever veggie chili and I wanted to test it out, as I love to knock down superlatives like that. So I made it, it was ok, not the best. Then I took a picture of it to post. Then there was a really scary fire (apparently caused by a space heater) in one of the bedrooms of my apartment and it's now unusable and one of my roommates has to move out.  This was all during a record-breaking blizzard. As my now super-pissed off landlord said, "We sure picked a great time to have a fire."

The past several days have been spent in crisis mode- scrubbing down the walls and cleaning like crazy, fretting about getting evicted, watching my roommate sleep on my couch. I'm just trying to keep up with everything, take it all in, and stay positive and focused. Thanks for the calls. It really meant a lot. And now, a chili recipe...

The Best Vegetarian Chili EVER! (but not really) via The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog

1 can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Navy (or pinto) beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I used 2- 14oz cans of diced tomatoes, because I had them)
1 cup vegetable broth
4 garlic cloves
1 heaping tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 sprinkles garlic powder
1 sprinkle cayenne pepper
3-4 glugs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds of black pepper
 

Chop the garlic, onion, and red pepper. Saute lightly over medium high heat in 1-2 tsp olive oil.
Add everything else into the pot. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or longer as needed

 

spinach with an egg

This is my new favorite lunch. I think about it all the time. Just lightly saute some spinach, season it with a bit of salt, fresh ground pepper, and smoked paprika, then top it off with a poached egg. So good!!! I can't wait until lunch.