Winter Vegetable Shhooup (Soup)

Again with the snow. We're supposed to get 10 MORE inches this evening. Offices were closed for the second time this week.  There's only one thing left to do: make soup.

I love the ideas guy who thought of packaging leftover bits of vegetable together. It's brilliant because you don't have to think too much about what to get and it's the perfect amount. In this pack was parsnip, onion, turnip, celery, carrot, a leek, a bit of parsley and fresh dill. That's all you need!  I just added potatoes, some kale and seasonings. It's really hearty--even your carnivore friends will like it.

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Winter Vegetable Soup

(YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE EXACT. IT'S SOUP)
 
3      tablespoons    Vegetable or Oil
1      medium        Carrot 

1      medium        Parsnip

1      small         Turnip
3      medium        Potatoes 

2                    Ribs Celery -- Coarsely Chopped
1      medium        Onion -- Coarsely Chopped
1      small         Leek -- Coarsely Chopped
2                    Cloves Garlic -- Crushed
1      teaspoon      Dried Thyme Leaves -- Crumbled

1      small bunch   Fresh herbs (parsley, dill, etc.)
5      cups          Chicken Broth
6      ounces        Fresh Kale -- Chopped

2      dashes        Worcesteshire or Soy Sauce

1      tablespoon    Seasoning salt or mixture of equal 

parts paprika and celery salt  
                     Salt And Pepper To Taste
 
Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium 

heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, leeks, herbs, 

and thyme.  Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly 

softened, 5 minutes. Add potatoes and seasoning; stir 

to coat.  Stir in broth, 2 cups water.  Cover and bring 

to boil. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer covered, 1 

hour. Stir in kale, Worcesteshire (and salt and pepper 

to taste); simmer covered 10 minutes. 

Super Bow-el Sunday

I'm not a fan of football. Didn't even know who was playing (let alone what this Who Dat? business was about--but congrats, Saints, congrats). It was a lazy Super Bow-el Bowl Sunday in the DCEat home. Lots of eating and staying in. A (rare) big breakfast morphed into a lazy lasagna dinner. And G claimed the only reason to stay tuned was to watch the half-time show...when you turn it up real loud for the Who.  Apparently, we weren't the only ones who could care less.

Having said all that, I admit that I loved this ad:

Apocolypse S-Now

SnOMG! We survived Snowpocolypse, Snowmageddon, Apocolypse S-Now! Panic! Hunger! Falling skies! Craziness!

 

 

A ton of snow on our roof!; our blanketed street; a walk in the street; lunch at Saint Ex (it was open!)--had the pupusas and fried green tomato BLT (and fries)--DELISH; monument snow sculpture at True Hardware (it was open, too! Whole Foods and Logan Hardware were not); droopy limbs weighted down by the snow; a felled tree branch (we saw one fall on some guy); an ENTIRE tree fallen; ...on a car!; Dupont Snowball Fight. (Above photos from my craptastic iPhone; video by my friend, Jonathan--who got closer to the action than I dared to.)

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And that night, we went out to Adams Morgan (which, though we live nearby, we never do because we are old and not cool). But on nights like that, it's quiet, and for the locals. We walked to Cashion's (they were open!), brought a Spanish red, Finca Sandoval 2005 (corkage was only $20, and they gave us a locals' discount, to boot).  I had the scallops with spicy and delicious scalloped potatoes; G had the braised goat--very Med/North African with yogurt sauce and pita.  I love the food at Cashion's (they're closed for the Super Bowl tonight). The streets were quiet and aglow. We stopped by that poor fallen tree we saw earlier. And it was a pretty walk home. Good times!

Storm of the Century and Spicy Hot Cocoa

National Weather Service has upgraded the Winter Storm 

Warning to a Blizzard Warning, beginning at 10PM tonight,

and continuing until 10PM tomorrow. The Winter Storm 

Warning will remain in effect until 10PM. A Blizzard 

Warning means wind gusts will exceed 35 mph, snow is 

likely to be extremely heavy, and visibility will be 

reduced below 1/4 mile. Please make sure to secure all 

loose objects on your property. This extremely dangerous 

storm is expected to produce record snowfall for the 

Washington D.C. metropolitan area.   Travel conditions 

tonight will be extremely hazardous and life-threatening, 

and all citizens are urged to remain indoors.

Pink skies and beautiful, fluffy, sideways-blowing snow. 

We had drinks and leftover bolognese by the fire, then G 

shoveled snow as I made hot cocoa. We're supposed to get 

20 inches!

{Click on recipe to print}

Mr. Benz Comes to Washington

Swiss friend, Marcus Benz, (from G's Beijing days) stopped by for dinner on his way through Washington on business the other night. We thought we'd give him a traditional American meal (which we don't typically eat ourselves, but whatever) of pot roast, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. In return, he brought us a winter snowstorm and sweets (Swiss pralines and his wife's cd of her music).

 

As I'm sure you're already familiar with how to make pot roast, I'll provide you with the more interesting roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and maple syrup recipe (via Catherine Smart at Boston Globe):

{Click recipe to print}