Monday, November 07, 2016

recipe : Tuesday's Tomato Soup

There's a burger & shakes place by Bear Lake in Garden City, Utah, which bears the highly-descriptive name of Quick n' Tasty. On late summer afternoons when the fam is tired and gritty from a day at the lake and we need fresh raspberry shakes to end the day right, I prefer the Quick n' Tasty to the more well-known LaBeau's, probably just because I like to say Quick n' Tasty. And I like to say it with feeling.

PeeWee and I threw this soup together for dinner from what we could find in the cupboard because I haven't been grocery shopping for ages--and I'm happily surprised it turned out so well. What else haven't I done for ages? Post on this blog. No matter, no one reads it anyway. But it makes a good place to save this recipe, which was, by golly, quick... n' tasty!

Tuesday Tomato Soup

1 large yellow onion
4 medium carrots
3 celery stalks
1 T olive oil
28 oz. jar of marinara sauce
1 tsp. chicken soup base or bouillon
1/2 granulated garlic
2 T. pesto sauce
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Sauté the chopped onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add marinara sauce, chicken soup base, garlic, and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Purée using an immersion blender, then stir in pesto sauce and vinegar. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve with the last few croutons from that bag you forgot was in the cupboard. If you're not in the mood for the vinegar, you could stir in 1/3 c. of sour cream, if you have it.

Yes, I know it's not Tuesday. I made this soup on a Monday, but it's my blog and I like the way Tuesday and Tomato sound together. By Golly.

And yes, I did knit that washcloth in the picture, thanks for noticing. What's the pattern, you ask? It's here on Simply Notable: The Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Job, schmob

I KNIT. I'M A KNITTER. I KNIT!!! (Anyone else have a mental picture of Bill Murray strapped to a mast as they read the foregoing declaration?) I know that there are many, many knitters out there who are gainfully employed outside of their homes, and yet they still manage to knit in their off-hours. I was not one of those people. In the past 8 years since I started working for someone else, I've been at a virtual crafting standstill. As I am currently between jobs, I seem to have gotten my groove back. Who needs a job when there is so much neglected yarn crying out for love and attention?
I present to you my first WIP completed in, um... a very long time.  Oldest daughter Bob pilfered some Noro Kureyon #170 from my hoard (intended in the distant past for a Lizard Ridge afghan) and started this seed stitch neck warmer, oh--probably 4 years ago--and now I've finished it. We shall call it Bob's Little Neck Warmer! I know. My skillz as a wordsmith leave you stunned and amazed. It was a lovely bit of TV knitting that happened while watching Jesse Stone, starring the inimitable Tom Selleck. Ah, such fond memories of spending nearly every bus ride home from 6th grade discussing the FINE qualities of Magnum, PI.  Anywaysss... (You should know if you click that Jesse Stone link, that the trailer gives a good taste of the visuals in the Jesse Stone movies, but the trailer music is whack and doesn't match the show. So don't think your going to feel frenetic energy in this series of made-for-TV movies. The actual music in the movies is haunting and gorgeous--a perfect fit for the New England setting. I highly recommend them, especially if you love Tom Selleck playing tough and taciturn. Mmmmm.) I finished the neck warmer off during Friday Movie Night--and then in a moment of weakness, I let middle daughter Leeda dye my hair to match. You see, in the intervening years between my last shoeless post and this one, I had abandoned my friend Miss Clairol and embraced my natural silvery state. I should have recalled from my wool-dying days of yore that this would provide a perfect canvas for the magenta dye. It's BRIGHT, people! Leeda assures me it's a "temporary" dye, but if I have a job interview come through this week, I might have to renew my relationship with Miss Clairol. Too bad. I haven't missed her.