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.

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.

Speaking of the 70's...

This is my son. Adolescence is rough. Well, motherhood is rough too, and it's better to laugh about it than cry, right? And his 'fro definitely brings tears to my eyes--the kind that accompany wheezy gasping laughter. I will miss his crazy hair--but I think he's so handsome with a sleek haircut.

I love this boy. He has a steadiness, a kindness, and a benevolence that brings me joy. He's patient and understanding and very, very funny.

Reunion

Eric's parents bought an old church last summer. It's right by a small lake (actually a reservoir) in a teeny little mountain town, a 20-minute south by southwest drive through the canyon. We had a family reunion there yesterday: canoeing, ping-pong, horseshoes, burgers, hot dogs, creamy green Jello, cousins last seen at least 6 inches ago, old people talking. And pollen. Loads of it. Up my nose. I chased a wiffle ball under a juniper and emerged sneezing my brains out. I don't remember much of what happened after that. I think I have histamine-induced amnesia. I might have committed to going to a Crossfit workout tomorrow morning with Eric's cousin Jenny. I'm just a little bit scared of the workout, but I'm super scared of backing out on Jenny. She could and would take me out, all 102 pounds of her.

I discovered Instagram. I love it. Who needs a real camera? I feel like I'm back in the 70's, man. And I dig it.

comforts of home

Internet. At. Home. (P.S. And it's not dial-up!!!!) First thing I did? Surfed Ravelry for about, I don't know--two hours, probably. Next, I found that most of the knitting blogs I used to read are gone. Did we stop knitting or did we just stop having the time (or urge, or internet access, or...) to write about it? Hmmm. Anywayssssss...

I'm not currently knitting anything. I should amend that: I am not currently making any progress on the 21 or so knitted works-in-progress that are strewn about my home. I am, however, crocheting an hexagon block afghan out of Kroy Socks FX in gorgeous reds/oranges/greens (colorway "Clover"). It is a complete copycat of a project I saw on Ravelry, made by someone with the handle of Princess Froglips. I think that she might be the lost twin sister my parents couldn't bear to mention. Not only does she have chihuahuas, yes, but we also look eerily similar. Okay, it's true that I've never had a chihuahua, nor am I likely to ever have one, but my daughter's BFF has one named Bella! See? We are cosmically linked and I am making an afghan exactly like hers. Exactly.  

I average about 5 blocks per week. It's a join-as-you-go pattern based on Hexagon How-To by Lucy of Attic24 I find her projects charming and I adore that she has a camping trailer which she is covering in juicy multi-colored crochet. Love.

After I discovered last fall that I could blog from my phone, I also soon discovered that I really don't have that much to say, if my thumbs are doing the talking. Now that my whole hands are involved in the typing, there's so much to catch up on! Have I mentioned my loom? No, I don't actually know how to use it. Soon though, very soon. After all, I have YouTube at my disposal now. Woohooooooooo! And I hear that Dance Moms episodes are on there. Yeah.

Now that is a big painting.

Painting 2 of 2, commissioned by a client in Lichtenstein, 6 feet 3 inches by 13 feet. The first of the pair was *only* 6' 3" by 9'. Good thing my honey is a genius!

Typical question to Eric: "How do you paint something that big?"

Typical answer: "With a lot of paint." :P

wicked awesome

Raisinets. Idina Menzel. People lifting a burning car off a trapped motorcyclist. 13-year-old son doing his own laundry. Little red baby sweaters.

These are a few of my favorite things tonight. Naturally I have a picture of the last item. My oldest daughter's drill team coach just had a baby girl. What more reason does one need? I think I'll put the pattern up on Ravelry--next week. I have a 16-feet long banner to make for the drill team's homecoming parade float before any pattern writing can happen.

Seriously, all we could talk about at work today was the video of people pushing a burning car up so they could pull the trapped guy out from under it. As we were driving back and forth from lessons this afternoon, I told my kids about it and showed them the video online. Then we drove up the hill and I pointed out the big burn mark on the asphalt. Unbelievable. Paige devoted her entire bedtime prayer to "the hurt motorcycle man and those good people who got him out". So sweet.

And finally, teenage boy doing his own laundry (sans prompting!!) while I listen to the Wicked soundtrack, nibble Raisinets, and type a blog post? Totally, unbelievably, super wicked awesome!