tattoo you, maybe....

dateline: oklahoma city


on the way to folk alliance ~ memphis.
this place is around the corner from KC and david's house.

thanks, but i'll pass.

listening to ~ abigail washburn   city of refuge 

snowstorm soup!

ok, i admit it...i'm getting a little soup obsessed this winter...part of this health kick i'm on. but i'm down about 15 pounds since the holidays.  diet and exercise...who knew?
anyway, here's one more pot of soup before i hit the ol' road dog trail again this weekend. off to memphis and the folk alliance conference.  tunes and friends and NO SNACKING!


this one's a good hearty healthy roasted butternut squash soup.  it goes thusly:


INGREDENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 three-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 softball-sized sweet Vidalia onion, cut into chunks or rings
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• 3 1/2 cups stock, divided
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

step the first:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss squash, onion and garlic cloves with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil; spread on glass baking dish and pour 1 cup stock over the top. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  

Bake at 350ºF for 1 1/2 hours or until fairly soft and a little caramelized-looking; check on the pan every 20 minutes or so and if necessary, add additional liquid to keep it from scorching to the bottom of the pan. Stir once during cooking.

step the second:

well, with all this time to kill, let's see what we can do about all this snow...

got it!  turn up the laura nyro greatest hits album you're listening to and run to the window.....now, do the "shoo snow" dance...."HURRY DOWN TO A STONED SOUL PICNIC!!!"

...plus it has the added effect of amusing the dog... ("what the  hell's he doing now?")

ok, back to the soup...here's the the roasted veggies...

step the third:

Add squash, garlic, onion, and any liquid from baking dish into a stockpot. Add 2 1/2 cups stock and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper to the pot, and cook over medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes (30 is mo' better, sorry sev)...

step the fourth:

now i get to use what's become my favorite kitchen weapon of the year, an immersion blender.  great for pureeing veggies and such.  and much easier to clean up than a food processor or blender.

just make sure that you turn off the blender before taking it out of the soup.  it saves a messy clean up and or re-painting...trust me on this one, kids.

stir in the butter and there we have it...roasted butternut  squash soup!  

aw, hell.....let's dance some more!!  "AND WHEN I DIIIIIIIIIE!!!!!"

listening to:  laura nyro ~ stoned soul picnic (the best of laura nyro)

(ps: found the recipe at seriouseats.com)

SOUP'S ON!

anybody want to try a pumpkin ~ yellow split pea w/ saffron soup?  best damned soup i've made all winter....


OK, then.....first gather up the following ingredients:

1/4 tsp saffron threads
10 cups (2 1/2 quarts) chicken broth
1 1/4 cups dried yellow split peas
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 15 oz. cans of pumpkin (plain, not pumpkin pie filler)
Minced fresh parsley

Bring broth, peas, and onion to a boil in a large soup pot over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, 30 to 40 minutes. 

OK, we've got 40 minutes to kill....what to do?.....what to do???
well, we could run to the ol' home studio and see if there are any new songs in the taylor.....






guess not....well, we could always try to repair our favorite coffee cup from Sun Studios that we just knocked off the desk....good thing i'm goin' to memphis soon.








better get back to the soup before we do any more damage...

OK, saffron time!





ah, hello my preciousssss.....
In a large metal spoon, heat saffron over low heat about 10 seconds until dry, then grind 
to a powder with the back of a spoon and steep in 1 tbsp boiling water to release flavor.

and then........put on some bluegrass and play the spoons!!!!



OK, back to the soup.

Stir in oil, cinnamon, ginger, spoonful of saffron. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and 
simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. 
Add pumpkin and simmer another 25-30 minutes or so. The soup is done when the peas aretender. Salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.

mmmmmmm.....dig in.....







listening to: jaime michaels ~ the man with the time machine
(not ego...last minute check....it's being released TOMORROW!!!!)

it's not dead yet...

...but it's gettin' there
my poor poor lemon tree....not so very pretty.
come on everybody, we can do it!  clap your hands!!  "i believe...I BELIEVE!!!!!"

listening to: buddy mondlock ~ the edge of the world 

why i live in santa fe - reason #1267

because the sunsets look like this....a LOT...

listening to laura marling

ahhhhhhhh.....home.

dateline: my living room.


had a blast this weekend completing the "i'll be on your album and you be on mine" trade with george breakfast up at jono manson's kitchen sink studio.  george's is called committing to love, mine is the about to be released the man with the time machine.
it was a joy to get to do  it.

the guiding hands...

...like this?

...george likes it!

jono likes it!

we all likes it!!!

listening to the beau brummels station on pandora.com......laugh laugh...

gravy and meatballs at christopher's house

dateline: san anselmo, california


here's the happy ending to a relaxing day off on the road spent cooking a little italian food for my hosts. left to right it's christopher smith, his mom mary lou, wife sabrina and son matthew...

how did we get here?  well, first off i gathered the ingredients for the gravy...

1 28 oz can crushed tomato

1/2 cup dry red wine (at least)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp oregano (or so)

3 TBS chopped parsley

1/2 tsp basil (or so)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 cop chopped onion

1 large piece salt pork (1 pkg)

3/4 tsp salt

3 TBS grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp sugar (to taste)

1 bay leaf

start by browning the salt pork in 2 TBS good olive oil

add the onion and cook over medium heat til soft, then add the garlic...cook til it get's nice and aromatic (careful, don't burn it!), then add the rest of the ingredients...bring to a near boil then set it to simmer on low for as long as you can, at least a couple of hours...3 or 4 is better...

now relax, enjoy the aromas....watch the sunset reflected in the pool...

have a little wine...

OK!  time to make the meatballs.  again, gather the ingredients...

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 1/2 cups torn Italian bread (no crust)
1/4 cup milk 
2 eggs 
3 TBS chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper
3 TBS grated Parmesan 

combine bread and milk in a large bowl. let stand for 5 minutes. add ground

beef, ground pork, eggs, 3 TBS parsley, 3 TBS Parmesan, the 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.  blend well.  form into the meatball size of your choice.  

it's all in the fingertips...

now, just brown the meatballs in a little olive oil in a skillet, add them to the gravy (with some browned hot italian sausage links if you like)...cook for another half hour or three, discard the salt pork, fix your favorite pasta...pour some more wine and, TA DA!...

mmmmmmmmm........

listening to michael hedges breakfast in the field