Just a quick post, because I need to get to bed, having a busy week ahead of me...
... because I am going to Aruba this week! Wow!
The reason I get to go is because of Jim's work. He's in sales at Careerbuilder.com, and every year the company takes the top few salespeople on a holiday to Aruba, all expenses paid. And, they get to bring a plus-one! So, lucky me, I get a free vacation! Well, the company didn't pay for my flight from Ireland to Chicago, but the rest is all gratis. Which is pretty unbelievable, really.
I have never been anywhere even remotely near the Caribbean, so I'm really excited. I have been to Florida once (in January, so it wasn't all that hot!), Texas twice, New Orleans once, and San Diego three times, but as far as southern vacations go that's it. I've never been south of the United States, actually-- all my abroad experience has been to the north or east! (Canada, England, and obviously Ireland.) It's been really cold here in Galway lately-- there has been frost on the ground most mornings for the last two weeks-- so this trip is definitely appreciated.
Aruba is an island, about 21 miles long, off the coast of Venezuala. It's officially part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, though it has its own parliament. The island has an arid, desert climate, which really excites me because I've always thought deserts were beautiful! There's a big national park that I'm hoping to see. I think we have a few scheduled activities, but hopefully we'll get a chance to do some hiking. Of course, as long as I can lay on the beach in the sun I'll be happy!
Ok, now time for bed. I have a big week ahead of me after all!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
squash and babies! (not in that order)
Happy Valentine's day! I'm not really doing anything to celebrate it, though I may eat a piece of chocolate later. (That's what counts for hedonism with me these days!) Today I have mostly spent working on crocheting a baby blanket. Why a baby blanket? Because one of my dearest, closest friends is pregnant!!
My friend Brianne, who is my closest friend in Ireland, found out a couple weeks ago that she's having a baby! Luckily, she is in the final year of her PhD; the baby is due a month after her thesis is! I was the first person to know about it, even before the daddy, and she told me that I can be the Fairy Godmother. I take this to mean I have an obligation to cover the kid in crocheted items. Last week, I whipped together a little sweater-jacket-- baby things work up quickly, because they're so small! This weekend, I've turned my attention to a blanket, and I spent a lot of time last night and this morning designing it. I'm excited to have come up with a pattern mostly on my own.
Speaking of things I came up with on my own, the other thing I did today was make some winter squash soup from scratch! I was mostly trying to free up some space in my fridge and use whatever I had lying around, and the end result was really, really tasty. The sage really brings out the flavor of the squash, the curry adds a bit of sweetness, and the cayenne pepper adds some heat that's quite nice on a winter afternoon. I'll give you the recipe, though be warned-- there aren't really any measurements, because I just eyeballed the whole thing.
Curried Winter Squash Soup Ingredients:
-1 winter squash
-chicken stock (or veggie stock, if you want a totally vegan soup, but chicken stock is what I had)
-onion
-a couple cloves of garlic
-red bell pepper (optional, again just something I had)
-olive oil
-sage
-curry powder
-black pepper
-pinch cayenne pepper
-salt/soy sauce
-Roast the squash in the oven until soft, at about 350°. Mine took about an hour; I cut it in half, laid it cut-side down for the first 30 minutes, then flipped it and baked it cut-side up for another 30.
-At the same time you can roast the red pepper! Cut in half, clean out seeds, lay cut-side down on roasting pan until the skin is blackened and wrinkly.
-When the squash is roasted, cut it out of the skin and into chunks. Also dice up the red pepper, after removing the skin.
-Heat olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan and saute the onions until caramelized.
-Remove saucepan from heat, add chicken stock.
-Dice garlic cloves. Add garlic and squash chunks to the saucepan, and simmer on low for 30ish minutes.
-Using a potato masher, mash the squash chunks into the stock! You can also use a blender or food processor to puree the squash with the stock, but I actually like a bit of texture to my soup.
-Stir in the diced roasted pepper, add spices to taste. Simmer on low for 5-10 more minutes.
-Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt! I used thick Greek-style yogurt. Creme fraiche or sour cream would also work. Or, if you want a vegan soup, skip it.
My friend Brianne, who is my closest friend in Ireland, found out a couple weeks ago that she's having a baby! Luckily, she is in the final year of her PhD; the baby is due a month after her thesis is! I was the first person to know about it, even before the daddy, and she told me that I can be the Fairy Godmother. I take this to mean I have an obligation to cover the kid in crocheted items. Last week, I whipped together a little sweater-jacket-- baby things work up quickly, because they're so small! This weekend, I've turned my attention to a blanket, and I spent a lot of time last night and this morning designing it. I'm excited to have come up with a pattern mostly on my own.
Speaking of things I came up with on my own, the other thing I did today was make some winter squash soup from scratch! I was mostly trying to free up some space in my fridge and use whatever I had lying around, and the end result was really, really tasty. The sage really brings out the flavor of the squash, the curry adds a bit of sweetness, and the cayenne pepper adds some heat that's quite nice on a winter afternoon. I'll give you the recipe, though be warned-- there aren't really any measurements, because I just eyeballed the whole thing.
Curried Winter Squash Soup Ingredients:
-1 winter squash
-chicken stock (or veggie stock, if you want a totally vegan soup, but chicken stock is what I had)
-onion
-a couple cloves of garlic
-red bell pepper (optional, again just something I had)
-olive oil
-sage
-curry powder
-black pepper
-pinch cayenne pepper
-salt/soy sauce
-Roast the squash in the oven until soft, at about 350°. Mine took about an hour; I cut it in half, laid it cut-side down for the first 30 minutes, then flipped it and baked it cut-side up for another 30.
-At the same time you can roast the red pepper! Cut in half, clean out seeds, lay cut-side down on roasting pan until the skin is blackened and wrinkly.
-When the squash is roasted, cut it out of the skin and into chunks. Also dice up the red pepper, after removing the skin.
-Heat olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan and saute the onions until caramelized.
-Remove saucepan from heat, add chicken stock.
-Dice garlic cloves. Add garlic and squash chunks to the saucepan, and simmer on low for 30ish minutes.
-Using a potato masher, mash the squash chunks into the stock! You can also use a blender or food processor to puree the squash with the stock, but I actually like a bit of texture to my soup.
-Stir in the diced roasted pepper, add spices to taste. Simmer on low for 5-10 more minutes.
-Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt! I used thick Greek-style yogurt. Creme fraiche or sour cream would also work. Or, if you want a vegan soup, skip it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)