Sweet Potato Soup

Tony was out tonight, one benefit of which is that I can eat whatever I want! Usually I eat things like beets or fancy salads, you know, things that make him gag or that he only indulges in once in a blue moon, but tonight I felt like making soup. Plus, I had a bunch of vegetables that needed to be cooked. I managed to make a really delicious soup and I'm going to blog about it right away in case I decide to try to recreate it later, since I didn't follow a recipe.

First, I peeled a big sweet potato and cut it into big chunks, which I threw onto a plate with a tablespoon of water and popped in the microwave for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, I diced half a yellow onion and started softening it in some butter. When the microwave beeped, I gave the potatoes a quick stir and put back in for another 4 minutes.

I had four small-ish carrots, which I peeled, chopped, and tossed in with the onions. Then I added a head of garlic, which I probably should have just started with the onions but honestly the garlic was an afterthought. I also had about a half a can of pumpkin puree (frozen) so I tossed that in there as well along with another half a can of evaporated milk (also frozen). When the potatoes finished cooking, I gave them a rough smash and tossed them into the pot with about a cup and a half of whole milk, and let the whole shebang simmer. I seasoned with about a tablespoon of salt, and a bunch of spices which I just used to taste: cumin, chili powder, white pepper, red pepper, thyme, ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric. I would have added paprika as well, but I forgot I used it all up this weekend when I mixed a batch of cajun seasoning. Whoopsie.

After simmering for about 10 minutes, I removed the pot from the heat and used my immersion blender to smooth it out. It was a bit thick, so I added a bit more milk, and tasted for seasoning. I amped up the red pepper, salt, and turmeric at this point, but was super happy with how quickly it all came together. When I served it, I topped with Slovenian pumpkin seed oil and roasted pistachios.

After eating, I split what was left. One half I'll freeze to eat as is another time, and to the other half I plan to add coconut milk and curry powder, and probably more ginger. That was my original plan for tonight, until I saw the evaporated milk in the freezer and tasted the batch halfway through. It didn't really need anything else, but it made a pretty large batch so I figured I'd change the flavor profile a little for the leftovers. Using the microwave for the potatoes while I got everything else chopped really saved some time, and I sense more simple soups in my future!

Food memories

I've heard it said that smells can trigger some of the strongest memories, and I believe that. For me, food smells are the quickest way to start a trip down memory road. The smell of a roux cooking, especially those first few seconds after you add your vegetables, is a very strong kickstarter for me. I used to love opening up the back door of our house and smelling something delicious and wondering what my mom was cooking.

A lot of our holiday celebrations growing up were with extended family, especially on my mom's side, in Baton Rouge. Our family is pretty big, and a lot of meals were potluck, but you could always count on a few traditions. Gumbo on Christmas Eve. Aunt Marie is in charge of the salad. Crawfish Bisque and Strawberry Shortcake at Easter. For a while now, my mom and her siblings have been having "lessons" from Granny on how to make the bisque, and it is truly a team endeavor. It's a lot of work to prepare the bisque, but the results are worth the effort!

Tony and I hosted "Thanksgiving" a couple years ago. I put it in parentheses because we celebrated in October before a deployment. It was a small affair, with a few friends over, and involved garlic mashed potatoes and a fried turkey. This year we will also have garlic mashed potatoes and fried turkey, but I think we will have over twenty guests! I am tremendously excited about it, but also a bit nervous because it's my first time hosting such a big shindig (aside from a wedding!) and I won't be back at home until Tuesday evening. Fortunately, we have a wonderful group of friends who a) will not judge us and b) are bringing some contributions, so I'm pretty sure most of my nerves are for naught. At least, I hope so!

Tentatively on the menu this year:
Caprese bites
Brined and fried turkey
Garlic mashed potatoes
Green beans (not casserole)
Balsamic and Thyme Carrots
Adult Mac and Cheese
Apple Cider Sangria
Pumpkin Pie

Maybes: Pumpkin Mousse; trifle; rolls or cornbread; stuffing; cranberry sauce

Cooking with Lucas

Two days in a row I'm blogging about food. I'm not sure what that says about me, other than I'm eating really well these days. Today I went to a cooking class in downtown Vicenza with a group of friends. This was the second class I took with Chef Lucas (www.cookingwithlucas.com) and some of the same friends, and I was very much looking forward to this pumpkin-based class. As it turns out I was slightly misled because we cooked with squash, but I don't mind in the slightest. Lucas started the squash in the oven before we arrived, so it was nearly finished by the time we got there.

We started off with Lucas' own pumpkin cappuccino recipe. Not to be confused with  Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, which contains no actual gourds. He took 3-4 tablespoons of roasted squash and put it in a blender with a couple cups of scalded milk and 6 servings of espresso, along with some cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, turmeric, and disarrono. Delicious!

Next we prepped the lasagna, and sipped some Prosecco. Instead of making our own pasta, we used prepackaged kind, half sheets designed to fit perfectly into Italian pans, which are slightly smaller than American 9x12 cake pans. Or lasagna pans, for that matter. We started off with a classic bechamel sauce - don't forget the nutmeg. Then we did a whole lot of dicing: raw butternut squash, onions, and sorpresa salami, all of which was sauteed to be the main filling of the lasagna. When it cooled off a bit, we added radicchio. All of this was layered over the noodles, along with walnuts, smoked provolone, and a sprinkling of black/white/pink peppercorn. The top layer was the filling mixed with the rest of the bechamel, and topped with some more parmaggiano cheese. All of this went into the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

We made fresh pasta for ravioli, using half semola and half farina. We did four eggs worth; two plain, one dill, and one paprika. Then we rolled out the pasta and kind of decorated the plain with designs made of the other two types. It's hard to explain, but they came out very pretty! The picture to the left is after the plain has been rolled out and decorated, but before it's been rolled again to incorporate the other two flavors of dough. Into this we spooned  roasted squash which had been mixed with more cheese and these particular Italian amaretto cookies. Apparently Italians only use those cookies for cooking, but Lucas told us Americans like to eat them. I didn't taste them, but our friend James did, and he liked them. They were quarter-sized and in my brain they are kind of biscotti-like. Anyway. We made the raviolis both nonna-style and German-style. This means we made some with knives and forks for crimping, and some with a fancy German-made roller/cutter. As Lucas put it, while nonna makes one, the Germans very efficiently make ten.

Lucas had us taste a chianti while we were making the raviolis, one he'd never bought before. Chianti is not generally something I like, but this one was pretty light. In general, the group gave it a thumbs-up.

For dinner, we ate the ravioli as our first course, with a butter-sage sauce (so simple! just melt butter and crisp up some fresh sage in it) with balsamic vinegar swirled on the plate underneath and of course topped off with some more cheese. The lasagna was our second course, and while I enjoyed it, it was so heavy I couldn't finish it. The radicchio cooked down and wasn't bitter at all, and the walnuts soaked up a bit of the bechamel sauce but retained some nice texture. I think if I cooked this at home I believe I would leave out the salami, as it overpowered the squash a bit. Lucas recommended some alternatives, including prosciutto, bacon, ham, and mushrooms.

I will definitely be trying these dishes at home, probably the cappuccino first. I think I could manage them from memory, but Lucas very helpfully posts recipes on his website. I'm sure I will provide an update when I fly solo on these!

Helena, if you are reading this, go update your own blog! :)

Volunteering and Mac 'n Cheese

I've been volunteering with the American Red Cross for the last six months. At first I just jumped in to help with special events as they came up, like the April children's Bicycle Rodeo. I helped set up tents and then I manned one of the obstacle course stations. We had the oh-so-tricky weaving obstacle. Lest you think that's something just anyone could do, let me assure you, it took brains and skill to set the orange cones precisely the right distance apart from each other. And that distance depended on not only the age, but the skill level of the participating kid.

Lately I've been working with the Publicity Chair to get the Red Cross message out to the community. Mostly that means I am the liaison to the Armed Forces Network radio station, but sometimes I do the in-briefs for newly arrived personnel. I've recorded a few commercials about classes the Red Cross provides to local servicemembers and their families, and one about the importance of volunteering. My favorite part of this gig though, is my weekly live radio spot. It's nothing big, but it's a lot of fun. Every other Tuesday at 0900 I go in and get to be part of the morning show. So far I've worked with three different djs and I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of it. The first two djs I worked with were just subbing, and all three of them have different styles. The regular lady and I do a longer conversational interview, whereas the first two djs had me do several shorter spots where I mostly did the talking. My goal is to get through an entire interview without being stumped by a question! So far I've talked about CPR, Wilderness and Remote First Aid, and Baby-sitting classes along with Emergency Preparedness month, the Red Cross Club at the high school, and the Veterans History Project. It's a good way for me to stay plugged into what's going on. And also to hear the sound of my own voice...

I had a short meeting today at the Red Cross office to talk things going on this month. Both myself and the Publicity Chair will be traveling, so we are making a plan to have others cover the radio spots for us. I wrote up a few blurbs, talking points, and questions for her. I think she's going to take the first spot, and we'll ask one of the teens from the Red Cross Club to take the second spot. Anyway, while we were there, a few of us started talking about dinner plans and of course the recent Halloween chili cook-off. Someone mentioned macaroni and cheese, and I got that idea stuck in my head. So after the meeting, I went to the commissary and got some cheese and shells and came home and made mac 'n cheese for dinner! It came out delicious.

While the shells (half of a one-pound box)
were boiling to al dente, I melted about four tablespoons of butter, into which I whisked 3T of flour and 1T of ground mustard. Oh and 3 cloves of garlic, too. Because garlic makes everything taste better. Then I added about 3 cups of milk, some paprika, some cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Then I tempered an egg and added it, along with about 8oz of grated extra sharp cheddar and another 4-6 oz of pepper jack. (I'm not sure exactly how much. About half of a 1lb block of the cheddar and a little more than half of an 8oz block of pepper jack. But I saved a little bit from the sauce to put directly on top.) I strained the shells and threw them in a casserole dish with my sauce, and stirred it up. I topped with the rest of the grated cheese and somewhere between a half a cup and a cup of panko bread crumbs. Then I popped it in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Did I say how delicious it was? I would definitely do this again!

NaBloPoMo! First time as a writer, not a reader!

I can't believe it's the first of November already. Time is just flying by! That means I've been in Italy for almost seven months, married for just over that long, and out of active duty for just over a year. So many changes! This time last year we were probably recovering hangovers from too much gluehwein the night before, handing out candy in the neighborhood in Washington, and now we're little homebodies. Well, that's mostly because the car broke down this week, which is a WHOLE OTHER blog post, or two. We did make it to Del Din last night for their Trunk or Treat event, and it was a lot of fun. If we hadn't already been committed, we probably would have backed out of that because of the car troubles, but I'm really glad we ended up going.

Neither of us dressed up for Halloween yesterday, but I did put on a green shirt, gloves, and a scarf that Tony's grandma made. I also wore the fun dinosaur beanie that Aaron crocheted after recovering from breaking his arm. I hope I never break my arm, but if I ever do, I will learn how to crochet cool hats after the cast comes off. Side note: there are now 3d casts that look like cool fishnets or spiderwebs, and you can scratch your skin and bathe with them on! I was really glad for the extra warmth after the sun went, down, because it got pretty chilly.

We left around 3:30 and arrived just before 4. Most of the trunk or treat cars were already there setting up, and we walked around and got a preview. There are some REALLY creative people out there. We dropped off our chili for the competition, and then helped set-up the company's snack area. Once the sun went down and 5 o'clock came, we manned the table so the CO and his wife could go trick or treat with their little one. This ended up being awesome, because we were positioned right in front of a mini haunted house, and the guys/zombies in there did a fantastic job making noises and scaring people (not too much) all night! They kept it up really well, and we got the fun task of showing people where the entrance was. We did one more lap of the cars, and then went into a few more haunted house areas, bypassing at least one more. I tell you, everyone went all out, and I can't wait to do it again next year.

I have no idea how we did in the chili cook-off; the lady in charge said she'd notify the soldier if/when we won, so we're still standing by on those results. However, when we went back to collect our crock pot, it was completely empty! Neither of the crocks next to us were empty, so I'm taking that as a good sign. I made a traditional chili, but I also added some chipotle peppers and about a cup of a smoked wheat beer that we had around the house. It came out nice, but I was afraid to spice it up too much, which would have been my preference. I tasted one other chili, called "Helluva Lot of Jalapeno," and had I not missed the voting deadline, I probably would have voted for that one.

Anyway, that was our first Italian Halloween. I'm sad that we missed the other party, but it would have just been too much stress trying to deal with the transportation situation. I understand we missed some really great gondolier and Dodgeball costumes. Next year we will have to bring our A game!

My favorite! Cowabunga, dudes! The soldiers went all out on this display.

The uvula makes this one. It's the little things, people.

Sneak peak at one of the haunted houses.

The haunted area behind us was full of zombies!

Cooking and cookies

Well hello there, June, and thank you for bringing a blast of heat with you. Last week Tony was in Slovenia and he said the weather was a lot like it was in Washington. Since it was warm here, he didn't pack any long-sleeve shirts or undershirts, and that was a decision he apparently regretted. One morning it was in the 30s! For comparison, when we woke up yesterday it was 83 and while watching tv in the evening it was 93 but "felt like 99." That's in degrees Farenheit, if anyone needed clarification. I just can't wait until July, when it really heats up! Methinks I need to get myself to the pool.

I don't know what on earth possessed me to make cookies in that heat...actually, fine, it was my sweet tooth. Teeth. Whatever. I had a craving. An "envie." A deep-seated desire to just have some dang sugar, already. As we didn't have any ice cream or gelato in the freezer (waaaah), and we were out of chocolate, I decided on a simple sugar cookie recipe. HA. Not only did my use of the oven heat up the kitchen to sweltering, hellish levels, the cookies didn't even turn out that great. They were soft and edible, but very thin and crumbly. I griped on Facebook yesterday that they came out more like pancakes. But that didn't stop me from eating...several...350 Farenheit is about 176 Celsius, for the record. With the cookies, that means I cooked three times yesterday. Tony started us off with a delcious breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. The bacon was nice and smoky and the toast was toast-y, but the eggs were perfect. We've both noticed a difference in the quality of eggs here as compared to what we were buying back in the States. I'm still learning when it's more advantageous to buy produce on the economy versus in the commissary, but generally speaking it's less expensive here. Probably because just about everything is local and fresh. Italy has a requirement to prominently label the origins of all foods, and most everything is Italian. Not all, of course. A great deal is imported from South Africa, among other places.

For lunch I made a quick stir fry with cauliflower, zucchini, onions, carrots mushrooms, and chicken. And for dinner we had couscous. I had mine cold and Tony ate his warm...red onions, zucchini, cucumber, carrots, feta, chicken, and a quick vinaigrette. I got the stirfry leftovers and Tony absconded with the couscous for his lunch today. Yesterday was his first time eating it and he's a convert, so I call the entire day a successful one from a culinary standpoint. What? The cookies were edible, at least.