all over the place

On Friday when I was driving back from a meeting when the traffic on the highway backed up on the bridge that goes over the French Broad river. I figured it was a wreck and slowed down with all the other cars around me. When I got to where the police car was parked in the middle of the bridge with it's lights flashing I saw beyond it a huge dog, a husky, or a wolfdog, disemboweled and dead lying in the road. It's blood had colored a good portion of the bridge and was still being painted across with all the tires that drove by. It's intestines were strewn around like streamers at a party.

Here is a recipe that I make a lot. I call it "Corn Thyme Soup" but this incarnation of it tastes more like some kind of a pepper soup.

so you need:

1 can of corn

1 can of creamed corn

2 red bell peppers

1 green bell pepper

1 or 2 onions, depending on how much you like

a little butter and flour to make a rue

vegetable broth or chicken broth (one or two cans, or get the box and use about half)

about a cup of milk? maybe more

fresh thyme

cayenne, chili powder, white pepper (only one is necessary, you don't have to have all of them)

bacon (optional)

make a rue the way you know how to with the flour and the butter. If you cook this with the bacon you don't really need the rue, just cook the bacon instead and that is the soup base thing. cut up the onions and throw them in first to saute. Cut up the thyme and put that in too. I like a lot, to the point where you eat a leaf of it in every spoon full. Chopping the thyme makes its flavor come out more but you end up eating the "sticks" that the leaves are on. You can also just strip each "branch" of the leaves and throw the leaves in.

I let that saute while I cut up the peppers and throw those in, too. I like to cook this mix until everything isn't too too crunchy like it's raw, I guess just getting it to all mix flavors. Also, you can spice it with the chili powder, cayenne, and white pepper now if you want. I just spice it to taste how I like it but BE CAREFUL because all the spices sink to the bottom of the soup- so if you spice it and it doesn't seem to be getting spicy, all of it is prob on the bottom. Learned the hard way with that.

So... then you open up the can of corn, drain it, add that to the mix. Add the creamed corn too. Stir that up for a little. Then add the broth- I just add it until it's soupy and then add the milk on top of that. It just depends on how soupy or chunky you want it. The soup itself gets thicker over time, the entire soup is def. better a couple days after you make it.

After I add all the liquid I let it get hot again (on medium or low) and then cut it off. If you leave it on there too hot for too long the veggies just get boiled and are gross. I also taste it to see if it needs salt, ground pepper, more cayenne or anything like that. Sometimes if the broth is low-sodium or something I add soy sauce instead of salt. I don't think it really matters. I also put hot sauce in it if I want it to be hotter.

I eat this all the time.

I am a vegetarian again, I think when my life starts spinning out of control I like to be able to restrict things- food is an easy target. Since I am getting a haircut tomorrow my Zooey Deschanel obsession has been kind of bad today. I learned she is a vegan because she is allergic to most dairy. Maybe for new years I will be a vegan and see how that goes. I can't deal with that over the holidays. I want to be Zooey.

I pulled out my banjo and played some Christmas carols tonight, that made me feel good. I also now have a tumblr account: http://elizzlebizzle.tumblr.com

Making playlists is really therapeutic for me. I can't wait to go home for Thanksgiving and see old friends. I hope they want to see me too.

coconutty

So I've been craving some serious coconut since the summer heat hit South Carolina. The coconut popsicles I've been eating just haven't been cutting it entirely (although they are REALLY good). So last night I cooked up some coconut pineapple curry. My mom used to make it a lot when I was in high school and it's really easy to do. It's not really for those who don't like tastebud parties (ie- hot, flavorful food).

Here's what you need:
1 medium-sized frying pan / low rimmed pot
1 can of coconut milk (regular or light, your preference)
1 fresh pineapple (a can of pineapple also works but make sure you drain the juice out! drink up!)
1 can of sliced water chestnuts (drain these too)
1 onion (I like Vidalias if they are in season)
1 fresh green pepper
curry
cayenne (or chili powder, or crushed red pepper)
salt
1 hot green pepper (optional)
chicken (optional)

So you cut the onion and the peppers up and saute them in a little olive oil until it's all a little softer but it's all still crunchy looking. I guess if you were cooking chicken with it you'd throw that in and cook that at this point too. Then you open up the water chestnuts and dump those in along with the pineapple. Stir that around for a short time and then pour the coconut milk in. Cut the heat to medium and add the curry to taste. I use a lot- my curry is yellow like the sun on the Teletubbies. Then I add the cayenne to taste (wait for it, it's a slow heat) and some salt to taste. Let that simmer for a little while. That's basically it- serve over rice and you've got some delicious yellow curry! Watch out for the hot green pepper, though. That will curl your hair.

Next up: Tahitian Coconut Bread. C gave me a recipe she got in Hawaii when she was on vacation with her family. Then maybe some Coconut Milk Sticky Rice with Mango? Homemade coconut popcicles? I better get off the computer- another one of those afternoon thunderstorms looks like it's going to rumble the city for a while.