Sasquatch Music Festival 2012

Butternut Carrot Ginger Soup

Hello hello! I joined tumblr two years ago and it’s been super but now it’s time to venture off on my own and create a big girl blog! I wanted more freedom to display my photos and recipes, as well as a custom design. I hope you will come visit me! I’ll still be keeping my Modernhippie Tumblr and I’m looking into a way to post simultaneously to both blogs, but my new one is a lot spiffier.

www.modernhippie.me

I’m a finalist for a fun Instagram contest, booya!

I’m teaching myself how to make little videos for fun, here’s my first attempt. Stop motion compilation of my recent trip from Montreal to New york City.

Sooo easy to make, this is my new “need a chocolate fix now” dessert! So easy that if you’re not paying attention and forget to put in half the milk and only 1 of 2 eggs it still works and tastes delicious! 

Recipe

All images © Melanie Shave

Trying to take more food photos, I usually remember right after I’ve thrown everything into the pot and it looks like a disgusting mess. I bought some organic chicken backs (yummers) at the farmers market and am currently making some chicken veggie stock. Managed to grab a shot of these little guys before they joined their friends. 

Judging from my posts one might be fooled to believe I have an obsession with squash and soup. Mmmmm, not quite. I do have a fondness for buying squash at the farmers market, how could I not when they are always in season and look so cool! But then I get home and they sit on my table going bad while I try to justify why the hell I bought yet another squash. I usually end up making the squash recipes on a lazy Sunday afternoon with no time constraints and little hope that they will turn out, giving me lots of time (and daylight) to take pictures. So on that little note any squash recipe suggestions besides soup and bread would be greatly appreciated as I fear my squash buying days are far from over. 

Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 celery stick
5 cups homemade chicken or veggie stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional Topping Suggestions:
Goat cheese
Pea Sprouts (or any other sprouts)
Cream

Directions:
Roast butternut squash and carrot in the oven at 375 or frying pan until soft. Mix remaining ingredients to the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cooked squash and carrot to broth and simmer another 20 minutes until everything is nice and soft. Take a big spoon and scoop out the chunky bits (squash, carrot, onion, celery) in batches and transfer to blender. This allows you to slowly add the desired amount of stock while blending in order to customize your soup thickness.  Top with anything you might like or have plain.

Notes:
Pea Sprouts: YUM! This was the first time I’ve tried pea spouts and they went amazingly with the soup. 
Homemade stock:  THE most important thing, it will make a world of difference to your soup. I’m a horrible stock maker, I throw anything and everything into the pot, cover with water and let simmer for 2-3 hours. It wasn’t until I actually read a proper recipe that I realized how wrong I was doing it. I don’t really care if it has little floaty bits and is cloudy, it always taste good.
Ingredients: I usually eyeball all ingredients so this is a guestimate of amounts. Use your common sense and adjust everything to your liking. Don’t have something? Improvise! 

We booked a little getaway to Cuba and are leaving in two weeks, I cannot wait!! I’m so excited for the breathtaking Caribbean beaches and the opportunity to aimlessly wander around Havana with my camera. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!! 

Photo by Giuseppe Finocchiaro 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/giuseppefinocchiaro/4588822629/ 

May 16th, 2010 8:12pm

As per Heidi of 101 cookbooks’ recommendation I tried to keep the pizza toppings to a minimum - fresh mozza, basil and a little salami for the “must have meat” boyfriend. This is the left over dough which has been sitting in the fridge for 3 days, I’m not sure if it’s the simple toppings or the extra time but this was hands down the best so far. 

PS - A little sprinkle of sea salt when it comes out of the oven really makes a difference.