Tuesday, May 3 2022

 "Art is simply the name for how you live your life 

and how you tell others what you think and feel."

~ Karen Magsamen, Living Artfully ~

So yesterday I suggested to Mr P that we make the Peanut Soup which we both love. He went to the grocery store nice and early and bought all the ingredients and we started putting it together in our slow cooker. Unfortunately the recipe makes more than our cooker can hold so we had to transfer it to a large soup pot on the stove. It still worked out nicely and our house smelled like peanuts and spices all day. We now have SO MUCH soup that we'll be eating it for days, especially since my dad didn't seem too keen on it (he did eat it though). I try now to stretch his taste buds too much these days and usually try to make sure he has a choice of something he likes. There's always a frozen dinner in the freezer for nights when we want to enjoy something a little too spicy for him.

Mr P went to have our winter tires changed over to the summer ones and he decided we really needed to buy new tires so he'll have to go back today and have that done. *Sigh* I hate that expense especially since we aren't really driving anywhere this year. But it is a matter of safety especially when we have the grands as passengers.

Our Soup

Listening: WETA VivaLaVoce on Radio Garden (also on WETA.org) L'elisir d'amore: Act II by Gaetano Donizetti. What a joy to listen to opera again!  I was scrolling around the globe on Radio Garden this morning and nothing sounded right until I searched for classical stations and found WETA from Washington. I dusted off my massive opera guide books and read the synopses of this opera. It's delightful though I'm surprised my husband is still sitting in the room with me. I used to love going to the opera in Bucharest, Prague, and even in Albania. You could enjoy precious gems of performances for a very low cost. I had a few girlfriends who also loved opera and we even formed an opera club where we would study the operas together before attending the performances. It was a beautiful time in my life. I miss it but I can still read. listen, and learn on my own of course.

Weather: -1c when we got up ay 5 am but it's gloriously sunny and will hit 16c later today!

Feeling: Happy and content which is nice for a change. 

Hearing: Early morning birds.... a very loud and happy sounding Cardinal and Mr P said he thought he heard an owl.

Here's the soup recipe!

Tomato and Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato and Chickpeas

(From The Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers Cookbook)

Ingredients

1Tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp peeled and grated ginger

3 gloves garlic, minced

1-2 jalepenos, seeded and finely chopped (we used a large red pepper instead)

2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or water)

1 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 tomatoes chopped or 1 19oz can diced or whole tomatoes with juice

1 lg sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1/4 to 1/3 cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro stems (reserve the leaves for garnisgh)

1 handful of torn kale or swiss chard leaves (we used spinach- probably 3 handfuls)

plain yogurt or sour cream, chopped peanuts and cilantro for garnish

To Make (on stovetop):

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened.

2. Add the ginger, garlic, and peppers. Cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the chili powder, cumin, and sale. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minutes.

4. Add the stock, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potato, carrot, peanut butter and cilantro stems. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, 20-30 minutes. Stir in the kale/spinach if using and cook until it wilts, 2-3 minutes. 

6. Serve with generous dollops of yogurt and cilantro/peanuts.

Makes about 8 servings (at least!) and you could also serve it over rice for a delicious curry.