Ramblings. And soup.

Seems I accidentally took a break from blogging.

I'm not doing that great. I thought I was doing okay, which I sort of am, but not great. And I'm not sick. Which is fantastic, I got through Christmas and vacation return without getting the Chest Thing that I always get over Christmas or after vacation return. I still cough a lot because that's just the way my crazy airways work, but it's still way better than last year, and I am thankful. Except even without being sick I'm not doing that great. But I did make it to the gym the last two weeks, and go to physio for my oh-so-poetic Patellar Femoral Syndrome. And I shelved library books and made dinner and watched Angus's volleyball tournament - okay, I'm sounding pathetic now just to console myself. My husband assures me that I'm not wrecking our children and reminds me that even the Cleavers weren't actually the Cleavers and offers to have sex with me because you know, that's what normal married couples do, and he's nothing if not a giver.

AND I did finally make an appointment with the allergist (May) and the sleep clinic (July), which is good in a way (doing something concrete to address the issues) and bad in a way (I worry that I'm going to build up my hopes that they'll be able to fix stuff and if they don't it will be a crushing disappointment, then I worry that they'll be judgey and mean and I start to hyperventilate and worry that I'll panic and not be able to make myself go to the appointments, in which case you all have my permission to kick my ass).

BUT, on Friday we were invited to a fondue by people that we only know from constantly horning in on our neighbours' parties while they were there. That's right - they know us solely by virtue of the fact that we wander over on New Year's Eve or summer Saturday nights, invite ourselves in shamelessly and say why yes, I'd LOVE a margarita, if you're offering. And they TOLD US WHERE THEY LIVED. And when one of their friends I didn't know asked how we knew them, I told her and she said "oh, you're the fun neighbours Lisa always talks about."

WE'RE THE FUN NEIGHBOURS. Hope you don't mind if I coast on that until March.

This is the Curry Sweet Potato soup (from the Winter 2012 issue of the LCBO Food & Drink magazine) that I was raving about. It doesn't seem to be on the website yet and I am of the firm belief that it must be disseminated as widely as possible, because there is every possibility that this soup might be able to bring about world peace.

Curry Soup with Spicy Cilantro Coconut Pesto (I didn't make the pesto and it was great without it)

1 tbsp (15 mL) coconut oil (I used coconut butter)
2 onions, chopped, about 2 cups (500 mL)
2 tbsp (30 mL) minced garlic
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced ginger
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced lemon grass (didn't use it, couldn't find any)
3 tbsp (45 mL) red curry paste, or to taste (used 3 tbsp)
1 tbsp (15 mL) ground turmeric
3 medium sweet potatoes, 1 1/2 lbs (750 g), peeled and chopped
1 ripe banana
3 1/2 cups (875 mL) vegetable stock (used chicken stock, had it already made)
1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Spicy Cilantro Coconut Pesto

1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) roasted red chili paste
3 tbsp (45 mL) shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup (250 mL) loosely packed cilantro leaves
2 tbsp (30 mL) melted and cooled coconut oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) sunflower oil

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat and sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, ginger and lemon grass and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in curry paste and turmeric. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. (I also sautéed the sweet potato chunks in a little coconut butter at the same time in the soup pot).

2. Add sweet potato, peeled banana, 3 cups stock and coconut milk. Increase heat to bring to a boil then immediately reduce temperature so that the soup begins simmering with a light, gentle bubble. Simmer for 20 minutes or until sweet potato is fork tender.

3. Blend soup with an immersion blender or remove from heat and blend in batches in a food processor. If soup is too thick, add remaining 1/2 cup of stock as needed. Return to pot and simmer until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

4. Process garlic, salt, chili paste and coconut in food processor until finely ground. Add cilantro and process until finely chopped. With machine running, slowly pour in oils until smooth. Use pesto immediately.

5. Serve soup with a dollop of cilantro pesto.

Serves 6

Under an Afghan Meatball

So Angus's class was having World Expo today - they all picked a country to study and present about. Angus chose Afghanistan because he wanted to write about the war. Which made me realize that I hadn't really talked to him about the war and didn't really know that he knew about the war and OH MY GOD I'm SCREWING EVERYTHING UP as a mother and... anyway. He wanted to make food to serve at World Expo. So we made meatballs with lamb and chickpeas and spices. They were okay - I don't really like lamb. I thought it was a little screwy to be making Afghani meatballs in the midst of Christmas craziness also, but what the hell, it was kind of fun.

 So he came home from school and said "today was AWFUL. Well, I did my project, but Connor upchucked in class. And I was RIGHT BEHIND HIM." We asked him how his project went and he said fine, but clearly the classroom upchucking was the centerpiece of the day. When I told him I needed some serious meatball love for making meatballs the day before the day before the day before the day before Christmas, he said everyone really liked them. He went downstairs. Half an hour later the phone rang. He came up and said Connor wanted him to go over. I said are you the least bit serious? Not if he threw up today. Angus said "he said he's fine - he just choked on a piece of meatball." Then he said into the phone "my parents are rolling on the floor laughing. I'll call you back when they get back to normal."  In all the uproar I had to rewind the person being dismembered by a forest creature on my computer. What - you don't watch Supernatural while wrapping presents and baking? Blood and guts - ever so festive.

 For Kelly and The Queen - I am heartily sorry. I had no idea that Swiss Chalet was a Canadian chain of restaurants - I just assumed everyone had them. I'm even sorrier that you're denied the wonderfulness that is the festive special. You know, it used to come with a Toblerone instead of the five Lindt truffles, and I was actually disappointed when they switched - I was young and clueless back then, obviously.

 For Hannah - to match your shameful confession, one of my own, which has nothing to do with Swiss Chalet and I only thought of it because I actually told it to Collette while we were out yesterday and she told me it was so embarrassing I should never admit it to anyone. You know that song 'Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree'? I thought 'kookaburra' was the Australian aboriginal word for koala bear.

 For Nan: my embarrassing but beloved reindeer ornament

My crafty mother's handmade angel

and snowman:

and my daughter's made-from-scratch angel (clearly the craftiness does skip a generation):