Happy Holidays! Pickle's school is closed for the week, so he and I are hanging out at home. It's been a blast so far and we're only on Day Two. Here's what our days have consisted of:

1. Wake up and watch Little Bear; have juice and fish oil pills/tangerine-flavored chewables for P.

2. Eat steel-cut oats and dehydrated apples with a little maple syrup for sweetness.

3. Play with all of Pickle's new toys, while still in pajamas - heaven.

4. Have a snack (steamed edamame, seeded crackers, clementines, etc.)

5. Head outside: go on snow walks, shovel, sled in our back yard (we have a mini hill), make snow angels, follow bunny tracks.

6. Inside for lunch (soup, grilled cheese and avocado sandwiches, etc.)

7. Nap time: for me and Pickle yesterday; again, heaven.

8. Post-nap snack and more playing.

9. Make dinner (see recipe below) and dance.

10. I love vacation

I made a pledge to myself that I would cook out of my cookbooks more this year instead of constantly printing out recipes online. I'll share them with you as I proceed. I'm highlighting Alice Water's lovely cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. Last night's meal was spicy cauliflower soup from page 257 of this lovely tome. I changed only two things: I used orange cauliflower and I pureed it a bit more than what she called for as Pickle likes silky-smooth soups. Try it - it's warm, hearty and good for you, too!

Spicy Cauliflower Soup

modified from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters

serves 4-6 hungry mamas, dadas and bambinos

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, scrubbed clean, ends trimmed and diced

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon chile powder

1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

salt ( I used about 2 teaspoons total)

freshly ground black pepper

6 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped

1 large head of cauliflower, stemmed and coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 cups water

accompaniments

yogurt

chopped cilantro

wedges of lime

Directions

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, carrot, spices and salt & pepper. Cook and stir often until softened but not browned. Stir in cilantro, cauliflower, broth and water.

Raise heat to high and bring to a boil; stir occassionally. Once a boil is reached, reduced heat to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. At this point, either puree with an immersion blender or use a stiff whisk to coursely puree the soup. If overly thick, add a little hot stock to thin until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkling of cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Here's what we're eating this week...

Menu: week of 27 December 2010

Monday: spicy cauliflower soup

Tuesday: mushroom ragout with pappardelle

Wednesday: braised pork shoulder with polenta

Thursday: black-bean soup served with crusty bread

Friday: shredded pork tacos with avocado and black refried beans

Saturday: Happy New Year! lasagne bianca with homemade pasta served with a fennel-apple salad

Sunday: sauteed broccoli rabe on ricotta bruschetta

Happy eating, -s.

So, last weekend was darn cold for June (I know, we live in Wisconsin). We had hit the farmer's market in the morning, but I still wasn't sure what to make for dinner that night. I had menus for the rest of the week set, but Saturday night was throwing me for a loop.

Pickle was going to eat dinner before we did so we could have a grown-up meal without the worry of food being thrown at us, so the options were endless. I hadn't made soup in ages and since it was 59 degrees outside and spitting rain, soup sounded perfect.

With five Yukon gold potatoes in the pantry and some purple scallions, petite carrots and baby spinach from the market, I whipped together a little curried cream of potato soup for dinner with some homemade croutons for a garnish.

The next night, Pickle was given the leftover soup; needless to say it did not receive the same warm reception it did the evening prior.

Here's the recipe ... make it before it's too hot out (although, it could be good cold, too):

Curried cream of potato soup with greens and croutons
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
6 scallions, finely sliced
1 large carrot or three petite carrots, medium diced
5 yukon gold potatoes, diced into 1/2 cubes
1 teaspoon madras curry powder
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
8 oz. baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Over medium heat, add olive oil and butter to a 6-8 qt. Dutch oven or soup pot. When the butter subsides foaming, add scallions and carrots. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Sauté until slightly tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add curry power and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add potatoes, stirring to coat. Add stock and milk (add more stock if need; vegetables should be submerged completely). Add other teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, but not yet falling apart, about 45 minutes.

Remove from heat and with a slotted spoon remove about 1/3 of the potatoes and carrots and place in a bowl. With a handheld or traditional blender, puree the remaining soup until smooth. Use caution when blending hot liquids.
Add reserved veggies back into the soup, along with the heavy cream and baby spinach. Check seasonings, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Return to medium-low heat and warm until spinach has wilted and soup is hot.

Garnish with homemade croutons.

Croutons
Ingredients:
Leftover country or sourdough bread (although almost any bread will work), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, shaved on a microplane grater

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Place bread on baking sheet lined with parchment or foil.
Mix olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic together in a small bowl.
Drizzle over bread. Toss to coat.
Bake for 15-20 minute, until bread is golden brown and crisp.