Homemade Vegetable Soup

Tonight I made homemade vegetable soup, a variation of a recipe from my mother's family recipe arsenal. While hers included juicy chunks of round cut beef, mine is vegetarian and chock full of veggies. A large pot costs roughly ten New York dollars. You could probably do it for 7 or 8 suburban dollars. Great for family feasts or for a week's worth of dinners for single folk, it's wonderfully supplemented by sourdough toast, but honestly, what isn't?! My father always made cheese toast in our oven toaster to accompany this one-pot wonder. Give it a try.

Homemade Vegetable Soup (vegetarian version)

1 bunch of celery, chopped

1 package of whole carrots, chopped

3-4 medium golden potatoes, skin on, chopped

1 package of frozen peas

1 28-ounce can of whole roma tomatoes

1 46-once can of tomato juice

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

olive oil

1 large stock pot with lid

Once you've chopped all of the vegetables, heat a couple splashes of olive oil in your stock pot, and saute the onions until soft. Add carrots and celery. Stir the vegetables so they are all coated with a bit of the olive oil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, place your chopped potatoes in a microwavable container, and microwave on high for 8 minutes. Add the potatoes & canned tomatoes to the pot. With a spatula, chop the tomatoes into bite size pieces. Add the entire can of tomato juice & package of peas & give it a stir. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes, longer depending on how soft you like your vegetables. Salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy with caution. It will be hot!

Tonight, I enjoyed my soup with a glass of water with a fresh slice of lime. This, I think, is the ultimate cheap summer luxury. My next plan is to get a lemon tree for the living room.

Good Idea: Grow Plants in a Hanging Shoe Organizer

If there were one thing I could admit that I regret about living in the city, it's the lack of ample yard space for a garden. Not only would a garden save money, it would be a good excuse to get outside and out of the supermarket. I just hate the thought of petroleum and pesticides in my produce. Don't you? 

Here is a terrific idea from Instructables:

A vertical vegetable garden would be perfect for growing leafy greens in a city setting where gardening space is difficult to come by, don't you think? I could envision hanging this outside our kitchen window or another particularly sunny building edifice with window access. 

Read the full post for details. 

Cleansing Tomato White Bean Soup

Lately, I've been craving simple meals, full of flavor, and fresh seasonal ingredients. 

Too often, meals are complicated by an overabundance of ingredients, prepackaged sauces and seasonings, and over-processed flours, preservatives, etc. 

Not this one. This one was perfect and clean. Eating it I felt fresh and renewed. Isn't it amazing how food can change your mood and make you feel completely different from how you felt before, relaxed, better, or uncomfortably worse? For this reason, I want to eat only foods that make me feel clean and alive. 

Tonight, I cooked a beautiful soup from Cucina Nicolina. 

White Bean and Tomato Soup

4 cloves garlic
4 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes (or 3 tomatoes, diced, juices reserved)
4 cups vegetable broth or water
2 Tb. dried basil
1 can white beans
salt and pepper

Saute the garlic in olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth or water, dried basil, and beans. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the spinach, and simmer until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, half-covered, for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

Add two slices of good Tuscan bread, and you've got a meal. Perhaps vanilla bean ice cream for desert....

Once again....

....I have fallen in love with something I cannot afford. This time it's beautifully papered resin deer head -- from RubysLounge. Who would have thought?! They're simply lovely. Check it out:

Etsy via The Lil Bee

On another note, Jose just picked up some old lithographs of the architectural plans for the London Bridge (printed in 1832) at the local antique store. I can't wait to find frames for the series. I'm thinking something rustic and unfinished would be best. I'll post images once set. 

Additionally, I can't wait for the September opening of the new Etsy labs craft center in downtown Brooklyn. As always, there is much to be learned from others and much to look forward to. 

A Treehouse in the Sky

Wouldn't you love to stay in this treehouse? Would this be a relaxing vacation or would it be more of a hassle? I think it would be rather peaceful and restorative, as long as there was a bit of day hiking. You can rent your own Free Spirit Sphere here.  

 

 

via Apartment Therapy

Silhouette Frenzy

via CafeBaudelaire

via Free People

my noble beast

my noble beast isn't quite as talented on the violin as andrew bird nor does he know how to use a looping machine, but he's a pretty special fella anyhow. andrew bird's "noble beast" album is impeccable. if you need further evidence of his talent or if you, like me, had no idea what looping was before hearing of andrew bird, watch this breathtaking performance: