the best soup ever

i made up my very own recipe - and it is so good! although i have no way to tell if it's actually as good as i think it is. jack loved it, but he doesn't count. really he doesn't - once he came home and i yelled to him from the other room to try my beans. he said: this is so good, honey, but maybe it needs a little salt. when i went in, i realized he had eaten a spoonful of the soaking beans (only half fit in my pot so i left the rest on the counter in a bowl of water). seriously.

anyway. maybe someone can try this recipe and let me know? it's quick and easy. this is for a little pot (2 big, big bowls), but you could double it for more.

cajun corn and crab soup

ingredients
4 tbsp. butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 c. onion, chopped (1 small)
1/3 c. celery, chopped
1/4 tsp. garlic, minced
2 tbsp. flour
15 oz. chicken broth (1 can)
15 oz. sweet corn cream-style (1 can)
1 c. heavy whipping cream
6 oz. crab meat (1 can)
1/4 tsp. liquid crab boil
salt
pepper
thyme

directions
· Melt 2 tbsp. butter in sauce pan. Add chopped onion and celery. Cook until soft (about 10 minutes).
· Whisk in flour. Cook for 2 minutes.
· Stir in chicken broth and liquid crab boil. Sprinkle in thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
· Remove from heat. Stir in crab meat, cream and remaining butter. Let sit for 1 hour.
·Reheat gently. Do not boil.

i'm almost ashamed

i'm almost ashamed to say that these pictures are from this year.

what can i say? usually i'm all it's not even thanksgiving! but this year i was all think it's too early to put up the tree? another advantage of artificial trees - i could have put it up in july if i wanted too. (the weather here actually isn't that different than july - note the pretty pink flowers outside.)



i love the holidays. i love our decorations. the little stars, and the star topper, the sparkly red garland, colored lights, shrinky-dinks, and this year's addition: mini-disco balls!


and i picked up a few candles so it smells like the holidays too!


incidentally, this is what my step-kids consider their favorite christmas cd - star wars and other galactic funk:


i have to admit i associate it with the holidays too, probably because we play it as background music during holiday parties. it's actually a really fun, energizing cd.

anyway, i'm guessing they'll love this:

today

woke up this morning much earlier than usual and feeling sort of mad at everything. i realized there was absolutely nothing i had to do today. then realized this could be a very good thing.

turned up the music (afi - the accidental default since it's first on the ipod), made a cup of coffee, printed out a new recipe and my perhaps favorite to start on, and maybe will put on my favorite background movie clueless just for good measure.


*my pumpkin honey muffins were so good! perfect for the season. i used the linked recipe, but changed a lot i guess. i left out the raisins - don't like them in muffins or cookies. i didn't have whole wheat flour, used all-purpose. didn't have pumpkin pie spice, so used some cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper. (then found pumpkin pie spice in the cabinet and added it too.) accidently added 2 cups of pumpkin instead of 3/4 cup, then added 1/4 cup self-rising flour to compensate.

i love that now i'm comfortable enough cooking that i can switch things up a bit and still have good results. i particularly liked the black pepper taste to the muffins, it was unusual.