April | 2014 | Winston & Main

Now that’s a mouth full, isn’t it?
But a tasty one. And easy too.
And don’t you just wanna squeeze all those teeny tiny succulent cheeks to death?
I mean, in an anthropomorphic cactilovefestsortofway.
Okay, that was weird.
But you can picture it right?

Okay, okay…
I’ll break the awkward silence (americans can only go 4 seconds!)
and get back to Easter. It’s actually a really special holiday to me, not in any religious sense,
but in the holiday traditions that really see you through sort of way.

It’s my holiday among friends, and for the past five years I’ve thrown a dinner party for those friends who are orphaned from their family by geography, history, economy or circumstance.
So basically, a delightful, motley, and ever-changing crew.

Easter has seen me through a marriage, a divorce, two blogs, and three different homes, always with a slew of friends, a vat of wine, and a trough of food at the ready. Last year the addition of my darling boyfriend and his family made the holiday one of my favorites yet, and this year is sure to be fantastic,
as we’ll be celebrating in our first home together.

And every year for five years, I’ve wanted to make some sort of Easter egg place cards. I have absolutely no idea why. I’ve meant to do it. Then I inevitably run out of time, or decide it’s more essential to make a second pie or drink more wine. Pie and wine always win.

But this year is different.
This year there is time for crafts and pie and wine.
Hallelujah.

A few weeks ago I saw the clever way Emily used double stick tape over on Cupcakes and Cashmere to gussy up some salt shakers, and I immediately thought of glue dots and Easter Eggs.

Then while I was grabbing some more dots from Moskatels, my inability to pass up anything in miniature led me to acquire these teeny tiny terra cotta pots. (only 39 cents each!)
And voila! Just like that I committed to making sixteen teeny tiny polka dot egg pots.

Yep, sixteen Easter guests!

I blew out the first half-dozen, which made applying the glue dots a delicate procedure.
I couldn’t push hard enough to get the glue to adhere in one clean “dot,” and some dots
were a bit ~~misshapen or lumpy~~ organic. Once I decided to just leave the goo in the egg until after I dotted up ’em, it became a fantastically easy project.

Then I just took an Exacto knife and sliced their tops off/poured out their innards.
And we ate eggs.

This is how I did it:

ps. This project is definitely NOT rocket science and I don’t think all three of you are such idiots that I needed to write such a detailed DIY. Mostly I just wanted to practice creating a simple format for future projects and I’d love to hear what you think! It does limit us to DIYs that are six steps (or fewer)… Thoughts?

Hello again internet, you lovely ravenous beast you!
And hello lovely, non-existent readers.
I want to throw cookies at you.
And vegetables.
And crafts.

But today, because diving back into blogging is a little scary the third time around, I am offering up the most comforting soup I know.

Now, not to hit the nail on the head or anything, but here I go, dangling the proverbial carrot in an attempt to entice you to stay awhile (or come back when there’s more to see) and enjoy a big creamy bowl of curried carrot soup.

It really is an amazing bowl, full of complex (fancy speak for yummy) flavors, and it only takes a few simple ingredients to make. It’s cheap, and vegan/gluten free too. But I wouldn’t bother telling anybody that.
Okay, maybe the cheap part. Everybody loves a bargain, right?

Also, as someone who doesn’t often love cooked carrots in all their nasty mushy sweet glory, I promise you, covering them in curry and roasting them until they’ve caramelized really is the way to go. It’s actually a miracle these carrots ever make it from the roasting pan into to the soup at all, the way we snack on them, risking burnt tongues, as soon as they’re out of the oven.

The genius idea to infuse the stock with ginger is inspired by Reeve’s Roasted Carrot Soup, and it gives every bite a warm and spicy little kick. A carrot can-can in your mouth, so to speak. So while this recipe is not a one-pot wonder, please, please don’t skip the delicious ginger infusion step!

This is the way I like to do it:
I dump the stock, ginger and herbs in a pot on the stove and simmer.
Meanwhile, I peel/chop the carrots, and then spread them on the baking sheet and cover with olive oil, curry, salt, pepper. Once the carrots are in the oven, I chop the shallots, leek, and garlic and saute them in my dutch oven or stockpot. The carrots come out of the oven, very nearly escape my mouth, and are added to the shallot/leek/garlic mixture, and then a few minutes later I strain the stock into the dutch oven as well. It all happily co-mingles for a bit, and then I puree the whole mess in my blender, sometimes adding some nut milk. Sometimes not.

At this point it’s perfectly delicious and just begging to spend some quality time with you, a good book and a warm blanket on your couch, but I often fancy it up and add a little creme fraiche/pistachios. I’m even thinking of pouring it into shot glasses this Easter and serving it as a tasty little amuse bouche. Ooh la la!

Come back tomorrow for the crafts.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Roasted & Curried Carrot Soup

Author: Tabitha

Serves: 6

This is the creamiest, most flavorful vegan soup I've ever tasted (even without the nut milk). It feels fancy enough for company, but also pairs well with pajamas and a good book.

Ingredients

7-8 carrots peeled/chopped
3 shallots chopped
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 leek chopped
knob of fresh ginger peeled
few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
2 tablespoons curry powder
6 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup nut milk
olive oil
salt
pepper

Instructions

Bring 6 cups vegetable stock to boil in a pot with thyme/rosemary and knob of ginger (2")
Reduce heat and simmer.
Roast carrots on cookie sheet/roasting pan with a little olive oil, curry powder, and salt/pepper at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until carrots are brown and easy to stab with a fork.
Saute shallots and leek in a stockpot until translucent and fragrant (5 minutes)
Add garlic (1 minute)
Add carrots (2-3 minutes)
Strain vegetable stock into stockpot and simmer for 15 minutes.
Season to taste.
Puree soup in blender in batches, adding nut milk if desired.
Serve with a little creme fraiche + pistachios or some shaved parmesan

Notes

To freeze, leave out the nut milk,
then add it when heating thawed soup.

Month: April 2014

DIY: Gold Leaf Polka Dot Easter Eggs

Roasted & Curried Carrot Soup