Cook-apalooza Sunday

Before I tell you about my successes, let's review my recent failures:

1)   Kale chips.  Their crispy, melt-in-your-mouth texture transformed into ass-taste on my tongue that lasted several minutes after the chip had been consumed. I kept going back to the stove, plucking another one from the pan into my mouth, only to hate myself after each and every bite.  I tried. I tried hard to love you kale chips.  But you didn’t love me back.

2)   Pho.  I was convinced I would like this because it involved broth and noodles and sriracha.  However, it seems to me that is just a variation on ramen noodles. What’s the big deal?

3)    At home hair color. When I got my haircut last weekend, my stylist was trying to convince me to go for a “chocolate brown”. I confessed that I had a box of l’oreal in my bathroom closet the exact shade of my natural hair color and I only wanted to use it to cover my gray. Turns out, L’oreal’s “light beige brown” translates to “dark reddish brown” on my head.  That box lied to me.  It lied hard core. Lucky for that box, I kind of like it.  Plus, it will simply and easily wash out in 28 shampoos. (Unless that’s a lie too.)

And now, for the successes:

All of the following recipes were made to utilize aging produce in my fridge.  Sometimes that's how the best recipes are made. With a little love, and a lot of desperation to not waste food.

1) Roasted Tomato and Corn Soup. (the hands-down WINNER of the day)

I had a carton of grape tomatoes and a fresh ear of corn about to perish in the fridge.  Solution? This soup from edibleperspective.com

 ooohhhh MAMA!!! I'm in love with this soup! You MUST make this. NOW.

2) Roasted Broccoli and Sautéed Leek Soup

Leek about to wilt in the fridge?  Bag of broccoli about to frost over with freezer burn?  The last bit of goat cheese crumbles waiting for a cause worth dieing for? Make this: 

Roast broccoli and garlic and saute leeks simultaneously.  Add broccoli and garlic to pot of leeks. Add almond milk and broth until desired consistency. Immersion blend. top with goat cheese crumbles, salt and pepper.

3) Split pea soup

Sorry, no photo for this one.  I'm going to try to think of an interesting add-in/topping to make this blog-worthy.  Right now it's just your average split pea soup.

I sense a theme here.  I think i have developed an obsession with immersion blended soups. I’m a crazy girl with an electric mixing stick.