Changes

I made a vow to myself that I would write an absolute bare minimum of two blog posts each month, and notice how my posts have been at the ends of the months lately?

First off, my internet connection is crap. Sometimes I can't log on to Blogger because the wussy little ISP gets overwhelmed by anything more data heavy than Pong, and gives me error messages. I can't wait to get something better than dial-up. Then I can actually load pictures onto this blog without it taking hours. (Not exaggerating.)

Second, I'll be moving soon. Knowing that June 28th is the day we close on our new home in Worcester is what's keeping me going.

Third, the kitchen in my new home has about three times the cabinet and countertop space of this hobbit-hole I am living in now. When I toured this house, I didn't want to leave the kitchen. I wanted to start cooking, immediately.

Fourth, Edy's Limited Edition Summer Peach Pie ice cream is awesome. It even has little chunks of pie crust in it! (There, something about food.)

The Soup Recipe From The Foil On The Yogurt Container

I finally got around to trying this recipe a few days ago, and now I'm finally getting around to blogging about it.

This is the recipe as it was given on the foil on top of the yogurt container.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canola oil


1 large sweet onion, sliced


2 tsp. ground cumin


3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed


1-1/2 qt. chicken broth


1-3/4 cup Dannon® Plain Yogurt


2 Tbsp. chopped parsley or cilantro 


1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

1. In a soup pot heat oil. Add onions and cumin and sauté 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup 20-25 minutes.


2. Puree soup with 1-1/2 cups Dannon® Plain Yogurt and parsley or cilantro. Serve each portion of soup with a dollop of remaining yogurt and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

Yields: Yields: 12 Servings (8 oz. per serving)

http://www.dannon.com/recipes/recipe/default.aspx?recipeId=999

I did modify the recipe a little, since I had some things on hand and not others.

I used olive oil. I almost always use olive oil.

Instead of sweet potatoes, I had extra large yams, at least half a pound each, so I only needed 2 for this recipe.

Instead of the chicken broth, I used Pacific Natural Foods Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth, which comes in quart size aseptic packages (like giant juice boxes), then added 2 cups water to make the amount of liquid needed. The broth is very strong and flavorful, and could stand to be diluted that much.

Instead of pumpkin seeds, I had raw sunflower seeds in my pantry, so I used those for the topping.

Unfortunately, I don't have an electric mixer. (I got an immersion blender for Christmas, but left it at Mom's until we move out of this hobbit hole that lacks adequate cabinets.) I let the soup boil for longer, then simmer for longer than the given times, to soften the yams up more, then I coarsely mashed it with a hand chopper. It was sort of funny looking, and I wouldn't serve it to guests like that, but it was still extremely delicious, and all for me.