mushroom soup (vegan)

i decided to be a good girlfriend and make john some soup while he was at work.
it was good, so i'll try to share what went into the pot...

handful of dried porcini mushrooms, (chopped)
4 cups vegetable broth ( i had bullion)
2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
3 tbs margarine
2 tbs potato starch
1 tsp truffle -infused oil (if you've got it)
1/2 tsp sage
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili spice - optional (i found it in my cabinet. it had chili peppers and clove and garlic in it. i figured "what the hell?")
 salt and pepper to taste.


soak the dried mushrooms in the broth  and simmer for about 5 minutes ( keep the heat at a simmer throughout the whole process. you don't want to heat this too much, or it'll separate and get gross. low heat!)

add the other mushrooms, garlic and onion. simmer until tender

in a separate bowl, heat the soymilk and margarine until  margarine is melted.
add the potato starch and whisk until thick

add soymilk mix to soup, whisking constantly.

add the rest of the spices and stuff

revel in your accomplishment.

"new" table

our dining room table was in desperate need of replacement.
so off to the thrift store...

john spied this little $10 gem.

buried under years of ugly paint was a solid wood table just the size we were looking for.
after a bit of sanding...

 

and staining

we had a new, perfectly rustic little table!

and the total cost (i had the stain in my basement, and borrowed the sander from my dad) for table and pack of sandpaper: $13.

awesome.

sinful sweet potato bread

lately john has been baking like crazy.
i can not bake.
 instructions and precision measurements makes me feel stifled and rebellious.
and rebellion in a field which requires precision usually ends in smoke and anger.
john has the patience for it, and amazing things are suddenly emerging from our oven.
this is one of them...

1  1/2 cups sugar
    1 cup canned sweet potato
    1/2 cup banana
    1/2 cup water
    2 eggs
    1  2/3 cups flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    1/2 teaspoon cloves


Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, and stir them together. 

                                     

Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60 (?) minutes.

            (Keep an eye on it, when a toothpick comes out clean, it’s done.)

Let cool for at least 10 minutes and then remove from loaf pan to a plate.

try not to eat the hell out of it with your bare hands.

Serves: 6-10

fall cleaning, cornbread and pets i'd sometimes like to strangle.

so after fighting with my cat for the sofa i finally surrendered.
he won. and there was no way i could deny it any longer.
so yesterday i got the distinct displeasure of wrestling with a broken sofa, smelly porch chairs, disgusting old magazines and dust bunnies the side of real bunnies all day long.
but
now my house is cleaner, smells better and feels better.

and it got me thinking...people always go all out spring cleaning. and i suppose i do to, but i think fall cleaning is just as important.
seeing as you will be living primarily in your confined homespace for the next few months it's probably a good idea to make it as livable as possible while the weather is still nice enough to open windows and haul stuff away.
so i think i'm going to make a new annual habit of doing just that.

lately, likely due to the cooler weather, my lover has taken to baking bread. last night it was cornbread, and it was fantastic.
home baked bread is probably one of my new favorite things.
and it's cheap.
 and delicious.

i am really too distracted to properly write today. too busy.
i got to start my day sweeping and vacuuming because my pets are shedding their fur at exponential rates these days, and that means i now get to clean twice a day instead of just once.
for all the hair they lose i expect to see at least one bald pet wandering around...

but the holidays are creeping up and i'll have more interesting things to say soon, i promise.
i apologize for this very lackluster, boring blog.