Tag Archives: food

Soup’s On, Week Fifty-One in the No Longer New Abnormal

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It’s soup season.  A pot of lentil soup is simmering on the stove.  I plan to enjoy any number of soups throughout winter.  This batch of lentil soup is flavored with Moroccan spices. When I’m not able to get away it’s fun to tour the planet from my kitchen.  I’ll create an Italian tomato basil soup next week, and then a Thai chicken soup after that.  As a child soup was limited to Campbell’s, and later Progresso.  I liked them well enough, but the first time I had real Greek chicken and lemon soup, I knew the canned options were relegated to my past.  

Soup is also a wonderful metaphor for the fullness of our lives.  How much spice do we enjoy?  What is the base of your life’s soup?  I like variety so I tend to have a few pots on the stove.  I enjoy bold flavors, but once in a while I prefer a simple broth.  On those occasions, staying home or getting away to a quieter environment makes all the difference.  This week the soup was full of holiday cheer.  Norm Lewis is performing a holiday concert, which he deems a party, at 54 Below.  He knows how to bring true joy to every stage where he performs.  And the New York Pops just had their holiday concert at Carnegie Hall with Jessica Vosk, an amazing performer I only discovered this week.  I will be catching up on her unparalleled talent by listening to her albums while cooking my soups.  

This holiday season can easily bring many feelings some delightful, like when enjoying a concert of top talent. Or it can feel lonely, like when you are missing those we’ve lost to illness or circumstances beyond your control.  Think about what you need.  What do you put in your soup?  If you’re up for it, there may be volunteer opportunities that can be deeply gratifying.  Or gift yourself something from your closet.  Find a sweater you forgot you had.  Or, open up a jar of spice you rarely use for your own special soup.  Be thoughtful about what you need these next couple of weeks.  Comfort and joy can take many forms.  In the same way that soup is an ever-changing course.  

Self-Care Tips:

  • Make soup.  Or enjoy soups that others make.  Warm yourself in this cold weather. 
  • In really cold weather, putting on a pair of latex medical gloves as liners below your gloves will keep your fingers extra toasty.  
  • Discover Jessica Vosk for yourself.  If you already knew of her, then revisit her dynamic talent.  Enjoy her holiday album.  Here’s a video to enjoy a taste:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DDz1GjbpUcg/

Zucchini Fritters, Week Twenty-Eight in the No Longer New Abnormal

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It’s sweltering outside.  The humidity and the temperature are high.  Though I have a good number of chores to get done, I’m choosing to spend this time writing this blog in the air conditioning.  I haven’t planned what I’ll write, so as unoriginal as it is, I’ve started by mentioning the weather.  Inspiration is not forthcoming.  I just walked away to go into the kitchen.  I cubed and toasted bread to make breadcrumbs to go with the zucchini I purchased today at the farmer’s mlaarket.  In fact, the bread came from there last week.  I ‘m making zucchini fritters.  The eggs that go in the mix come from another stall at the farmer’s market.  I didn’t see the right onions, so I’ll have to go out for them.  I so enjoy the sweet and savory combination of the fritters.  

Rather than a traditional blog post, I will share how to make Zucchini Fritters or Zucchini Cakes.  I don’t have a recipe so these are approximations. 

I medium to large zucchini

1 onion

Bread crumbs from 3 slices of bread (or about a cup or so)

2 eggs

Salt

Pepper

Vegetable oil

Grate the zucchini.  I use a food processor, but you can do it with a hand grater if you don’t mind spending more time.  Chop the onion, unless you purchased it chopped already.  Add salt, pepper and any other spices you like.  Beat the eggs then mix the zucchini, eggs, breadcrumbs and spices.  When the oil is heated in the pan spoon one at a time a tablespoon of the mixture.  Allow it to sizzle until it’s brown on the bottom, then flip with a spatula.  When they are brown on the reverse side, use the spatula to place them on a plate with paper towel to absorb the extra oil.   

You can also spray a baking pan and bake them in the oven using less fat and oil.  They aren’t as crispy, but the flavor is still there.  

You can eat them when cooked, or you can store them in the refrigerator.  I like them with tzatziki.  

Self-Care Tips:

  • Enjoy fresh zucchini or other vegetables and fruits in season, no matter if you eat them raw or cooked.  
  • If you like to cook or bake, try your own interpretation of a recipe.  It’s delicious when you accommodate your own tastes. 
  • If you are uninspired take a detour and go in another direction