Sunday Soups 7, 8, and 9

Unfortunately for Michael, due to some shifting around to get easy soups for the busy play weekends, we ended up with tomato soup two of the last three weeks. He was very supportive and ate both with no complaints.

Tomato and Fennel Soup with Pernod Cream--I left the Pernod out of the cream, because I didn't want to buy a bottle of anise-flavored liqueur when I only needed 3/4 of a teaspoon for this recipe. I like licorice, but I don't want to drink it. This soup has more fennel than tomato. It went very well with grilled cheese sandwiches made with good Cabot cheddar. Michael couldn't quite give it a thumbs up, but the rest of us did.

Spicy Pork Chili with Cumin Polenta--I had an ingredient issue with this recipe. Serrano peppers were not to be had, so I substituted with jalopeno. I'm not sure if it was due to the subsitution, but this chili was not as spicy as I had expected. It's more labor-intensive than most of the soups I've done so far, but it was tasty enough that is will likely make the permanent rotation at the end of the year. Five thumbs up.

Tomato, Dill, and White Cheddar Soup--This one had four times the tomatoes of the other soup. Perhaps consequently, Michael liked it less. I thought it was great, and it's quick and easy enough to make midweek. This soup has two qualities that are common among the recipes in this book: the use of leeks instead of onions and a touch of heat (cayenne pepper in this case) that intensifies the flavor of the vegetables. Michael was neutral on this one (because he is too polite to give it a thumbs down); the rest of us liked it.

Completely Missing the Point

We're reaching the end of our rope around here. Not just Michael and I, but the entire town. It's the last night of the busiest ten days of the ski season, and we're a bit worn out from being ON all the time.

We had a couple of late-night noise complaints Friday night, so last night, when Michael left the key for our late arrival and closed up, he was hoping to get a solid 8 hours of sleep.

Around 11:30, the guest called to say he'd arrived and to thank Michael for leaving the key.

Because nothing says "thank you" like a phone call when you're fast asleep.

Public Service Announcement: Think of Your Driver

We got a call at 3:30 this morning from the apologetic desk clerk at the posh resort on the mountain. She was sorry to bother us so late, but did we happen to have a room available? One of their guests had arrived by hired car and had failed to reserve a room for the drivers.

As it turns out, due to last-minute cancellations (funny how highs in the 50s and chance of rain brings out the illnesses), we did have a room available, but what on earth would this man have done if it had been a typical President's Week, when every bed in the Valley is full?

We see this at least once a winter, usually with bus drivers. Yes, people, even the help needs to sleep.

Time for an Anatomy Lesson

LW, yesterday: Mom, you know the sack behind my penis? Is that where the pee comes from?

Sunday Soups 5 and 6

We had our first soup fail, but it wasn't the one I expected.

Ever since my first skim through the book, I've dreaded the day I had to serve Celery Bisque. The fact that it was to be served with Stilton Toasts improved it slightly, but not enough for me to stop worrying. Really, is there any vegetable more boring than celery? Celery Bisque seemed like the soup equivalent of celery sticks. Palatable enough, but certainly not a meal. I even made dessert as a culinary apology.

Surprisingly, it was quite good. It tastes a lot like the cream of broccoli soup I frequently make. Thumbs up all around (except for LW, of course).

This week was Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto and Parmesan. Eh. Some of it might be the fault of my blender, which didn't do a great job pureeing it, but only IM and EM (who, frankly, will eat just about anything they can get in their mouths these days) gave this a thumbs up. Michael, NB, and I were neutral. I approached the leftovers quite glumly at Monday lunch. Its strongest asset is that it's a way to use up two entire heads of cauliflower. As I slowly move toward my goal of more seasonal and local eating, that's something to consider.

I have to say that I finished this soup off at lunch today, after taking a break yesterday, and I found it quite delicious. I still probably won't make it again unless I find myself in possession of large quantities of cauliflower.