Class not Arse

Simple and cheap but looks (and tastes) like a classy effort? Count me in. There's nothing like cheating and getting good results.

Not bad if I do say so myself. And so easy - don't even have to fry anything up first like pumpkin. Into ye olde slow-cooker it all went. A full head of broccoli, a couple of carrots, a shake of cumin (roughly a teaspoon would be my guess), 1 clove of garlic, and a cup or so of stock (enough to cover the veg - minus the florets). Cook on high in the slow-cooker for a couple of hours. Add the juice of a small lemon, then a massive tablespoon of sour cream (or a normal cream) and mush it up (however you do it - blender, soup mate thing (the wizzy sticks with blades that you just put into the pot and whir - love it!) or food processor).

Can be served hot or cold (you get bonus posh points for any soup served cold). I added a little sour cream and a couple of bacon chips (real bacon, made by me) to serve. Of course if it's vego then some parsley, or a some grated carrot looks just as good.

Can be served with the garlic bread or rolls if you want to make it a meal.

More Brews and Food?

No wonder I'm getting a gut. =)

The lemonade's still fermenting. On tasting it wasn't too flash. It tastes kinda... beery. I just used a couple of beer kit yeasts - not recommended. Not good in a lemonade. The bitterness isn't as strong as when I first set it up, so there's hope though. I'm going to separate it from the yeast and sit it for a while, so hopefully the 'beeryness' disappears.

Now this is a great brew! Amazing. If I can one day brew a dark approaching this quality I'll be happy. And quite possibly perpetually drunk (say that three times after a couple of Leffes).

Had it at the Belgium Beer Cafe in the city. Not really my kind of drinking haunt generally. But it was a special occasion (sorta). Very good beer, served very well, and very expensively. Though honestly if you've got the money it's well worth it. The girls and guys behind the bar are nice, and really knowledgeable about beer. I learnt heaps. They also did me up a little sampler for a reasonable price so I could work out what (besides the dark) was good.

A soup with the strong flavours to go with the dark fell into my lap the other day. I was at the Adelaide central markets the other day, and one place had tomatoes and capsicum reeeeeeeally cheap. So of course I grabbed a heap, and did a little google to see what I could find.

Roast capsicum and tomato soup? Yes please. The amounts ended up being about a biscuit tray (crammed full) of veges to 1.5-2 litres of stock. I used only roast capsicum and tomatoes. But if I'd had some zucchini I would have used a little of that too.

Oil the biscuit tray (or roasting pan/s) and cover with roughly equal numbers of tomatoes and capsicums. Either put a couple of garlic cloves in too, or, if you're lazy like me and mostly use crushed garlic in a jar you can put some of it in the oil before brushing the veges with it.

I also grabbed some turkish bread while I was at the market. Soft and fluffy and about a foot by a metre. I made it into a crispy garlic bread to serve with the soup by smearing on the butter and crushed garlic (not pictured, that's the knockoff I tried when the turkish bread was gone *cry* - nowhere near as good). Good strong tastes and went great with a dark.

Comfort Food!

Blah! I hate being sick. I won't bore / disgust you with the details, but I have the flu. Thankfully not bird flu, I think you have contact with women birds to get that. *Sigh* It'd almost be worth it.

One of the questions the doc asked was 'have you been eating well?'
'Weeeeell...' I said
She raised her eyebrow 'Three meals a day?'
Me 'Oh. Yeah.' (*thinking* Lime and Cracked Pepper chips count as a meal. I mean lime's citrus)

I decided to take care of myself this afternoon and had some of my chicken and veg soup. This is a great in winter, especially when you're sick. I remember how excited I got when Weasel Woman got sick a couple of weeks ago and I could give her soup. My friend's sick. Yay!

I'm going to teach you how I make soup. Everyone's is a bit different. I'll give you the ingredients for my chicken soup, but also give alternative so that you can make it vegetarian too if you wish.

I make my own stock, but cheaters can use the liquid stock, or if they really have no class they can use powdered =p. For chicken stock I just boil the guts out of roast chook left overs for a few hours, then pick out the bones (leaving in the meat of course). Vege stock is trickier. I just keep all my vege scraps (peelings, onion ends and skin, etc) in a bag in the freezer and when I have enough I make up some stock. Make sure you don't use too much leafy stuff, it makes bitter stock. It's foul (learnt by experience =(). Stock will need to be cooked for at least a full day (or night).

To the stock (or stock and chicken) I add some yellow split peas, pumpkin (gives the soup a bit of texture) and carrots. I sauté some onion and add that too (if you like celery in soups - I don't - saute that too). I boil it up in the slow cooker for at least half a day with the lid off (on high), longer if it's on low. Check the flavour, if it's not strong enough keep boiling off the liquid until it tastes good.

Freeze in single or group servings and you have some good, solid meals to serve guests, family, or friends if they 'just show up.' Or you can be like me and get excited when your friends get sick =).