carrot soup

as the temperatures rise and it feels more and more like summer outside, the last thing on our minds was a warm bowl of soup! but with several bunches of carrots leftover from a recent shoot, i couldn't think of anything i'd rather make. it's actually quite perfect to eat near the blasting air conditioner with a cold crisp salad for lunch or dinner. quick to prepare and with minimal time spent by a warm stove, this soup could even be served chilled.

might have to try this salad over the weekend from smitten kitchen via the wednesday chef.

it's now the perfect time of year to start drinking rose and this bottle was always one of our favorites! wonder if we can find it in nyc?

great recipes for icy treats here from design sponge. remember when we made boozy pops here? also, if you happen to be around brooklyn flea or chelsea market, definitely check out people's pops - they're great.

have a wonderful weekend!

Spiced Carrot Soup

serves 4

2 tbs olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tbs grated fresh ginger

1 lb carrots, peeled & roughly chopped

2 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock stock

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

cilantro sprigs, optional garnish

in a large saucepan, heat oil and saute onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more. add carrots and broth and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. carefully puree soup in batches in a blender or in the saucepan using an immersion blender until smooth. stir in cumin, coriander and lemon. divide between four bowls and garnish with yogurt and cilantro.

quick & easy

everyone needs a few simple but beautiful go-to appetizers to throw together at the last minute. or a little something to nibble on with a nice glass of sauvignon blanc when 5 o'clock rolls around. these are two snacks we've been making lately. the white bean dip is a nice change from hummus, which we love but eat way too often. it's always a good idea to have a few cans of cannellini or garbanzo beans in the pantry for just such an occasion! mixed olives are so easy and available everywhere and this is a nice way to make them a little more unique. enjoy!

Marinated Olives

10 oz mixed olives in brine

4 kumquats or 1 small tangerine, sliced

4 sprigs rosemary

1/2 cup olive oil

drain olives reserving a few tablespoons of brine. in a small bowl, mix olives with sliced kumquats, rosemary and olive oil. refrigerate for 2-6 hours and bring to room temperature before serving.

White Bean Dip

15 oz cannellini (white kidney beans), drained

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

2 green onions, chopped

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

2 tbs white balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

in a food processor, combine beans, garlic, lemon juice, green onions, parsley and vinegar and pulse to chop. with processor running, slowly add olive oil and puree until smooth and creamy. adjust seasoning with salt & pepper to taste. serve with assorted vegetables and crackers for dipping!

five spice pork

this is a dish that really shows of the simplicity of asian cuisine. it's refreshing that something so basic can be so comforting - a big bowl of warm noodles, rich broth, tender pork and hearty greens. we could eat something like this every day! it's always fun and inspiring to slowly walk through the aisles of your local asian grocery and that's where we found these gorgeous soba noodles, spicy sambal oelek and gai lan. gai lan is also known as chinese kale or chinese broccoli and is very similar in taste to broccoli raab.

Five Spice Pork with Soba Noodles & Miso

1 lb pork tenderloin

1 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs ground coriander

1 tsp five spice powder

32 oz reduced sodium chicken stock

8 oz soba noodles

6-8 crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 tbs white miso paste

1 small bunch asian leafy greens (gai lan or choy sum), sliced

2 tbs soy sauce

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1-2 tbs sambal oelek, optional (hot chili paste)

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. rub pork tenderloin with a few drops of sesame oil and coat well with coriander, five spice, salt and pepper. roast until cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. cover with foil and let rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing.

in a large saucepan, bring stock and 1 cup water to a boil. add the noodles and mushrooms and simmer for 3-4 minutes. whisk in miso paste and add leafy greens. continue to simmer until greens are wilted, about 3-4 minutes. stir in soy sauce and remove from heat.

divide noodles and vegetables between bowls, top with sliced pork and cover with broth. garnish with a few more drops of sesame oil, sliced green onion and a little sambal oelek for heat. enjoy!

the high life

we finally had some nice rainy cool weather to make it really feel like winter. well, a southern california winter that is. so we had to make soup! this creamy corn chowder combines some of my favorite flavors like smokey bacon, sweet bell pepper, creamy sweet corn and earthy herbs like thyme and bay. i used fresh corn leftover from a miller high life bbq shoot but frozen corn works well too. feel free to adjust the ratio of cream to chicken stock if you want an even richer chowder.

Corn Chowder

6 oz bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

1 red or orange bell pepper, diced

3 carrots, peeled & diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 qt chicken or vegetable stock

5 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob (about 5 cups)

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbs fresh chopped parsley

salt & pepper

in a large saucepan, saute bacon until crispy and all the fat is rendered. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. saute onion, bell pepper and carrots until slightly softened. add garlic and potatoes and saute 2-3 minutes more. add thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock and bring to a boil. reduce and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. stir in corn, cream and bacon and cook 5-8 minutes until corn is tender but still a little crisp. remove from heat, add chopped parsley and season with salt & pepper to taste. enjoy!

mom's famous (well sort of...)

i know we've already given you multiple meals in a bowl but i couldn't resist sharing another one. drum roll please - this is my mom's famous chili recipe. i guess it's really only famous in our family but it should be famous because it's that good! it's always better the next day if you can stand not eating the whole pot the night you make it and i never really measure the spices exactly so it tastes a little different each time. the recipe is slightly different from my mom's original and it changes depending on who i'm making it for - some people like more meat, some people like more beans, some people like ground turkey, some people like corn, etc. but whatever you add or take away, it always tastes fantastic. thanks mom!

Mom's Famous Chili

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

15 oz can chopped tomatoes

15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed

15 oz can black beans, rinsed

15 oz can corn, rinsed, or 2 cups frozen (optional)

2 tbs tomato paste

1 bay leaf

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tbs worcestershire sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

3 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs cocoa powder

1-3 tsp hot sauce (tabasco or tapatio)

In a large pot, cook beef until browned. Add onion and pepper and saute until soft. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 1 hour. Serve with optional sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.

we heart heath

every time we are in the bay area, we try to hit up the heath ceramics factory & store in sausalito. they recently opened a store in los angeles as well but we haven't checked it out yet. all the pottery is beautiful and i wish our cupboards were overflowing with serving bowls, plates and vases! for now we will have to settle for the few pieces we collect with each visit. these are our two most recent additions.