butternut squash soup

happy monday and i hope you had a great weekend. i had a great one at my friend’s baby shower saturday and having too much fun that night, which led to sunday funday on the couch watching movie after movie and the oscars (can’t wait for fashion police tonight). i did make it off the couch to make a delicious dessert that ryan calls “dangerous” (coming from a self-proclaimed dessert hater) – recipe reco to come, don’t you worry.

so i’ve never been much of a soup maker, but  this winter i’ve gotten the soup bug. i bought a butternut squash on our stanley’s run, with no idea what i was going to do with it. i ended up making a soup, and  if you know what’s good for you (literally), you should make it too.

cast of characters: chicken broth, butternut squash, cream, ginger, butter, garlic, onion, carrot
not pictured: s&p, milk, olive oil

let’s begin.

first pump some iron and do some push ups to increase your bicep strength. then cut the squash lengthwise.

i didn’t prep my biceps and needed to use the biggest knife i had. it was quite the workout.

next scoop out the seeds.

(i think you can cook the seeds like pumpkin seeds, but i was lazy and just threw them out.)

peel the squash. this is not the time for a veggie peeler, use a knife (carefully). make sure you rest it on a flat side so it’s steady.

chop the squash, carrots and onion.

saute the veggies with some butter and olive oil in a large pot. then add garlic…

and ginger…

and some chicken stock. simmer for a bit, then add the cream/milk/half and half (pick your poison).

then blend it up with an immersion blender or in batches in your blender.

make sure to blend it well. chunks are not a friend in this soup. taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

enjoy!

that is one good looking soup (if only i had better light to photograph it better. daylight saving are coming!)

serve with some warm and crusty just-out-of-the-oven bread (and asparagus, to be like me).

butternut squash soup
serves approximately six

1  tablespoon  butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5  cups  peeled & cubed butternut squash (about 2-3 pounds)
2 chopped carrots
1 small  sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (add less for lesser hotness)
3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
1/8  cup  heavy cream
1/8 cup skim milk
(or 1/4 cup half and half)
salt & pepper, to taste

melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. add squash, carrot, and onion and sauté for 12 minutes. add chicken broth, garlic and ginger and bring to a boil. cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. remove from heat; stir in cream and milk. blend soup, either with an immersion blender or in blender (remove center piece of lid to allow steam to escape, place a towel over opening). make sure soup is well blended (no chunks). add salt & pepper to taste.

serve with warm, crusty french bread and enjoy.

recipe adapted from cooking light

tip: store your leftover unpeeled ginger in a ziplock bag in your veggie drawer. according the to internets, it should last for a couple weeks. 

seriously folks, it was so good. sweet, savory and velvety, with a touch of heat from the ginger. and it was fairly easy, apart from cutting the squash. but because of the workout from cutting it, this soup has, like, negative calories.

enjoy!

{justine}

lifelong dream #42: check

i did it. i accomplished one of my lifelong dreams:

to peel an orange/clementine (whatever) in all one piece.

yes, it took me 26 years. yes, i am proud of myself. i love crossing things off a list (even if it is an imaginary list in my head, and who really knows if it’s really #42. could be #19. or #60. either way, check).

 

{justine}

p.s. sorry for two random posts in a row. sometimes you just have to share. i do have “normal” posts in the works but i have to write them, edit photos, blah blah. thanks for sticking around.

gallery walls: tina’s take

unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that gallery walls are “in”. you may already have a gallery wall yourself. but a couple people have mentioned these to me recently, so i wanted to provide inspiration, thought starters (wow that sounds so business-y) and various techniques for placement and hanging, in case you’re planning one.

first, inspiration (a few of the bajillion great gallery walls out there):

the inspired room via hi sugarplum!

via young house love

inspired design via hi sugarplum!

domino via the house of wood

via apartment therapy

via it’s great to be home

via little green notebook

via made by girl

via lonny (shared here before)

unknown

all so very lovely. i think my favorite gallery walls are those that are huge (like the 4th, 8th, and 9th photos above). they make such an impact. and i lean towards random placements, versus a grid or symmetrical. but that’s just me. at this moment.

second, things to think about:

placement:
-random
-grid
-symmetrical

frames:
-all the same frame
-all the same color
-all the same material
-all the same style (thin & simple frames, ‘vintage’ wood frames, etc.)
-completely random

what goes in the frames:
-all the same subject matter (all silhouettes, all illustrations from the same artist/book, etc)
-photos (all b&w, all color, or mixed)
-art

any non-frames:
-canvases
-letter art
-mirrors
-animal bust

size: think about the size of your wall and the size of your materials. if it’s a smaller wall, then all smaller frames could work. but if you have a large wall space, use larger pieces or lots of smaller ones.

i personally think (and observed in most photos) that something should be consistent, whether it’s the frame style or what goes in the frame (i.e. all black and white).

(i’m not a designer. so take all this with a grain of salt. but, i do read a ridiculous amount of blogs.)

third, various placement/hanging techniques:

-kraft paper:  trace your frames on the paper, making sure to mark where nails should go. cut out. tape the paper to the wall in various configurations, figuring out the placement. when you’re happy with it, nail through the marked hole, remove the paper and hang your frames.

-photo: mark out the wall area measurement on the ground (or table, whatever’s big enough). play around with the arrangement until you’re happy. take a picture of it. to hang, refer to the picture, working from the middle out.

-wax paper: similar to above, mark out the wall area on a surface and figure out your arrangement. cover the arrangement with wax paper (tape pieces together to fit area) and trace over the frames. mark where the nails go. tape the wax paper to the wall, nail through the marked holes, place frames and remove wax paper (from roost home, via little green notebook).

-taped line: martha’s tip for a gallery wall is to tape a horizontal midline and place all photos above or under it (i tried it, and it didn’t work for me. i haven’t found many photos that adhere to this, but, it’s a tip and it’s something to think about if you are planning your own gallery wall).

-just wing it

also, kimba at a soft place to land just posted about a nifty tool she recommends called the hang & level. i may have to try it out in the next casa.

and i guess i’ll share the horrible photos of my own gallery wall(s) (seriously, i don’t think i’ve been home when it’s been sunny in weeks, maybe even months. so i have to use a flash-that sucks-and i hate that):

this is the the “right” gallery wall. to the left is the bedroom door, then the bathroom door, then:

the “left” gallery wall

(the same wall, two sections divided by doors)

for my gallery, i used all silver frames, mixed black & white and color photos, and also have added in the little art i have. to figure out the placement and hang, i used the kraft paper technique. it was a little time consuming, but i liked seeing the arrangement on the wall vs. on the ground (at a different angle).

my gallery wall(s) is not as grand as i would like. i had thoughts of expanding, adding as time went on, but since we’re moving it’s not going to happen. in the next house though i will get my gallery wall on, on a grander scale. i might even switch to different frames, but i can’t decide what kind i want. we shall see.

moral of the story? gallery wall was are cool. they are such a great way to display all the photos/art you love, and not have to have nine million frames cluttering up the surfaces of your house. and based upon the bajillions of gallery walls and the bajillion different ways to do them, there really isn’t a wrong way. just try it out and do what you like. it’s your house.

do you have a gallery wall? any tips i’m missing? have any favorite inspiration photos i can add to my files?

 

{justine}

bathrooms (a list of grievances)

bathrooms are awkward. specifically, public bathrooms. more specifically, work public bathrooms. if bathroom talk makes you uncomfortable, please avert your eyes.

a list of grievances:

-there’s only so many routes to the bathroom. the main one has cubicles lining it. i feel like the people in those cubes notice how often i use the facilities. do they think i go too much? (i drink a lot of water at work) too little? (and yes, i do realize they have far better things to do with their time and am 99% sure they don’t, but this is what goes through my head people) (when typing far i accidentally wrote fart. how appropriate).

-chances are you will walk past someone going the opposite way on the walk to/from the restroom. you either avert your eyes, not wanting to share an “i have to use the bathroom too” moment, or say hi (to someone who you may not know — another company, or someone you just saw — really, another hello?) awkward turtle. and to this point, i find you see the same people for the most part–syncing schedules? gross.

-it is common knowledge that you do not use a stall right next to a stall in use if there are other empty stalls. get with the program people.

-it is common decency that you flush your business. we are adults. get with the program people.

-i do not want people to hear me do my business, smell my business or even know i have business. even if it is “human”.

-ew.

i don’t know what my point is.  i just had to get that off my chest. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

you may now forget this ever happened and get on with your day.

{justine}