Over the Summer, my work schedule was all over the place. Every week was different – different days off, different shifts, different responsibilities. My desire for routine got flipped on its head. Now that things are starting to calm down, I generally have the same two (not together) weekdays off. Weekdays are great for errands and appointments, and can be great for chores as well, but they are terrible for any sort of social life. I try to focus on the silver lining(s). T has weekends off while I work, so the dog gets four out of seven days with a human at home. My first day off turns into a marathon of laundry, vacuuming, dish-washing, de-cluttering, bill-paying, and one big, slow meal.
This time of year, I love to make a big pot of soup or stew. Every week I make something different, and I have almost enough favorite recipes to make it through until Spring. The first one in September is almost always the creamy, spicy, hearty Caldo Verde (con Crema.) A big pot of Minestrone is sure to follow; I even tossed in some early winter squash and the last of the roma tomatoes this time. As October ushers in cold and flu season, I make the shortcut version of Chicken Noodle with a rotisserie bird, and throw about 4-5 oz of baby spinach in after removing from heat. This year, I got closer to perfecting my take on Mulligatawny, which is based on my memory of the red pepper, coconut & potato soup I used to get at Café Yumm! almost a decade ago. On the same copycat sentiment, I also made a batch of West African Groundnut Stew this last week.
With this becoming a weekly endeavor, I’ve come up with a few tips:
- Always stock onions, potatoes, garlic and cilantro
- Keep cilantro / parsley in the fridge in a jar of water, with trimmed ends
- Before shopping, triple-check recipe against “inventory” and update list
- Before cooking, gather all ingredients, utensils and measuring devices
- Turn on music
- Print the recipe – it’s way easier than trying to keep an iPad or computer awake once your hands are dirty
- Keep a compost pail nearby
- Peel the garlic, chop the onions, peel and chop the potatoes and carrots and set them all up in prep bowls so you can add them at the proper times.
- Clean as you go
- After eating, portion out the remaining soup into containers and let cool, uncovered
- Glass containers with gaskets and snaps are the best – they don’t leak, and they freeze well
- Refrigerate some, and freeze some containers for short and long-term storage
- Find a way to label the soup
Smithnet House 