Sunday, November 16, 2014

a new duo

Cumin carrot and basil asparagus soup - nothing beats a warm bowl of soup on a rainy Sunday. Enjoy each soup solo or let them share the bowl for a delicious duo.
cumin carrot soup
1 pound carrots, peeled and quartered
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup white wine
3 &1 /2 cups chicken stock
generous amount of salt and pepper
basil asparagus soup
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 cup white wine
3  & 1/2 cups chicken stock
generous amount of salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the carrot, onion, EVOO and salt and pepper. Roast on a pan in the oven. Do the same with the asparagus, onion, EVOO and salt and pepper on another pan. Test after 30 minutes (toss occasionally) - the asparagus will be done but carrots will likely need another 15 minutes. To prepare each soup, add the roasted vegetable mixture to a stock pot with remaining ingredients - bring to a light simmer and then remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soups until smooth.
Assemble in a bowl so it looks pretty and enjoy! 
The weather turned quite chilly last week which has me thinking of the holidays. For the Nashville locals - you may wish to check a new spot in Cool Springs (especially when you are taking a break from Christmas shopping!) called Salad Works. The store on Frazier Drive opened last week and they were kind of enough to treat me to a salad. I opted for a build your own salad with a delicious avocado vinaigrette, but then spied a great looking steak salad. Something to try next time!


Thursday, November 13, 2014

SF & Napa 2014

Vance and I took a few days in California at the end of October. A much needed escape together, as November is already blur of work travel, events and conferences for us both. Is it Christmas yet?
We visited family and friends in San Fran, but also fit in an overnight in Napa, where we had fabulous food and wine (as to be expected!). We started our trip with a great dinner at A16 with friends, Jordan and RJ, then headed up to Napa the next day.
Delicious burgers at Gott's Roadside - Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa.
Cocktails at Angele.
An amazing dinner at Ad Hoc - thank you to my friend, Liz, who suggested this great spot!
Ad Hoc is Thomas Keller's "test" kitchen of sorts. Keller opened the French Laundry (a supposedly amazing restaurant with a very high price tag) years ago and wanted a different space to test out new dishes. This spot was absolutely fantastic - a must if you are looking for a nice dinner in Napa.
We did a very nice tour of a wine cave - Del Dotto.
XXX
Couldn't be happier.
Mo/Fo Cab.
Tasty lunch at Mustards Grill before heading back to San Fran.

We toured Alcatraz in San Fran and went to the San Francisco Symphony with my aunt and uncle on Saturday night.
I got out.
Alcatraz Gardens
Great lunch spot.
It was such a nice trip - just a few more weeks of work until we can relax again over the holidays!