Forgive me while I work a bit backwards. I plan on sharing what I made for Thanksgiving, but right now my mind is on the Ginger Carrot soup I just finished eating. There’s something about chilly, windy days that give me the urge to hide away in my apartment for a few hours, turn on some music (thank you, David Vandervelde and Laura Veirs for providing the soundtrack) and spend some time creating something tasty.

Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

Ingredients

– 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped
– 1 large yellow onion, chopped
– 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
– 3-4 tbls of fresh ginger (grated with a microplane)
– 1 can lite coconut milk1 tbls coriander
– 1 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you want it really spicy)
– olive oil
– salt & pepper
– water (or vegetable stock if you prefer)

Directions

In a large pot, saute onion and garlic with olive oil and salt until it starts to brown. Add in carrots and cover with water. Bring to a boil until carrots are tender. Using a handblender, blend ingredients until smooth. Add grated ginger, coriander and cayenne pepper. Blend and season with salt and pepper. Continue to heat until soup is at the consistency you prefer. Serve hot!

I’ve been back from Boston for a few days now – I ended up cutting my trip a little short since I was missing my bed and needed to deal with a driver’s license renewal situation. It was great to catch up with some of my friends there… and snuggle with my favorite dog, Roger.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a great time in Louisiana/Mississippi. I’m still uploading/editing pictures from the trip, but here’s some highlights. My hosts, Chris and Sabrina Watson (check out Chris’ label, Park the Van! Home to The Generationals, Dr. Dog and more!) Chris is holding avocado cream pops. They were good.

 
Woodville, MS

Natchez, MS

Lafayette, LA

Natchez-Vidalia Bridge, LA side

Cotton field, somewhere in Louisiana

Louisiana swamp (airboat tour)

I’m really happy that I took the two days to drive up through Mississippi and back down through Louisiana. Not only was it a beautiful drive, but I got to visit a lot of tiny little towns, talk to different people and dig through all sorts of antiques. One store owner talked to me about finding treasures buried in the backyard of his Civil War home, another about his trip to New York as a teenager. I put my foot in the Mississipi River. I got a schooling on Southern prejudice. I perfected my faux-accent. More photos/stories of New Orleans in my next post. I can’t wait to go back.