Buffalo heat

picture credit tablespoon.com

Last night was Buffalo night at the Holloway house. University of Buffalo ranks as a top contender for dental school for us. Of course, we are only just in the beginning stages of applications, but still--you have to have dreams. I figured, on the chance that we get in there, we (meaning I) will have to learn to like Buffalo sauce. Buffalo wings were invented there, and in fact, locals just call them chicken wings. Calling them Buffalo wings brands you as an out-of-towner.

For dinner, we made Buffalo roasted cauliflower and Buffalo bleu cheese chicken pizza. Talk about a lot of Buffalo sauce--we went through 3/4 of a bottle of Franks buffalo sauce during this one meal. The pizza was delicious, but unfortunately, I made the roasted cauliflower wrong, so they were so hot and buffalo-y that we could barely eat them. It was fun  to try something new though, and we will have to make them again--the right way this time. Haley made them for us once during General Conference and they were delicious.

Jared has been devoted to shadowing and the dental school applications over the last week. He often comes home with gorey stories of people who have had their mouths bashed in with baseball bats and kids who have rotten candy teeth. Sometimes he smells like dental office....not my favorite smell in the world, but I'm sure I will one day come to love it. Or at least appreciate it.

I've been training for a triathlon again. I finally busted out my old bike and have started riding it to and from the train/work again. It's nice to feel the wind in my face again even if it is a short ride. I will have lots of weekends to take the bike down to the lake and ride around on the cycle paths there. I have yet to swim--the tricky thing is finding a pool not too expensive... but hey, I have until Sept 21 to get ready.

Evenings have started getting too hot again, I even broke down yesterday and turned on the air conditioner as soon as I got home. I always try to keep the air off for as long as possible, for two reasons 1. Saves money on electric bill. 2. Fresh air is good for you. But, there are times when I am extremely grateful we have AC. Like yesterday, when both my body and my mouth were sweating from the temperature and that Buffalo heat.

Fresher than Fresh

Farmers markets are the best way to stay healthy. This is my strong opinion, not exactly fact. You get the freshest produce, as well as that which is in season, thus maintaining the balance of nature. You are also supporting your local farmers and small business owners. I like that.

We love shopping our farmers markets, and have two that we frequent regulary. A few weeks ago we bought 6 ears of corn for $1.20. They had clearly been picked that morning.

5 of the 6 ears of corn had caterpillars on them. Quel Surprise!

Don't worry, we ate chicken with it as our source of protein. I consider myself pretty granola and earthy. But not THIS much.

Feeling stressed? How about a pot of soup!

School started again for hubby this week. Work has been mayhem, but is finally calming down.

We settled on soup for dinner on Monday night. Was it delicious? Make it and try for yourself. Don't forget the bread.

All I can say is, BRING ON THE TRUMPETS!

http://youtu.be/zXU9Ur9QznE

ROASTED CARROT AND GARLIC SOUP
adapted from How to Cook Everything

1 1/2 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into strips
1 pound of baby red potatoes cut in half
olive oil for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat of your knife
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cilantro
salt and pepper
2 1/2 Cups chicken broth
1 cup diced onions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F while you peel and cut the carrots and potatos. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, then dust with the cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper. Spread them out onto a large baking sheet and place the smashed garlic on the baking sheet as well. Roast vegetables for about 35 minutes, or until starting to golden, they should be tender when pierced with a fork.

2. When the vegetables are done roasting, take them out of the oven, and try not to eat them all, they will smell divine and taste even better. Go ahead and have a sample, it will whet your appetite. To a medium saucepan, add 2 tsp olive oil, and the onions. Saute until they are soft. Add the chicken broth and the roasted vegetables (potatoes, garlic and carrots). Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. 

3. Turn off the heat using either an immersion blender, or by pouring your soup into an upright blender, puree until smooth. (NOTE: Husband liked chunks of potato so if you think you will too, add the potatoes after you have pureed the carrots and the broth. This would work better in an upright blender) Blend in batches if need be.

4. Pour soup back into the saucepan and cook for another 5 minutes. I only do this to make sure the soup is piping hot, mostly I just bring up the temperature again. Serve the soup with walnuts and feta cheese. And of course, homemade multigrain bread.

Serves 4.

Trust me. You will NOT be disappointed in this recipe. The garlic makes it heavenly. I'm a huge proponent of garlic.

HAHAHAHAHA TRUMPETS!