You know when you find a small source of inspiration, like a sparkle that keeps you focused and moving towards your goals? Sometimes, those goals can seem so far away–like they will never happen. Those are the best times to lift the ol’ head up and focus on something else, something small–kind of like an anti-overwhelm. Books tend to do this for me. I can really loose myself in a great book–it becomes almost meditative where I am not thinking, but just doing and reading. I just finished David Lebovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris. It is a great read and absolutely hilarious. (I even found myself laughing out loud which is something I don’t usually do). His love for food (especially desserts), his humility, and his honest attitude towards life, change, and growth were absolutely refreshing. He is also a wonderful observer of people and their quirks, including his own–which I totally appreciate 
.
Sometimes, it is necessary to stop and sit quietly. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately–as I am always facing my active disposition to go, go go! But constantly being in motion can actually hinder me in that I miss what is truly important. I know exactly where I get this from too–the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree shall we say 
–and a “strong work ethic” was always a big deal growing up. But sometimes the idea of the strong work ethic can overtake the actual work ethic–in which I tend to spin my wheels more instead of going anywhere.
So I’ve been simmering a lot of thoughts lately–about where I want to go with my business and what my true intentions are. I want to start from a solid foundation, one that completely resonates with my values, philosophies, and heart. This is actually a lot harder than it sounds! I want to do something that can and will grow with me through the years. I believe that these preliminary steps I am taking now will make the world of difference for me down the road. So, the big pot is on the back burner, simmering all it’s flavors together into a wonderful soup. It’ll be done soon, I can feel it–but a watched pot never boils! And this couldn’t be more true when it comes to thinking too much, or paying too much attention to certain thoughts or ideas that just need time and space to breath a little and simmer down into a beautiful sauce.
Speaking of soup, I made a certain birthday man a lovely White Bean, Kale, and Roasted Vegetable Soup . The roasted vegetables were insanely good, although I think I overdid it with the kale in this one. You know, all that kale we have sitting around here, I couldn’t be bothered to only use the allotted 4 cups, but had to throw the whole head in! Not highly recommended, albeit good for you . You could even totally eliminate the kale and it would still be great. This was a hearty and vegetable heavy wonder that will delight your winter table for sure.
I also made a Blueberry Clafoutis for dessert. What a spectacular and amazingly easy dessert to make! If you like custard and simple ingredients, this one is for you. Andrew is a lover of all things blue, especially blueberries–this was a great recipe. The nice thing about a good Clafoutis (pronounced claugh-fooo-teee) is that lots of other fruits can be substituted. The original recipe from The Sweet Life in Paris called for Plums and Raspberries–amazing! But plums are already out of season–le sigh–so I went with the bounty of summer berries we have in our freezer and made him one with his favorite fruit instead. That plum and raspberry recipe WILL be used later–it just sounds too delicious to ignore!
White Bean, Kale, and Roasted Vegetable Soup
via Epicurious
3 medium carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise
2 large tomatoes, quartered
1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups (or more) canned vegetable broth
4 cups finely chopped kale
3 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf 1 15-ounce can Great Northern beans, drained
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with oil spray. Arrange carrots, tomatoes, onion, squash and garlic on sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake until vegetables are brown and tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Transfer carrots and squash to work surface. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic cloves; place in processor. Add tomatoes and onion; puree until almost smooth. Pour 1/2 cup broth onto baking sheet; scrape up any browned bits. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.
Add beans and reserved carrots and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to simmer before serving.)
Blueberry Clafoutis
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for preparing the dish
1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
3 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/3 cups whole milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Liberally butter the bottom and sides of a 2 quart shallow baking dish. Place the berries into the bottom of the dish, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Whisk the butter and flour into the eggs until completely smooth, then add the vanilla. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the sugar, then the milk. Pour over the berries and bake for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes is up, open the oven and pull out the entire shelf the clafoutis is sitting on so you have access to it, then sprinkle on the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar, and continue baking for 30 more minutes to give it a nice crusty and golden brown top. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
