Fonduemental Lessons

Today I got to spend the afternoon with a couple of the sweet ladies in my life. We started with delightful crepes (that's another blog waiting to happen!) and then ventured to my favorite chocolate cafe for some fondue!

(the dippers: pretzels, marshmallows, shortbread, candied mango & biscotti)

I had won this as a prize for answering correctly in Friday Fondue Trivia... and let me tell you, it was worth every second (times a million) that I dedicated to searching wikipedia for the correct answer to "What is the traditional name for a fondue pot?" (fyi, the answer is "caquelon"). Apparently our chocolate selection for our fondue is both rare and delicate in flavor, not to mention a recent discovery. We were basically eating gold.

I love chocolate. Good chocolate. A couple years ago I made a resolution to never again eat mediocre chocolate. When I eat chocolate... I go for the good stuff, and today was no exception. Fondue is not only a sweet indulgence for the taste buds, but it is the most delightful experience for the soul. There is nothing quite like sitting around a pot of warm chocolate with friends!

Upon further reflection, there are a few life lessons I pulled from today's fondue fun... (just replace "fondue" with "life")

*Fondue with friends is way better than fondue alone. Fondue is meant to be shared.
*Sometimes it's okay to be a little messy (let some chocolate drip here and there every now and then) to experience the fullness of joy that comes from fondue. And tying this in with the above lesson... if fondue is a shared experience, it makes the "messes" so much more bearable!
*Various dippers (pretzels, marshmallows, etc) bring out different facets, notes & strengths of the fondue. It's okay to try different pairings and combos with fondue. We eventually get in the groove and figure out what suits our palate best.
*Sometimes we look at fondue and get so overwhelmed, excited and awed. We might feel a mixture of just wanting to drink it all up combined with not even knowing where to begin. But it's best to take it in slowly, bit by bit rather than spoon by spoon. There's a reason why we have little things to dip into it rather than a ladle to gulp it down with. Rushing a fondue experience is no experience at all.

There you have it. A taste of how I learn from everyday experiences... like a fondue day with the girls!

Comfort By The Bowl

Yesterday evening I polished off my favorite soup... West African Peanut Soup! It was the perfect, warm, hug-your-insides-until-you-smile soup for a rainy, fall day... and it was a contender in our community's comfort food challenge a few days ago. While it didn't take home the grand title of ultimate comfort food (the people at these food challenges can COOK!! See my friend Carissa's award winning recipe for Green Chicken Enchilada Lasagna), I'm certain it will forever remain a go-to for me when it comes to comfort food.

(dear soupy doo, I heart you very much)

What it did earn me was the Storyteller Spirit Award and well... for this reason alone I post this blog. And now, ladies and gents... I give you... my story of comfort (I hope to make you all cry by the end of this post... so grab a tissue)...

Comfort food isn't about getting as much butter into your body as possible... it's about love on a plate. I am a firm believer that food is a love language. It is my love language. So while I appreciate, admire and truly enjoy fine dining, I find that a home-cooked, love-infused meal has the ability to surpass any hundred dollar dinner!

I first became acquainted with West African Peanut Soup a little over a year ago at one of my favorite food places here in Portland. I was on my way to a rehearsal and I wanted something quick and simple. The woman at the register recommended the soup and, being an easy to please eater, I ordered a bowl to go. While waiting for others to arrive to get out music on, I sat in my car and began to eat. I stopped. I stared. I grabbed some focaccia bread and dipped it in for another bite. What. The. Delicious?! I ate a little more and had to stop again. I grabbed my journal, and started to write! Yes, it's true. I wrote a journal entry about soup! I had to. It was just so perfect. I even used the words "comfort food" in my description.

(this is real, people! I wrote about soup... SOUP!!)

After finishing my soup, I went to rehearsal. But I couldn't keep quiet about my dinner... I had to share my souper experience! The following evening I went to a Bible study and ended up talking about this ridiculous soup even more. I couldn't stop thinking about it... it was so delicious to me!

After leaving Bible study, I heard a voice from the depths of my stomach cry out "Make the soup! Make the soup!!" So before making it home, I stopped by the grocery store and grabbed anything and everything that I thought would match the flavor I experienced the evening before. I let my ingredients hang tight for a half a day longer while I went to work (my plan of action simmering in my foodie brain all day, of course). That night, two days after first contact, I created my own interpretation of the best soup ever! Over time it has undergone experimentation and modification and turned into a bowl of perfection.

And, with love, I have prepared and shared my West African Peanut Soup with people I take a strong liking to. It's just too good not to! This pot of love has made its appearance during many an occasion... whether it's a large family holiday fest or a best friend weekend. This soup will always be eaten when I am with the people I love... and I find comfort in that!

All that's left to do is share my recipe (straight from my cookbook and heart) and I will achieve the fullness of joy that only comes from sharing this soup with... the WORLD!!

West African Peanut Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2-4 teaspoon cayenne (or however much you can handle)
1 tablespoon pepper
1 carrot, grated
6 roma tomatoes, diced
2 to 3 yams or sweet potatoes
6 to 8 cups vegetable stock (water could work too) 
1/2 cup peanut butter
squeeze of half a lemonsalt to taste
cilantro for garnish 

My Method of Madness:
In a pot, cook onion at medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add carrots and peppers. Cook for a few minutes until softened. 

Add tomatoes and let cook down (about five to ten minutes). Add potatoes and stock; bring to a boil and simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir until combined (this really helps thicken the deal).

Continue to simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are very super soft and it’s creamy & delicious (the longer it cooks, the thicker it gets)… and in this case, thicker = better! Once you've reached desired thickness, take a potato masher and mash away, but leave some chunks for pops of sweetness and texture (this isn't meant to be baby food, but it very well could be!). Stir in some salt and lemon juice to desired taste. 

Ladle into a bowl and top with cilantro (if you want even more creaminess, you can add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt too). Eat & fall in love with West African Peanut Soup.

In the Beginning...

I've never had an easy time deciding on one thing for my life. It's taken a while for me to figure it out, but I'm learning to try my best to use what I have. Otherwise I'll end up in the detrimental state of paralysis by analysis or in another cliche that translates to a standstill. So I do a little this, I do a little that. I sprinkle some of this and scrape off some of that. (you probably should read those last to sentences with a little bounce) And as time progresses, I see and experience the good that comes from moving forward. If things don't work out, at least I am using what I have.

In the latter part of elementary school, I was a part of a cute team that traveled around the state and competed against other teams in tournaments. What kind of tournaments? Bible quiz tournaments. And it was a big deal. We had team shirts, a study manual, and buzzers! That's right! When you knew the right answer, you buzzed in! It was legit. As a team, we'd hop into the travel vans and drive for hours to our destinations on any given Saturday. It was during this time that my introvertedness was shelved and I began to share myself in the best manner I knew possible. Stories!

At the end of the season we had a team party where we were given awards by our adult leaders. People got super fun awards, I'm sure. But the only one I remember (other than mine) was the ring a girl got, signifying the boyfriends she accumulated over the season. I wanted to be that girl. Instead, I was given a Winnie the Pooh book. But this memento went beyond providing entertainment to a girl who had "clearly" outgrown Tigger & Piglet (for the record, I still love me some Pooh). Instead this book came with a clear explanation of my award. Though I no longer have the book, the title of the award has stuck with me, haunted me, and become the very thing I have learned to embrace. The storyteller award.

Yes. I was, and always will be, a storyteller.

So as a preventative measure to talking a person's face off, I've started this bloggeroo. I learn through stories. All stories... my stories... your stories... food stories... song stories... I love stories! (I also love ellipses and I'm trying to cut back. Consider this fair warning) I sing, I cook, I communitize... which will make itself quite clear in the postings & stories to come. If I write a recipe, chances are you'll see a story behind it. If I sing a song, therein lies a story. How many times can I say "story" in this paragraph?  Whether it's a story of how a bowl of soup can make day or how the ugly can turn us into lovely... you'll find this place littered with stories. Sweet stories that I learn from daily.

So I will not hide it under a bushel. I will run with this story telling and translate it into a blog.

The end.

...or no, it's just the beginning!