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Food: Dinner Tonight – Spicy Vegetarian and Tortilla Soup

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After a week or more of pure sunshine, we experienced heavy rains overnight – and colder temps. So, soup is in order – especially since I am really craving Mexican food. This vegetarian and tortilla soup will do the trick minus the crockpot suggestion for my love of cooking. INGREDIENTS 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 poblano pepper, diced 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 2-3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped 1 (28 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes kosher salt and pepper 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa juice and zest of 1 lime 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving tortilla chips, diced mango, sliced avocado, feta, and yogurt, for serving  {more} On another note – what movies have you seen at home or at the movie theater?  Here’s what I’ve been up to.  

A Slow Start in January But Let’s Recap First

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I’ve been dragging my feet in getting back into the swing of things in much of everything defining my life. But I know I am not alone in this – you know the holiday withdrawals and all. And frankly today is the first day I returned back to work and figured we need to catch up. First of all, I hope your holidays were just as you had expected and the plans you’ve laid out for 2020 are set in motion, and ready to unfold just as you hope.  Me too. 🙂 Here’s a recap of some of the things I experienced and naturally wish to share here. In between the holidays, which did not include me shopping like a mad woman for gifts for anyone. Since somehow I decided there would be no gift exchange with family. Instead, I opted to do the traditional things with them. Like cooking, baking, talking, spending quality time walking through the city, hours in cafes and being mostly outdoors. And I have to say, it felt wonderful to …

Holiday Series: Giving Back

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A few films I’ve watched recently which were in line with exactly how I’ve been feeling this holiday season – helpless in so many ways, and wishing there was more I could do. I am even considering working with a worthy cause in 2020, to help save endangered species or something environmental.  I just need to determine which path to choose. In the meantime, I’ve stumbled upon some suggestion on giving back this holiday season and beyond, and wanted to share in case you’re wondering which new year resolution to consider? Volunteering abroad programs – just in case you are considering doing so The Films That Got Me Thinking This holiday season {featured image source and safari destination}

Holiday Cookies – For A Little Pick Me Up

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It’s been raining continuous in the bay area, with a heavy fog to boot and unusually warm weather. I don’t recall this ever happening in all the years I’ve lived in San Francisco.  So, not feeling inspired to leave the house, I decided to bake – again, this time these tasty vanilla cookies, but I am using a snowflake cutter instead. INGREDIENTS 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature 1/4 cup granulated sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom VANILLA GLAZE 2 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract sugared rosemary, for decorating (more) On Another note – if you happen to be a movie buff like myself, then you’d want to see this list of the best 2019 films – have you seen any of them and which do you recommend?

Culture: Who’s Your Celebrity In-Character Crush

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I thought about this topic a few days ago, when I decided to watch ‘You’ve Got Mail’, (for the millionth time) to help me get out of the funk I was in, and also to do character study for my novel. And it did, giggling, tearing up, beaming, and feeling over the moon about the idea of two people, who cross paths on a daily basis, end up falling in-love in the most peculiar of way, over the internet/and kind of in person. Realizing the influence of certain actors in character have over us. Who’s your celebrity-in character crush?  {featured image source}

What Were We Expecting From The Crown – Season 3

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Although I followed loosely the making of Crown 3, mostly who will play what role, and the era the season would cover, I had no idea what to expect. The element of some surprise is very important to me in films. And so I was, completely intrigued by the ‘Hollywood style”of story telling about the events which shaped the monarchy throughout the 1960’s.  Thus far watching episodes 1-4. The true story behind Princess Margaret’s visit with the American President Johnson – covered in episode two   Princess Alice, Philip’s mother – who was misunderstood and perhaps a historic figure worth learning about – covered in episode four In episode two and three – cover up of Prince Philip’s connection to a affair and the fallout from it all had me doing research and connecting the dots – sort of in the approach the filmmakers took to make Season 3 relatable to stories we are all currently following or not of the royal family’s lifestyle. Churchill’s funeral played a significant part in episode one – and the …

Food: Sunday Fun Dessert – Apple Cider Pudding

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Love a lazy Sunday – where you roll out of bed whenever your heart desires, and simply stay in your cozy pajamas or sweats throughout the day, napping, reading, watching football, or not 🙂 and deciding what to make for dinner. Well, Salmon is in order in our household this Sunday evening paired with a bottle of Cabernet – yes red, since I am not a fan of white wine. But the special treat for this Sunday is that I am testing out this apple cider butterscotch pudding recipe for dessert. The only trouble is – do I indulge in one cup or two? Ingredients  6 cups apple cider 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3 large egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 1/2 cups half-and-half 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract  {more} What better way then to eat dessert than to watch Hallmark channel – and all of the back to back pre-holiday and holiday films 

Food: Dinner Tonight – Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Honey, Apple Panini

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I bought a first generation Panini press a decade ago from Williams-Sonoma (similar to this one) with the intend to press-grill a few of my favorite ingredients together into a delicious sandwich to pair with my homemade soups. But then ‘bread’ became a bad carb choice and I put away my Panini press. Fast forward to today, as we learn how best to eat, bread and other carbs or variations thereof, in moderation, my eyes lit up when I saw this recipe. So, Panini it is tonight for the fam! INGREDIENTS 8 slices sourdough bread 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 4 tablespoons apple butter 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 1/2 cups shredded havarti cheese 1 honey crisp apple, thinly sliced 8 slices cooked bacon honey, for drizzling 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves  {more} And of course with a great recipe  comes a wonderful film recommend – Lost and Found – a film made in Ireland – five stories intertwined and very greatly told.  Not too many stories have me at the edge of my seat, but this one did. 

Food: Dinner Tonight – White Bean Soup

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I do most of the cooking for my household and my mothers and last night while helping her with dinner, she expressed she was craving a certain white bean soup she made for us while growing up. So tonight, I’ll be making this recipe, adding diced potatoes to the mix. Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion chopped 2 garlic cloves minced 1 large carrot chopped 1 celery rib chopped 6 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 3 15-ounces canned white beans drained and rinsed 2 cups baby spinach Fresh parsley for serving Grated parmesan cheese for serving  {more} On another note – have you seen the show Pennysworth? If you have a dark side or can stomach the concept of savagery, then take a peek, and let me know what you think?  Just to clarify I had no idea what to expect, and but now I am hooked and feel I should continue to watch the series. 

Food: Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup

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First craving for soup means my body is acknowledging that Fall is around the corner and although we normally have our Indian Summer this time of year, too bad, soup is officially on the menu and this one is a great start – at least I think so: INGREDIENTS • Drizzle of coconut oil • 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped roughly • 2.5cm/1in piece of root ginger, peeled and chopped roughly • Pinch of salt • 1 tsp ground turmeric • 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped • 1 tbsp tamari • 1 x 400ml coconut milk, plus a little to serve • 1 ltr/1 3/4pt vegetable stock • 4 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast • Dried chilli flakes and sliced fresh chilli, to serve {more} {featured image source and recipe inspiration} On another note: Do you adore watching classic films during the Fall/Autumn months? I do – here’s a list in case you’ve forgotten which ones.