Bad blogger

I've been a bad blogger. Life got the best of me . . .

We've been eating typical summer farmer's market fare and have eaten our weight in sweet peas this summer. We have tried to grow sweet peas for two years, but it is too hot in our yard and then we have the problem of fast growing mildew. So I'll leave it to the organic farmers.

Our local farmer's market has closed for the year and so we're back to Pinnacle Organics (http://www.pinnacleorganic.com/) on Saturday mornings. My oldest daughter gets very excited about farm Saturdays and I get really excited about the fall produce choices. There are boxes filled with different squash: delicata, acorn, butternut, spaghetti, etc. I still don't know all of them and I haven't even cooked with all of them. Delicata is my new favorite, however.

I love oven roasted delicata squash mixed with red potatoes, a head of garlic, and a yellow onion. Delicata is a bit sweet and a great pairing with the savory garlic and onion. It is a bit softer than a potato, but not mushy.

This week the weather turned and we had our first rain so I made two pots of soup. I asked my oldest daughter to help me make soup in the hope that she'd eat it. She is only 5 so she helped wash the vegetables, stir, and put the ingredients in the pot.

Our creation was the traditional Potato Leek--no cream included.

Potato Leek Soup
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups leeks (white parts only) sliced into rings about 1/4 inch thick
1 cup yellow onion, sliced
2 tbsp. butter
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt and white pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add leeks and onions. Stir to mix in butter, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes, until softened. Add potatoes and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boil is reached, turn to medium-low to simmer for 20 minutes. Use a potato masher or a hand blender to achieve desired consistency.

While she did try her creation, my daughter couldn't get past the consistency. So then I created a very simple Chicken and Alphabet Soup, which was very well received by my two littlest critics. If you are like me you may reach for the typical can of soup now and then, but I often feel guilty about the sodium and whatever else they might be ingesting.

Chicken and Alphabet Soup

1 cooked chicken breast, shredded into a child's bite size
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup alphabet pasta
4 - 6 cups organic, chicken broth or 4-6 tbsp. of bullion

In a saucepan, add carrots, celery, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add in pasta and cook according to packaged directions. A few minutes before pasta is cooked, add the chicken to the pot. Season to taste.

© Erin Gonzalez 2010