I can’t take credit for this recipe at all. It comes from the Mayo Clinic cookbook my mother bestowed upon me last year. As many of you know, the weather in Atlanta has been rainy, a lot. And will fall leaves a damp air, this soup fit the bill quite well!
Ingredients
- 2 poblano or Anaheim chilies, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 or 3 Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, about 1 pound total weight, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears corn) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions
Preheat a gas grill or broiler (grill). Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.
Arrange the chilies skin-side down on the grill rack, or skin-side up on a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. Grill or broil until the skins begin to blacken, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam until the skins loosen, about 10 minutes. Peel the chilies, discarding the blackened skin, and chop coarsely. Set aside.
Put the potatoes in a saucepan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a small bowl. With a potato masher, partially mash the potatoes and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Stir in the roasted chilies and the partially mashed potatoes. Add the corn, vegetable stock, milk, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered until the soup thickens, 25 to 30 minutes.
Ladle into warmed bowls and sprinkle with the cilantro and oregano. Serve immediately.
A few days ago I noticed some mold growing on the back of Butter when I came home from work. I knew it would need to be addressed, but did not care at that moment to toss the decaying pumpkin into the woods. Well, once mold gets going, it really takes over. I mean really.
Just a bit.
The smell was a bit overpowering as well. It reaches a point where you don’t want to do anything with it … but you know it is only going to get worse.
Poor thing.
The only thing missing was a video of the process that was taking Butter to the woods. Found a pair of Pearl Izumi socks in the garage to use as my gloves. Grabbed a plastic bag and put it over his head. The volume of fluid in the pumpkin was nothing short of shocking. Naturally, Butter started to fall apart as I tried to flip him into the bag. Joe came out to help shovel the bottom into the bag. Took what felt like a 30lb bag of deceased pumpkin to the woods for its final resting place.
You were cute.
On another note. Brennan and I ate at Brick Store Pub. We both had the Bell’s Expedition Stout. It was excellent. I’m not always a fan of stouts, but this one was one that I will enjoy again. For an appetizer, a meat and cheese plate. The prosciutto was paired well with a Midnight Moon gouda, dried apricot and a mustard. I had their Hungarian goulash and a salad while Brennan enjoyed their Pierogi Primavera.
Lastly, Jackson competed in a Halloween costume contest. Here is the amazing costume my mom made.
If anyone is interested in the prints that I shared in the previous post … they can be found on Ranger Doug’s site. He does replications of WPA National Park posters.
I took last weekend off from work to participate in a few events around metro-Atl. Such a nice break that I completely welcomed! Retail can be extremely draining…
Saturday morning I competed in our Big Peach Fall 5 Miler road race in East Cobb. It’s been a little while since I tried to run a bit faster so I was pleased with the effort. I finished 3rd in my age group and even won a little gift card to … Big Peach. Ha! But I’ll take it! The event went well, especially considering winter took it’s first strike that morning with chilly temperatures and a nice headwind for, what felt like, the whole race.
Followed the race up with Decatur Beer Fest in downtown Decatur. The weather attempted to put a damper on the event with drizzle, overcast and lower than ideal temperatures, but it failed to do so completely. I really enjoyed it because I am no beer connoisseur and it proved to be a great opportunity for me to try a number of beers that I have never tasted. They also gave us a great little nugget glass for our tasting.
On Sunday morning the Big Peach team headed out to Conyers International Horse Park for a Trail Ekiden 40K put on by Dirty Spokes. Still a bit chilly, but the sun was out and the course was great. Some hamburgers and giant cupcakes topped the afternoon off.
I also picked up a few of my favorite prints that I got framed at Michael’s and I love them. Only took me 3 years to frame …
An obscene amount of money can be spent on crafts, but they can be quite cute.
Tis the season for pumpkin carving. I had a strong desire to carve a pumpkin this year. Trying to slow down a bit to enjoy the change of season. I was never a huge Halloween fan. Coming up with a costume was a process that I really didn’t care for … more due to the fact that I underrated my ability to come up with a creative/non-seductive/etc. costume that wasn’t too expensive. But, I do love the change of color in the leaves. I have a soft spot (or abyss) for nature and fall presents itself so nicely during this time. So … to Kroger Brennan and I went to grab a pumpkin after work yesterday. I don’t really remember how Butter came about, but that is his name. Below is the photo story.
Cleaning the pumpkin.
I'm gripping the knife a bit too tightly.
Brennan's idea for the pumpkin.
Hopefully one of us with the masterpiece soon enough!
Please find some desire to work on grad school stuff. It will not complete itself. And you won’t figure out what you want to do until you apply to a few programs and pray about it.
Sincerely,
Erin
The camping trip turned out really well. We arrived around lunch time on Friday, ate in Townsend, bought some food and set up camp.
Firewood, check.
Tent, check.
Finished product.
Friday consisted of relaxing, a bit of running for me in the Cove and across Sparks lane (a 4 mile route), a bit more running for Brennan and AP (a 2.5 hour run/hike to the top of a ridge overlooking the Cove that consisted of 2,000 ft of elevation change). We grilled out that night, enjoyed the campfire (and cool temperatures!).
Saturday morning, we headed out to ride our bikes through the Cove. The Cove is an 11 mile loop. I was disappointed that cars were allowed in before 10am (they used to allow runners/walkers/cyclists to get a head start on Sat. morning) but we still made two loops of the Cove. The afternoon allowed the time for a short hike before we listened to the UGA/LSU game.
Marshmallow toasting, Luis style.
We finished up on Sunday with a hike to Abrams’ Falls (an excellent 5 mile round trip hike that branches off of the Cove), and a drive down Parson’s Branch Rd.
Wish I had more time to write, but to work I shall go. 
Abrams Falls.
A good lookin' crew!
Camping trip this weekend. Woo hoo! We’re headed to Cades Cove outside of Townsend, TN for the weekend. We being myself, Brennan, Andrew & Luis. Andrew and Luis both work at the store as well. My excitement level is high.
Trail Mix – check
Mtn Bike – check
Reading Material, Hammock & Cards for Spades – check
Warm clothes, Camera – check
Cades Cove sits in a valley in the TN section of the Great Smokey Mtns. It’s a popular tourist spot for sure, but it does have a lot to offer in one setting. The destination here is the 11 mile loop that traverses through the historic buildings of the original settlement. The homes, mills and churches have been preserved and you can generally be sure to see a fair amount of wildlife in the meadows and woods. There are a number of hiking trails easily accessable from the loop as well.
I grew up with Cades Cove as a vacation spot at least once a year, if not 2-3 times a year. We could ride horses, bikes, play in the streams, whatever we wanted as long as we were back for dinner from the Smokey Joe. Love, love, loved it. And now, to share it with the boys!
Travis and I in early days camping out. Check out the matching sunglasses. Sweet!
Barbie in hand.
“Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what’s to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead of what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn’t have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves for growing up.”
—
The Wonder Years
