soups on sunday

our patch of nettle really sprung up this spring (its second year in the ground) and was ready for yet another harvest.  which was perfect since dylan just found this amazing recipe and i was ready to eat it the moment i laid eyes those fancy pictures!  it was the perfect thing to bring to lasts night was dinner with our fantastic neighbors.

the vibrant stinging nettle and green garlic soup, with a few changes (more on that later!) and a salad of spring greens was my offering and well received (i might add).  i’ll also mention it was delicious and went particularly well with a few lamb chops and ravioli.  such is the good life.

how to crush your valentine or how to turn your crush into your valentine (girls guide)

instead of the usual hot lemon water, yoga and breakfast, begin you’re morning with a cup of really good coffee and a square of 101 cookbooks chocolate tart.  it’ll hit him like a ton of bricks (kisses).  he’ll be surprised how it tastes just like a giant candy bar and totally impressed with the flakes of sea salt.

turn on the stereo and play the brand new (releasing tomorrow) album our version of events, by emeli sande.  she crushes like leona lewis with beats and killer vocals never being too sappy.  she’s an actual song writer, transforming emotion into movement.  at a certain point surprise him with a kiss and a couple of dance moves probably while listening to this song:

later on in the day you’ll want to get started on a lamb shank stew.  after 6 hours of slow simmering aromatic madness, he’ll practically be a puddle, offering to help make the salad, set the table or whatever else you need.   for a little dinner ambiance i’ll have to recommend a tea lite candle set in something that will flicker prettily (nothing too fancy), wine in a small mason jar (again, nothing too fancy) and something like birdy’s skinny love, or a little jazzy something playing in the background.

at the end of the evening if you want to get a little sentimental, this could be a good song to have in the background while out under the stars or sitting on the porch, or maybe just brushing your teeth.

soups on sunday

we’ve been posting recipes at wonderful ingredients since the summer of 2008 when we lived on the big island.  we added the blog as our sister site in 2009 to share more than just recipes.  well, its 2012 and we will be making some changes and adding a few new things to wonderful ingredients over the new year!

turkish red lentil soup with mint and peppers

as a starter, soups on sunday will be a weekly feature to showcase all things soup; recipes for soups and stews and things that go with soups and stews, like bread and cheese and jazz music.  we will connect you to some of our favorite ‘go-to’ recipes from years past and share our new creations.

this week showcases one of our household staples.  if i was pressed to name the most essential practice in our kitchen it would be tough to choose between fermenting foods and homemade bone broth.  anytime of year, you will always find these two things in one form or another in our house.

festive? just try it

though time-consuming, bone broth (made from various knuckle and marrow bones and vegetables) provides your kitchen with the premier ingredient.  use bone broth in place of water for cooking grains and making soups and stews.  it provides untold depths of flavor as well as a host of nutrients.

you can usually find bones at the meat counter or freezer section of your local store.  additionally, there are places online that sell grass-fed meat products and you can always hook-up with a rancher and buy meat and or  bones wholesale.  buying from an organic source is important as you will actually be leaching out all the nutrients (and everything else) from the bones (and the vegetables).

in many countries, it is traditional to use a long-simmered broth as a base for soups, stew, gravies and grains.  if you find yourself at a loss with your bone broth try getting your day going with a simple asian-inspired breakfast of bone broth with miso and poached egg.  it is nourishing, balancing and filling… perfect for these cold winter mornings.

bone broth poached egg