February

What a spectacular day it was today, it was hard to believe that it was the first day of February!  The sun was literally shining all day, here's a picture of my sun-drenched living room at about 11:00 this morning, it felt like a summer day on this side of the windows!

Sydney and I went to her art class this morning and got to bring home a couple of projects that she had completed over the past couple of weeks.  We made this snowman from clay and Sydney painted the entire snowy canvas in the background!

Sydney also silk screened this soup can, the official logo for 4 Cats Art Studios, and painted it with hand picked colours.

We have many more art projects on the go in her art class and will be bringing some very fun things home over the next few weeks!

I was feeling inspired to try some new recipes this afternoon while I had Jeanie, my new housekeeper, here cleaning house.  I made the most amazing soup today with roasted yams, spinach, parsnips and swiss chard.  It had such an amazing blend of spices, it was spicy and savoury without being overpowering.  Delicious, super healthy, and a big hit with Paul!  It could literally be an entire meal with a loaf of hearty bread on the side!  The recipe is below if you want to give it a try!

I also tried a new recipe for Orange Pecan Bread which I found on a blog that I love, Country Mouse Cooks.  It was super simple to put together and so tasty with the freshly squeezed orange juice and zest mixed in!  Click here for the recipe, it's a must try!

The last recipe I tried today was for these No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Squares.  They were so delicious!  I got a little zealous and stirred the chocolate chips in to the hot mix instead of pressing them on top like I was supposed to, so the recipe turned out extra chocolately which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but not as pretty!  They were so yummy right out of the freezer with a cup of tea!  Also took minutes to get together, a great recipe for the next time you want to take a yummy treat to a friend's house for tea!

It felt like a very productive day as I was cooking away in my kitchen while the house was simultaneously being cleaned.  I'm loving these afternoons in my kitchen discovering some new and tasty treats!

Roasted Yam and Veggie Soup

2 lbs peeled, baked sweet potatoes
2 TBSP unsalted butter
2 TBSP garlic, finely chopped
6 cups chicken stock or broth, low sodium
1 cup onion, chopped small
2 cups spinach leaves, cut into small pieces
2 cups parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
4 cups swiss chard leaves cut into 1" pieces
3 jalapenos, seeded and minced

Seasoning Mix:

1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp paprika
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp white pepper

Combine seasoning mix in a small bowl.  Bake sweet potatoes.  Process the sweet potatoes in a food processor until smooth.  Place the butter in a heavy 5 quart pot over high heat.  Melt and add sweet potatoes, garlic and seasonings.  Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes.  Add 4 cups of stock.  Stir to make sure nothing sticks for another 6 minutes.  Add 2 more cups of stock and cook until boiling, about 8 minutes.  Add onion, spinach, parsnips, chard and jalapenos.  Stir and cover.  Simmer for another 20 minutes.  Add more stock if needed.  Serves 6.