Whistling for the Choir

I really hate how sitting in traffic, doing nothing but flipping between mediocre radio stations, is simply exhausting work. I can't imagine doing it every day. It was difficult to scour up the desire (or the countenance in the absense of desire) to venture to the gym tonight when i got home. But I did. I did Krav on Monday, and Wednesday, and the gym today. I'll hit the trail or something for about 6 miles on Saturday. Maybe a short run on sunday too. We'll see. I may be doubting that. I didn't do my distance run last saturday, but that's because I hiked up Mission Peak with Jesse. It was still 6 miles, and half of that was a 2000 foot ascent. The other half, then, must've been a 2000 foot descent. I always forget just how much going down can be as taxing. Ascending is more physically challenging. Going down, more mentally challenging. in fact, i recall from my treks through the Andes Mountains of Peru that I preferred going up. Well, except for Dead Woman's Pass. There's very little activity you can do at 13,400 foot altitude that's enjoyable; except enjoy scenery and sitting down. Thankfully these two things may be accomplished at the same time.

It seems that today may be picture day. Woohoo! Let's go with that theme!

oooh, I guess that means I owe Nick a picture, since he requested a girl in a bikini...so...here you are! Rita Hayworth! Maybe not what you expected, but there's something to be said for the classics. Me, I love a bikini as much as they next guy, but how often do you see a disco ball with a fedora? That was some quality action. But for something equally incredible, and just about as improbable as me dating a hollywood starlet, a penny, when dropped, lands perfectly on it's side. True story. You can't make this stuff up.

So, Soup Challenge. I know I've been quiet on the soup front, but it's not for lack of activity. Liz, your Quinoa and Zucchini soup is nearly ready--I just need to fine tune the quantities. Brad, my first attempt at your black bean soup failed, but I'm not giving up! I still have an idea and a plan to go on it! All hope is not lost, though! I am prepared to share some potato soup success!

Potato Soups are a dime a dozen, and most of them are quite delicious. My mom made the world's simplest potato soup when we were growing up, and I'll be quite honest, I liked it then and I still like it now. But for Brad's Challenge Potato Soup, I decided to approach the soup more or less like a fully loaded baked potato. So here you go...

I'm not one for quantities, usually, so you can adjust things as you need it.

Start by cooking up bacon. I recommend cooking it to a nice and crispy state, but you can do it however you like it. For delicious soup, you can save the bacon grease. For healthy soup, you may discard. Chop up some red potatoes into 8ths or 12ths (depending on the size of the potato, you want healthly bite-sized pieces). It's important to use red potatoes (or gold ones) rather than your standard Idaho bakers, because the red and gold potatoes will retain their shape without dissolving into mashed potatoes. Dice up one onion. Add the potato pieces and diced onion to the bacon (and the grease, if you saved it. If you did not, splash some EVOO over it, thank you Rachael Ray). Cook these over medium to low heat for awhile with a little bit of salt. You don't have to cook them very much, you're just trying to work the flavors together a little bit. After you've let them cook for a bit (10-ish minutes), add chicken stock (for a soup that will thicken more upon standing, use chicken broth instead). This is the liquid base of your soup, so add enough to submerge everything pretty well (save just a very little bit, 1/8 to 1/4 cup, for a little bit later). Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20-30 minutes (until potatoes are tender). In a seperate bowl, mix together the chicken stock you set aside with some sour cream and about 1/8 cup instant mash potato flakes. Slowly add this mixture to the soup, stirring as you go. You may now add even more instant mash potato flakes the soup, as much or as little as you would like. The more you add, the thicker the soup will be. Let cook for another 10 or so minutes.

Your soup is now ready to serve. Serve topped with grated cheese of your choice, and chives.

Last, then, but not least:

Music of the Day:













The Fratellis, Costello Music (let's be honest, boys and girls, I had another album by the Fratellis before this one, but the cover certainly helped inspire me to pick up this one)