Curry Ginger Carrot Soup

It's amazing what I can accomplish in two hours if I don't watch TV. Anyhow, we had a ton of veggies in the fridge this weekend so I cooked up a storm to get through all of it. I made Adam some apple sauce and I made a delicious curry ginger carrot soup with a giant bag of carrots we had. The soup is bit on the hot side since I added a little too much spice so Adam wasn't a fan, but I've been loving the soup myself. I froze the soup in a bunch of sandwich bag servings which are perfect for lunch at work. I just ate a bowl as a "healthier" pre-dinner snack than a bag of sun chips.

Curried Carrot Soup

Ingredients
Serves 4 big bowls or 8 small cups
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger (optional)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions
Heat butter in a Dutch oven or large (4- to 5-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, carrots, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

(Note: I used an immersion blender right in the pot of soup which was super easy.)
In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan. Add more water to thin to desired consistency. Reheat, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.Note: Hot liquids will expand when blended, so be careful not to fill the jar of the blender more than halfway. To prevent the liquid from spattering, allow the heat to escape:
Remove the cap from hole in lid, and cover lid with a dish towel when blending.

Happy Birthday To Me

Last Sunday was my 30th and plasticmom was out for a birthday visit to help celebrate. Adam, plasticmom and I went out for a fantastic meal at Oya and enjoyed the chef's tasting menu. I also had a birthday pie party which was super fun. Twenty-five guests, 14 pies from Petsi's and lots of candy favor bags filled with Zagnut bars and huge gummy alphabets. We had waaay too much pie and we're still working our way through it. My friend Dave took home an entire key lime and proceeded to eat his way through. He finished up Wednesday morning 7:45am. I received lots of thoughtful cards and gifts. The following is a reconstructed conversation at my party about one of my favorites.

Wheezy: [looking at the birthday cards displayed on the shelf] Oh no...someone got you the same card as me.
plasticann: Which one?
Wheezy: The one with the "30."
plasticann: [laughing] You know how got me that card?
Wheezy: No, who!
plasticann: Wheezymom, she mailed it to me.
Wheezy: [slightly flabbergasted] I know someone would buy the same card, it's the only "30" birthday card at the store.
plasticann: Where did you get it?
Wheezy: CVS!
plasticann: I wonder if Wheezymom also got hers at CVS.
Wheezy: She probably did.

Hilarious! I displayed the two twin cards together and they look awesome. I still laugh when I think about it. Great minds think alike.