(no subject)
And once again it's snowing in Atlanta - those of you living in cold climates would be terribly amused by the OMG!!!111 panic that sets in if anything resembling snow hits the forecast.
My mom-in-law made it in on Thursday from Ohio, and has been having fun playing with Luna. The real reason she came down (I haven't seen her in a year) is to see the kitties, not us. But that's ok. She likes us, too.
She leaves early Sunday morning, and then we go have Dim Sum with some friends - it's a group that started off with a nice small manageable size - a few other couples and us - and then suddenly everybody invited everybody, and now we have 12 all together. I don't even remember if Canton House has tables that big, but I guess we can always split in two if needed. After that we're going to go see Cloverfield (the 2:20 PM showing at Regal Hollywood 24 on I-85 and Shallowford, if anyone else wants to come) which seems to be getting good press.
This morning I received a subpoena for a deposition in the lawsuit currently going on between my old company and That Asshat Company That Ruined My Physical and Mental Health (second link is friends-locked, but I'm considering changing that) last year, and then refused to pay for our services. My old boss keeps telling me that they can't compel me to appear because I no longer work for the company, but my sister the attorney says that's baloney, and the subpoena says I can be held in contempt of court if I don't appear. Of course the time that they are saying I have to show up is completely conflicting with some important conference calls I have with my current clients, so I don't know if I have any recourse to make them reschedule... Sent a copy of the subpoena to my sister, and I'll see what she says. Personally I have no problem with testifying about how hard my team and I worked, and what a crappy project it was from the beginning thanks to poor decisions on the part of the client. But for some reason the attorney for my old company seems to be trying to find a way to keep me out of it. Hey, whatever works.
I made the soup again! That would be the Fabulous Divine Best Vegetable Soup Ever. Only this time it came out really good, but not divine. I think the problem is that I used to much broth. At any rate, if anyone is interested, here's the recipe, more or less:
Ingredients:
Olive oil
One medium onion, diced
Two stalks of celery, chopped
Two spoonfuls of minced garlic (I cheat, I use garlic from a jar)
Half a teaspoon of shredded ginger root (again, I cheat, I use it from a jar)
Handful of chopped carrot (I used about 5 baby carrots)
Handful of sliced mushrooms (this time I used baby 'bellas, last time I had a nice mix of different shrooms)
Half a head of cabbage, chopped
Two large stalks of broccoli, chopped
Can of red kidney beans, drained
28-oz can of crushed tomatoes with liquid
14-oz can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs with liquid
Around a cup of Broth (I used chicken, but could of course be done with vegetable or even beef broth)
Around a tablespoon of Cumin
Around a teaspoon of Herbs de Provence
Around a half cup of red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
[Note: the second time I made this I couldn't remember when I put in the spices, and I'm betting that has to do with why the second batch wasn't as flavorful. Maybe
karmakeys can suggest the right timing on that? At any rate, I'm just guessing below... I also think I used too much broth, but I think the amount above should work.]
In a large heavy pot sautee the onion and garlic in hot olive oil. When they're soft, add the ginger, carrots and celery. Continue sauteeing until fragrant. Add the Herbs de Provence (see note above).
Next add the chopped cabbage, and continue sauteeing, stirring everything together, for about 3 minutes or so. Add the mushrooms and stir for another minute or so.
Add both cans of tomatoes, and stir for a minute or so. Add the cumin (see note above). Add the broth and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the can of kidney beans, and turn heat down to simmer. After a few minutes add the broccoli, stir, and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Next, puree the soup but leave it still somewhat chunky. I have one of those lovely devices where you plug it in and stick in your pot, instead of having to pour the soup into a cuisinart or blender.
Stir, and add the red wine vinegar. Stir again, add salt and pepper to taste.
Voila! Better the next day, when all has blended together. As I said before, I'm not entirely sure about the timing of the spices. I'm also not entirely sure about the quantities of broth and vinegar, but I think that's about right. It was really the combo of the cumin and the vinegar that gave it a unique and delicious flavor.
Enjoy the snow, all you other Atlantans. I'm glad we have a big pot of hearty soup and some nice crusty Tuscan bread to go with it. That, plus some movies, and there's our Saturday.
.
My mom-in-law made it in on Thursday from Ohio, and has been having fun playing with Luna. The real reason she came down (I haven't seen her in a year) is to see the kitties, not us. But that's ok. She likes us, too.
She leaves early Sunday morning, and then we go have Dim Sum with some friends - it's a group that started off with a nice small manageable size - a few other couples and us - and then suddenly everybody invited everybody, and now we have 12 all together. I don't even remember if Canton House has tables that big, but I guess we can always split in two if needed. After that we're going to go see Cloverfield (the 2:20 PM showing at Regal Hollywood 24 on I-85 and Shallowford, if anyone else wants to come) which seems to be getting good press.
This morning I received a subpoena for a deposition in the lawsuit currently going on between my old company and That Asshat Company That Ruined My Physical and Mental Health (second link is friends-locked, but I'm considering changing that) last year, and then refused to pay for our services. My old boss keeps telling me that they can't compel me to appear because I no longer work for the company, but my sister the attorney says that's baloney, and the subpoena says I can be held in contempt of court if I don't appear. Of course the time that they are saying I have to show up is completely conflicting with some important conference calls I have with my current clients, so I don't know if I have any recourse to make them reschedule... Sent a copy of the subpoena to my sister, and I'll see what she says. Personally I have no problem with testifying about how hard my team and I worked, and what a crappy project it was from the beginning thanks to poor decisions on the part of the client. But for some reason the attorney for my old company seems to be trying to find a way to keep me out of it. Hey, whatever works.
I made the soup again! That would be the Fabulous Divine Best Vegetable Soup Ever. Only this time it came out really good, but not divine. I think the problem is that I used to much broth. At any rate, if anyone is interested, here's the recipe, more or less:
Ingredients:
Olive oil
One medium onion, diced
Two stalks of celery, chopped
Two spoonfuls of minced garlic (I cheat, I use garlic from a jar)
Half a teaspoon of shredded ginger root (again, I cheat, I use it from a jar)
Handful of chopped carrot (I used about 5 baby carrots)
Handful of sliced mushrooms (this time I used baby 'bellas, last time I had a nice mix of different shrooms)
Half a head of cabbage, chopped
Two large stalks of broccoli, chopped
Can of red kidney beans, drained
28-oz can of crushed tomatoes with liquid
14-oz can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs with liquid
Around a cup of Broth (I used chicken, but could of course be done with vegetable or even beef broth)
Around a tablespoon of Cumin
Around a teaspoon of Herbs de Provence
Around a half cup of red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
[Note: the second time I made this I couldn't remember when I put in the spices, and I'm betting that has to do with why the second batch wasn't as flavorful. Maybe
karmakeys can suggest the right timing on that? At any rate, I'm just guessing below... I also think I used too much broth, but I think the amount above should work.]
In a large heavy pot sautee the onion and garlic in hot olive oil. When they're soft, add the ginger, carrots and celery. Continue sauteeing until fragrant. Add the Herbs de Provence (see note above).
Next add the chopped cabbage, and continue sauteeing, stirring everything together, for about 3 minutes or so. Add the mushrooms and stir for another minute or so.
Add both cans of tomatoes, and stir for a minute or so. Add the cumin (see note above). Add the broth and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the can of kidney beans, and turn heat down to simmer. After a few minutes add the broccoli, stir, and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Next, puree the soup but leave it still somewhat chunky. I have one of those lovely devices where you plug it in and stick in your pot, instead of having to pour the soup into a cuisinart or blender.
Stir, and add the red wine vinegar. Stir again, add salt and pepper to taste.
Voila! Better the next day, when all has blended together. As I said before, I'm not entirely sure about the timing of the spices. I'm also not entirely sure about the quantities of broth and vinegar, but I think that's about right. It was really the combo of the cumin and the vinegar that gave it a unique and delicious flavor.
Enjoy the snow, all you other Atlantans. I'm glad we have a big pot of hearty soup and some nice crusty Tuscan bread to go with it. That, plus some movies, and there's our Saturday.
.