hello dears.

so i am going to share some of what we ate at our house today. my camera is not going to be alive again until i am able to buy more special batteries on amazon, so phone pictures will have to do!

also, i am super distracted because i am watching grey's anatomy for like, the third time, and i am having a lot of stupid spinal pain and really need more coffee.

today we had a pot of (don't mind if i do) incredibly delicious potato soup. i started out wanting to make panera's cheddar broccoli soup, but then something magical happened, and my hands just started chopping and throwing stuff together, and this is what i made:

here's what you need:

5 russet potatoes, cleaned, cut however you'd like

2 carrots, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped (i used a vidalia)

2 cups water

1 1/2 cup half and half

1 cup milk

1 tbsp pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp nutmeg

2 leaves of collard greens, chopped

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup melted butter (or, i used smart balance, which is the greatest thing man has ever invented)

firstly, fry the onion for a few minutes in whatever pot you're making the soup in, with a little olive oil. then add the flour and melted butter, and whisk together until a paste forms. add the cream and milk first and heat it up and whisk it around. then add the water, carrots, potatoes, collards, and spices. simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the soup from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

it's seriously amazing. the nutmeg makes is super fantastic.

for dinner, i made a weird little shrimp dish that is my own variation on something my mother in law made once.

here's what you need:

1/2 lb salad shrimp (or whatever form of shrimp)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup water

put the butter, water, coconut oil, and shrimp in a saucepan, and simmer for about 15 minutes. add seasonings and garlic, cover, and simmer another 15 minutes. it will turn out amazing, and much like the above picture.

i made a wild rice mix and steamed broccoli to accompany it. cody thinks i should call it "shrimp dundee." he's cute.

then, we were still kind of hungry, so i experimented with my new bob's red mill 100% whole wheat flour to make some yummy bread.

1 warm cup water

3/4 tbsp tbsp yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp salt

1 cup 100% whole wheat flour + extra

1 cup unbleached white flour + extra

put warm water in a giant bowl, and sprinkle yeast and sugar on top and whisk until combined. let mixture sit 10 minutes. slowly add the 1 cup wheat flour (i say + extra because i didn't measure, i just added wheat flour until it was a wet dough) after the dough is wet, add white flour until it's easy to knead. then add butter knead for 5-7 minutes. cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour. then slowly deflate the dough, it should have risen to double its original size. form into the shape you want (i like to make slits in the top of the dough to be all fancy) and let sit for 15 minutes on a baking tray that is sprayed with olive oil, and if you want, top with a spice - i like thyme. after that time is up, spray the whole loaf with olive oil again, and bake at 350 for around 20-30 minutes.

so, there you have it! now i am going to wait patiently for craigslist to become active again so i can see if we are ever going to have a roommate, and also fold laundry.

my life is so not meredith and christina, but myyyyy goodness, i am a happy girl.