Weekend Roundup!

What a fun weekend I had the past few days! It was a pretty crazy weekend but I had so much fun visiting one of my good friends from college! On Friday after work, I headed up to Richmond (after a pit stop to drop Rusty off at his grandparents' house haha) to see my friend Kori since she just bought a new (and seriously beautiful) house in Richmond.  We usually go to football games together in the fall so it was great getting to hang out and catch up with both of our MANY life stories!! I didn't get to Richmond until after 10pm on Friday and we were up late catching up and sharing some ridiculous stories about life happenings along with some red moscato (who knew there was such a thing?? It tasted so good and was so pretty).  

Saturday, we ended up going to Claytor Lake for one of her grad school friends' baby shower.  It was so nice being in that area of Virginia again and we both didn't realize until that morning before we left Richmond that it was so close to Blacksburg (home of our alma mater Virginia Tech) so NATURALLY we had to make a detour on our way home.  We stopped by the Volume 2 bookstore and then had an early dinner at our favorite- Macado's! Before leaving town, we drove around campus just a little to see all the changes and reminisce of our college days.  We also drove through Oak Lane, the Greek community on campus and even saw the new phase/development with the first true Southern-style Greek house belonging to Sigma Phi Epsilon.  Their new house is GORGEOUS and I am so jealous we didn't have houses like that when I was in college! We ended up getting back to Richmond pretty late so we hung out and shared more stories (seriously, Kori and I can occupy ourselves for HOURS sharing ridiculous/hilarious life happenings) until I eventually fell asleep on her living room floor since I was up ridiculously late the night before ahhh.

ANYways, enough about that- but we had such a fun weekend! Sunday we had a nice relaxing breakfast at home while I drooled over her beautiful/large kitchen and I let her know of my jealousy of all that kitchen space! We talked about recipes and entertaining ideas- ahh so much fun! I love having dinner parties and having people over at my house but it tends to be difficult with such a small kitchen and limited space in a townhouse.

Here are some fun pictures from the past few days:

Our BEAUTIFUL campus, even in the cloudy/rainy mess!

made a quick stop at my parents' townhouse when we got into Blacksburg to make sure everything was OK! So many memories (good&bad) here!

typical for Kori and I! 

My standard meal from Macados- Gibson Girl, no mayo no pickle

I can NEVER finish all my sandwich because I always get a cup of my favorite soup no matter what!

Kori's signature Macado's meal- Johnny D no tomatoes!

how beautiful is this fraternity house???! SO jealous we didn't have sorority houses like this back when I was in college!

AND here is my OOTD for today- I felt so amazing in this outfit today! I had an early morning 6.1 mile run before work and it really uplifted my mood all day long! I love pretty much everything about what I wore today!

• Dress: Target
• Belt: White House Black Market
• Blazer: LOFT
• Shoes: White House Black Market (originally worn for my law school graduation)
• Jewelry: David Yurman Black Onyx earrings, necklace; David Yurman Petite Wheaton ring in Black Onyx; VT Class Ring
• Watch: Rolex
• Bangles: Malani Jewelers

I love everything about these shoes!

my sweet Rusty on our way home from work/daycare! 

 

How was your weekend??

Sunday Recipe!- Broccoli & Cheese Soup

Ok, so if you are anything like me, you love anything with cheese and veggies right?? Growing up, a staple in my house to get us to eat our veggies was to put a slice of that orange Kraft American cheese on top of whatever my brother and I wouldn't eat.  One of my favorite food memories as a child was when my mom would steam broccoli in the microwave and then put a couple Kraft cheese slices on top and then my brother would get half and I would get the other.  Even now, I love broccoli and cheese on almost everything (baked potatoes, bread, sandwiches, SOUP).
Over the years, I've had a lot of trial and errors with broccoli and cheese soup at a number of restaurants but they so many have chicken stock in it so it's always a no-go. Fair warning, these places have broccoli and cheese soup that IS NOT VEGETARIAN: Panera, Au Bon Pain, Jason's Deli, Applebees, Subway, Quiznos.  Some places have vegetarian options of this amazing soup, one of them being Cafe Carolina here in Greensboro, NC.  I always make sure to ask/make a worker if they would check their ingredient list before I even think about ordering the soup.  I figure, it's more likely than not that the soup in restaurants will have chicken stock so why not just make it at home??

I came to this conclusion last April and started doing some research for the best vegetarian recipe for a Broccoli & Cheese Soup.  I ultimately ended up finding this recipe on tastykitchen.com and later found out it was Ree Drummond's recipe!!  I wasn't a big fan of Ree Drummond when I first caught her show on Food Network a couple years ago but I've grown to appreciate her recipes and simple methods! Needless to say, I am a big fan now (but I still won't dvr her show).  Check out her website for great cooking ideas! You can find her recipe here: Pioneer Woman's Broccoli-Cheese Soup.
Here is my printed recipe with my notes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• I stick, ½ C butter
• ⅓ cup Flour
• 4 Cups Whole Milk (I used 1%milk- who uses whole milk anymore??!! It's practically cream haha)
• 2 cups Half-and-Half
• 4 Heads Broccoli Cut into Florets (I used more just because I love broccoli!!!!!!)
• 1 pinch Nutmeg (play with this amount, based on how much you enjoy the flavor- I used more than just a 'pinch')
• 3 Cups Grated Cheese (mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Jack, Etc.) (I used sharp cheddar, can't go wrong with a classic)
• Small Dash of Salt (more if needed)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Chicken Broth (Nope, just more milk) If Needed for Thinning 

METHOD

• Melt butter in a pot over medium heat, then add the onions.
• Cook the onions for 3 to 4 minutes, then sprinkle the flour over the top.
   
• Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute or so, then pour in milk and half-and-half. 
• Add nutmeg, then add broccoli, a small dash of salt, and plenty of black pepper.
   
• Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. 
• Stir in cheese and allow to melt.
• Taste seasonings and adjust if needed. 
• Then either serve as is, or mash it with a potato masher to break up the broccoli a bit, or transfer to a blender in two batches and puree completely. (If you puree it in a blender, return it to the heat and allow to heat up. Splash in chicken broth if needed for thinning.) I like it as is, and not a liquid pureed soup so I didn't mash/blend the final product!

 So, this soup was absolutely delicious but here are a few tips that I learned making the soup that I would take into consideration:

1. If you like a thinner soup, add less flour (it's used as a thickening agent for the soup) in the beginning stages.
2. I added more cheese than the recipe called for because I like how the cheese gets stringy.  I used the extra cheese when serving and put on top of the bubbling/hot soup in individual bowls.
3. This is definitely a heavier, more filling soup so try have some crusty bread to eat with it or even take Ree's recommendation for making your own bread bowl at home!
4. I love this soup re-heated as well but it had a tendency to become a thick mess after taking it out of the fridge but a simple fix= add some more milk when re-heating on the stovetop (no silly microwave re-heating!!).  It tastes so fresh and delicious!
5. If you love baked potatoes like I do, try topping off your next baked potato with a bit of this soup for a very filling and semi-naughty meal! (I say semi-naughty because of all the cheese but hello, you are totally eating your veggies too!!)

Hope you enjoyed today's recipe!

Do you have any favorite soup recipes? What are your thoughts on Broccoli&Cheese on practically everything? Which restaurant serves your favorite Broccoli&Cheese Soup??

Sunday Recipe! (on Monday..)

SO.  I got so caught up yesterday with working on my day 2 recap of Princess Half Marathon, I already  fell down on my commitment for my new Sunday recipe post haha!

ANYways, here you go! My #1 favorite recipe from the past 6 months- South Indian Rasam! Rasam is a South Indian spicy&sour soup.  The spiciness comes from the indian red chilli pepper and the sour comes from tamarind.  Just a quick rundown of Indian food-- each state/region of India has it's own distinct style of food, kind of similar to the US (southern food, southwestern food, etc) but there isnt as much variation in the US like in India.  My family is from the state of Gujarat and our Gujatrati food has some unique dishes (rotli, dhar, khadhi, etc).  South Indian food is one of my absolute favorites, which includes- rasam, sambhar, dosas, idli, uppatham, etc).  One thing I love about South Indian food is that the vast majority of it is VEGETARIAN.

In college, I used to just get the soup mix from the Indian grocery store (the kind where you add water to the mix and boil then add the tomatoes and cilantro) but now that I'm a serious adult, I felt like it was time to learn how to make this from scratch.  This is my favorite Indian soup and I pretty much judge all Indian restaurants based on the quality of their rasam (and if they don't have it at that restaurant, then I judge them for not having it and rarely return there..).  SO, I am pretty serious about my rasam haha :)

The one thing I still do purchase from the Indian grocery store is the rasam spice powder.  Making it at home is without a doubt the best option but the spice powder you can purchase are just so good and cuts out some of the cooking time (lets be real, my mouth is watering just thinking about having some rasam).  My favorite 2 brands are the MTR Rasam Powder.  You can buy this on Amazon as well! My second favorite brand is Badshah Masala Rasam Powder.  You can buy this on Amazon also!  My mom swears by the Badshah Masala brand for all her masala mixes (for Pav Bahji, Sambhar, Chole Masala, Chat Masala, Channa Masala, etc.) so I know that if my mom endorses it, then its the best!!

Onto the cooking tips! This recipe is pretty good for 2 servings but if I want leftover soup, I'd just double up on the ingredients!  I follow this recipe pretty closely but I use my MTR or Badshah masala powder.    Also, I cook the toor dal in a pressure cooker (my mom got for me from India, it's so cute!).  It is such a time saver, seriously.

this is my pressure cooker (3L) , except from 2001 (You can find it HERE)

This is my mom's main one and I also have this one too but it's way too big for just me (5L). You can find it HERE. 

Also, I use a vagharie (aka tadka pan) for the seasoning part and then add it into my soup pot.  I love this pan I got from my local Indian grocery store.

This is not the exact same one I have but it's very similar! Found HERE

I usually double the recipe and it's great re-heated! I also LOVE to add a ton of tomatoes and chopped cilantro.  I usually add the chopped tomatoes (about 1 large or 3 romas) and let it boil for 8 minutes and then I add the chopped cilantro at the very end and then boil for 2-4 minutes.  This way, the flavor infuses from both but the tomatoes still maintain their shape/ dont dissolve and the cilantro keeps it's bright green color!

South Indian Rasam Recipe

Ingredients For Rasam Powder

Coriander seeds - 1 tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
Asafetida - ¼ tea spoon (also known as Hing--one of my all time favorite spices, smells&tastes amazing)
Red chillis - 2-3, according to taste
Black pepper - 1/4 tea spoon
Mustard seeds - ¼ tea spoon

Ingredients for Rasam:

Toor dal - 1 small cup
Tamarind - a lime sized ball (see note below)
Curry leaves - a sprig
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp chopped
Salt - 1 tea spoon or to taste
Water - 3-4 cups.

Ingredients for seasoning:

Oil/ghee - 1 tsp (I use canola oil)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon.

Preparation:

Roast all the rasam powder ingredients on low flame. Grind to fine powder.
Soak tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes. Get pulp using 1 cup of water. (I skip this step all together because I use tamarind paste I get from the Indian grocery store)

Cooking Method:

1.             Cook Toor dal in 2 cups of water till it is soft.

2.            In a deep pan add 1 cup water. Add ground rasam powder, tamarind pulp. Boil.

3.            Mash the cooked dal. Add to the mixture.

4.            Boil for 5 minutes. Add salt. Add more water if needed. Boil for 5 minutes.

5.             Add chopped coriander leaves.

Prepare Seasoning

1.             In a sauce pan, heat oil/ghee.

2.            Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they stop crackling, add asafetida and turmeric powder, curry leaves.

3.            Add to the ready rasam and cover the rasam pot.

Rasam is ready. Serve hot as a soup or with plain steamed rice.

Finished product! ENJOY!

Have you ever had rasam before? If you try this recipe, let me know how you like rasam!