I'll let you know now, I am a make and eat soup all year long person. I can think of few things better then sitting outside, basking in the sun, hopefully with a light wind, a book in hand, enjoying a nice big cup of some good homemade soup. (Doesn't that sound so freaking lovely?) This soup right here is perfect for just that.
Parsnips are the best, kind of like a big white sweet, yet starchy carrots. And cooked together with a little bit of light and lemony thyme, rich earthy turmeric and a couple more chopped veggie….. you got yourself a nice thick and fragrant bowl of happiness that fills you up without weighing you down. It's food you can eat that fills you up, leaves you feeling cozy, yet still wanting to hop on a bike or lace up the running shoes. Hearty without the feeling of all the heaviness.
A perfect soup for spring! (or summer, winter, or fall)
The stuff. Parsnips, carrots, onion and garlic. Thyme and turmeric, salt and pepper. the tinniest bit of oil and water (water not shown)
Chop all the veggies and the garlic, drizzle a dutch oven or a pot with oil, toss in the veggies. Add the turmeric, the thyme, and 1/2 cup of water. 
Sweet sweating the veggies. Turn pot on medium and cook until the water completely cooks out. When the veggies start to brown and stick to the pot, deglaze with water. Give a good stir and keep cooking. Repeat the deglazing process until the veggies are super soft and ready to blend. (I did this 4 times.. it only took 10 minutes)
Add enough water to cover the cooked veggies. 
And now blend the heck out of it.. Go as smooth or chunky as you want. I blended as smooth as I could get with this crappy immersion blender. (Blender on loan until I finally decide on, and buy a new one)
And there you have it. Scoop into bowls, add lots of cracked black pepper, and go to town. I made enough to save a bowl for later… it didn't last for later.
Soup so good.
-C
Parsnip Thyme and Turmeric Soup
- 4 large parsnips
- 2 carrots
- 1 whole onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- water
Dice up the parsnips, carrots, garlic and onion and place into a large dutch oven or pot. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle on the spices, salt and pepper and add about 1/2 cup of water. Turn heat on medium and start cooking down the veggies. Once the water evaporates and the veggies start to caramelize, deglaze pot with about a 1/2 cup of water. Give pot a stir, and continue to cook until water evaporates. Repeat this 2-3 more times until the veggies are super soft and fragrant.
When the veggies are ready, add enough water to the pot to submerge the veggies. Bust out the immersion blender or dump into a blending device and blend until smooth (or the consistency that you want) Have a cup of water ready to thin out if needed. When blended, taste for salt and pepper, add more if you want, and cook on low heat until you are ready to serve.
Garnish with a lot of good cracked pepper
Eat from a vessel, use a spoon
The stuff you will need. Washed and drained fresh grapes (green or red. I usually use red but the green were half the price and the red ones didn't taste very grapie*) Creamy peanut butter, skewers, and a little bit of cinnamon or cocoa powder (optional)
When the grapes are frozen, melt peanut butter. Take a big glob and stick in a tall skinny cup or bowl and stick in the microwave or heat in a sauce pan and then transfer to a tall skinny vessel. Take frozen skewed grapes and, one skewer at a time, dip in the peanut butter. Cover with as much or as little of the peanut butter as you want and place on wax paper. If you are feeling feisty, add a sprinkle or cinnamon or even a dash of cocoa powder. Or, this may seem a little crazy, but garlic powder is so F*ing good.(it's worth at least giving it a try) When all grapes are dipped, place back into freezer for another 10 minutes or so to let the peanut butter set up a bit.
Whenever your ready… Eat. And be so happy. And always keep a back stock of frozen grapes in the freezer. They are the best.
I don't know about you guys, but I am JUMPING FOR JOY… cause its finally SPRING!!!!!!! I was really starting to doubt that it ever going to happen. 
Oh little little. I picked him up from school and all he wanted to do was cut out paper snowflakes. It then proceeded to snow 3 inches … I blamed him. 
Snow covered world. I admit, very pretty, but I am hopping that this was it, that I won't see snow again unlit November.
A day with blue skies and amazing clouds
The most perfect little and the trash dog. These two spent a good hour fighting over sticks. It was fantastic. 
Last week pineapples were on sale everywhere……So I bought 5.
Stuff for the goodness. We got the kale, some avocado because all salads should have avocado and some cooked lentils because, well, all salads should have lentils (or beans or nuts.. so you could totally something else) Then a few sprigs of fresh dill, a clove of garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and a bowl of chunked up pineapple. 
The pineapple, dill, garlic, red wine vinegar, a splash of water and a pinch of salt get blended in a blender or whatever blending device you use. Go as smooth or chunky as you like, I recommend going smooth, but leaving a little chunk, like half blended.
So good……So so good.
We had ourselves a very full past week. Dinners with the misters family, dinners with mine. Lots of running around for last minutes projects, papers and bills. Mailed in the taxes in (barf) and washed the Washer dog (now he smells like a wet dog with a faint lavender scent… not much better) Then it happened, the most amazing spring day. I spent half the day on Friday trying to remember what it's like to function in warm weather. I was getting hot and forgot that I could take of my sweater. But it was back to the sweater, hat, and mittens the next day which made me kind of cranky. It actually worked out ok because I didn't feel bad about hanging inside listening to music , drawing and painting. Oh, and can't forget to mention the cleaning… lots and lots of cleaning.. and there is still more to be done.
The collection of snow shovels has finally moved to the barn!!! 
Sure you can dye eggs, or like me, just melt a bunch of crayon.
I have never seen it before, but all these leaves were melting into the ice. Very weird and very beautiful.
Speaking of weird and beautiful… 
And yes.. I pulled out my sandals for the one day of spring we had this week. It was glorious and amazing. I had forgotten what warm weather felt like.