Hi everyone. Even though it has been a trying week that really bugged me, I have been on the calendar for months to host my bookclub. Our bookclub, as you may know by now, is also usually a dinner party.
Cooking and shopping for eight? I could sneak in moments to prep for the meal but how was I to find the time to shop? Do I cancel, understandably, or do I look to my well stocked pantry and deliver what I hope to be a memorable meal? I chose the latter and knocked out spiced nuts, ginger lentil soup, cornbread, pecan goat cheese and dried cranberry salad and the recently posted chocolate caramel cookies for dessert. Everything was already in my house. Oh, yeah, my friend Julie called to say she was in Costco so I asked her to pick up some Manchego cheese. Done.
We may not be able to know what is in store for us from day to day, but we can control what we have in our fridge and pantry. Word!
Ginger Lentil Soup:
1 chopped onion
2 to 2 1/2 quarts chicken broth (or veg. broth)
1 tsp pureed ginger or finely minced fresh ginger
5 medium sized carrots, small dice
3 cups dry green lentils
salt and pepper to taste
In a big pot, like my new Lodge Brand cast iron dutch oven-LOVE IT!!!, heat up the broth until a simmer.
Add the ginger,onions and carrots and simmer until the carrots are starting to get tender, maybe about 15 minutes.
Add the green lentils and cook for another 20 minutes or so or until the lentils are tender. Keep cooking the soup until both the carrots and lentils are totaly tender.
Sat and pepper to taste and serve hot with a nice bread. Yum.
7 Responses
We are all cold from outside Halloween decorating… do you have any of that soup left??? Sounds delicious!
DId you say "Word!" Love it!
Alma, did you really just make that all from your pantry?
Readers, may I tell you, as a book club member I was lucky enough to be part of the dinner, and you'd never have known Alma just pulled it all together at the last minute. It was a great example of how straightforward ingredients get combined, with a little bit of style, to become a hearty and warm repast that felt special to everyone there.
The only away you'd have known that Alma was even slightly off her game (if she even was) is that she never mentioned Jon Hamm. Not once.
Yes, I did say, "word!", No soup left, Julie, and CV, I did indeed make everything from my pantry and from whatI had in the fridge-and so can you! Thanks for a great night!
Deee-licious lentil soup, Alma. (And I consider myself a bit of a bean and pea soup connoisseur.)
Never felt that my book club was lacking in any way, until now. đŸ™‚
All bookclubs have their own spirit đŸ™‚