The Contest....

We were a busy duo of gals over on the west side today...We worked, and cooked, and hung out at 'the wall.'  Apparently, from what I have heard..There was a Dr. Phil show I should have seen..I was out of the loop regarding said show...It didn't take long for the gals to fill me in...tisk-tisk...sorry...I couldn't resist...as I digress.  I also heard that it is going to rain on Sunday..originally word on the streets was Saturday, but, in fact, according to what Matt Zaffino has to say, from 'the wall' gals, it is now Sunday..Perhaps I should turn on my television..it's been a long time...They're a hoot...E.V. loves them!

"Awww, Mama...shall we proceed to the contest...I am sooo excited!  Tell them..Please, I beg of you!"

She does take after her Mama...absolutely zero patience!  I was going to close with my contest...but I cannot resist a sweet, little pea.  So, we shall begin with the contest...  The winner of this previously aforementioned contest will need to have a good eye..in addition to being familiar with unidentifiable objects.  I ventured into my freezer today.  It was risky...however, a journey which was unavoidable... After that experience, I came to the realization I should have left well enough alone...as I found this (insert gasps and icks here):

Zero clue what it is...Zero clue when it was cooked...and I have my suspicions as to whether or not this is something that even came out of my kitchen..and how it ended up in my freezer, is probably another blog in itself...So...of my three followers out there in the world of the wide web, if you can identify the contents of this mysterious object...you will be rewarded...The winner receives a date with E.V.  AND, I even promise not to tell Waldo...The secret is safe with me...locked in a vault and such...never to be discussed again... 

"Oh...Mama...I am sooo excited!  I've never been a prize before..maybe the chainsaw juggler will figure it out..he's clever and smart....actually, I just need an evening away from you....a gal can only listen to Last of the American Girls soooooo many times..."

On occasion, she isn't too nice to her mama.  Just saying.  Merely an observation.. however, once you have met her face to face, you'll see...I also washed her harness today...and it is at this time I will share with you my PSA for Thursday...If you realize you are out of laundry detergent, hand soap is not a fitting substitute....It's this experience thing, people..I kid you not...

Laundry mishaps, walls and contests aside...we had an agenda...some cooking which needed to be done!  We were hungry...and made soup!  That and a peanut butter and banana sandwich...Not necessarily two things that should be eaten simultaneously..but both equally as delicious!

I'll commence with the soup development...it rocked...much like those that juggle chainsaws...

Potatoes, leeks, arugula and olive oil.  MMM bop..there it is...KISS, I say!!

Peel and cut up your potatoes...slice and dice leeks and toss them in the olive oil..You can't really beat a leek...Leeks are like Twin Peaks and CSJs, irresistible and mysterious....Great series, BTW...in case you were a curious kinda person, like myself...

Roast the potatoes and leeks in the oven at 400 for approximately 40 minutes...and when you have four minutes remaining, add the arugula...And dance around the kitchen, shaking your booty, with a certain...brand new, magical pen...it is the bee's knees..and does a body good!

Upon completion of the roasting process....the pan of deliciousness...not to be confused with the skillet of justice...needs to visit your blender...only briefly...and be sure and bring some chicken stock along for the ride...you'll need it...

Puree the potatoes, leeks and arugula and thin, as needed, with the stock.  I originally was going to mention that this blender was beginning to imagine I had developed a crush on him...because it's the third time we've met this week...shhhh..don't tell Felix, the fan...He has jealous tendencies...But, my joke was ruined....As I was blending, the blender motor blew up.  For reals..There totally is a joke in that scenario...I just can sense it...my nose is twitching  Anyway, it smelled like I was roasting a tire in the oven...So, my soup is not as pureed as it should be, due to blender failure...

"Mama..it STINKS in here...What happened??????"

We trudged along...the food world is an ugly place, sometimes...you can't let minor calamities get you down...such is life, no????

The other half of our soup ingredients...Chicken stock, cream, parmesan cheese, creme fraiche and pepper...  Speaking of pepper...I have one additional PSA....a grinding tip, if you will...my tip about grinding pepper is that one should buy a grinder and if you can find a tip.....It's that experience thing...

If one can believe...I focused long enough to create a delicious and scrumptious soup....see for yourself!

Perfect for a day such as today...warm and comforting...no regrets, my friends..none!

This soup would not be complete without some crispy shallots....

Thinly sliced shallots are quickly fried in oil...It will, and trust me on this one, stink up your apartment...however, they are soooooo awesome...like possum!

Are you anxious to see the final soup????..I know I am...Again, one of my afflictions...impatience..again, I am completely a WIP...probably until the day I depart this earth...oh, well....

THE Soup...Sassy...Yummy...Warm...and, well, soup....

In addition to this soup, as I had mentioned, we had our peanut butter and banana sandwich with honey and sugar...

If i were to divulge the overwhelming amount of sugar in this sandwich...shhhhh..that's a secret....and probably why E.V. and I danced the night away...'I wanna be the Minority" is a GREAT song..this chickadee does not wanna be the majority, either...

However, it WAS on whole wheat bread, and the peanut butter was organic and completely lacking in partially hydrogenated soybean oil..which is a good thing, no????...that makes a HUGE difference.  HUGE.  It was super-duper yum....

Well, that's about all I have for this evening...Make this soup...Zero regrets...please study the photo and advise, ASAP as to the mysterious contents in the container...E.V. REALLY wants outta here (can you blame her...), and never, ever forget that peanut butter and bananas (and chainsaw jugglers) rock!  See all y'all tomorrow..fo'sho.'