A delicious soup

The other night I made this cauliflower and cheddar soup from Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food recipe book. It turned out very delicious, which was exciting as it was my first time making it and there were a few hiccups along the way.

Turns out making soup for a serving size of 6-8 does not fit into one pot (when that pot is meant to hold a max of 7 litres). So I did my best to divide the chopped carrots, celery, shallots, and cauliflower (which I had already combined in a mixing bowl) into 2 ‘large’ pots. Apparently I need a bigger pot!

As I was heating the veg in the pots, the newer pot that’s supposedly non-stick ended up burning part of the vegetables on the bottom of the pan. And when I poured in the chicken broth it turned the colour of the soup in this particular pot a very dark amber. Not so much a Guinness colour, but maybe a dark beer colour. The other – cheaper- pot fared much better!

When it came to adding the Dijon mustard, cheese and then blending them, I realised I did not have a hand blender. But I had a full blender and poured one pot in at a time and it did the job stunningly!

The only issue was the blender was VERY full and I feared that it might start bubbling over. Thankfully, with my quick thinking, I held the top of the blender with a rag and kept it from spilling over. Although taking off the top was tricky as the soup was to the tipity top and did splash when it was cocked to one side to get a good grip to pull it off.

I cozied up on the couch with Fatty, after topping my soup with some recently cooked bacon bits and throwing together a quick baby spinach salad, and turned on the TV to the new season of Project Runway.

The soup was creamy and thick, and tasted of fresh vegetables. The cauliflower wasn’t overpowering, but was definitely a great compliment to the carrots and celery. Very filling as well, this was good since I was having it for my dinner! I’m not sure what the fat/calories were in this, but seeing as I made it from scratch and it included fresh veg and chicken stock, I imagine it was relatively healthy – despite the cheese.

I would highly recommend this soup as a starter, lunch or even a main any day!

The Twitter debate

The infamous Kanye incident at the VMA’s on Sunday now seems like old news. The fact that it’s still in the news (and that I’m writing about it) has got to be annoying to more people than just me, right?

But I just read on Boston.com that President Obama called Kanye West a ‘jackass’ during chatter before a CNBC and ABC interview in Wall Street on Monday, which was then reported on Twitter by three ABC journalists as they listened in.

The fact that this is even in the news, despite the face most can agree Kanye is a jackass, is because it brings up the debate between journalistic ethics and the new media such as Twitter. The digital age has speed up so quickly and has become all-encompassing; there are no rules for journalists to be governed by.

Twitter is perfect for this sort of information. It’s interesting, it needs no explanation, and it’s about someone everyone knows. The perfect tweet. And yet, it came from a professional journalist who should have known the President was speaking off the record…

I imagine that we’ll be seeing more and more of these as Twitter grows in popularity. Although many might see this as the end of journalism as we know it (no rules, no boundaries), this is the perfect opportunity to create new ethics. Journalism needs to expand and grow as Web 2.0 (3.0?) take over.

Who doesn’t want to hear Obama calling Kanye a jackass? Of course, this isn’t really news either. Journalists know the difference between off-the-record and on. And this should be no different for tweeting. Presidents, public officials, and businesses alike have for years felt protected behind the ‘off-the-record’ comments, and just because we have access to post a comment for all the world to read seconds later, this does not mean we as journalists should – or can for that matter.

The fact is ABC had to apologize to the White House and CNBC and the tweets were deleted from Twitter after about an hour of being posted. But the damage has been done and the debate will continue.

Restless

The sky in London today looks like it's late November, not mid-September. It's very Dickensian; dark grey clouds, fog, rain, wind. Very depressing indeed.

It makes me think how quickly the 'summer' came and went. Actually, it seems like ages ago that I was planning the summer ahead with a number of trips home to the states and weekends of wine drinking and picnicking in the park. Now suddenly the staunch realisation that those lovely bright summer nights are long gone until 2010.

Soon it will be cold and dark by 5pm. 4pm. 3.30. Sigh... I have to get ahold of myself before I fall into a deep depression!!

But with this I've been trying to plan little trips that Mark and I can take to keep our spirits bright (of course, not by natural light I'm sure). I don't think it helps that I'm still unsure of my career's future past 30th September. So I need to plan further ahead. With visions of train trips up north, perhaps to Edinburgh? If it's going to be dark sooner, might as well take advantage of the evenings, right?! And in Scotland it will surely get dark quicker than London... so where can we enjoy a tipple and nibbles in a lovely city on a hill? That's my next investigative plan.

The objective is to stay positive with the turn of the seasons. It's all about the little things, isn't it? Like decking out the house in Halloween decorations or planning a Thanksgiving soiree. And since I won't be making it back to Boston for the holidays, I must prepare for a lovely English Christmas in Shropshire! And how will we celebrate New Years 2010? Magically, I'm sure.

The next months may be in the future now, but as sure as this rain will past it will fast approach. And I need to set my spirits high (although always prepare for a hard landing)! If nothing else, but to get through it all until the suns warmth grazes my skin again. :)