You think a half marathon is bad ...

Well, I agreed to road trip to Chicago last weekend to entertain the opportunity of No Chefs Allow as a radio show.  By Saturday morning, our departure morning, I was completely exhausted and overwhelmed by this agreement.  I was facing a piano lesson first, then a soccer game and then we were going to hit the road.  The soccer game got postponed, the laundry was completely dirty and I just didn't feel ready to take all three of our kids on a trip to Chicago without Chris.

I am usually up for a challenge, but on Saturday I thought the best idea was to cancel.  I texted Megan, 'Completely overwhelmed.  I don't think we can make it.'  She responds, 'Just get in the car.  Our future depends on it.'  So that's how all three kids ended up strapped in, the dirty laundry thrown in the trunk and the no-snack road trip began.  A half marathon was sounding like the better option.

In the end, it was worth it.  When we began discussions about how to approach the sample of the show we wanted to produce I was like a deer in headlights.  But then Jamie, the producer, asked what I would tell someone about a parsnip ... and the flood gates opened.  I've been Monday morning quarterbacking the entire experience ever since. (Not the road trip.  I'm blocking that out.)  Things I could have done to make it better.  Different uses of kitchen sounds to have going in the background.  How to introduce a caller.  Better one-liners.  Oh, the one-liners I should have used.

But the taping is over and it is what it is.  Click and Clack meets the parsnip.  I'd listen to it.  But regardless of that, we certainly cooked with it.

I only got one photo.  It's of the soup of which I highly recommend.  I highly recommend the bacon sausage too.  (Even if it requires an impromptu road trip to Chicago.)

Creamy Parsnip Soup
Heat about 2 tbsps butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add about two leeks cleaned and sliced.  Cook these about five minutes until they are soft and then pull out a hefty scoop and reserve them in a bowl. 

I then added one can of chicken broth but you could probably skip that.  Add about a pound of parsnips, peeled and trimmed like carrots, and cut into one inch chunks.  Add two apples, I used granny smith, peeled and cut into chunks.  Add one potato peeled and cut into chucks.  There's a pattern going on here. 

Then cover it all up with water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and partially cover it.  Simmer until the parsnips are tender.  If they are ... then the rest of it is too. 

You can use an immersion blender here to puree the soup ... but if you are cooking at Megan O'Connor's you will need to use the food processor.  If you are at Megan's, return the soup to the pot. 

Then my favorite part, add about two turns of the pot of heavy cream.  (Heavy cream makes me feel special.  As do leeks actually.)  Stir it in and then season with salt and pepper.  Then take the reserved leeks and saute them up with more butter until they are clearly brown.  Serving these on top the soup was key.  The smooth puree just needed a hint of texture.  Try it for Thanksgiving.  Megan's going to.

Friends, Family, Ups and Downs

Wow, what a weekend I had. I considered that I had taken on a bit much, but it was all so fun somehow it seemed worth it.

My weekend started with a girls night away in Wisconsin. What happened the next morning however was not as glamorous as a "girls night away" might sound. We gathered at a friend's house in Lake Geneva for a 13.1 mile run on Saturday morning. I was not at all concerned about the run as I have done a number of half marathons over the years and I actually felt like I was ready. I was wrong! The race was 13 miles of hills. Up and down for 13 miles. It was brutal. There were times that I was moving so slow up the hills I literally felt like I was running in place. And based on my time, I may very well have been. I finished but not without tears, regret and a sense of "how did this happen?". But the Ups and Downs soon were masked by a big fat lunch, lots of laughs and a road trip back to Chicago. Here we are after...ugh!

Saturday night -- Bob Newhart. Sold out. Yes, Sold Out Bob Newhart. The excitement of it proved to be better than the actual show, but I must say it did bring back memories of sitcoms and funny lines and the evening as a whole was fun.

And then Sunday. Tricia and her kids came to town on Saturday night so that she and I could record a demo for a radio show. Too funny. I suspect this effort will end up like our dreams of going on the road playing guitar (we both dropped out of our lessons). We had a blast. We recorded a segment on our Battle for the month -- the parsnip. And yucked it up the whole way through with my friend Jamie who was our producer, guide and engineer.

Following that, Jamie, Tricia, our cousin Jaime and I all started cooking. We made a meal with parsnips (Tricia do you have pics?):

Parsnip, leek and apple soup
Smashed potato and parsnip with fresh thyme
Parsnip Cake AND

We were lucky enough (through the generosity and talent of some friends) to also serve Bacon Sausage. You heard me...bacon sausage. Talk about delicious. One of my neighbors is the chef, and inventor of this amazing food. His company is called Big Fork. And he has a number of bacon sausages that are as wonderful as they sound...Aged Cheddar, Cracked Black Pepper and Maple & Brown Sugar, and the original which we devoured, Hickory & Applewood. Look him up, get yourself some of this wonderfulness. And tell him I sent you. www.bigforkbrands.com

Whew. What an amazing weekend. The friends and family being the highlight. The Ups and Downs causing me great physical and emotional damage.

What did I learn? Cooking is fun. Friends make it better. Hills are bad.

It isn't Thanksgiving without the proper "turkey-ware"

I was kind of procrastinating thinking about Thanksgiving this year. You may think it is a little early to start procrastinating, but let me tell you about Thanksgiving at our house. This year we will have John's 5 siblings, their spouses and kids, and Aunt Ann Marie. This adds up to 26 people. And right now you are thinking..."wimp, what's the big deal"? Well, what if I told you that those 26 people arrive on Wednesday and leave on Saturday? Yes. Uh huh. That is Thanksgiving.

So, as usual, when faced with a lot of plans to make, I just choose not to think about it. This sometimes works. But mostly it ends up with me cursing myself, and a family running for cover from the Beast. But I was prepared to procrastinate anyway when much to my surprise I got a package from my sisters-in-law. Inside, turkey-ware. Turkey salt and peppers, turkey butter dish, and turkey napkins. "Couldn't resist how cute these were and how perfect with your dishes! Hope you don't have them already", read the card.

Well ladies, no worries, until today I did not have the proper turkey-ware for our feast. And not only did you remind me how much there is to do to prepare for our festive feast of a weekend, you got me moving. In fact, tonight I am trying out a new side dish and dessert using parsnips of course.

Thanks for the gift, for thinking of me and for getting me moving.

Step 1: Get turkey-ware. Check.

Confessions of an Ex-Photographer

I made mussels for the first time a couple weeks ago and I wanted to show you.  On Monday I made fresh ricotta cheese and I was completely ecstatic about the results.  I wanted to tell you all about it.  And yesterday .... don't get me started ... yesterday the kids and I had Brownie Fest 2011.  We made three types from scratch, super chocolatey, peanut butter and banana chocolate chunk brownies.  We were starting an espresso infused brownie when we realized we ran out of butter.*  I wanted to share it with you.  But I didn't.  Do you know why?

I don't have a camera.  I know.  I know what you're thinking.  "How can a girl who has owned and operated a photography studio for the past ten years, worked with the top of the line professional cameras and is married to another photographer who thinks his job description is buying new cameras NOT have a camera?" I am ashamed.  But when I left working at the studio and moved into a marketing job at a sales firm it turns out I didn't get to take one with me.  And my new job doesn't offer you one.  Insurance ... yes.  Cameras ... no.  The only camera available to me now is the one on my I-Phone 3GS ... I don't even have the I-phone 4.  And those photos just don't do it for me.  I feel trapped at my inability to actually adjust my depth of field, my ISO, my flash.  It is starting to depress me.

So I can't wait for Chris to get home from work today, sit down to dinner and ask me how I'm doing.  He will be completely shocked when I tell him I want to buy a new camera.  Oh how the tables have turned.

*Brownie fest was completely impromptu and fun.  I said,"Oh my, look at the mess we are making"  Atticus responded, "Who cares, we're all having a ball."  Perspective adjusted.

Say Cheesy!

What luck! It is National Cheesy Month. An opportunity for each and every American to look inside and discover their cheesy qualities. And let it all hang out for one full month.

I myself took a good look. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to dig that deep. So what do I plan to do in celebration?

1. Join the Justin Bieber fan club
2. Apply bumper sticker -- "if you're not a hemorrhoid, get off my ass"
3. KEGGER!
4. 24/7 Glee fest
5. Matching Disney t-shirts for the whole family
6. Road trip to Graceland
7. Play Farmville
7. Attend upcoming Bob Newhart show in Chicago

What fun. Bob Newhart is actually in town in just two weeks. And I've got great seats. And really he isn't cheesy at all. Just hilarious!

Enjoy the month. Don't let anyone tell you this is National Cheese Month. If they do they are just trying to be cool, foodie types -- yea..."real cheese balls".

Dear Parsnip

Dear Parsnip,

I know. It isn't easy for you. You sit among the produce, looking a little like a sickly carrot. Less exciting, less colorful. They call you rutabaga-like, bitter, overpowering. And I know you don't get much attention. You seem to move around the produce, as if they just don't know where to put you.

To that we say, "move over Mister Fancy Shmancy Carrot". This is Parsnip's month to get all the attention. Bring on Battle Parsnip.

This month, we plan to puree you, smash you, season you, roast you, and maybe grill you. You will stand alone and be forced to work well with others. You will have the opportunity to spice things up, to show off your personality, and be the life of the dinner party.

So, Parsnip, get ready for Battle Parsnip. Show us your stuff.

Sincerely,

Megan and Tricia