Hot Summer Nights

This weekend was Charlie's first trip to the zoo. I think he enjoyed it but I imagine he would have enjoyed it more if he had, say, the ability to sit or control of his neck and appendages. Furthermore, aside from his hands, my son has all of my physical features. This includes his very fair, almost translucent, skin. Since you really shouldn't put sunscreen on a baby because infants are not able to say, "Mother, I fear I might be getting a bit dehydrated," it is just best to keep them out of the sun. Although, the family did get a chance to observe, "The Charlie" in his natural habitat.



"The Charlie" spends much of his day pooping, sleeping and chewing on his hands. He is quite possibly one of the cutest animals at the zoo but be forewarned. If you anger him, he will barf on you.

This day was particularly sunny and quite frankly, it is about time, considering it is June. Since I was on the hook for dinner for my family that night and it was the first real "hot" day of the year I was not really interested in turning on the oven. So my logical self thought: slow cooker. A nice warm meal without generating nearly as much heat as the oven and, I could start something in the morning before the guests arrive and it will be done when we got back from the zoo. I am a freaking genius.

So I made beef stew. Yup, stew. And there is nothing like a piping hot bowl of beef stew on a hot summer evening.

I don't know what I was thinking either. One would think that I would learn from my mistake but rather than do that, I did the same exact thing the next night. This time it was not stew, it was soup. When I told Grant what we were having for dinner, he said, "OK. You do know that it is almost summer now, right?" as he was standing in front of our make-shift air conditioner aka standing shirtless in front of a fan that is positioned next to an open window.

Yes. I know that it is almost summer. I don't know why I continue to make hot bowls of liquid for dinner when it is 82 degrees in the house. Whatever the reason, here is what I made:

Asparagus Soup with Toasted Garlic Croutons and Goat Cheese

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, diced
1 large can chicken broth
approx 2 cups asparagus, chopped (I used frozen and it worked great)
approx 1 cup half & half
Few tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Croutons

3 or 4 slices of Ciabatta bread, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced

Saute the onion and garlic in oil and butter until onion is translucent. Add the potatoes and continue to saute a few minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus. (Note: I also happened to have some broccoli stalks left over that I chopped up and added with the asparagus. It was quite good to have that layer of flavor in the soup but very much optional). Reduce the soup to a simmer and cook until potatoes and asparagus are fork tender. With an emulsion blender (or a food processor) blend the soup until smooth. Add the half & half after blended.

For the croutons, saute the butter and oil and garlic for a few minutes. Pour over the cubed bread and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake the croutons in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes or until crisp. Sprinkle a few croutons and some goat cheese on top of the hot soup.

So why did I do it? Who knows. I really do love making soup. But perhaps the real reason is that my subconscious mind is rebelling against the change in the weather. Because if one thing is for sure, these post-baby thighs of mine are no where close to being shorts ready. In fact, my entire post-baby body is not looking forward to any summertime attire. So maybe if I just keep making soups, the universe will think it is fall and I can keep my legs nice and covered until, well, stretch marks become fashionable. I realize this is unlikely to work. I guess I will just have to switch to gazpacho for a while.