I wish you could smell my house right now....

I should finish reviewing my sample of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil tonight. This afternoon I made a carrot, and ginger soup with coconut oil and maple, and there is a chocolate cake (Little kid in me dances in circles!!!! Cake for work!!! Cake for work!!! Fat girl want some cake!!!!) waiting to be frosted (Fat girl want some frosting!!!!) on the table.

Oh. My. Heavens.

The house smells like ginger, chocolate, and coconut.

This is what heaven smells like. Ginger, chocolate and coconut. Someone is going to make me six gallons of body wash that smells just like this. I just want to sit here and BREATHE.

MissAngelTween says that when I cook, it's like eating at a fancy restaurant. Pretty sure she's after some of that cake, but I'll bask in the glow of preteen approval for every second it's offered. In five minutes, I'll be the worst mom in the world again, you know.

Here's how I did the soup, it was kind of off the cuff (as usual) along with what I'd do differently:

2 small onions, small dice
2 inch knob of ginger, minced (I'd grate it over a plate next time).
2 lbs less a handful for snacking baby carrots. (I'd totally chop them up a bit, they took FOREVER to cook)
1 quart chicken stock
1 t powdered ginger
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced (if I'd had a sweet potato that would have been better.)
2 C milk (I used whole. Cream would have been better but then I couldn't have cake)
2 T maple syrup. (Real, not pretend)
salt and pepper
3 T coconut oil

Heat 2 T coconut oil over medium heat and add the onion, cooking until translucent. Add everything but the milk and simmer, until VERY tender. We're talking mushy pot roast tender. The time will depend on the size of your chunks- mine took forty five minutes and probably could have gone a bit further, but the children were threatening to leave home if I didn't feed them. I think it was the smell of ginger in the air.

Pulse in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to heat and add milk. Just pour, don't measure, until the soup is a consistency you like. I eyeballed about two cups, it may have been a bit more. Stir the last tablespoon of coconut oil into the soup-taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. The coconut oil works just like finishing it with butter and smells divine.

Garnish with sour cream and parsley. Chocolate cake recipe to follow.
Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Available here Select refer a friend and enter my code, 7259861, to receive a free recipe book.

Well, last night's surprise party was successful, I think...

We had a lot of fun last night...It's great to have such a fabulous family. Before I go and attack the mess left in my own kitchen, I wanted to share with you the really simple recipes I made...(yes, I actually FOLLOWED several recipes..almost to the T). We also shocked my mother in law, and I really am glad to have that part over with. I don't really like lying, but for a surprise party, I guess it's OK.

I started with one batch of artisan bread in five Broa dough. This is by far my favorite dough from the book...the cornmeal just adds a lovely texture. I like to completely ignore the instructions for forming the loaves and make it just like the boule. For this batch of dough, I subbed out 1 C of all purpose flour with one C of whole wheat flour, and added about a tablespoon of fine herbs to the flour before mixing the dough. This I left sit for forty eight hours, to allow the sourdough flavor to develop.

This was divided in half, then one half divided again, and each piece of dough quickly stretched into a ball as indicated on the website. I let these rest for an hour, while I worked on other things for the party, and Mr. Lovinangels washed dishes! Yay!

I took the smallest ball of dough, rolled it out on parchment, and formed this pizza. I left the skin on the beautiful green apples, and used diced prosciutto in place of the ham. I also finished it with the leftover shredded cheese I had from the Gougeres, which I took to calling cheese puffs, because I have no idea how to say that word. We used a lovely New York state sharp cheddar instead of Gruyere. I just don't like that.

Finally, I assembled the salad, which was just a bag of arugula, two heads of fennel, split and julienned, two green apples, split and julienned, and the insides of two pomegranates, cleaned out in a bowl of water to save my kitchen. I tossed this with some fresh lemon juice and olive oil, and really hit it with a lot of fresh pepper.

And that was it. I have to say, remarkably easier than I normally go, but still good.  Now off to run the bulldozer  through the kitchen and get ready for tomorrow's trick or treat!