lentil soup!

it might appear as if its been over two weeks since my last post. this is the longest time i've gone without posting in the few months that i've had my little blog, and that fact is both pathetic and sad. but, that is what happens when you travel and visit family and go to conferences and things like that. i believe i have six posts catch up on before i'm in the clear, so i'll see what i can do to make that happen as i settle into a daily routine, and, also, get. my. dissertation. finished.

so.

a week ago, i made a plain yet delicious lentil soup. i got the recipe from mark bittman's 'how to cook everything vegetarian,' which i received as a holiday gift and which makes me happy.

lentil soup is very easy to make. it involves cooking lentils for a long time with some broth, carrots and celery (again, i hate celery, but it is ok if it is cooked in soup and then either blended or removed, and is not the primary flavor) and spices.

while this is happening, carmelize a bunch of onions in a pan:

and then, you combine the two and mix using your brand new present, mr. immersion blender! and, while we're at it, i'd like to advertise the first thing i learned about immersion blenders: when in shallow waters, they splash. sometimes, you must pour your liquids into a smaller saucepan so that the immersion blender has a better time doing its thing and you don't get wet. true, you are dirtying another pan, but, hopefully, you won't make this mistake a second time. and, by the way, when i say 'you,' i mean me.

add a little salt and pepper, and you are done.

i ate the soup alongside a toasted everything bagel and cream cheese and smoked salmon spread that had travelled nine hours in the car from near the new jersey/new york border. i don't eat this very often, but, boy is it good. if you're ever in westfield, new jersey, i highly recommend 'bagel chateau.' they rock. over and out.