Some new ingredients...

Yesterday I lit a couple of my scented candles and did some crocheting. I felt completely content with the world at that moment. It is lovely to sometimes just sit quietly and enjoy the things you have around you. I do apologise for the mess on my dresser by the way, as hard as I try to ween myself away from it, I will always remain a clutterbug I am afraid.
I then proceeded to make the most fabulous soup. I love soup, homemade though, do not like the stuff out of packets or tins. The other day I discovered some jerusalem artichokes in the supermarket of all places. I love their taste, and as this was the first time I saw them for sale in the supermarket, I decided it would be rude not to buy them. So I called upon the ever fabulous Delia, and found this super soup/

Jerusalem artichoke and carrot soup
1 lb carrots
1 lb 8 oz jerusalem artichokes
3 sticks of celery
3 oz butter
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 1/2 pints of hot stock
salt and pepper

To garnish:
6-8 teaspoons creme fraiche
6-8 leaves fresh flat leaf parsley

Start by peeling and de-knobbling the jerusalem artichokes, as you peel them, cut them into large chunks and put them in a bowl of cold, salted water to prevent them from discolouring. Scrape the carrots and cut them into chunks.
Peel and chop the onion and cut the celery into chunks. Melt the butter in the pan and soften the onion and celery in it for 5 minutes, keeping the heat fairly low. Then drain the artichokes and add them to the pan, along with the carrots. Add some salt. Keeping the heat very low, put a lid on the pan and let the vegetables sweat for about 10 minutes to release their juices.
After that, pout on the stock ( I used turkey stock, as I have about 10 litres of it sitting in the freezer after Christmas, but really you can use any stock you like) and let is simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Let the soup cool slightly and blend it.
Before serving reheat the soup gently and add a swirl of creme fraiche and a leaf of parsley to each bowl as decoration.

See, a simpler meal you can not dream up, why ever would you need to eat canned soup? After this as I was on a roll I also baked some cookies. Again, the whole freezer is full of left over Christmas baking bonanza, but I simply could not resist these...

Double-chocolate cranberry cookies
Makes 15 large cookies
16 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 10 ounces of chocolate au bain marie till melted. Set aside to cool a little. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine well. Beat in the melted chocolate. Then gradually add the flour mixture, beat in untill just combined. Then add the rest of the chopped chocolate and the cranberries.
Drop dough, 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, unto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake cookies till the edges are dry and the tops are cracked, 15-17 minutes. Let stand on sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to racks to cool completely.

After all that kitchen frenzy it was time to relax a little and play with my new books. OK. I know I should not have bought any, as really there is no immediate shortage of unread books in my house... but these are only little...
I bought the Isolarion book as it is about the area in Oxford that I lived in for a long time, I am really excited about it.
There is most definitely a theme developing here...
Have you spotted it? The Pere Lachaisse mystery I bought as this time round in Paris I will go to that cemetry... I might be too scared to after reading this though.

Have a lovely and relaxing weekend all!