Passion Pit, The Black Keys, Sigur Ros

Passion Pit: Constant Conversations (St. Lucia Remix)

I really can't stop listening to this.  The best part is that it's available for free download!


Also check out this exclusive release from The Black Keys: Strange Times

To finish off, a lovely song by Sigur Ros: Njosnavelin (yes, I had to check multiple times to spell that correctly).

Join Me For Lunch: Black Bean Soup and Quinoa Tabbouleh

This week I made myself a smoky and spicy Black Bean Soup for lunch, with a side of a fresh, protein and calcium rich Quinoa Tabbouleh salad.  With a side of Corn Chips, this made a delicious and filling lunch!

Read the recipes after the jump!

Chris Duncan

The song For by the artist C Duncan has beautiful intertwining melodies and lyrics, with a drop that brings the realization that you wish this song would never end.

Ombré Nails

 I very seldom find nail designs that I feel I would actually wear.  I don't like too much on my hands because I use them to work a lot, and find that simplicity is best for me.  However sometimes I feel a little left behind because nail design is making a big comeback; it seems that everywhere I look there is a large focus on intricate nails.  I figured it was time to try something out.

Read more after the jump!

Homemade Mushroom Soup

For a special treat, I made my roommate and I some of this creamy mushroom soup.  It didn't last more than an hour because we gobbled up the entire batch!  The recipe for this soup is deceivingly simple, but we will never buy canned mushroom soup again after seeing how easy and delicious this soup is to make.

The recipe is originally from Season With Spice, but the recipe I list has some adjustments.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Chopped Fresh Mushrooms*

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6 Cloves of Garlic (go big or go home)

2 Tbsp of Butter

2 tsp dried thyme

2 Bay leaves

1 Cup Vegetable Stock

1 Tbsp of Flour dissolved in 1 Tbsp Water

Pinch of salt

1/2 Cup Half and Half cream

1/2 Cup 2% Milk

Dash of Nutmeg 

Pepper and fresh cilantro to garnish and to taste

*You can technically use any type of mushroom for this, although I recommend using at least two varieties in this soup.  It will give the mushroom flavour more dimension than if you had only used one.  You could combine a "smokier" mushroom, like a portobello, with a "brighter" one, such as a Button mushroom.  For my soup, I selected half Shiitake mushrooms, half Button mushrooms.  The Shiitake mushrooms gave an earthy, smoky flavour, while the Button mushrooms were soft and bright in contrast.  I prefer smoky, earthy flavours while my roommate prefers lighter ones, so this was the perfect balance for us.

Method:

1.  Heat your oil and melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan, and sautée the garlic on medium heat.

2.  Add in the chopped mushrooms and spices.  Cook until the moisture evaporates from the mushrooms, and the spices begin to toast and smell great (about 5 - 10 minutes, depending on how finely you chopped the mushrooms).

3.  Add in Vegetable Broth and stir until the mixture boils.  Immediately reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add in your diluted flour so the soup thickens, and has that creamy texture.

4.  Season with Nutmeg, Salt, and Pepper, and stir in the Cream and milk.  Once the soup reaches a simmer, take it off the heat and serve it garnished with Pepper and Cilantro.

This soup would be great served with pumpernickel bread, but we just served it with parmesan toasted onto rye bread, and that was delicious as well.

Please let me know if you try this soup! 

Out for a drive

After being in the city for so long, I found myself really missing the mountains. So I decided to take a drive out to Endeavour Road; a really nice lookout point in rural Calgary. From here you get a lovely view of the foothills and rocky mountains beyond. The sky was very clear that night so there was a beautiful sunset. You can really see the progression in the sky moving from a purple/blue to an orange/yellow. I am hoping to get back to the mountains again before the holidays are over, and maybe do some skiing or winter hiking.