Hello from Sacramento. 

It’s quite warm here.

After a three hour car ride, two hour plane ride and hour and a half plane ride, I escaped 12 degrees + windchill, crossed two time zones, and finally arrived in Sacramento.

At 7 p.m, the quiet neighborhood in which I find myself was pleasantly bustling with people and their dogs, families, and bar seekers and I walked to a nearby sushi joint for hot sake and a bento box.  Tomorrow I will meet up with family.

As I bask in this warm refuge, I would like to share a simple recipe (or non-recipe, rather) for a delicious carrot soup I spontaneously created this past week.  You really can’t fail if you keep tasting the soup as you progress.

Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1/2 onion,  roughly chopped
2 giant carrots, roughly chopped (about two cups)
Sea salt
A good sprinkling of herbs de Provence
Dash of white pepper
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons of butter
Enough water to just cover the vegetables
Milk or cream (I used 2% milk)
Soy sauce or tamari

Directions:
In olive oil, saute your onion and carrot in a saucepan until the onion is softened a bit, seasoning with sea salt.

Add a good sprinkling of herbs de Provence, dash of white pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste.  Then, add butter and stir until the spices are fragrant.

Add enough water to just cover the vegetables and simmer until tender.

Blend the mixture to your desired consistency and place back into your saucepan.

Add some milk or cream to the soup, and season with soy sauce and additional spices, if necessary.

Simmer or serve immediately.