Good evening! I hope your day has gone well. We did some super Christmas shopping at Target, Pier One, and TJ Maxx, picking up lots of decorations (and a few presents for family members!). I also got some cute snow boots at TJ Maxx for super cheap– they were absolutely necessary.
When we returned home, we got to work decorating. The outside of the house is still not quite done…we ran out of lights! I’ll definitely put up some pics once it’s all set up. I’m also still working on the dining room…I want to create a centerpiece using some of the branches from our yard, but I lost track of time and it got too dark!
I did hang garland on our fireplace mantles and our banister, and I set up some of our smaller decorations. Here are some pictures of the house:
We picked up some cute pillows:
After all that shopping and decorating, we had worked up an appetite! On the menu: carrot soup. We eat a lot of carrot soup, for whatever reason. Actually, I know exactly why: it’s easy! I try to throw in a little variety from soup to soup…this one had a distinct Indian flavor. Here’s the recipe:
Spiced Carrot Soup
1/2 tsp. cardamom pods
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. yellow curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. red curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup almond milk
pepitas to garnish
Directions:
In a soup pot, heat the cumin seeds, coriander pods, and mustard seeds until they’re slightly toasted (only about 30 seconds to a minute…they’ll start popping!). Add olive oil and chopped onion, saute until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the carrots, and cook for another minute. Add all the spices (coriander through salt), and continue cooking for another 5 to 8 minutes, until mixture looks like this:
Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, and reduce to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, until vegetable are soft enough to puree. Remove from heat. With submerging blender (or in batches in a regular blender), puree the soup until smooth. Stir in almond milk (adding more if necessary) until you reach the desired consistency. Garnish with pepitas and enjoy!
We enjoyed the soup with a salad of mixed greens, pears, and asiago cheese.
All that decorating put me in the holiday spirit, so I set a nice Christmasy table:
Aren’t these flowers pretty? I got them at Pier One today, and added the cranberries to the vase myself when I got home (I got that idea from my sister!).
Hope you’re having a good night! See you tomorrow morning…bright and early 
Erin said,
November 30, 2009 @ 3:06 am
That soup look SO GOOD! And I love the hardwoods. I am never living in an apartment/house/place sans hardwoods, ever again.
Anna said,
November 30, 2009 @ 12:56 pm
Thanks! They were a big selling point on the house for us
Karla said,
November 30, 2009 @ 3:15 am
I love your center piece! And your soup looks delicious!!
I got snow boots today too! I’m a little nervous to have to use them…
Anna said,
November 30, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
I know– as I was purchasing them, I thought– I’m probably just inviting the snow to come. And sure enough– it’s in the forecast for this week
Ginger Lowe said,
November 30, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
Your house looks beautiful! I guess you have heard by now that Maddie ate your advent calendar – well, really she ate the chocolate out of it; she just shredded the calendar into little bitty pieces. Not to worry – I will replace it and put it up HIGH, and it will be here when you return. We decorated, too, but only just got started before it got dark. The tree looks so great in the living room, just waiting to be decorated. That carrot soup looked delicious!
Anna said,
November 30, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
I DID hear about that! That dog! We meant to take it back with us, but completely forgot.