If you had asked me when I was twelve where on the map New Hampshire was I am not sure I'd be able to tell you if it was even an American state. So how did I end up here? How did a little Memphis, Tennessee girl end up going from a state that gets one inch of snow annually to a state where you're lucky if you get only two feet in a year? It's all because of the internet. No, no... I didn't google "coldest places to live in the USA" - I just fell in love. On the internet.
I met my husband when I was thirteen. Obviously he wasn't my husband now. In fact I thought he was a freaking weirdo because, being fourteen, he thought it was "wicked" cool to use jive talk from the sixties. Cool Cat. Well somehow we ended up talking...and talking...and talking... for years. Four years to be exact. We talked from ages thirteen to seventeen. Then we decided to meet. It was the summer before I was headed to college in Missouri. Well the second he was off the plane it was decided - it was love and we knew it.
I finished college, and not having any particular ties to any specific part of the US (I had been moved from house to house - never staying in the same place more than 2 years - and eventually moved from Tennessee to Mississippi.) I packed up my 1999 Ford Taurus in 2008 with all the belongings I could possibly cram, and two dogs, and a boyfriend, and we drove from Missouri to New Hampshire - Damn that's a long drive.
We were married shortly after, and just celebrated our two year anniversary, and that is how I ended up here. With no real plans to leave. The truth of the matter is that I have a job I love, and I live somewhere I feel safe, and I am just a stone's throw from the culture of Boston or the ocean or the moose of Maine and Canada. It's a great place. Cold, but great.
We now rent a house that's in the family, and it's still flaunting its mid 20th century Youngstown Teppan range and oven. The double-oven was partly out of commission until today when it was repaired, so I am starting this blog in honor of that (and because I love to cook - but this is more romantic). I'm ecstatic to have my in-oven rotisserie back in operation, and even though only two of the four of the eyes on my rangetop work and they have one heat (hot, and hot) - I can't explain how glad I was that we didn't have to have it replaced. There is something beyond romantic about my retro house. We've settled into its retro-ness. We've made it ours.
Here is a recipe I made just yesterday. I was trying desperately to find something that would recreate the delicious Thai Butternut Squash soup I had at the Salem,MA New England Soup Factory. I lucked upon this recipe from Allotment 2 Kitchen that had a good base soup that I ran with. I had never had a butternut squash until I attended my first Yankee Thanksgiving with my husband's parents, so to me it's the most New England vegetable in existence and quite appropriate for a first blog post.
Thai Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
- 400 ml (1.7 cups) light coconut milk
- 4 tsp. Thai red curry paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pint (2 cups) vegetable stock
- Zest of half a lime
- 1 medium/large butternut squash (about 4 cups cubed)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
1. Roast the butternut squash in a tablespoon of olive oil at 400°F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Be careful not to let the squash over brown or burn.
2. Either mash or puree the squash. I think pureeing at this stage will provide a better texture for the finished soup.
3. In a large 6 to 8 cup pot, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth.
4. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer gently on medium heat for 15 minutes (you can imagine how much fun simmering something is on a stovetop that only functions on the high heat setting).
5. Taste for spice and consistency. Add more red curry paste or lime zest to taste. If the consistency is not smooth at this point, pureeing will provide a smooth, whipped consistency that is very creamy. If your squash was overly large (They grow huge up here!), consider adding some heavy cream or more coconut milk.
Serves 5
Nutrition: Calories 150, Carbs 23g, Fat 6g, Protein 1g
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